Leiphone 2022

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导语：蔡浩宇的“疯”，是他眼中只有产品，视大厂金主如草芥；是他独揽研发大权，设计上唯我独尊；是他坚持创作本心，信念毫不动摇。不疯魔，不成活。
Introduction: Cai Haoyu's "madness" is his unwavering focus solely on product development, disregarding big corporate sponsors as insignificant; it is his absolute control over research and development, asserting dominance in design; it is his unwavering commitment to staying true to his creative vision, with unshakable conviction. Without a touch of madness, there can be no survival.

## Quotation

蔡浩宇疯了。
Cai Haoyu has gone crazy.

1000亿美金，也没买下米哈游和蔡浩宇的梦想。
Even with an offer of 100 billion USD, he still didn't sell his dream and miHoYo.

2020年9月，《原神》甫一面世便成绩斐然。彼时，腾讯和字节两家巨头的战火，也延烧到游戏赛道。看到《原神》正冉冉升起，两家公司便都竞相向米哈游抛出橄榄枝。
In September 2020, *Genshin Impact* made a remarkable debut. At that time, the rivalry between Tencent and ByteDance had also spread to the gaming arena. Seeing the rise of *Genshin Impact*, both companies extended olive branches to miHoYo.

腾讯表示，只要米哈游能让腾讯入股，什么条件都可以接受。
Tencent stated that as long as miHoYo allowed Tencent to invest, they would accept any conditions.

当巨额财富摆在面前，太多人都是膝盖一软，只能拜服于资本无所不能的“钞能力”之下。
When faced with such massive wealth, many people's resolve crumbled, succumbing to the seemingly limitless power of capital.

不知道听到这个消息后，蔡浩宇会怎么想。说不定他会想起，只有10万元启动资金、连办公室房租都没有着落的2011年；或者刚刚拿到斯凯网络100万天使投资，却在商业游戏之路上迷茫的2012年；亦或是《崩坏3》拿到10亿年营收，公司却IPO失利的2017年……
But who knows how Cai Haoyu feels about this news. Maybe he recalls the days with a starting capital of only 100,000 RMB, struggling without even an office space in 2011; or the confusion during 2012 when they received 1 million RMB angel investment from [Hangzhou] Skye Network but lost their way on the path of commercial games; or the 10 billion RMB annual revenue from *Honkai Impact 3rd*, yet failing to go public in 2017.

但无论如何，吃人嘴短，收了钱就是给别人打工了。作为米哈游的最大股东、实际控制人和精神领袖，蔡浩宇不想如此。
Regardless, taking the money means becoming someone else's employee. As the largest shareholder, the actual controller, and the spiritual leader of miHoYo, Cai Haoyu does not want that.

结果就是，蔡浩宇和米哈游拒绝了当今中国两家巨头的入股提议，仍然在游戏赛道上“独善其身”。一个又一个品质扎实的游戏作品，则是他们的武器。
As a result, Cai Haoyu and miHoYo declined the investment proposals from the two Chinese giants, still standing strong in the gaming arena. Their strength lies in creating one quality game after another.

在拒绝头腾之前，米哈游在N年前与B站的分道扬镳也是中国互联网历史上的重要名场面之一，当然这个故事的另一半B站也是中国互联网的狠角色，不仅仅是与米哈游，还有其投资的叠纸也发生过神反转的交往故事，譬如在某家游戏公司拒绝平台投资的当晚，就被黑客攻击的桥段，以及围绕着个人分红、战略投资以及广告投放之间的剪不断理还乱的交织。
Before refusing Tencent and ByteDance, miHoYo's split with Bilibili years ago was also a significant scene in the history of China's internet. Of course, the other half of the story involves Bilibili, a fierce player in China's internet industry. They had not only a complicated relationship with miHoYo but also experienced some unexpected reversals with companies they invested in. For example, a certain game company that refused platform investment but was hacked on the same night, and the intricate entanglements surrounding personal dividends, strategic investments, and advertising placements.

B站以及上海游戏四小龙的故事堪称游戏版的流星花园，足够精彩，且听我们下回分解。
The stories of Bilibili and Shanghai's Four Little Dragons could be likened to the "Meteor Garden" of the gaming industry, fascinating enough to hear more about in the next installment.

回来讲米哈游，到今天，米哈游已经不是那个在二次元品类摸索的初创游戏公司，蔡浩宇也已经不是那个初入社会的大学毕业生。最主要的变化，是《原神》让蔡浩宇的腰板硬了起来，让蔡敢于和渠道和平台掰掰手腕。
But back to miHoYo. Today, miHoYo is no longer the startup game company exploring the second dimension, and Cai Haoyu is no longer the fresh university graduate entering society. The most significant change is that *Genshin Impact* has made Cai Haoyu more confident, allowing him to stand firm in negotiations with channels and platforms.

说蔡浩宇“疯”，是说他眼中只有产品，视大厂金主如草芥；是说他研发大权独揽，设计上唯我独尊；是说他坚持创作本心，信念毫不动摇。
When we say Cai Haoyu is "crazy," it's because he only cares about the product, dismissing big company sponsors like mere weeds. He takes full control of development, asserting himself as the ultimate authority in design. He remains steadfast in creating from the heart, unwavering in his beliefs.

有关《原神》的文章不少，别人聊过的，这篇文章也不再多聊。《原神》之所以能成为《原神》，个中机理和缘由，有些不足为外人道；有些则草蛇灰线，隐匿在米哈游的创业史中。
There have been many articles about *Genshin Impact*, and others have discussed it in-depth, so this article will not delve into that again. The reasons and mechanisms behind why *Genshin Impact* became what it is may not be easily understood by outsiders, and some aspects are shrouded in miHoYo's entrepreneurial history.

雷峰网“大作·访”系列的开篇，就从《原神》和它背后的人开始讲起。
The beginning of Leiphone.com's "Magnum Opus Interview" series starts with *Genshin Impact* and the people behind it.

## China's Evolving Gaming Industry

1999年2月，一篇文章在《齐鲁晚报》上被刊登。文章采访了济南市一个的一个小朋友，他的父母都在专科学校从事计算机教学，让他从小耳濡目染。8岁那年，他凭借《外星使者》，获全国第二届计算机动画比赛二等奖。而在1999年，他则获评中国少年科学院首批小院士。
In February 1999, an article was published in Qilu Evening News. The article interviewed a young child from Jinan city whose parents were both involved in computer teaching at a vocational school, exposing him to computers from an early age. At the age of 8, he won the second prize in the 2nd National Computer Animation Competition with his work *Alien Messenger*. In the same year, he was also recognized as one of the first batch of junior academicians of the China Youth Science Academy.

在采访中，这位小朋友说：“计算机不是个死的东西，它无时不刻都在变化着，技术也在不断地发展，我必须不断地学习、不断地提高，才能跟上它。”
During the interview, this young child said, "A computer is not a lifeless thing; it is constantly changing, and technology is continuously advancing. I must keep learning and improving to keep up with it."

这位小朋友名叫蔡浩宇，1999年他12岁。
This young child's name is Cai Haoyu, and in 1999, he was only 12 years old.

十多年后， 还在上海交通大学读书的蔡浩宇，参加了一个名叫“麻球Flash游戏开发大赛”的赛事。彼时，Flash游戏在PC端仍然拥有着“王者级”流量。凭借着一款名叫《娑婆物语》的游戏，蔡获得了冠军，并收获了3万块的奖金。
More than a decade later, Cai Haoyu, who was still studying at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, participated in a competition called the Maqiu Flash Game Development Contest. At that time, Flash games still held a dominant position in PC gaming with "king-level" traffic. With a game called *Legend of Saha*, Cai won the championship and received a prize of 30,000 RMB.

