The Paper 2019

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2011年，24岁的上海交通大学研究生刘伟与同学蔡浩宇、罗宇皓三人，拿下上海市科技创业中心大学生创业基金会“雏鹰计划”10万元资助，还有可免费使用期半年的50平方米办公场地，创办米哈游。
In 2011, Liu Wei, a 24-year-old graduate student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, along with his classmates Cai Haoyu and Luo Yuhao, received a 100,000 yuan grant from the Shanghai Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center's Eaglet Project. They also obtained a free office space of 50 square meters for a six-month period, which marked the establishment of miHoYo.

三人都喜欢看漫画、打游戏，学的是计算机，创业便选定了动漫游戏的方向，一个负责商业化，一个负责产品研发，还有一个挑起公司运转里里外外的事情。
All three individuals had a shared interest in reading manga and playing games. Since they were studying computer science, they decided to embark on the path of anime and game development. One person was responsible for business operations, another for product development, and the third took charge of various internal and external company affairs.

创业7年，米哈游推出的《崩坏学园2》和《崩坏3》两款游戏获得数千万注册用户，公司2018年实现营收近20亿元，贡献税收超2亿元。
After seven years of entrepreneurship, miHoYo's two games, *Houkai Gakuen 2* and *Honkai Impact 3rd*, garnered tens of millions of registered users. In 2018, the company achieved a revenue of nearly 2 billion yuan, contributing over 200 million yuan in taxes.

围绕“崩坏”IP，米哈游还开发了动漫、小说、音乐作品，“崩坏”系列的剧情和世界观设定，在动漫文化圈层中获得大量拥趸。
Centered around the *Honkai* IP, miHoYo also developed anime, novels, and music works. The *Honkai* series' storyline and world setting have gained a significant following within the anime culture community.

在这个平均年龄30岁左右的年轻团队心中，米哈游有着更远大的理想：成为世界一流的国产动漫公司。
Within the minds of this young team with an average age of around 30, miHoYo holds grander aspirations: to become a world-class domestic anime company.

米哈游在其官网写下了企业愿景：“除了在游戏领域深耕细作外，我们也努力在原创IP、漫画、小说、动画、周边等更多的领域上不断探索和努力”。
On its official website, miHoYo has outlined its corporate vision: "In addition to making continuous efforts in the field of gaming, we also strive to explore and excel in more areas such as original IP, manga, novels, animation, and peripheral products."

近日，米哈游总裁刘伟接受了澎湃新闻（www.thepaper.cn）记者的专访，回顾了自己的创业历程，“我们做的所有东西都是给目标用户提供优质的国产原创动漫内容。”
Recently, miHoYo's president, Liu Wei, sat down for an interview with the journalist from The Paper (www.thepaper.cn), where he reflected on his entrepreneurial journey. He stated, "Everything we do is to provide high-quality domestic original anime content to our target audience."

现在刘伟可以自豪地说，“我觉得国产动漫越做越好，包括我们自己也是这里面（的）力量之一。”
Now Liu Wei can proudly say, "I believe that domestic anime is getting better and better, and we are one of the forces driving this progress."

“怎么样做出好作品，我觉得耐心和匠心非常重要。”
"When it comes to creating good works, I think patience and craftsmanship are crucial."

## College Student Entrepreneurship Story

2011年，智能手机开始普及，微信问世，标志移动互联网崛起，这给了网络游戏从PC端走向移动端的机会。2014年起，国漫开始攻破日漫、美漫占领的中国动漫市场，2015年《大圣归来》成为现象级电影，体现出越来越多观众开始青睐国产动漫作品。“我们恰好是遇到两波机会，是这两个东西的交集。”刘伟说。
In 2011, smartphones began to popularize, WeChat was launched, marking the rise of mobile internet and providing an opportunity for online games to transition from the computer to the mobile platform. Starting from 2014, domestic Chinese animations started to break through and occupy the Chinese animation market that was previously dominated by Japanese and American animations. In 2015, *Monkey King: Hero is Back* became a phenomenal movie, indicating that more and more audiences were beginning to favor domestic animated works. "We happened to encounter two waves of opportunities, the intersection of these two things," said Liu Wei.

