Youth Shanghai 2022

This article contains AI-generated translation.

 Author
 Published

在许多人的大学记忆中，恐怕都会有这样的场景：利用课余时间和宿舍好友相约打几盘游戏，既可以放松心情，又能够建立友谊。11年前，在上海交通大学闵行校区D32的宿舍里，正在读研究生的刘伟也是如此，当年的他可能没有想到，自己与其他两个室友的这个共同爱好之后竟变成了三个人共同奋斗的事业——米哈游。
In the memories of many people in college, there is probably a scene like this: using spare time to gather with dormitory friends and play some games, which can both relax and build friendships. Eleven years ago, in the D32 dormitory of the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Liu Wei, who was a graduate student at the time, was also like this. Back then, he probably didn't expect that this shared hobby with his other two roommates would later turn into a collective endeavor for the three of them — miHoYo.

## The Path of Original IP Anime That Began from a University Dormitory

“我们是在宿舍里成立的miHoYo工作室。”刘伟笑着回忆道，“而且在宿舍里开发完成的第一个游戏产品：《FlyMe2theMoon》，还获得了苹果应用商店日本区、美国区的推荐。”
"We established the miHoYo studio in the dormitory," Liu Wei recalled with a smile, "and the first game product we developed in the dormitory, *FlyMe2theMoon*, even received recommendations from the Apple App Store in the Japanese and US regions."

2011年下半年，刘伟作为代表参加了当时的“创新创业达人比赛”，通过此次比赛，他和小伙伴们拿到了上海市大学生创业基金会给予的10万元无息贷款和免费使用半年的50平米办公场地，基于这样的契机，这三个85后小伙注册成立了公司——米哈游。
In the second half of 2011, Liu Wei participated in the "Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talents Competition" as a representative. Through this competition, he and his friends received a 100,000 RMB interest-free loan and free use of a 50-square-meter office space for six months provided by the Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates. Seizing this opportunity, the three post-1985 young men officially registered their company — miHoYo.

创业初期，举步维艰。米哈游放弃了当时已经被市场验证的三国类、武侠主题游戏题材，抱着“从零开始创建一家世界一流的原创动漫公司”的远大目标，尝试打造原创IP。虽然公司的第一代产品《崩坏学园》于2012年推出后并没有引起市场的太大关注，但是刘伟和小伙伴们始终坚信鲜活的IP是有生命力的。
In the early stages of entrepreneurship, it was a tough journey. miHoYo gave up on popular game themes such as Three Kingdoms and martial arts, which had already been proven in the market. They embraced the ambitious goal of "building a world-class original anime company from scratch" and ventured into creating original IPs. Although their first-generation product, *Houkai Gakuen*, launched in 2012, did not receive much attention from the market, Liu Wei and his friends firmly believed in the vitality of a fresh IP.

在最艰难的时候，刘伟需要身兼数职，甚至当起了游戏客服，每天不断地与用户交流，寻找产品自身不足。直至2014年，经过不断打磨，在《崩坏学园》的基础上，通过大幅提升核心玩法、美术视觉，《崩坏学园2》正式推出。“当时国内极少数人知道‘二次元’，大多数玩家接触的还是日本的动漫游戏， 但《崩坏学园2》在角色设计、人物台词、故事背景等方面，在二次元游戏方面做到了当时市场的极致，这也令米哈游大放异彩。”
During the most challenging times, Liu Wei had to juggle multiple roles and even served as a game customer service representative. He continuously communicated with users every day, seeking to improve the product's shortcomings. It wasn't until 2014, after constant refinement, that they officially launched *Houkai Gakuen 2* based on the foundation of *Houkai Gakuen*. "At that time, very few people in China knew about 'two-dimensional' culture, and most players were still exposed to Japanese anime games. However, *Houkai Gakuen 2* achieved excellence in character design, character dialogues, and story background in the field of two-dimensional games, which greatly impressed the market and made miHoYo shine."

随着《崩坏学园2》的上线，公司的经营开始步入正轨，米哈游以原创IP为核心，通过不断地向用户输出围绕原创IP的小说、漫画、动画、音乐等产品，让原创IP更加鲜活、立体、生动，这样的做法，也让用户开始喜欢并且关注他们的IP成长。
With the release of *Houkai Gakuen 2*, the company's operations began to stabilize. miHoYo, with original IPs at its core, continuously delivered novels, comics, animations, music, and other products revolving around their original IPs to users. This approach made their original IPs more vibrant, multidimensional, and lively, and users began to enjoy and pay attention to the growth of their IPs.