彼时蔡就已经是一个“宅男”形象，视频资料里，他身形瘦削，梳着偏分，穿一件青灰色衬衣，袖边挽起一折，脸上还满是学生稚气。在会上，他展示了《娑婆物语》，操控着游戏角色“弥生奈奈月”奔跑、跳跃。
Even back then, Cai already had the image of an "otaku." In video footage, he appeared thin, with his hair parted to one side, wearing a light gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a youthful look on his face. During the event, he showcased *Legend of Saha* manipulating the game character Yayoi Nanatsuki to run and jump.

令人感到恐怖的是，研发《娑婆物语》，蔡浩宇使用的是自己开发的Flash游戏引擎——Misato Engine。获奖的那一年，蔡浩宇23岁。
What was terrifying was that Cai Haoyu developed *Legend of Saha* using his own Flash game engine called the "Misato Engine." He achieved this feat at the age of 23 when he won the award.

获奖仅1年后，蔡浩宇在上海创立了游戏公司“米哈游”，并毫不介意地称自己就是个宅男，并向世界大喊：“技术宅拯救世界！”
Just one year after winning the award, Cai Haoyu founded the game company miHoYo in Shanghai and proudly proclaimed himself as a "otaku," shouting to the world, "Tech Otakus Save the World!"

是时还人微言轻，蔡的呼声，听到的人不多。于是，蔡决心做一款游戏，让人们能够听到他的声音。
At that time, his voice was not widely heard, and few paid attention to Cai. Thus, he was determined to create a game that would allow people to hear his voice.

如果蔡浩宇早生十年，或晚生十年，他可能都不会拥有今天的成就。时势造英雄，让我们先放下蔡浩宇的故事，把视角拉大，看看中国游戏界的现状。
If Cai Haoyu had been born ten years earlier or later, he might not have achieved the same success he has today. Heroes are shaped by the times. Let's set aside Cai Haoyu's story for now and broaden our perspective to see the current state of the Chinese gaming industry.

“到今天，整个（北京）游戏圈死气沉沉，毫无创新，沉迷于过去的一点点成就不可自拔”。
"Until today, the entire (Beijing) gaming industry remains lifeless, lacking innovation, and addicted to the past glories."

雷峰网在与一名行业资深从业者聊天时，他斩钉截铁地说，以北京公司为首的传统游戏公司，增速已经放缓，而新兴游戏公司早已迎头赶上。甚至从产品层面，以“四小龙”为代表的新兴游戏公司和腾讯网易为代表的老一辈游戏公司之间的差距已经拉开了。
In a conversation with a veteran industry practitioner, Leiphone.com heard him say resolutely that traditional gaming companies, led by those in Beijing, have slowed down in terms of growth, while emerging gaming companies have already caught up. Even at the product level, there is already a gap between emerging gaming companies represented by the "Four Little Dragons" and the older generation gaming companies represented by Tencent and NetEase.

这名从业者提到的“四小龙”，有莉莉丝（《万国觉醒》）、叠纸（《奇迹暖暖》）、鹰角（《明日方舟》），而蔡浩宇创立的米哈游，也位列其中。再次安利下，关于上海为何成为中国游戏乃至整个文娱领域的好莱坞，这是一个有趣且绵长的话题，欢迎有兴趣的读者与我们交流。
The industry practitioner mentioned the "Four Little Dragons," which include Lilith Games (*Rise of Kingdoms*), Paper Games (*Love Nikki-Dress Up Queen*), and Hypergryph (*Arknights*), along with miHoYo, founded by Cai Haoyu. Once again, it's worth mentioning that the topic of why Shanghai has become the "Hollywood" of the Chinese gaming and entertainment industry is an interesting and extensive one. We welcome interested readers to engage in discussions with us.

现在的中国游戏业，正是这四条小龙以及上海游戏业重新崛起的时代。
Currently, the Chinese gaming industry is experiencing the era of these Four Little Dragons and the resurgence of the Shanghai gaming industry.

而在2020年9月，《原神》发布了它的1.0版本。先前还饱受争议的《原神》，在短短6个月吸金超过10亿美元。而根据数据分析机构 Sensor Tower 发布的最研究报告显示，《原神》2021年收入高达18亿美元，在2021年全球收入超过10亿美元的8款手游中名列第三。
In September 2020, *Genshin Impact* released its Version 1.0. Previously controversial, *Genshin Impact* managed to generate over 1 billion USD in revenue in just six months. According to a research report by data analysis firm Sensor Tower, *Genshin Impact* earned a staggering $1.8 billion in revenue in 2021, ranking third among the top 8 mobile games worldwide that generated over $1 billion in revenue in 2021.

更恐怖的是，《原神》并没有像很多曾经霸过榜单的手游一样昙花一现，从目前看来，已经逐渐自成一个IP。与肯德基联动的活动“异世相遇，尽享美味”，也终于实现了玩家物理和精神食粮的统一，场面火爆甚至惊动了疫情管控。
What's even more astonishing is that *Genshin Impact* didn't turn out to be a fleeting success like many other games that had once dominated the charts. It has gradually become a strong IP. The collaboration event with KFC, titled "Encounters in Another World, Enjoying Deliciousness" successfully merged the physical and virtual experiences for players, attracting such attention that it even impacted pandemic control measures.

《原神》特殊吗？《原神》当然特殊。但时势造英雄，《原神》能够大火，终归还是迎合了游戏市场的重大变化趋势，当然还得加上一点点运气。某大厂的一位战投负责人，将这种趋势总结成了一句话：
Is *Genshin Impact* unique? Yes, it is undoubtedly unique. However, heroes are shaped by the times, and the success of *Genshin Impact* ultimately caters to significant changes in the gaming market, with a bit of luck added to the mix. A venture capital manager from a major company summed up this trend in one sentence:

这一代用户升级了。
This generation of users has evolved.

过去以来，游戏的玩法都在不断教育用户，玩家在不断积累的过程中，一旦对现有玩法足够熟悉之后，游戏行业就会被需求倒逼到下一个阶段，如玩家在尝试了MOBA、大逃杀类型之后，（半）开放世界游戏，对于手游玩家来说，是非常陌生但又能脑洞大开的一个品类，主机游戏玩家虽然很熟悉，但也没有体验过手机里的开放世界游戏是什么样的，所以，而《原神》则是在上一个阶段结束的时候，恰巧弥补了下一个阶段的空白，有了一个很好的起点。
In the past, games continuously educated users with different gameplay mechanics. As players accumulated experience and familiarity with existing game genres, the gaming industry was forced to evolve to the next stage of demands. For mobile gamers, "semi" open-world games were quite unfamiliar but opened up vast possibilities, and *Genshin Impact* happened to fill this void at the end of the previous stage, providing an excellent starting point.

这个趋势，在中国如是，在世界亦然。
This trend is not limited to China; it's happening worldwide.

有人说米哈游早已预判出了市场发展的趋势，有人说《原神》只是恰好押对了宝的“幸运儿”。无论如何，《原神》的上市，如同一根钉子，稳稳地扎进了市场需求的空隙当中。
Some say miHoYo had already predicted the market's development trends, while others consider *Genshin Impact* a lucky "winner." In any case, *Genshin Impact*'s release, like a nail, firmly lodged itself into the gap of market demand.

