Text/Qiuqiu

Perhaps, it's time to refresh the stereotype of mini-games.

Recently, Grape Jun found that "Seeking the Dao", which still dominates the TOP 3 of the WeChat best-selling list and is estimated to have a monthly turnover of more than 100 million, has updated a new version linked to Huangshan tourism, and the related content has caused a lot of discussion on platforms such as Station B and Xiaohongshu, and has been on the hot search of Weibo and Douyin.

What's more interesting is that in addition to the Huangshan Cultural Tourism IP this time, since it was launched for more than a year, "Seeking the Dao" has already successfully launched linkage activities with different IPs such as "The Summer of China's Strange Tales", "Nezha's Demon Boy Descends", "The Legend of Mortal Immortals", etc., through the innovation of themes, gameplay, and distribution promotion strategies, a different long-term methodology has been found.

01

The game of swinging the axe came to Huangshan

Why does "Seeking the Way" break through stereotypes?

In the past, many people thought that mini games may just be an entertainment option for casual hang-ups, and their own size and positioning do not support them to do too much content and brand expansion - but the linkage of "Seeking the Way" seems to be aimed at the two aspects of content and brand.

As a representative of China's natural landscape, history and culture, Huangshan is known as the "world's most strange mountain" – its wonders are presented in both online and offline ways.

Online, "Seeking the Way" has launched different linkage gameplay from seeing, learning, and playing to three dimensions.

The official first refined and digitally interpreted the wonders such as Dream Pen Flowers, Flying Stones, and Monkey Watching the Sea, and displayed them through appreciation theme activities and linkage dress-up and skin display, so that players can get the overall impression of Huangshan at the audio-visual level - "Seeking the Way" has also launched the linkage version in the global market, which should also want to promote China's cultural tourism scenic spots to the world through digital means.

The image of Huangshan linkage and the sect and the gathering array are dressed

While watching the scenery, players can also trace the origin of the "Yellow Mountain Handbook", the Q&A events in "Searching for Yellow Mountain", and the appreciation of famous scenery to understand the strange scenery of Yellow Mountain, as well as the past history and celebrities of Yellow Mountain...... It can be seen that the official hopes that players' perception of Huangshan will not be limited to skin appearance.

Appreciation of the wonders of Huangshan Mountain

On a deeper level, "Seeking the Way of Daqian" also launched an exclusive copy of the Huangshan linkage, as well as the somatosensory gameplay "Taolin Treasure Appreciation" that shakes the mobile phone to get benefits, so that players can realize "cyber mountaineering" in the game, and feel the different Huangshan and Xiuxian from the gameplay level - this linkage also gives the game the opportunity to release the sense of Xiuxian through more gameplay and layers, and enrich the content thickness of the product.

Collaboration Exclusive Dungeon "Huangshan Immortal Path"

Offline, "Seeking the Dao" connected the digital content in the game, starting and ending at the south gate of the scenic spot and Yungu Temple, and held a check-in activity in Huangshan. Under the guidance of the "Peach Immortal" and its peaches (in-game physical strength), players will enjoy the wonders of Huangshan along the way, while participating in interactive mini-games, and finally collect stamps to exchange for peaches and game peripherals.

In the interactive mini-game, "Seeking the Path" also brought the game's axe and immortal cultivation gameplay to the offline and combined it with Internet hotspots.

If you are on the scene, you may see players waving their phones in pairs, using the game's somatosensory gameplay to swing their axes; or a group of axe repairs, imitating the axe gang in the "Kung Fu" movie to have an "awkward dance".

Source: Xiaohongshu Huangshan Xihai Hotel Co., Ltd

This set of online and offline strategies just gives full play to the advantages of both sides of the IP: the online "Seeking the Way" can amplify the wonders of Huangshan through a unique painting style, making it easier for players to form a deep impression of Huangshan, and also realizing the value of cultural tourism promotion - for example, if you are in the field of Huangshan, it is difficult to feel the complete form, texture details, past history and peculiarities of the flying stone, but you can better understand its full picture in the game.

Flying Stone

The offline "Seeking the Way" tries to break the game and reality through the on-site setting, so that the real scenery of Huangshan complements and enhances the cognition of players, so that global players have changed from "this is Huangshan" to "I want to see it" and "I didn't come in vain" - the value of the game and Huangshan cultural tourism has also been sublimated in the player's sigh.

Jumping out of this linkage, you will find that the linkage ideas and creativity of "Seeking the Way" are not affected by the content and volume of the game itself, and the official knows where their advantages are: differentiated art style, axe-wielding and immortal gameplay, and even the operation idea of mingling with players...... This gives them a lot of direction to create topics that meet players' demands for content and branding.

02

From Guoman to cultural tourism, closely follow the core of the game

Of course, some people will question that the above ideas and content can be used in most linkage activities, why did "Seeking the Way" choose Huangshan? Choosing a cultural tour? What is the value of this for mini games and the game industry?

Before answering these questions, we may be able to take a look at the other side of the game linkage Huangshan:

On August 25, "Seeking the Dao" released the Huangshan linkage PV.