又经过近三年的技术沉淀，2016年9月30日，《崩坏3》正式上架App Store，在上线次日就获得首页的大图轮播推荐、专题和新游推荐，该产品开创性的使用了次世代卡通渲染技术，凭借精良的制作被誉为业界标杆。
After nearly three years of technological accumulation, on September 30, 2016, *Honkai Impact 3rd* was officially launched on the App Store. On the second day of its release, it received featured recommendations, special topics, and new game recommendations on the homepage. The game's groundbreaking use of next-generation cartoon rendering technology and its excellent production quality earned it the reputation of being an industry benchmark.

## Tell a Good Chinese Story, Create Great Chinese Games

2020年，公司推出国际顶尖品质的游戏产品《原神》，将国产原创IP推向全世界。
In 2020, the company launched the internationally acclaimed game product *Genshin Impact*, bringing domestic original IP to the world.

《原神》是一款全球同步上线的多平台游戏，在PS4、iOS、Android、PC平台均可游玩。《原神》上线一年来，登顶了 68 个国家和地区的畅销榜。
In 2020, the company launched the game product *Genshin Impact*, which achieved global simultaneous release and is playable on multiple platforms including PS4, iOS, Android, and PC. Since its release, *Genshin Impact* has topped the best-selling charts in 68 countries and regions.

上线至今，《原神》实现了游戏领域的大满贯：集齐了App Store 2020年度游戏、Google Play 2020年度游戏、第21届游戏开发者选择奖（GDCA)—年度最佳移动游戏奖、“游戏界奥斯卡”TGA 2021最佳移动游戏这四大游戏领域最具含金量的奖项。《原神》在海外的发行真正做到了“叫好又叫座”，《华盛顿邮报》、《福布斯》、CNN等海外权威媒体及游戏专业媒体给予《原神》高度评价，称赞《原神》改变了游戏产业的发展。
Since its launch, *Genshin Impact* has achieved great success in the gaming industry, winning several prestigious awards: App Store 2020 Game of the Year, Google Play 2020 Game of the Year, the 21st Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) - Best Mobile Game, and the "Oscars of the Gaming Industry," The Game Awards 2021 Best Mobile Game. The game's overseas distribution has received widespread acclaim from authoritative media outlets such as The Washington Post, Forbes, CNN, and gaming professionals, praising *Genshin Impact* for its transformative impact on the gaming industry.

作为国内手游行业内标杆性企业的掌舵人，刘伟把游戏产业价值与文化价值相融合，讲好中国故事，做好中国游戏。《原神》游戏内容以弘扬正能量，传播中华文化为内核：在游戏场景方面，米哈游以国内著名5A级景区——张家界、桂林和黄龙等为灵感，对原神世界中国风城市“璃月”的场景、人文和生态进行全面规划和设计，将“璃月”打造为有“中式美”、沉浸感与生命力的开放世界。
As the leader of a benchmarking company in the domestic mobile gaming industry, Liu Wei integrates the value of the gaming industry with cultural value, telling compelling Chinese stories and creating excellent Chinese games. The content of *Genshin Impact* aims to promote positive energy and spread Chinese culture. In terms of game scenery, miHoYo drew inspiration from renowned 5A-level scenic spots in China, such as Zhangjiajie, Guilin, and Huanglong, to comprehensively plan and design the scenery, culture, and ecology of the Chinese-style city of "Liyue" in the world of *Genshin Impact*, creating an open world with "Chinese beauty," immersion, and vitality.

游戏音乐方面，米哈游原创音乐工作室与上海交响乐团合作制作具有中国特色的璃月地区游戏音乐，在交响乐中加入长笛、琵笆、古筝等中国民族乐器，中西音乐融合给来自世界各地的用户带来全新体验。
In terms of game music, miHoYo's in-house music studio collaborated with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to produce game music with distinctive Chinese characteristics for the Liyue region. Chinese traditional musical instruments such as flute, pipa, and guzheng were incorporated into the symphony, creating a fusion of Eastern and Western music that offers a new experience to users worldwide.