## Is *Genshin Impact* a "Bold Gamble" by Cai Haoyu?

这样的现象级游戏，引得大厂们纷纷自问：“为什么我没能做出《原神》？”
This kind of phenomenal game has prompted major companies to ask themselves, "Why couldn't we create *Genshin Impact*?"

蓝莲花研究机构董事总经理杨子潇跟雷峰网说了一个有趣的事情：《原神》爆火之后，他跟几家传统游戏大厂的人聊《原神》，对方的第一反应是不服气，都觉得自己如果立项也能做出一样成功的产品。
Yang Zixiao, the Managing Director of Blue Lotus Research Institute, shared an interesting story with Leiphone.com: After *Genshin Impact* became a huge success, he discussed the game with representatives from several traditional gaming giants. Their first reaction was disbelief, as they all thought that if they had developed the game, they could have achieved the same success.

先说结论，《原神》的开发权力多半集中在蔡浩宇的手中。而蔡浩宇，则是中国游戏界不可多得的天才制作人之一。而《原神》的面世，无疑是米哈游公司层面的一场豪赌。
Now, let's get to the conclusion: The development power of *Genshin Impact* mostly lies in the hands of Cai Haoyu. Cai Haoyu is undoubtedly one of the rare genius producers in the Chinese gaming industry. The release of *Genshin Impact* was undoubtedly a daring gamble for miHoYo as a company.

在创立米哈游后，蔡浩宇就一直深居简出，鲜少抛头露面、更少接受采访。这也为蔡浩宇其人蒙上了一层神秘的面纱。对蔡浩宇的猜测，外界只能依靠其他人的口述，或通过他的作品来了解。
Since founding miHoYo, Cai Haoyu has kept a low profile, rarely appearing in public or granting interviews. This aura of mystery has surrounded him. The speculations about Cai Haoyu can only rely on the accounts of others or be gleaned from his works.

而在采访中，雷峰网了解到，蔡浩宇是那种，专注到有些“偏执”的人。
During the interview, Leiphone.com learned that Cai Haoyu is someone who is deeply focused, almost to the point of being "obsessive" about his work.

在蔡浩宇刚刚成立米哈游时，米哈游还只是个仅有6个人的小公司，在上交大闵行的一个创业中心办公。当时，还在创新工场任投资经理的陈悦天，因为看到了新上线的《崩坏学园》，便想与米哈游的创始人们交流一下，于是约好在某个周四上门拜访。
When Cai Haoyu had just founded miHoYo, the company was still a small startup with only six people, working in a startup center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Minhang campus. At that time, Chen Yueting, who was still an investment manager at Sinovation Ventures, saw the newly launched *Genshin Impact* and wanted to have a conversation with miHoYo's founders. So they arranged to meet on a Thursday.

有意思的是，陈悦天在创新工场的老板张亮其实也是一位二次元爱好者，我们参观过其与知乎相邻的张亮（对，张亮也是知乎的联合创始人）游戏公司的办公室，也有很强的日漫氛围。张亮之前与米哈游的创始人就有联系。
Interestingly, Chen Yueting's boss at Sinovation Ventures, Zhang Liang, was also a two-dimensional (ACG) enthusiast. We visited the office of Zhang Liang's gaming company, which was adjacent to Zhihu's (yes, Zhang Liang is also a co-founder of Zhihu), and it had a strong anime atmosphere. Zhang Liang had a previous connection with miHoYo's founders.

据陈悦天回忆，当年米哈游的6位创始人都挤在一个办公室里，每个人在角落有一张办公桌，中间是一张大桌子，堆满了漫画和轻小说。2013年，《中二病也要谈恋爱》动画第一季刚刚完结，蔡浩宇他们就弄了十几本轻小说和漫画，高高地堆在大桌子上，二次元浓度超标。
According to Chen Yueting's recollection, at that time, miHoYo's six founders were all squeezed into one office, each with a desk in the corners, while a large table in the middle was piled high with manga and light novels. In 2013, just after the first season of the *Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions* anime had finished, Cai Haoyu and the others had gathered over a dozen light novels and manga, which were piled high on the large table, with an overflow of two-dimensional culture.

陈悦天和蔡浩宇聊过数次，那段时间，刚刚做完《崩坏学园》的蔡正在准备续集的开发。陈和蔡聊了很多关于网游商业模式和数值设计的经验，根据陈悦天的回忆是，而蔡浩宇那时刚刚创业不久，对商业化并还没有体系化的思路。
Chen Yueting had several conversations with Cai Haoyu, and at that time, Cai had just finished *Honkai Gakuen* and was preparing for the development of its sequel. They discussed a lot about the business model and numerical design of online games. Chen recalled that at that time, Cai Haoyu had just started his business, and his thoughts on commercialization were not yet systematic.

听罢，蔡浩宇说了一句：“这个学起来应该很快吧。”
After hearing Chen's advice, Cai Haoyu said, "I should be able to learn this quickly."

当时，陈悦天只觉得蔡浩宇有些自信，甚至还有些骄傲。
At that time, Chen Yueting thought that Cai Haoyu was somewhat confident, even a bit proud.

如今过去数年，陈悦天离开创新工场，辗转辰海，如今创立了火凤资本，关注年轻人文化领域。而蔡浩宇带领的米哈游早已飞上九霄。再回忆起来，陈悦天对雷峰网说：
Now, after several years have passed, Chen Yueting has left Innovation Works and started Sinovation Ventures, focusing on the cultural sector for young people. Meanwhile, Cai Haoyu, leading miHoYo, has soared to great heights. When recalling the past, Chen Yueting told the reporter:

“蔡浩宇真的是天才，怪我自己当时分辨不出来。我确实识别不出来段位比我高的人到底是有多高。以后再碰到类似的CEO肯定不多废话就投了。”
"Cai Haoyu is truly a genius. I blame myself for not recognizing it back then. I really couldn't tell how much higher the level of someone above me was. If I encounter a similar CEO in the future, I won't waste time and just invest."

“现在回想过去，跟张一鸣聊天的感觉也是这样。”陈悦天最后补充道。蔡浩宇和张一鸣一个level，是我们采访中听到最多的一个评价。
"Looking back now, it's the same feeling I had when chatting with Zhang Yiming." Chen Yueting added at last. Both Cai Haoyu and Zhang Yiming are on the same level, and this is the most common praise we heard during our interviews.

蔡浩宇的这种偏执，还体现《原神》的立项上。
Cai Haoyu's dedication was also reflected in the development of *Genshin Impact*.

在《原神》的立项阶段，并非所有人都看好这个项目。资深游戏业者许怡然，就向雷峰网(公众号：雷峰网)提出了《原神》立项的三个风险点：
During the project proposal phase of *Genshin Impact*, not everyone was optimistic about the project. Xu Yiran, a senior game industry professional, raised three risk points about the project's proposal:

1、PVE、小规模、轻联网要素，尽管这样的尝试在《崩坏3》已经经历过验证，但《原神》是个开放世界游戏，有MMO的基因。这种项目，缺少赚钱的案例来验证。
1. PVE, small-scale, and light networking elements have been verified in *Honkai Impact 3rd*, but *Genshin Impact* is an open-world game with MMO elements. This kind of project lacks profitable cases to validate.