在米哈游之前，刘伟、蔡浩宇、罗宇皓已经有多了多次创业的经历，曾在中科院技术创新大赛得银奖，参加盛大麻球首届Flash开发大赛赢得校园组冠军，推出了原创游戏Fly me 2 the moon，获得苹果应用商店日本区、美国区的推荐。
Prior to miHoYo, Liu Wei, Cai Haoyu, and Luo Yuhao had multiple entrepreneurial experiences. They won a silver medal at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Technology Innovation Competition and participated in the first Flash Development Competition organized by Shanda and Maqiu, winning the championship in the campus category. They also released an original game called *FlyMe2theMoon*, which received recommendations in the Apple App Store's Japan and United States regions.

至正式创办一家游戏公司，即米哈游时，刘伟他们已经积累不少经验。
Before formally establishing miHoYo, Liu Wei and his partners had already accumulated a considerable amount of experience.

“我跟我的合伙人都是典型的交大理工科宅男，宅男嘛，所以特别喜欢动漫游戏。那时候我们把我们喜欢的动漫游戏称为ACG，A-animation动画，C-comic漫画，G-game游戏。我们特别热爱ACG，所以想做ACG相关的事情，但那个时候市场上几乎没有什么国产原创动漫ACG相关的公司，所以我们觉得要想做ACG，只有自己创业才有机会做自己热爱而且想做的事情。”刘伟说。
"My partners and I are typical tech otakus from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As otakus, we are particularly fond of anime and games. At that time, we referred to the anime and games we liked as ACG, which stands for Animation, Comic, and Game. We had a deep passion for ACG and wanted to work on ACG-related projects. However, there were hardly any domestic companies dedicated to original ACG content at that time. So, we felt that if we wanted to work on ACG, we had to start our own business and seize the opportunity to pursue what we loved and wanted to do," said Liu Wei.

不过，在2011年、2012年，国产动漫创业不算是赚钱的项目，动漫游戏方向，国内也鲜有开发者。2012年，米哈游“崩坏”系列首款产品《崩坏学园》上线，这款单机版游戏并未获得市场过多关注。
However, in 2011 and 2012, starting a business in domestic animation was not considered a profitable venture, and there were few developers in the field of anime games in China. In 2012, miHoYo released its first product in the *Honkai* series, titled *Houkai Gakuen*, but this standalone game did not receive much attention from the market.

“当时很多人认为，国产动漫这个领域应该是没有前途的，因为过去都赚不到钱。”刘伟回忆。
"At that time, many people believed that domestic animation had no future because it hadn't been profitable in the past," recalled Liu Wei.

期间，有投资人欣赏米哈游团队愿意给予融资，但要求换项目，去做已经被市场验证的三国类、武侠主题游戏，这遭到了米哈游团队的拒绝。
During this time, there were investors who were interested in providing funding to miHoYo, but they demanded a change in the project to develop Three Kingdoms-themed or martial arts-themed games that had already been validated by the market. However, the miHoYo team rejected these demands.

“虽然我们确实也非常想创业做下去，但是前提还是做自己想做的东西。”刘伟说，“如果不能做自己想做的东西，只是挣钱……那我们在当时还是很决绝的，还是要坚持做下去，大不了就是以后走一步看一步。”
"While we indeed wanted to continue our entrepreneurial journey, the precondition was to work on what we truly wanted to do," said Liu Wei. "If we couldn't pursue what we wanted and were only focused on making money... well, we were quite determined at that time and decided to stick to our path, even if it meant taking it step by step in the future."

在几乎没有获得过多外部融资的情况下，刘伟介绍，米哈游团队“2013年又熬了大半年，最后迎来了2014年整个公司的爆发”。
Without much external financing, Liu Wei mentioned that the miHoYo team "persevered for over half a year in 2013 and finally witnessed the company's breakthrough in 2014."