游戏剧情方面，米哈游结合中国传统佳节“元宵节”特色，于2021年春节期间推出原神世界一年一度的盛大节日“海灯节”，节日期间用户在游戏内放飞特制的“霄灯”（孔明灯），用万千灯火点亮夜空，把新年的希望与祝福传达给上天，指引英灵魂归故里，给全世界玩家带来中国传统佳节的体验。
In terms of game storyline, miHoYo integrated the characteristics of the traditional Chinese "Lantern Festival" and launched the grand festival of Liyue called "Lantern Rite" during the 2021 Spring Festival. During this festival, users release specially crafted "sky lanterns" (Kongming lanterns) in the game, illuminating the night sky and conveying New Year's hopes and blessings to the heavens, guiding the spirits of heroes back to their homeland. This provides players worldwide with an immersive experience of traditional Chinese festivals.

《原神》以游戏产品作为入口，通过场景、音乐、剧情形式，面向全球Z时代年轻受众，潜移默化、润物细无声的传播中国文化，使全球用户在游戏中体验中国文化、靠近中国文化、喜爱中国文化。
*Genshin Impact* serves as a gateway to introduce Chinese culture to global Generation Z audiences through its scenery, music, and storyline. It subtly and silently spreads Chinese culture, allowing users worldwide to experience, approach, and appreciate Chinese culture within the game.

## Dialogue

青年报：创业以来，你一直坚持的是什么？
Youth Daily: Since starting your entrepreneurial journey, what have you consistently insisted on?

刘伟：无论是“崩坏”IP系列，还是“原神”，我始终坚持走在行业前沿，给玩家带来超乎期待的游戏体验，怀揣着“技术宅拯救世界”的梦想，一直前行，不断开创新的领域，做出超乎玩家期待的产品。目前，米哈游正处于高速成长期，公司游戏产品《原神》《崩坏3》等凭借着精良的游戏品质为全世界玩家提供独特的游戏体验。我坚信，公司应该始终肩负社会责任和文化使命，把原创内容作为中国传统文化的重要载体，通过不断融合中国历史文化内蕴、中华民族优秀传统及价值观、凝聚民族精神与情感，打造民族原创动漫精品品牌。
Liu Wei: Whether it's the *Honkai* IP series or *Genshin Impact*, I have always insisted on being at the forefront of the industry and providing players with exceptional gaming experiences that surpass their expectations. With the dream of "Tech Otakus Save the World," I have been moving forward, continuously exploring new territories, and creating products that go beyond players' expectations. Currently, miHoYo is in a period of rapid growth, and our game products, such as *Genshin Impact* and *Honkai Impact 3rd*, provide unique gaming experiences to players worldwide with their excellent quality. I firmly believe that the company should always shoulder social responsibilities and cultural missions. We should regard original content as an important carrier of Chinese traditional culture and continuously integrate Chinese historical and cultural essence, outstanding values of the Chinese nation, and the cohesion of national spirit and emotions. Through this, we aim to build a high-quality original animation and gaming brand.

青年报：米哈游已连续五年入围“中国互联网百强企业”“中国游戏十强”，被中共中央宣传部、商务部、文旅部等五部委认定为“国家文化出口重点企业”。可以分享一下米哈游接下去的发展愿景吗？
Youth Daily: miHoYo has been listed among the "Top 100 Chinese Internet Companies" and "Top 10 Chinese Game Companies" for five consecutive years. It has also been recognized as a "Key Enterprise for National Cultural Export" by five ministries including the Central Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Can you share miHoYo's future development vision?

刘伟：立足动漫游戏主营业务，在继续深耕海外市场的同时不断完善原创IP产业链，力争成为世界一流的互联网动漫文化企业。未来，我们将打造出全球十亿人愿意生活在其中的虚拟世界，不断丰富数字文创、数字内容、文化娱乐等相关服务供给。
Liu Wei: Based on our core business in animation and gaming, we will continue to deepen our presence in the international market while continuously improving the original IP industrial chain. Our goal is to become a world-class internet animation and cultural company. In the future, we aim to create a virtual world where billions of people are willing to reside, constantly enriching the supply of digital culture and entertainment, digital content, and related services.