2、抽卡手游，在国内行，但出海可能不行。对于《原神》这类的游戏，欧美玩家更倾向于买断，而抽卡的系统在欧美可能走不通。
2. Gacha mobile games are popular in China but may not be successful overseas. For games like *Genshin Impact*, Western players prefer buy-to-play models, and the gacha system may not work in the West.

3、二次元要素，尤其是后赛璐璐的画风，拥有着浓浓的亚洲特点。欧美市场吃不吃这一套，还是个问题。
3. The two-dimensional elements, especially the celluloid-style visuals, have a strong Asian characteristic. Whether the Western market will embrace this style is still a question.

这三大风险点之外，《原神》要做开放世界，量级就不小。尽管从《崩坏》系列开始，米哈游已经具备了成熟的“单机基因”，但也难说米哈游的管理层心里不打鼓。
Apart from these three major risk points, *Genshin Impact* aims to create an open world, which is a significant undertaking. Although miHoYo has matured in developing single-player games since the *Honkai* series, there is still uncertainty among the management regarding such a large-scale project.

今天的游戏业界已经“卷”出了新天地，一款游戏的开发成本动辄上千万，开放世界游戏更甚。据披露，《原神》的开发成本或在一亿美元以上，而这个数字随着后续地图、角色、皮肤的更新，只会越来越高。
Today's gaming industry has opened up new horizons, with the development cost of a game easily reaching millions of dollars, particularly for open-world games. It is reported that the development cost of *Genshin Impact* is over $100 million, and this number will only increase with subsequent updates to maps, characters, and skins.

而一名圈里知名投资人告诉雷峰网，腾讯网易这样的大厂，再怎么创新，也绝不会动自己的基本盘。有创新也大多是“玩票”性质，投资百万量级到千万也就足矣。这一点也在一个腾讯的前员工处得到了证实，腾讯旗下独立游戏工作群的NEXT Studio，在最近也开始背上了营业额的压力：“一个商业游戏公司，下面突然‘长出’一个独立游戏部门，还是太难了。”
A well-known investor in the industry told Leiphone.com that companies like Tencent and NetEase, no matter how innovative, will not risk their core businesses. Most of their innovations are just for fun, investing millions to tens of millions. This sentiment was also confirmed by a former Tencent employee, who mentioned that Tencent's independent game development group, NEXT Studio, is now facing revenue pressure: "For a commercial game company, suddenly establishing an independent game division is quite challenging."

一亿美金的前期投入绝不是在玩票，而蔡浩宇是把公司的未来和外部对其的想象，“赌”在了《原神》这样一款游戏中。
The initial investment of $100 million is not just a gamble; Cai Haoyu has placed the future of the company and external perceptions on a game like *Genshin Impact*.

当然，米哈游要做《原神》绝对亏得起。前360游戏总裁吴健跟雷峰网拆析了米哈游和传统大厂风格的不同：米哈游做《原神》是一场“豪赌”吗？肯定算不上，米哈游自己肯定做过核算，有已经成功的《崩坏3》兜底，至少《原神》不会亏。但是对于商业公司来说，一款产品并不是不亏就可以了，花了足够多的人力物力，消耗的时间成本和机会成本都是公司的风险。对于网易腾讯这样巨头来说，在历史包袱和盈利重压下，一款产品有可能只赚10亿，也有机会成为200亿的爆款；而另一款产品稳定能赚50亿，巨头通常都会选择后者。
Of course, miHoYo can afford to make *Genshin Impact*. Wu Jian, former president of 360 Games, analyzed the differences between miHoYo and traditional big companies: Is making *Genshin Impact* a bold gamble for miHoYo? Definitely not. miHoYo has already done the calculations and has the successful *Honkai Impact 3rd* as a back-up, so at least *Genshin Impact* will not be a loss. However, for a commercial company, having a product that doesn't lose money is not enough. The company invests a considerable amount of human and material resources, and the time and opportunity costs are all risks for the company. For giants like Tencent and NetEase, under the burden of historical baggage and profit pressure, one product may only make 1 billion yuan while another might become a 20-billion-yuan hit; usually, they would choose the latter.

有观点称，米哈游没有这种包袱，所以敢赌。雷峰网从多位业内人士处听到过一种观点：蔡浩宇在为《原神》立项时，并未从利润角度做了过多考虑。
Some views claim that miHoYo doesn't have such burdens, so they dare to take risks. From various industry insiders, it was heard that when Cai Haoyu was proposing *Genshin Impact*, he didn't consider profit too much.

一位米哈游的早期投资人感慨，蔡浩宇真是对未来持续下注的人，崩坏系列赚钱，想着是不是能分红，蔡浩宇咣当一下从十亿人民币利润里先拍出一亿美金出来做新项目，剩下的钱得维系崩坏系列的正常运转；原神开始赚上百亿的钱，蔡浩宇做脑科学就要花掉50亿，以及其他的诸多对未来的投资上。和张一鸣一样，蔡浩宇在对未来且能和当下能实现正循环的下注上，很坚决，很一往无前。
An early investor of miHoYo remarked that Cai Haoyu is truly someone who continuously invests in the future. When the *Honkai* series made money, he thought about whether they could distribute dividends. So, he directly took one hundred million US dollars out of the one billion RMB profit to fund new projects, while the remaining money was used to maintain the normal operation of the *Honkai* series. When *Genshin Impact* began making hundreds of billions, Cai Haoyu spent fifty billion on neuroscience research and many other investments for the future. Like Zhang Yiming, Cai Haoyu is very determined and unwavering in his commitment to investing in the future and realizing positive cycles in the present.

一个好的制作人，往往有出色的游戏直觉。他们天生就是知道什么是好游戏，他们只需要将作品不断打磨，直至可以达到他们心中满意的境界，那么这个游戏一定一鸣惊人。如果这样想，一切可能就说的通了。
A good producer often has excellent game intuition. They are inherently aware of what makes a good game, and all they need to do is keep refining their work until it reaches the level they are satisfied with. Then, the game is bound to be a success. If you think this way, everything makes sense.

后面的故事人尽皆知，《原神》做了，《原神》火了。
As the story is widely known, *Genshin Impact* was made, and *Genshin Impact* became a huge success.

“偏执”的游戏制作人并不少见。恰好，蔡浩宇的“偏执”，被用在了游戏创新上。
"Paranoid" game producers are not uncommon. Cai Haoyu's "paranoia" was applied to game innovation.

360游戏前总裁吴健就对雷峰网说：“米哈游的理念本质上没有变化，并且在不断证明自己，从《崩坏》系列，到《原神》再到正在做的开放世界新项目，每一个都是在做非常剧烈的突破性创新。”
Wu Jian, former president of 360 Games, told Leiphone.com, "miHoYo's philosophy has not fundamentally changed and is continuously proving itself through radical and innovative breakthroughs, from the *Honkai* series to *Genshin Impact*, and now the new open-world project they are working on."

《原神》的立项，当然和米哈游先前的作品、技术、管理积累有关。《崩坏》系列从一开始，就坚定地做二次元、做PVE、做内容导向的更新，并由此形成中国最大的私域流量池子之一。这么看，与其说《原神》是一部IP上的新作，不如说它是建立在《崩坏》传统上的“续作”。
The proposal for *Genshin Impact* is, of course, related to miHoYo's previous works, technology, and accumulated management. From the very beginning, the *Honkai* series was resolutely committed to creating a second-dimensional, PVE, and content-driven update, forming one of China's largest private domain flow pools. In this sense, rather than considering *Genshin Impact* as a new work in the IP, it's more appropriate to see it as a "sequel" built on the foundation of the *Honkai* tradition.