2014年3月，米哈游研发的2D 射击类游戏《崩坏学园2》在App Store 上线，在核心玩法、美术方面大幅提升，上线当日即位列付费项目中下载量第一名， 通过借助哔哩哔哩、AcFun等的力量，走萌系风格的《崩坏学园2》有效触达了动漫受众群，甚至获得了粉丝自发的推荐“安利”。
In March 2014, miHoYo launched the 2D shooter game *Houkai Gakuen 2* on the App Store, significantly improving its core gameplay and artistic aspects. On its release day, it topped the download charts for paid projects and effectively reached the anime audience through platforms like Bilibili and AcFun, thanks to its cute and trendy art style. It even received spontaneous recommendations from fans.

2016年10月， 3D 动作类游戏《崩坏3》在App Store 上线，次日即获得苹果App Store 首页推荐，这款游戏利用 Unity5 引擎，使用3D人物模型和场景渲染出2D卡通风格的游戏画面，成为当下国内视效美术最顶级的游戏之一。
In October 2016, the 3D action game *Honkai Impact 3rd* was launched on the App Store. It received immediate recognition on the Apple App Store homepage the next day. This game, using the Unity5 engine, rendered 2D cartoon-style game graphics with 3D character models and scenes, becoming one of the top-tier games in terms of visual effects art in China.

至2017年底，《崩坏学园2》账户数量超过4400万个，游戏总充值流水金额超过10亿元；《崩坏3》账户数量超2200万个，游戏总充值流水金额超过11亿元。
By the end of 2017, *Houkai Gakuen 2* had accumulated over 44 million accounts, with total revenue from in-game transactions exceeding 1 billion RMB. *Honkai Impact 3rd* had over 22 million accounts, with total revenue from in-game transactions exceeding 1.1 billion RMB.

2017年初，米哈游向证监会提交A股上市申请。招股书申报稿显示，2015年、2016年和2017年上半年，米哈游的营业收入为1.7亿元、4.2亿元和5.9亿元，净利润达到1.3亿元、2.7亿元和4.5亿元。
In early 2017, miHoYo submitted an application for an A-share listing to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). According to the prospectus in the IPO filing, miHoYo's revenue for the years 2015, 2016, and the first half of 2017 was 170 million yuan, 420 million yuan, and 590 million yuan, respectively. The net profits reached 130 million yuan, 270 million yuan, and 450 million yuan for the same periods.

进入2018年，国内游戏行业受到版号审批收紧政策性环境影响而整体承压，众多中小型游戏公司在这一阶段进入洗牌期。
Entering 2018, the domestic gaming industry faced overall pressure due to the tightening policy environment for game approvals, leading to a reshuffling phase for many small and medium-sized game companies.

刘伟则表达了不同的观点，“对于我们这样做精品的公司，我们就扎扎实实做好产品。而且作为文化创意产业，要先考虑社会效益，不能一味去追求经济效益。所以我认为，这个事情对我们这样做精品的公司没什么影响，而且认为这（促使）行业更自律，像我们这样规规矩矩做的企业其实会受益。”
However, Liu Wei expressed a different viewpoint. He stated, "As a company focused on creating high-quality products, we will continue to solidly develop our products. Moreover, as a cultural and creative industry, we should consider the social impact first and not blindly pursue economic benefits. Therefore, I believe that this situation doesn't have much impact on our company, which focuses on producing high-quality products. I also think that it will promote self-discipline within the industry, benefiting companies like us that operate by the rules."

从2011年创业到现在进入第8个年头，从10万的创业资助基金到数亿元的利润，刘伟没觉得现在的生活与当初有太多不同，依旧是天天扎在办公室里，同事们称呼这位年轻的创始人为“大伟哥”。
From the beginning of their entrepreneurship in 2011 to entering the eighth year, from a starting capital of 100,000 yuan to profits of hundreds of millions of yuan, Liu Wei doesn't feel that his life has changed much from the early days. He still spends his days in the office, and his colleagues refer to him as "Brother Wei," acknowledging his young age as a founder.

只不过现在带的队伍更大了：最初3个人的工作场所，是钦州路100号大学生创业孵化器免费的50平米办公室，至2014《崩坏学园2》上线前，公司也只有7个人。
However, the team he leads has grown larger. Initially, the workplace consisted of a 50-square-meter office at No. 100 Qinzhou Road, a student entrepreneurship incubator that provided free space. Until the release of *Houkai Gakuen 2* in 2014, the company had only seven employees.

