After countless efforts from various game developers, the emerging genre known as "Survivor-Like" has become an independent category, with "Survivor-Like" games appearing at the top of game charts worldwide.

These games offer clear gameplay mechanics and distinctive features. By changing the thematic art style and adding some minor innovations, they can attract a large number of players. Furthermore, they can maximize the use of in-game materials for user acquisition, reducing costs. These advantages make "Survivor-Like" games an ideal choice for game developers to achieve big results with minimal investment.

Back in March of this year, we explored the potential of a martial arts-themed "Survivor-Like" game breaking through the genre's limitations in an article that topped the free game charts in Taiwan. We discussed how, with the right theme adaptation and highly localized user acquisition and marketing efforts, a martial arts-themed "Survivor-Like" game could thrive in the Greater China region.

Today, I have come across a game called "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms," which is a Three Kingdoms-themed "Survivor-Like" game and the second product to capitalize on the trend after "Baozou Xiaoxiami." The developer behind this game is Greedy Gaming, previously known for creating the phenomenally successful game "Greedysky," which has since been rebranded as "Zhongxu Future."

Part 1: Integrating the General System, Crafting Multi-layered "Strategies"

The underlying gameplay of "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" closely resembles that of "Bullet Echo" and "Running Xiaoxiami," with characters automatically using skills. Players are tasked with controlling their characters, defeating enemies to gain experience points, and creating their own custom builds.

Similar to "Running Xiaoxiami," players in "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" accumulate progress throughout each level. They will encounter several mini-bosses and two major bosses along the way. Defeating these bosses grants players the opportunity to spin a roulette wheel, which can randomly upgrade one or multiple skill levels, thus accelerating the build customization process.

During the early stages of the game, players have access to only a few fixed weapons and skills. New weapons and skill combinations can be unlocked as players progress through the game, allowing them to construct fresh builds for their characters.

Of course, besides the shared underlying gameplay elements, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" distinguishes itself by incorporating a unique system centered around the "Three Kingdoms" theme, including a special system for generals, a talent tree, and dungeons.

In "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms," the talent tree features two branches. The first branch is more fundamental, where players earn silver coins each time they progress through a level. These silver coins are primarily used to upgrade basic attributes like attack, defense, health, and the amount of health restored when picking up buns. The second branch provides players with additional advantages for completing levels, such as starting with one extra skill, or having the option to re-select a skill, or obtaining equipment from defeated enemies. However, the talents in this branch require "Talent Tokens," which can be acquired through challenge mode (hard difficulty levels of regular stages) and extreme challenge gameplay.

Having personally experienced it, I can attest to the significant impact of these talents on a player's ability to complete the game. When testing "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms," I found that the game's difficulty mainly lies in the boss battles. The bosses' skill frequency, speed, and damage values can create a substantial difference compared to fighting regular enemies. However, when dealing with normal mini-bosses or regular enemies, the crucial factor is whether you can assemble a powerful build (as we mentioned in a previous article, strong build combinations in the game are relatively fixed).

In contrast, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" takes the opposite approach. It increases the difficulty when fighting regular enemies, while weakening the early-game damage dealt by a player's weapons and skills. For example, in the second level, it may take nearly 10 attacks to defeat a single soldier, often requiring players to rely on increasing their basic stats and upgrading equipment to speed up their progress through the level. However, when it comes to boss battles, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" reduces the damage output of regular level bosses and makes the timing and type of boss skill releases more predictable. Therefore, as long as players dodge skill attacks effectively, they can often defeat bosses without taking damage.

Comparatively, I believe that the differences in the gameplay progression between the two games are not significant; both involve progressing through levels, upgrading, and character development. However, the variation in the talent system can provide players with different sensory experiences. In this regard, the design of the talent tree in "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" is more closely connected to the game's levels and character development mechanics. If players want to speed up their progress, they need to keep advancing through levels to obtain silver coins and play challenge levels or modes to earn "talent tokens." These bonuses are then genuinely reflected in the player's experience, making them feel the difference before and after leveling up and encouraging them to engage more deeply with the game.

Furthermore, as a "Survivor-like" game set in the Three Kingdoms era, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" didn't simply incorporate the appearances of Three Kingdoms generals but also introduced a targeted "Warlord System." This system adds a high degree of ARPG-style character development to the game, significantly enhancing its overall playability while contributing to its commercial success.