不仅是在用户池子的积累，《崩坏3》也为《原神》在开发上开了个好头。
It's not just about accumulating a user base; *Honkai Impact 3rd* also laid a good foundation for the development of *Genshin Impact*.

在美术上，《原神》继承了崩坏系列的后赛璐璐原画风格，还有在《崩坏3》中被验证过的3D建模、贴图水准。除此以外，3D动作游戏的开发经验，《崩坏3》也为《原神》打下了不错的基础。甚至在剧情上，有玩家甚至挖掘出了《原神》与《崩坏》系列的联系；也有预测，在未来，《原神》的世界很可能与《崩坏》的世界联动。
In terms of art, *Genshin Impact* inherits the *Honkai* series' celluloid-style original art and the 3D modeling and texture level verified in *Honkai Impact 3rd*. Additionally, the development experience of a 3D action game laid a good foundation for *Genshin Impact*. Even in the plot, some players have discovered connections between *Genshin Impact* and the *Honkai* series, and some even predict that the worlds of *Genshin Impact* and *Honkai* may be linked in the future.

HoYoverse，米哈游宇宙，或许也将以作品联动的形式与用户见面。
HoYoverse, miHoYo's universe, may also meet users through cross-overs of different works.

《原神》刚出，“抄袭塞尔达”的传言甚嚣尘上。在网络上，针对“《原神》是否抄袭”，以手游玩家和端游玩家对立的网络骂战也是水深火热。而到了原神上线一年多之后的今天，有关抄袭的争议也越来越少。
When *Genshin Impact* was first released, rumors of it being a *Zelda* copycat were widespread. On the internet, there were heated debates and conflicts between mobile game players and PC/console game players regarding whether *Genshin Impact* was plagiarizing or not. However, today, after more than a year since *Genshin Impact* was launched, the controversies surrounding plagiarism have become fewer and fewer.

游戏界的互相借鉴和学习，也并不是什么“原则问题”，毕竟珠玉在前，想要“致敬神作”也是人之常情。据一位在《原神》开发团队的内部人士称，《原神》当年绝对“学”了任天堂的名作——《塞尔达传说：旷野之息》：“早期上来说肯定是会借鉴，在早期版本的研发期中，可能整体上不是那么在意。所以在测试阶段，游戏的某些内容，主要是美术资源，既视感会比较强。”
In the gaming industry, mutual inspiration and learning are not necessarily a matter of principle, as it is natural to want to pay homage to great works. According to an insider from the development team of *Genshin Impact,* the game indeed "learned" from Nintendo's masterpiece *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* during its early development stages: "In the early stages, there was definitely some borrowing, and during the early development phase, they may not have been overly concerned about it. So, during the testing phase, some aspects of the game, mainly the art resources, might have had a strong resemblance."

这位同学说，其实当年的骂战，主要还是由游戏圈的鄙视链引起的。“一些不玩手游的主机玩家，看到自己‘高贵的’主机游戏被抄袭了（肯定有落差），加上舆论的放大，才酝酿起了这次事件。”
This student (miHoYo employee) said that the heated debates at that time were mainly caused by the hierarchy of the gaming community. "Some console players who don't play mobile games saw their 'noble' console games being copied (there must have been a disparity), and coupled with the amplification of public opinion, it led to this event."

当然，观感的问题会随着游戏开发的进度被优化。米哈游的这位策划说，事实上，随着美术资源的不断迭代、更新和修正，新的内容越来越多，旧的内容也就不断被冲淡了。尤其是更多有国风的要素被增加进来后，和塞尔达的差距也就拉开了。
Of course, the issue of perception will be optimized as the game development progresses. According to this planner from miHoYo, with the continuous iteration, updates, and revisions of the art resources, more and more new content is added, and the old content is gradually diluted. Especially with the addition of more elements of Chinese style, the gap with *Zelda* has also widened.

要说“抄”这件事，蔡浩宇在许多年前就曾在一个采访中提到过。在对《崩坏学园》进行立项时，蔡只有一个核心的玩法，而对如何进行商业化、设计系统、调整数值还都并不清楚。“我们根本不懂这个东西怎么做，后来我们就抄了别人的系统，就这么简单。”
Regarding the concept of "copying," Cai Haoyu mentioned it in an interview many years ago. When the project for *Houkai Gakuen* was being planned, Cai only had a core gameplay idea and was not clear about how to commercialize it, design systems, or adjust values. "We had no idea how to approach this, so we simply copied systems from other games. It was as simple as that."

游戏行业本来就是个创意产业，“偷师学艺”也并不可耻，只把它当做游戏行业的“潜规则”，或一个不能说的秘密。只是蔡浩宇能如此坦荡，某种程度上确实足以令人称道。当然，仅仅抄袭，并非蔡浩宇的为人，他一定要加入自己的东西，给作品打上自己的烙印。这样才能算是“蔡浩宇出品”。
The gaming industry is inherently a creative industry, and "learning from others" is not shameful; it is considered an unspoken rule or a secret in the gaming industry. However, Cai Haoyu's openness about this is commendable to some extent. Of course, merely copying is not what defines Cai Haoyu; he must add his own elements and leave his mark on the work. Only then can it be considered a "Cai Haoyu production."

蔡浩宇的游戏，确实有强烈的个人风格。二次元、PVE主导……米哈游的创作偏好，早已有太多人聊过，在这雷峰网就不过多赘述。而有一个视角，却很少有人提及：
Cai Haoyu's games indeed have a strong personal style. Two-dimensional, PVE-oriented... miHoYo's creative preferences have been discussed by many people, and I won't go into too much detail on this topic here. However, there is a perspective that few people mention:

其实米哈游做的不是游戏，而是内容。
In fact, miHoYo is not just making games, but creating content.

一名在米哈游内部的员工说，蔡浩宇是沉下心做内容的人，相比关注游戏，蔡浩宇更想讲好一段故事，做好一段内容，而游戏只是内容的一个载体。
An employee within miHoYo said that Cai Haoyu is someone who focuses on creating content. Compared to being concerned about the game itself, Cai Haoyu is more interested in telling a good story and creating compelling content, with the game being just one medium to deliver that content.

这里雷峰网才突然想起，蔡浩宇自小获奖，做的是电脑动画；而他首次获奖的《娑婆物语》，也不过是蔡自己小说《格物末世录》的同人游戏，做游戏反而是他的“半路出家”。
At this point, Leiphone.com suddenly remembered that Cai Haoyu had won awards in computer animation since he was young. His first award-winning work, *Legend of Saha* was actually a fan-made game based on his own novel *Investigation: Eschaton Records*. Making games seemed to be more of an unexpected path for him.

不知是误打误撞，还是蔡天生作为游戏人的直觉，目前，对内容的关注正逐渐进入游戏圈各大厂商的视野。无论是米哈游，还是叠纸、鹰角，内容和故事都是他们当家产品的利器。而“四小龙”中，内容上较为“后进”的莉莉丝也开始了对文案策划的招聘。
Whether it was by accident or Cai's innate gaming intuition, the focus on content is gradually entering the field of view of major gaming companies. Whether it's miHoYo, Paper Games, Hypergryph, content and storytelling are powerful tools for their flagship products. Even Lilith Games, who was considered to be relatively lagging in content among the "Four Little Dragons," has started recruiting for copywriters and planners.