"People in the world often ask, seeking the way, what is the way to seek?" At the beginning of the PV, such a question is raised. Different people are looking for the way of mountains and rivers and the way of green pines in the Yellow Mountain, and the little demons are also with this, achieving their own ways in continuous cultivation.

In the video, all over Huangshan, there are also the figures of various demons in "Seeking the Dao": the little demon standing guard and guarding the door, the panda playing Tai Chi in the Taoist temple, the pig demon napping under the tree, and the little demon listening to the tour guide...... Whether it is the linkage of Huangshan or the game itself, the word "seeking" is prominent.

Talking to you about this PV, I think it embodies the real idea of "Seeking the Way" and linking Huangshan: to find out the spiritual core of its own game, and then to find a linkage brand that can resonate, and tell Chinese culture and stories well.

What is the spirit of "Seeking the Way"? Let's take a look at the content of the game: the game tells the story of a wisp of powerful remnant soul turned into a little demon and asked for immortals from then on. Around the story, the game's theme, gameplay, art settings, etc., are not quite the same as mainstream immortal cultivation games. For example, the protagonist is an unknown demon in other games, and the cultivation method is a simple axe drop...... This means that "Seeking the Way" has always depicted the various states at the bottom and depicted the struggle stories of Chinese people who bravely challenge.

Yes, even in "Journey to the West", who can guarantee that he is a great sage? The little demon can't seek his own way?

As for China's Yellow Mountain, it is not only a historical scene, but also a reflection of the national spirit. For example, the spirit of Qisong in Huangshan, countless people in all dynasties have found their own "Tao" in Huangshan, which is in line with the spiritual core of "Seeking the Dao". This may also be why "Seeking the Dao" chose Huangshan as the linkage object - not only that, "Seeking the Dao" has always implemented this spiritual resonance of the linkage idea, looking for and showing the Chinese cultural brand that fits the global players.

Push the time forward, and you will find that in June this year, "Seeking the Dao" linked "Nezha's Demon Boy Descends to the World", which tells the story of Nezha being bound by fate and being snubbed, but he does not accept his fate, he is looking for his "Tao";

In May, the game linked up with "The Legend of Mortal Cultivation of Immortals", which is an oriental fantasy novel that can be seen from the name and tells the story of ordinary people seeking the Tao;

In November last year, the game linked "Douluo Continent", which is also a story about the protagonist rising from the bottom and pursuing his own "Tao";

At the beginning of the game, it was also linked to "The Summer of the Little Monster of Chinese Strange Tan", the little pig demon finally because of his kindness, Tang Seng and his apprentices let him go, and the demon also has a good demon, this is the "Tao" of the little pig demon...

I think a successful game, or IP, must not only have a good theme, art, and gameplay, but also have its own spiritual core and brand symbols, such as fairy tales and romance, bloody kings, and struggle in despair...... "Seeking the Dao" around the core of the Tao, showing the theme, gameplay, and operation ideas, can allow players to find spiritual solace - go all out, use their own way, and go their own way.

That's why I have the emotion at the beginning of the article: The mini games represented by "Seeking the Way" are far more simple than what we see - in addition to paying some stereotypical attention to the gameplay iteration of the mini game and whether it can make money, should we take a more look at their content, brand, group and even the strategy and value of IP?

03

You have to hold back your strength

This linkage activity also shows the thinking of "Seeking the Path" on the selection and application of IP.

For example, it chooses to link with Huangshan, in addition to spiritual resonance, it may also be related to the exploration of the form of linkage.

Nowadays, many games have high repetition of historical and cultural and national tide elements, and players are easy to get tired. In this case, "Seeking the Way" focuses on excavating the spirit of Huangshan and showing the humanistic ecology, but takes a route that many people did not expect, achieving a win-win situation of linkage effect and brand effect, and indirectly promoting the attention and recognition of Chinese culture by more people at home and abroad.

For other games, today's IP is hardly the sweetheart of the industry, after all, there have been too many well-known IPs that have been abused and used to make money in the past, even if they have achieved good commercial results, but they have also consumed a lot of users' trust in IP.

And the linkage strategy of "Seeking the Way" let me see their three-layer solution to the use of IP and the long-term line of the game:

The first is the differentiation of IP content. The linkage with cultural tourism IPs like Huangshan will naturally arouse users' curiosity and desire to explore. Moreover, the cultural and spiritual value of cultural tourism has not yet been fully explored, and it may become the object of more game linkage in the future - "game + cultural tourism", or it may become the next business card to show Chinese culture.

The second is the diversity of IP presentations. After all, the game is a comprehensive content carrier, and it would be a pity if it only came out with a skin and scene in conjunction with IP, and did not give full play to the game's strengths in terms of fun, interaction, performance, etc. For example, the online + offline, wonders + spirit, inside and outside the game and other forms of "Seeking the Way" this time show the unique value of the IP of both sides from many levels;

The third is that games, especially content games, should have their own spiritual core and power points. Speaking of linkage, since you have spent money, you should try to avoid linkage for the sake of linkage, and you may need to spend more effort to figure out the spiritual core of the game and the linkage IP, and achieve the unity of quality and effect - this is the key to making both IP parties as decent as possible.

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