崩坏2受到市场欢迎，公司开始盈利，员工数也开始以每年翻番的速度增加，至今已达800人规模，办公室也搬到了桂林路地铁站旁上海普天科技产业园，这儿所在的桂林路漕河泾一带，聚集着不少上海的游戏公司，比如巨人、游族等。
As *Houkai Gakuen 2* gained popularity and the company started making profits, the number of employees began to double each year. Currently, the company has a workforce of 800 people and has relocated its office to the Shanghai Putian Technology Industrial Park near Guilin Road Metro Station. This area, including Guilin Road and Caohejing, is home to several gaming companies in Shanghai, such as Giant Network and Yoozoo Games.

## miHoYo's *Honkai* Universe

不同于购买知名的动漫作品版权来改编游戏，米哈游的“崩坏”系列是完全独立创作。
Unlike adapting games based on well-known anime works by purchasing their copyrights, miHoYo's *Honkai* series is entirely independently created.

在米哈游的设定中，“崩坏”，指的是战争、自然灾害等生存考验所侵蚀的世界，这个世界中的人们，需要克服种种困难去守护美好生活。
In miHoYo's setting, *Honkai* refers to a world ravaged by wars, natural disasters, and other survival challenges. In this world, people must overcome various difficulties to protect their beautiful lives.

“崩坏”中每个角色都被赋予了独特个性，比如《崩坏学园2》中的主角琪亚娜·卡斯兰娜，米哈游为其精细地赋予了身高、体重、身份、家庭背景、服装和武器风格信息，甚至细化到表情偏好，如果角色个性不够突出，米哈游团队就会进行“回炉重造”。
Each character in *Honkai* is endowed with a unique personality. For example, the protagonist Kiana Kaslana in *Houkai Gakuen 2* is meticulously crafted by miHoYo, with details such as height, weight, identity, family background, clothing style, and weapon style, even down to facial expression preferences. If a character's personality is not distinctive enough, the miHoYo team will go back to the drawing board and make adjustments.

对于动漫爱好者，喜欢一款游戏中的人物，就有可能去继续看这一人物所在的动漫，听声优演唱的歌曲，购买周边……这些构成了动漫行业的生态，也贯穿在崩坏IP开发的过程中，米哈游推出了原创连载漫画，鼓励粉丝对IP形象再创作并进行投稿。
For anime enthusiasts, liking a character in a game may lead them to continue watching the anime series the character is from, listening to songs sung by the voice actors, and purchasing merchandise. These elements form the ecosystem of the anime industry and are integrated into the development process of the *Honkai* IP by miHoYo. The company has launched original serialized comics and encourages fans to create their own works and submit them.

招股书披露的数据显示，漫画《崩坏 3rd》累计点击量超过 1.8 亿次，《崩坏学园四格漫画》累计点击量超过 5500 万次，动画视频点击量超过 1400 万次。
According to the data disclosed in the prospectus, the cumulative number of clicks for the *Honkai Impact 3rd* manga has exceeded 180 million, while the cumulative number of clicks for the *Houkai Gakuen* 4-panel comics has surpassed 55 million. The animated videos have also garnered over 14 million views.

“对于我们这样的用户，一旦你塑造的这个虚拟世界让我有沉浸感，我们对这个世界的认同远远超过大家的想象。”刘伟说。
"For users like us, once the virtual world you create immerses me, our identification with this world far exceeds everyone's imagination," said Liu Wei.

从创办到现在，米哈游招募了大量动漫行业人才，从动画导演，到音乐创作，甚至连周边开发也是自己组建了设计团队。
Since its inception, miHoYo has recruited a large number of talents from the anime industry, including animation directors, music composers, and even its own in-house design team for merchandise development.