这也就不难理解，为什么《原神》团队中，策划团队就有百人以上。而在5年前还被游戏研发中地位较低的文案策划，在今天的需求和待遇也正迅速上升。
It is not difficult to understand why the planning team within the *Genshin Impact* development team consists of over a hundred people. And in today's demand and treatment, copywriters and planners, who were considered to have relatively low status in game development five years ago, are rapidly rising.

但做内容，也不只是“招人”这么简单。找到做内容的人之后，决策者还要厘清内容规划、管线梳理等各种至关重要的管理配套措施，在管理经验上和公司文化上的积累则也同等重要。许多已经动起来了的厂商，已经自觉落后于其他竞争者，现在的游戏圈就这么“卷”。
However, creating content is not just as simple as "hiring people." After finding the right people for content creation, decision-makers also need to clarify content planning and streamline various critical management measures. Accumulating management experience and company culture is equally important. Many companies that have already taken action have become aware that they are falling behind other competitors. The gaming industry is currently in such a rapidly evolving state.

## Is Cai Haoyu's Autocracy the Original Sin of miHoYo?

蔡浩宇的“偏执”不仅体现在立项的这场“豪赌”上，在开发上他更是大权独揽。
Cai Haoyu's "obsession" is not only reflected in the daring "gamble" on the project, but also in the development where he wields great power.

一个未经当事人确认的事实是，在蔡浩宇决定豪赌《原神》之前，米哈游的一位早期投资悄然减持了其部分股份，当然其依旧拥有15%米哈游的股份，其对米哈游的投资依旧是中国游戏史上最成功的天使投资。是对米哈游未来足够有信心在高点减持改善资产配置还是对《原神》看不准主动避险，也许兼而有之吧。
An unconfirmed fact is that before Cai Haoyu decided to take the bold risk with *Genshin Impact*, a miHoYo early investor quietly reduced a portion of their shares, though they still hold 15% of miHoYo's shares. Their investment in miHoYo remains one of the most successful angel investments in Chinese gaming history. Perhaps they had enough confidence in miHoYo's future to sell at a high point and improve asset allocation, or maybe they were uncertain about *Genshin Impact* and decided to take preventive measures – it might be a combination of both.

据一位圈里人士称，作为米哈游产品的主要掌舵者，蔡浩宇事必躬亲，喜欢做“微管理”。米哈游的开发层，几乎是蔡浩宇的“一言堂”，他更是鲜少放权。但同时，这也是为何从《崩坏》系列到《原神》，米哈游的作品无不透露着蔡浩宇的个人审美与风格。
According to an insider, as the main helmsman of miHoYo's products, Cai Haoyu is very hands-on and enjoys "micro-management." The development layer at miHoYo is almost Cai Haoyu's "autocracy," and he rarely delegates authority. However, this is also why miHoYo's works, from the *Honkai* series to *Genshin Impact*, all exude Cai Haoyu's personal taste and style.

也是在2014年的一次采访中，蔡浩宇对媒体表示，自己在产品的审美上，要持有最大程度上的决定权：“一开始我们要奠定游戏的美术风格要纯正，味道要是对的。怎么才是对的？对我们团队来说，我觉得对的就是对的。”
In a 2014 interview, Cai Haoyu expressed to the media that he wants to have maximum decision-making power in the aesthetic aspect of products: "...We initially established a genuine and appropriate art style. What is considered appropriate? For our team, I believe that what feels right is indeed right."

别忘了，《原神》开发团队的规模可绝对不小。原神的开发团队规模在800-1000人，而随着项目进展，这个数字早就突破四位数。要对这么大的团队进行“微管理”，肯定不是一件易事。
Don't forget, the development team of *Genshin Impact* is definitely not small. The team size for *Genshin Impact* was between 800-1000 people, and as the project progressed, the number has long exceeded four digits. Micro-managing such a large team is undoubtedly a challenging task.

而同样的体系，在大厂之下，就绝对行不通。雷峰网曾听说一个八卦，企鹅的王牌王者荣耀最开始的时候，十来天就能做一个皮肤，但是现在每款皮肤都是好几个组一起做，然后进行内部PK，各种论证，折腾好久才能上线。这也怪不得王者荣耀，王者荣耀工作室目前有4000人之巨，光子也有3000人的体量，3000-4000人这样的体量
The same system simply wouldn't work in larger companies. There's a rumor that, initially, Tencent's flagship *Honor of Kings* could create a new skin in about ten days, but now each skin is made by several teams working together, and it takes a long time with internal debates and discussions before it can be released. That's why *Honor of Kings* has an enormous team with about 4000 members in the studio, and Enlight Pictures has around 3000 members – team sizes like 3000-4000 are common in these large companies.

大厂内部的决策，可能面临着各部门之间的“诸侯纷争”；而同样的决策，在米哈游做“皇帝”的蔡浩宇只需要大手一挥就可以解决。这样来看，从机动性上，大厂相较米哈游就差得远。
Decision-making within large companies may face "feudal disputes" between different departments, while the same decisions, under the rule of Cai Haoyu as the "emperor" at miHoYo, can be resolved with a simple wave of his hand. From a perspective of flexibility, large companies are far behind compared to miHoYo.

当然，蔡浩宇的“一言堂”也并非无敌的策略。据一名了解原神团队内幕的人士称，缺乏长期激励、“大力出奇迹”的加班、用人上的“喜新厌旧”，以及外部的金元攻势，让《原神》团队的离职率高于业内一般水平。而蔡对产品的独断，据传更是让公司的“太监层”（也就是负责传达蔡指示和命令的中层管理）权力膨胀。
However, Cai Haoyu's "one-man rule" strategy is not invincible. According to an insider familiar with the miHoYo's *Genshin Impact* team, the lack of long-term incentives, the "work miracles" overtime culture, a tendency to prefer new talents and discard old ones in personnel management, and external financial pressures have resulted in a higher turnover rate in the *Genshin Impact* team compared to the industry average. Moreover, the unilateral decision-making by Cai is said to have led to an increase in power of the company's middle management, who serve as "eunuchs" responsible for conveying Cai's instructions and commands.

在求证这一点时，遭到了一位米哈游内部员工的反驳：“虽然个人直接跟蔡哥接触不多，但个人的印象里还是没有那么一言堂的，一直在一线和对于他在意的事情会扣比较细跟我认知里差不多，但还是很开放能听进去意见的，感觉跟个人印象里的有一定出入。核心岗位上离职的我个人印象里也很少，至少跟我有直接开发上接触的离职的很少。”
However, when trying to confirm this claim, a miHoYo employee refuted it, saying, "Although I don't have much direct contact with Brother Cai, from my impression, it's not exactly a one-man rule. He is always open and willing to listen to others' opinions, and he pays close attention to details regarding what he cares about, which is consistent with my understanding. As for core positions, the turnover rate is also low based on my personal impression. At least, there have been very few departures among those I have directly worked with."

这位员工说，蔡是一个有行动力的理想主义者，在蔡浩宇的带领下，下面的人也能被他钻研内容的气质感染。以至于，许多人出于自愿的加班，并非因为公司的“威逼利诱”，而是源于他们自身的内驱力。
The employee further stated that Cai is an idealist with a strong sense of initiative, and his passion for content creation also inspires those working under him. Many employees voluntarily put in extra hours not because of the company's "carrot and stick" approach but due to their own inner drive.