In particular, when players first enter "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms," they start with a plain soldier character, even their name is "A Rookie Warrior." So, my initial impression was that this game was primarily aiming to attract devoted Three Kingdoms fans by incorporating elements from that era, such as level names like "Peach Garden," "Julu," and "Changshan." The daily supply is referred to as "Imperial Uncle's Treasure" and features a Q-version of Liu Bei's image. The bosses encountered in levels are characters like Diao Chan and Meng Huo. The weapon designs, skill names, and other elements also follow the familiar Three Kingdoms theme.

However, as players progress and unlock the "Warlord System," the true essence of "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" is revealed. Firstly, during the unlocking process of the "Warlord System," players experience the excitement of leveling up from a "nameless soldier continuously battling monsters to eventually become a renowned general." For players who have already played similar games and are familiar with the underlying gameplay of "Survivor," the early stages of grinding and leveling up can quickly become monotonous (as is the case with the author). However, after completing the first level, the sudden revelation of the "Warlord System," with the added incentive of unlocking it only after the fourth level, serves as a hook that gives players a short-term goal, enticing them to continue playing and experiencing the game.

As I mentioned earlier, due to the increased monster damage in "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms," players are forced to continuously grind, level up their talents, and overcome numerous challenges. It can be said that they endure countless difficulties. At this point, even if players feel tired, they find it challenging to give up on the imminent goal. Therefore, when the "Warlord System" is unlocked, players' sense of achievement reaches its peak, motivating them to experience the content of becoming a renowned general. It's worth mentioning that while we often discuss Greedy Game's marketing capabilities, through the design of "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms," they have demonstrated their strong understanding of player psychology and game level design.

Once the "Warlord System" is unlocked, familiar characters such as Zhuge Liang, Lu Bu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and other Three Kingdoms heroes appear in the game in a cute, Q-version style. They bring their unique weapon and skill builds with them. This means that in addition to the basic builds, players can also experience the exclusive skills of these heroic characters. With a large number of heroes available, players have access to countless build systems, providing a fresh and non-repetitive gaming experience.

It's worth mentioning that "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" has put a lot of effort into character design, skill effects, and visual presentation. The Q-version character designs are so well done that players can easily identify which hero is represented by each character, even without reading their names. The skills in the game draw inspiration from the "Dynasty Warriors" series, incorporating signature skills and weapons of the heroes. This not only adds various attribute-based attacks to the weapons but also includes a multitude of special effects. Familiar characters, weapons, and the combination of builds with stunning effects greatly enhance the game's sense of excitement.

Naturally, acquiring and nurturing heroes involves card draws and purchasing chests. "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" uses a hybrid monetization model of IAA (In-App Ads) and IAP (In-App Purchases), incorporating in-game ads and rechargeable points to the fullest extent. There are daily/weekly/monthly/chapter gift packs, chest supplies, premium currency (paid currency), silver coin packages, premium currency lottery, growth funds, monthly subscriptions, and recharge packages, all of which require in-game purchases. Daily/weekly/monthly gift packs also come with "cumulative recharge days," where the most basic tier requires players to watch ads to obtain resources. Other purchase tiers range from $0.99 to $29.99. In addition, chest acquisition, daily supplies, and the daily shop also feature opportunities to watch ads for additional rewards.

Unlike "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms," which employs a dual monetization model of IAA (In-App Ads) and IAP (In-App Purchases), as opposed to pure IAP monetization, this approach offers players more choices. The hybrid monetization system also encourages greater player engagement and retention, increasing the diversity and depth of monetization within the game.

What's most important is that despite featuring numerous opportunities for in-game purchases, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" gradually increases difficulty while providing players with goals. This approach "warms the frog in water" rather than creating a strong sense of "fleecing" the players. Instead, it motivates players to spend willingly in pursuit of experiencing more build combinations, hero development, and deep content.

As "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" was only launched on August 18th and has been available for less than a month, specific information about its current revenue and payments isn't available. However, it's worth noting that the game was previously launched in June under the name "Zhugong Xiuxiuxiu" in Malaysia and Singapore. Based on publicly available data, "Zhugong Xiuxiuxiu" achieved total revenue of $58,000 in Malaysia in July.