这一套体系显然是受到了来自海外成熟动漫产业的影响，从美国的迪士尼到日本的精灵宝可梦，无不围绕核心IP构建了各式各样形态的文化产品。米哈游创始人之一的蔡浩宇自己就特别喜欢日本动画作品《新世纪福音战士》（《EVA》），EVA播出于上世纪九十年代，被誉为日本最优秀的动画作品之一，而蔡浩宇过去在夏天几乎每天穿着《EVA》的文化衫来上班，不过这几年已经改穿米哈游自己的文化衫了。
This system is evidently influenced by mature anime industries overseas. From Disney in the United States to *Pokémon* in Japan, various forms of cultural products have been built around core IPs. Cai Haoyu, one of the co-founders of miHoYo, particularly likes the Japanese anime series *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, which aired in the 1990s and is considered one of Japan's finest animated works. In the past, Cai Haoyu used to wear *Evangelion*-themed shirts to work almost every day during the summer. However, in recent years, he has switched to wearing miHoYo's own branded shirts.

“原来很多人去（做游戏）创业，是因为游戏挣钱，所以去做游戏，但我们不是，我们是真的热爱动漫。”刘伟说，“围绕原创IP，我们做了小说、漫画、动画、音乐、游戏周边，只是说确实其他方式没有游戏的商业化成熟。”不过，“我们是把自己看成是动漫IP公司，是一个以原创IP为核心的动漫公司,我们是朝这个方向努力的。"
"Previously, many people started (making games) as a business venture because games make money, but that's not us. We genuinely love anime," Liu Wei said. "Around the original IP, we have created novels, comics, animations, music, and merchandise. It's just that these other mediums haven't matured commercially like games." However, "we see ourselves as an anime IP company, a company centered around original IPs in the anime industry. We are striving in that direction."

在刘伟看来，中国的文化创意行业，不缺创意，但较缺乏的是制作能力以及产业链的工业化水平。具体到米哈游自身，推出动画作品背后，也有背后3年的准备和积累才能够以较高的品质呈现给观众。
In Liu Wei's view, China's cultural and creative industry is not lacking in creativity but rather in production capabilities and the industrialization level of the value chain. Regarding miHoYo specifically, the release of an animated work requires three years of preparation and accumulation to present it with higher quality to the audience.

“哪有一两年多干快干就能把一个东西做好的？人家迪士尼都做了90年。所以我认为做好国产原创动漫有几个基本条件，（第一）要有资金的支持，第二要有耐心，第三要有匠心，这样才能把这个作品做出来。”
"You can't expect to do something well in just one or two years. Even Disney has been around for 90 years. So I believe there are a few basic conditions for successfully creating original Chinese anime. First, there must be financial support. Second, patience is required. Third, craftsmanship is necessary to create a work of this caliber."

“我们现在是培养两方面（的能力），一方面是把我们自己的创意，结合中国文化，做一些能够符合中国用户需求的创意作品，另外一方面，发展到现在，我们认为核心竞争力还是（要提升）自己的生产水平。”刘伟说。
"We are currently developing two aspects: combining our own creativity with Chinese culture to create innovative works that meet the demands of Chinese users, and, on the other hand, we believe that our core competitiveness lies in enhancing our production capabilities," Liu Wei said.

## Cultural Confidence Rooted in Shanghai

米哈游的创业历程，是上海文化创意产业发展的一个缩影。
The entrepreneurial journey of miHoYo is a microcosm of the development of Shanghai's cultural and creative industries.

上海还孵化了哔哩哔哩、阅文集团、新文化、盛大游戏、巨人网络、游族网络、喜马拉雅FM等众多公司，动漫、影视、游戏，网络文学、网络视听已经成为上海的文化名片。
Shanghai has also incubated numerous companies such as Bilibili, China Literature, Xinhua Culture, Shanda Games, Giant Network, Yoozoo Interactive, and Ximalaya FM. Anime, film, gaming, online literature, and online audiovisual content have become Shanghai's cultural calling cards.

2017年披露的数据显示，文化创意产业已成为上海国民经济重要支柱性产业，上海文化创意产业总产出10433亿元，占全市生产总值的比重已超过12%；产业增加值3395亿元，同比增长8.2%。
Data released in 2017 revealed that the cultural and creative industries have become a crucial pillar of Shanghai's national economy. The total output of Shanghai's cultural and creative industries reached 1,043.3 billion yuan, accounting for over 12% of the city's GDP. The industry value added was 339.5 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 8.2%.

