What inspiration can 'Phantom Parlu', the first hit of the year, bring to independent games?

With sales exceeding 8 million in just 5 days, and the number of online players reaching 2 million at the same time, "Phantom Parlu" is undoubtedly the number one hit game in 2024.

So how does such an unknown small Japanese workshop achieve the success that many major game companies aspire to achieve? Its method of success may bring some inspiration to small entrepreneurial teams.

Don't be afraid of "stitching monsters", good stitching is also a kind of innovation

I believe that many players were first attracted to "Phantom Beast Palu" because it was the first promotional video it released. The Pallu factory assembly line, the Pallu holding a gun, using the Pallu as a shield to fight side by side, and many other "complete activities" that pay tribute to Pokémon make people laugh.

Coupled with the very obvious tribute (stitching) content to major well-known games, the whole game looks very bizarre and not serious at all.

#However, it successfully attracted the players' attention. After all, "players have been suffering for a long time."

This is also the advantage of small and medium-sized teams. They do not have the "idol baggage" of big companies, and there is no need to be embarrassed to copy. In fact, as long as you "sew" it well and make players happy when playing, players don't mind you "sewing" it.

How do you say something?

Bad news: It’s the Stitch Monster!

Good news: The stitching is very good.

"Phantom Beast Palu" is a suture monster, but it is not sutured to sew popular items. It introduces automation from the early stages of survival construction, skipping the boring resource collection and production links, and then to the capture of Palu. There is in-depth research on terms, terms, and even skills.

Players play freshly, not only will they not scold you, they will even shout cheers for you. Let’s compare the recent reputations of GF, the complacent “Pokémon” developer, and Pocketpair, the “stitching and innovative” developer of “Pokémon”. I believe everyone knows how to choose.

Who said that small and medium-sized manufacturers can only make niche independent games?

There are many independent games on the market now, and you can tell they are independent games at a glance. This is not to say that this is not good, but that it often limits your games to the circle of independent games and prevents you from taking a step forward.

Can you break out of this circle and compete with big manufacturers? In theory, of course, it is possible. In this industry, there is no explicit rule that small and medium-sized manufacturers can only produce sketch games.

Of course, some people must refute it. Without money and no one, how can you compete with 3A games from big companies?

The first thing is the appearance, it should not look so sketchy.

Now just search on Site B and you will be able to find a lot of videos about using Unreal 5 to make independent games. Judging from the artistic performance alone, there is actually no shortage of works that look eye-catching.

And why do most of them look like sketches? It's still a matter of positioning. If you limit yourself to small-level independent games, how can it not be a small-level game?

So, is "Eidolon Parlu" considered an independent game? Before Pocketpair made "Eidolon Parlu", its team size was not large, and its funds were far less abundant than those of major companies. It was labeled as an independent manufacturer.

Another issue is funding. Although the total capital investment of small manufacturers is not as much as that of large manufacturers, their costs are less than that of large manufacturers. For example, labor costs, office space costs, personnel management costs, etc. are all considerable expenses for large manufacturers.

In addition, there are currently many ready-made resources available for purchase online, and there are even many free resources. Coupled with the convenience of AI now, for small and medium-sized manufacturers, All expenses can be saved.

And these big manufacturers will never dare to use it. Look at those big manufacturers that use AI. Players will spray it half to death. And when small teams use these resources, players can also express their understanding.

Just like the "whole work" and "stitching" mentioned earlier, you are a small factory and you can do it freely. As long as the cost is controlled and the presentation is good, there is every chance to create a game that can counterattack the big manufacturers. "Phantom Beast Palu" is a living example.

Generally speaking, if a small team wants to replicate the success of "Eudemons Palu", or learn from its successful experience. First of all, you have to choose the right subject, and you don’t just copy whoever is popular.

The selection of materials should start from the team itself. Whether you have enough love for this subject and the degree of in-depth research will directly determine the players' evaluation of you. Let's take "Pokémon Parlu" as an example. It is obvious that Pocketpair has done in-depth research on "Pokémon" and "Ark: Survival Evolved" in order to digest and absorb these games and "sew" them harmoniously. together.

The next step is to accurately position users. You must be very clear about what the target group needs and what they hate (for example, Pokémon players have grudges against GF). You need to be the core player of your game, and then use marketing to attract players who match your magnetic field.

So, the success of "Phantom Beast Parlu" is an accident, but not that unexpected.

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