Currently, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" has maintained relatively stable performance in the Greater China region, including Taiwan. Since its launch in mid-August, it has consistently ranked within the top 5 games in the Taiwan region's gaming charts, even reaching the number one position at its peak. As for its future development, I will continue to monitor its progress.

In summary, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" has innovated within the familiar "survivor" gameplay by focusing on thematic differentiation. However, in its subsequent design, "Xiuxiu Three Kingdoms" chooses to emphasize depth and breadth in character development. In the competitive landscape of the "survivor-like" genre, these directions explored by Greedy Gaming undoubtedly provide valuable insights and a unique approach.

Part 2: When Greedy Gaming Embraces "Greedy" Gameplay

When it comes to Greedy Gaming, the first thing that usually comes to mind is "Legend," followed by the iconic line that resounds through the streets and alleys: "I am Zha Zha Hui, and I'm waiting for you in Greedy Blue Moon."

As the leader in the legendary game genre, Greedy Gaming has been dubbed the "big spender." The impression it has left on people is one of "simple and rough brand endorsement marketing" and "massive and extravagant user acquisition." Thanks to its years of accumulation in the "legendary game + user acquisition" approach, Greedy Gaming has become a massive entity with a valuation of around 10 billion USD.

However, with the rising costs of user acquisition and the legendary game category reaching a bottleneck, Greedy Gaming started to innovate in terms of game category breadth and self-development last year. It began transitioning from a simple and extravagant user acquisition strategy to a more refined approach.

Through data.ai's observations, it's evident that Greedy Gaming's product portfolio has gradually diversified. They've moved beyond the legendary game category to explore various genres, including Western zombie-themed SLG "West War: Zombies Attack," European-style simulation management game "Rise of the Billionaire," police-catching-thieves idle game "X히어로-도둑 잡아라," idle RPG "拜见如来佛祖," MMORPG "荣耀之路-战神争霸," idle hyper-casual game "달려라 공룡: 무한 스트레칭," and rogue-like game "咻咻三国," among others. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and if you consider the games they've already removed from app stores, it's estimated that Greedy Gaming has launched nearly 20 lightweight games in the past two years.

These categories are not the legendary games that Greedy Gaming excelled in the past. Naturally, the target audience for these games has shifted from middle-aged players to younger players. This means that Greedy Gaming's original user base will be limited to a large extent. Based on the marketing and performance of most of their non-legendary products, it seems that Greedy Gaming has not applied its usual celebrity endorsement strategy in promoting these products. They also haven't gone all out in terms of marketing efforts.

Take "咻咻三国" as an example. In less than a month since its launch, "咻咻三国" has run a total of 82 ads, but when duplicates are removed, there were only 8 unique ads. These ads primarily focus on the excitement of developing and strategizing with characters and skills or encourage players to open powerful equipment (similar to legendary items) after failing in battles. In terms of ad format, Greedy Gaming has adopted the popular "commentary" style favored by players in the Greater China region.

When facing heavy-duty products like "原始传奇" and "神兵奇迹," Greedy Gaming employs various forms of promotion based on the product's attributes and regional preferences, including celebrity endorsements, live streaming, user-generated content incentives, and KOL collaborations, among others, which they are well-known for.

Part 3: Conclusion

Overall, in the current trend of precision, high-quality, and long-term focus, Greedy Gaming, which has embraced the spirit of "being greedy for fun," is attempting to break out of its comfort zone. This process is not without challenges and difficulties, but it's evident that Greedy Gaming is willing to evolve and adapt.

It's important to note that the diversification of gameplay and the flexible transformation of marketing content and methods showcase Greedy Gaming's ability to continually evolve.

Additionally, it's worth mentioning that Greedy Gaming, in line with this transformation, filed for an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on August 18th. Its estimated valuation has already exceeded 10 billion RMB. According to Frost & Sullivan, if we consider revenue in 2022, Greedy Gaming is already the fifth-largest mobile game publisher in China, with a market share of 3.5%.

In a world that craves legends, we are curious and eager to see whether Greedy Gaming can gain recognition from the capital market and become the first "legendary" company to go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this year.

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