At the annual Tencent UP event held a couple of days ago, Tencent Games announced a total of 14 mobile games it is preparing with various partners to launch in its native China this year. Some of them are based on IPs which are officially licensed, while others are based on PC online games only the local gamers would know. Out of the 14 mobile games, here are some which caught our eyes.
1. The King of Fighters: Destiny
Based on the IP by SNK and developed by Chinese studio Yinhan Games, The King of Fighters: Destiny is just 1 of 3 mobile games currently in development based on the franchise. The other 2, not related to Tencent Games, are The King of Fighters World (in-development by SNK China) and The King of Fighters: All Star (in-development by Netmarble Games). What a popular IP this is!
While information about The King of Fighters: Destiny were not mentioned in detail, Yinhan Games did confirm elements of online games will be added, including PVE content. There is no word if there are exclusive new characters in this mobile game. A 3D animated series with the same name, The King of Fighters: Destiny, will start airing in China this summer with 20 episodes confirmed.
2. Fairy Tail: Teen Wizards (rough translation)
Officially known as 妖精的尾巴：魔导少年, the game is roughly translated as Fairy Tail: Teen Wizards. Similar to The King of Fighters: Destiny, Fairy Tail: Teen Wizards is officially licensed, this time from Kodansha based on the celebrated Fairy Tail IP. Kodansha confirmed the original voice cast from the anime will reprise their roles in the game. The basic gameplay can be seen in the trailer below.
3. Cross Gate Mobile
A Square Enix representative announced that Cross Gate Mobile is aiming to recapture the essence of its previous PC predecessor. The PC online version first landed in China back in 2001, and has left an impression on generations of gamers. Developed by the China branch of Square Enix, the team will do its best to preserve all familiar features. No gameplay was shown, so stay tuned for details!
4. MU Awakening
Officially licensed from Webzen Korea based on the MU Online IP, MU Awakening is an action mobile MMORPG currently in development at Chinese studio Tianma, which also developed MU Origin. Building on MU Origin, the graphics of MU Awakening will be brought to the next level, along with several other new gameplay modes. Classics such as Devil Square and Bless Castle will remain.
5. Might & Magic Heroes: Era of Chaos
Developed by Chinese studio Playcrab based on the Might & Magic IP owned by Ubisoft, Might & Magic Heroes: Era of Chaos is a strategy mobile card game tailored for the China gamers. If you did not know, the Might & Magic brand name (especially Heroes III) has a cult following in China, and Ubisoft has decided to take advantage of it. More details on this project can be found at the Ubisoft blog.
Much positives have been said about this Unreal Engine 4 masterpiece from Korean developer Netmarble, and Tencent Games agree. Both companies are working hard right now to bring Lineage II: Revolution into China, where Lineage Online and Lineage II maintains a healthy server population. The global community is anxiously waiting for the game too, but we would still have to wait a little longer.
7. Fighter of The Destiny (择天记)
China companies are not known to give very accurate English names for their works, so pardon them for the cringe-worthy title, Fighter of The Destiny. Based on a popular wuxia novel, a TV drama series just started airing in China as well. I was impressed by the in-game footage shown in the trailer below, and hope the release version will look just as awesome. And yes, this is a mobile MMORPG title!
