NetEase Injects New Blood into AAA Gaming

'Blood Message' challenges expectations, while walking a controversial path...

Blood Message trailer announcement is a departure from what we've come to expect from recent AAA Chinese games' reveals.

Set in the Tang Dinasty (the game's Chinese name is 归唐, which translates as "Returning to Tang", or "The Return of Tang Dinasty", depending on context), Blood Message presents itself as a premium (non-F2P) single-player action-adventure title developed in Unreal Engine 5, and planned to release on PC and consoles (release date unspecified atm).

While the reveal trailer includes a lot of cinematics and possibly some CGI segments, it does include in-engine scenes, presumably. It looks great!

I think this title is a departure from other recent major announced AAA Chinese games specifically because it feels much more inspired by games in the Assassin's Creed franchise and even Uncharted (the development team does include some ex-Ubisoft).

This is an action-adventure game with no firearms, set in a grounded/realistic setting (apparently), as opposed to souls-like inspired games set in mythological settings filled with traditional Chinese folklore and fast-paced action as we've seen from Phantom Blade Zero, Wuchang, Black Myth Wukong and others.

Also, it is not a cross-play anime-inspired gacha game, like so many of the most popular Chinese games are.

This is noteworthy as, even now, a lot of AAA Chinese games are starting to all look too similar to each other, especially to more casual gamers.
It is important for Chinese developers to maintain momentum as they expand their reach internationally, and one way to keep that going is by diversifying the type of games produced. Blood Message, I believe, is a positive step in that direction - I mentioned the issue of possible creative stagnation before in a piece I wrote.

Currently with no major new Tomb Raider, Uncharted or other popular games in the genre announced, Blood Message might just come to the rescue and perhaps become a hit among gamers eager for a new big third-person action-adventure.

Who’s the Studio Behind the Game?

Blood Message is being developed by 24 Entertainment Lin’an, and published by NetEase. 24 Entertainment is owned by NetEase, and is part of the company’s subsidiary Thunder Fire Studio.

The “Lin’an” in the name of the studio refers to the Lin’an district in Hangzhou, the city where both NetEase and 24 Entertainment are headquartered. While 24 Entertainment has existed now for approximately 18 years and is best known for developing the very successful Naraka: Bladepoint and its mobile version as well (and other online games before), this new Lin’an office/studio is a new branch of 24 Entertainment.

Naraka has been immensely successful, with the console and PC versions having reached over 40 million players back in late 2023, worldwide!
The mobile version of the game, while still exclusive to the Chinese market, has also been very profitable for the studio and NetEase.

Due to its history with online multiplayer games, a lot of Chinese gamers showed skepticism towards Blood Message when it was first revealed. Many were doubtful about the game’s focus, fearing that it could be yet another F2P and/or online game. However, in the game’s official account on Weibo, a public message made it clear that Blood Message is indeed a premium single-player!

This game being developed by such a well-established and experienced studio is also a departure from most other AAA Chinese games (Black Myth included) who are developed by studios with a “less ambitious” background.

Possible Controversies…

This may or may not be a thing, but as soon as Blood Message was announced, some people online started discussing its parallels with an infamously unreleased Chinese movie: Heroes of Dunhuang (敦煌英雄).

The movie was supposed to release in Chinese theaters back in 2023, and then…it never did. Supposedly due to censorship regarding its historical subject matter which focuses on multi-ethnic conflicts. Namely, Guiyi’s Army conflicts against the Tibetan Empire. Needless to say, policies regarding minorities are a very sensitive matter in China nowadays (and for decades in the past), and any piece of entertainment that leans into these topics will be the target of extreme scrutiny…

It just so happens that Blood Message is set within the same historical context, leading some people to speculate about, and discuss these issues.

I dont think the game will have any issues to release, both in China, and especially internationally. Chinese authorities understand the growing strength of videogames as a spearhead for the country’s soft-power abroad. While a movie like Heroes of Dunhuang had no expectations of ever being a hit outside of China, a game like Blood Message certainly has. This is a crucial point when trying to understand Chinese policies regarding their exports, as opposed to how they regulate things “at home”.

Even if the game however were to be censored or even banned in China (not going to happen!), Chinese gamers would still be able to easily access it on Steam and consoles, just as they do for any other game…