在米哈游内部的员工，总会有一种“无形的压力”：总感觉自己被行业牛人包围，而感到自不如人，只好不断提升自己。这点上，像极了字节跳动。在字节，尤其是一些创新部门，出道即巅峰的情况也开始流行起来。内卷，还是中国互联网一种防不胜防的病毒。
Within miHoYo, there seems to be an "invisible pressure" among employees who feel surrounded by industry talents, making them constantly strive for self-improvement. This situation is similar to what's happening in ByteDance. In some of ByteDance's innovative departments, some employees become instant stars right after they join, which has led to intense competition within the company. Internal competition is an unavoidable virus in China's internet industry.

无论如何，蔡浩宇再厉害，也没法自己一人包揽《原神》的所有开发。团队建设上，蔡浩宇也有办法。
Nevertheless, no matter how capable Cai Haoyu is, he cannot single-handedly manage all aspects of *Genshin Impact*'s development. In terms of team building, Cai has his own methods.

先说在技术上，蔡浩宇本就是技术出身，对技术团队有更高的要求。米哈游的技术开发口永远在招聘启事上占最大的版面。坊间盛传：游戏行业的技术美术，一半在上海，上海的一半在米哈游。科普一下，技术美术是行里的“凤毛麟角”，得懂美术，技术还要过关，链接程序开发和美术创作，通常是高水平人才的代表。当然，薪资也不便宜。好的技术美术都是百万年薪，甚至不止一个百万。因为原神的成功，企鹅在米哈游所在的漕河泾至少投了四个团队做类似的事情，并疯狂的就地挖人，由此，把技术美术这个岗位炒成了和人工智能算法工程师一个量级的超热岗位。
Regarding technology, Cai Haoyu himself has a technical background and holds higher expectations for the technical team. miHoYo's technical development team always has the largest section in their recruitment advertisements. It is rumored that half of the technical artists in the gaming industry are in Shanghai, and half of Shanghai's technical artists are at miHoYo. Technical artists are a rare breed in the industry, as they need to understand both art and technology, acting as the link between programming and artistic creation, usually representing top-level talent. Naturally, their salaries are not cheap. Good technical artists earn millions annually, sometimes even exceeding one million. Thanks to the success of *Genshin Impact*, Tencent, miHoYo's major investor, established at least four teams in Caohejing, Shanghai, to undertake similar tasks and started an aggressive recruitment drive for technical artists, thereby raising the salary scale of this position to be on par with AI algorithm engineers.

不仅如此，除了客户端Gameplay、游戏服务器等游戏公司的“常规项目”，NLP深度学习研究员、资深语音识别研究员、动作生成深度学习研究员等研究工作也是米哈游的在招岗位。让人深感：米哈游的技术狂热，竟恐怖如斯。
Not only that, in addition to the conventional projects such as client gameplay and game servers, miHoYo is also recruiting for research positions in NLP deep learning, senior speech recognition researchers, action generation deep learning researchers, and other research roles. It's deeply impressive how passionate miHoYo is about technology.

招聘上，米哈游绝对舍得重金挖人，在游戏业内招聘内卷的路上走得自信、走得独具一格。在B站一份已被删帖的文章中，传说2020年米哈游平均月工资为21740元，员工全员的25%能拿到3-5万每月，而当年中国网游公司人均月入只有12000元不到。
When it comes to recruitment, miHoYo is absolutely willing to invest heavily to attract talents, showing confidence and uniqueness in the competitive industry. In a now-deleted article on Bilibili, it was rumored that in 2020, the average monthly salary at miHoYo was 21,740 yuan, and 25% of employees could earn 30,000 to 50,000 yuan per month, while the average monthly income of employees in other Chinese online gaming companies was less than 12,000 yuan.

据传，肯花钱，不是米哈游的特点，“重现金，轻（或者零）股权”才是。一方面，米哈游不吝许诺具有高诱惑性的短期利益，以至于能让人一定程度上忽略较为长期的股权回报；一方面，蔡浩宇不惧人员的流动，仍然死死“拿捏”着公司的控制权，以一人之力掌米哈游的舵。
It is said that miHoYo's characteristic is not just about spending money, but rather the emphasis on cash incentives while undervaluing (or neglecting) equity. On one hand, miHoYo is generous in offering highly tempting short-term benefits, which can make people overlook the potential long-term returns from equity. On the other hand, Cai Haoyu is unafraid of staff turnover and still tightly holds the company's control, single-handedly steering miHoYo's direction.

同时，蔡浩宇也足够信任新人。与米哈游内部有联系的人士称，蔡浩宇偏好“空降人才”，对新人的信任甚至有些超过“老人”，据传也引起了一些“老人”的不满。
At the same time, Cai Haoyu is also willing to trust newcomers. According to sources familiar with miHoYo's internal affairs, Cai Haoyu prefers "parachuting talents" and may even trust newcomers more than the "veterans," which has reportedly caused dissatisfaction among some long-time employees.

好在蔡浩宇仍然死死掌握着开发大权，将开发上的组织阻碍降到最低，而也是这种近乎“激进”的创新思路，让《原神》在立项之初，就保持着锐意的进取态势。
Fortunately, Cai Haoyu still firmly holds the power over development, keeping organizational obstacles to a minimum. It is this near-"radical" innovative approach that has allowed *Genshin Impact* to maintain a proactive momentum since its inception.

此前雷峰网跟米哈游内部的人聊招聘的话题，得知米哈游招的人都非常年轻，是更懂二次元的一批人，业务能力是主要的考核因素。除了年轻外，更重要的一点是，在《原神》团队里的年轻人对权力的野心不大，而对游戏都怀揣梦想，可以钻到策划、美术等垂直的领域里做到极致。
Previously, when Leiphone.com discussed recruitment with insiders at miHoYo, it was learned that miHoYo hires very young talents, a group that understands the two-dimensional [culture] better. The main evaluation factor is their professional competence. Besides being young, what's more important is that the young people in the *Genshin Impact* team have little ambition for power, but they all have dreams related to the game and aspire to reach the pinnacle of fields such as planning and art.

网易、腾讯乃至字节跳动，这些大厂里的游戏人，普遍偏重于做几年技术就转型做管理，因为管理岗位的薪水更高，待遇更好，管理才是更有仕途发展的道路。
In contrast, personnel in NetEase, Tencent, and even ByteDance's gaming divisions tend to focus more on transitioning to management after a few years of technical work. Management positions generally offer higher salaries and better treatment, making management a more promising career path.

工作室化以及随之而来的逐渐官僚化，是公司体制走向僵化的“毒药”。而米哈游的管理模式，则更像于蔡在独立游戏开发时代的模式——层级自驱，以项目组为单位，将大任务分解为不同的课题分别攻破。而公司内部直属关系比较少，以策划为例，基层策划上面只有2-3层。管理和技术拿的工资也大致相似，没有断层式区别。
The studio model and the consequent gradual bureaucratization are like a "poison" that leads to the rigidity of corporate systems. miHoYo's management model, on the other hand, is more reminiscent of Cai's approach during the era of independent game development. It's characterized by self-motivated teams working at the project level, breaking down major tasks into different topics and conquering them separately. The company has relatively few direct relationships, for instance, in the case of planning, there are only 2-3 layers above grassroots planners. The salaries of management and technical positions are also relatively similar, with no significant discrepancies.