2017年底，上海出台《关于加快本市文化创意产业创新发展的若干意见》（文创50条），提出未来五年上海文创产业将实现增加值占全市GDP的15%，到2030年将增加值占全市GDP比重提升至18%，基本建成具有国际影响力的文创产业中心，最终到2035年实现全面建成具有国际影响力的文创中心。
By the end of 2017, Shanghai introduced the "Opinions on Accelerating the Innovative Development of the Local Cultural and Creative Industries" (also known as the "50 Measures for Cultural and Creative Industries"), which outlined the goal of achieving a cultural and creative industry value added that accounts for 15% of the city's GDP within the next five years. By 2030, the target is to increase the value added to 18% of the city's GDP, essentially establishing an internationally influential cultural and creative industry center. The ultimate objective is to comprehensively build an internationally influential cultural and creative center by 2035.

文创50条中还包括推动影视、演艺、网络文化等重点领域创新突破，加快建设全球影视创制中心、全球动漫游戏原创中心。
The "50 Measures for Cultural and Creative Industries" also include promoting innovation breakthroughs in key areas such as film and television, performing arts, and online culture, as well as accelerating the establishment of a global film creation center and a global original animation and gaming center.

2018年，上海进一步提出全力打响“上海文化”品牌，推动影视、演艺、网络文化等重点领域创新突破，加快建设全球影视创制中心、全球动漫游戏原创中心、国际艺术品交易中心和亚洲演艺之都。
In 2018, Shanghai further emphasized the goal of establishing the "Shanghai Culture" brand and promoting innovation breakthroughs in key areas such as film and television, performing arts, and online culture. The city aimed to accelerate the construction of a global film creation center, a global original animation and gaming center, an international art trading center, and an Asian performing arts capital.

刘伟认为，做高品质的国产原创动漫要坚定地走出国门，“你只有做有世界影响力的产品，而且你只有做能够在全世界其他范围内都能够通吃的产品，才说明你这个产品有足够的这种高品质，有足够的竞争力，所以说这也是我们现在努力的目标。”
Liu Wei believes that in order to produce high-quality domestically created anime, it is necessary to firmly expand into the international market. "Only by creating products with global influence and products that can be competitive worldwide can we demonstrate the high quality and competitiveness of our products. This is also our current goal," he said.

而上海的文创50条给予了米哈游向海外发展的文化自信。
Shanghai's "50 Measures for Cultural and Creative Industries" have instilled cultural confidence in miHoYo's expansion overseas.

“上海市层面提出文创50条，对我们这样的文化创意企业有很强的激励作用。”刘伟告诉澎湃新闻记者，“我们为什么很有信心说不但要在全国范围内做好，而且要也能够走出去，因为我们在上海，觉得跟全世界其他任何地方相比，没有任何差距，我们非常有这种文化自信……而且能够有很好的便利去招聘国际化人才。”
"The '50 Measures for Cultural and Creative Industries' proposed by the Shanghai municipal government have provided strong motivation for cultural and creative enterprises like ours," Liu Wei told a reporter from The Paper. "Why are we confident that we can not only succeed within China but also go global? It's because we are in Shanghai and we believe that compared to anywhere else in the world, there is no gap. We have great cultural confidence... and we have the convenience of recruiting international talents."

具体到企业发展层面，刘伟介绍，过去许多文创动漫产业的外企进入中国市场便是扎根在上海，留下和培养了大量人才。“上海有大量国际化人才，对提升我们整个的制作工艺，提升整个国产原创动漫的竞争力，有非常大的促进。”
At the enterprise development level, Liu Wei explained that many foreign cultural and creative industries, including animation, have entered the Chinese market by establishing their roots in Shanghai and cultivating a large number of talents. "Shanghai has a large pool of international talent, which greatly promotes the improvement of our entire production process and enhances the competitiveness of domestically created anime as a whole."