米哈游不做研发进度大会，即使有大会也只是同步项目概况。开会以小组会为主，一般单独成会，或与直接相关的别组一同，项目组长则负责过滤不必要的信息，负责梳理信息管线。
miHoYo does not hold grand development progress meetings; even if there are such meetings, they merely synchronize project overviews. The primary mode of communication is through small group meetings, generally held separately or together with other relevant teams. The project leaders are responsible for filtering unnecessary information and streamlining the information pipeline.

少了层层汇报和PPT文化，公司效率自然更高。但这样的管理模式也有弊端，那就是制作人要有极强的协调能力和大局观，以一人之力协调上千人的部队，恐怕也是蔡浩宇的“超能力”之一。
Without layers of reporting and PowerPoint culture, the company naturally operates more efficiently. However, this management style also has its drawbacks; one being that the producer must possess extremely strong coordination skills and a broad perspective. Coordinating a team of over a thousand people single-handedly is probably one of Cai Haoyu's "superpowers."

“各个部门之间有依赖，但BB比较少。在米哈游，想做事，可以不用太在乎怎么做人。”米哈游一位员工对雷峰网说。
"There are dependencies between various departments, but there is relatively little bureaucracy. At miHoYo, if you want to get things done, you don't have to worry too much about politics," said an employee at miHoYo to Leiphone.com.

在公司的团队中，不能少的，还有陪蔡浩宇一同创业的兄弟们。
In the company's teams, there are also the brothers who started the venture together with Cai Haoyu.

刘伟（圈里叫一声“大伟哥”）是公司绝对的门面担当，负责处理公司大部分的对外事务，帮助不愿PR的蔡浩宇挡掉了一条又一条采访。当年陈悦天等投资人来米哈游交流，也是刘伟负责对接。
Liu Wei (known in the industry as "Brother Wei") is the absolute face of the company and is responsible for handling most of the external affairs. He helps shield Cai Haoyu from numerous interviews for those who do not wish to do public relations. When investors like Chen Yuetian visited miHoYo for exchanges, it was also Liu Wei who was responsible for coordinating.

据心动网络老板黄一孟说，2013年米哈游的拜访也是刘伟主动写邮件，寻求拜访。拉着蔡浩宇和罗宇晧，刘伟三人一起来到了上海万荣路700号，9年后，这里依然是心动网络的办公地址。黄一孟不愿透露他和刘伟一行聊了些什么，只说问了些游戏方向的问题。
According to Huang Yimeng, the founder of Xindong Network, in 2013, miHoYo visited them after Liu Wei sent an email seeking a meeting. Alongside Cai Haoyu and Luo Yuhao, Liu Wei came to the office at No. 700 Wanrong Road in Shanghai. Nine years later, this address remains the office location of Xindong Network. Huang Yimeng did not disclose what they discussed, only mentioning that he asked some questions about the direction of games.

“是个漫长而忧伤的故事，我要留着将来讲。”黄一孟说。
"It's a long and melancholic story that I'll save for the future," said Huang Yimeng.

据悉，TapTap的日活跃量能够达到400万；而米哈游的玩家社区“米游社”，日活已经达到100万，占TapTap日活的1/4，而其中很大一部分用户都是重合的。
It is reported that TapTap has a daily active user count of 4 million, while miHoYo's player community Miyoushe (miHoYo BBS) has reached 1 million daily active users, accounting for 1/4 of TapTap's daily active users, and a large portion of them are overlapping users.

罗宇晧是个比蔡浩宇还神秘的人，作为米哈游创始人之一，全网甚至很难找到他的一张照片，只有在米哈游创业之初的一张合照中，能看到他的“庐山真面目”。那时，年纪稍长的他，就拥有着“强者”的发际线，但脸上的笑容还是少年意气。
Luo Yuhao is an even more mysterious person than Cai Haoyu. As one of the co-founders of miHoYo, it's difficult to find even a single photo of him on the internet. Only in a group photo taken at the beginning of miHoYo's founding, can one catch a glimpse of his true appearance. At that time, though he looked a bit older, he still had the aura of a young man with his prominent hairline.

创业伊始，罗主要负责数值，以及与数值息息相关的商业化。据接近米哈游的人士介绍，罗宇晧主要在产品层面发力，更偏实际操作。
At the beginning of the venture, Luo mainly handled numerical values and the commercialization related to them. According to sources close to miHoYo, Luo Yuhao mainly focused on the product side, which was more practical and operational.

张庆华（也叫CiCi），是米哈游创业之初的御用画师。在“技术宅拯救世界”的米哈游中，美术和人设却是二次元玩家最关注的内容。CiCi的美术设计，绝对是玩家们喜爱米哈游作品的重要原因之一，把CiCi笔下人物当做“老婆”的玩家们，也把CiCi叫做“岳父”。
Zhang Qinghua (also known as CiCi) was the appointed artist during miHoYo's founding. In miHoYo, known for "Tech Otakus Save the World," art and character design are crucial elements that capture the attention of the anime fans. CiCi's art design is undeniably one of the significant reasons players love miHoYo's works. Players who regard the characters drawn by CiCi as their "waifus" also refer to CiCi as their "father-in-law."

“美术拯救米哈游”，也就成了玩家们喜欢玩的一个梗。
"Art saves miHoYo" has become a phrase loved by players.

然而，蔡浩宇也懂美术，而且要求颇高。前文提到，蔡曾经说，美术上的事情，要由自己全权掌控。CiCi和蔡浩宇如何合作，雷峰网也未曾可知，不过CiCi在公司的地位确实也比较高。
However, Cai Haoyu also has a good understanding of art and has high demands in this area. As mentioned earlier, Cai once stated that he wanted to have complete control over art-related matters. The specifics of how CiCi and Cai Haoyu collaborated remain unknown to Leiphone.com, but it is true that CiCi holds a high position within the company.

这四位，是在玩家中都了解的四位米哈游大佬。而还有一位，玩家们可能不太清楚，而米哈游内部也不愿多提。他叫靳志成，是最早和蔡浩宇、刘伟、罗宇晧一起创立米哈游的联创，称得上米哈游的“前四号员工”，也是当年的大学同屋室友。
These four individuals are well-known among players as the four big shots of miHoYo. However, there is another person whom players may not be very familiar with, and miHoYo's internal discussions about him are also limited. His name is Jin Zhicheng, one of the co-founders of miHoYo, and he can be considered miHoYo's "Fourth Founding Member." He was also a college roommate of Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, and Luo Yuhao, the other three co-founders.

然而，靳志成却在创业之初就“抛下”了一同创业的三位朋友。据传，在2012年的3月，因为拿到了思科的Offer，靳在艰难创业和世界500强中，选择了后者。
However, Jin Zhicheng "left behind" his three friends at the beginning of the entrepreneurial journey. It is said that in March 2012, he received an offer from Cisco, and in the face of the challenging startup path and a job at a Fortune 500 company, he chose the latter.

而在思科工作了一段时间的靳志成，后来又回到了米哈游，尽管是个“落跑”的创始人，但念在一起创业的交情以及本身也是技术大牛，靳在米哈游的地位也不会太低。
After working at Cisco for a period, Jin Zhicheng returned to miHoYo. Despite being a "runaway" co-founder, his position at miHoYo is not insignificant, considering the camaraderie of starting a business together and his technical expertise.

## Beyond Technology, the Obsessive Innovation of *Genshin Impact*

前面说了，《原神》之所以成为《原神》，很大程度上是因为技术上的先进和长年积累。然而，游戏开发远不止是技术的角力。
As mentioned earlier, *Genshin Impact* became what it is today not just due to its advanced technology and years of accumulation. Game development goes beyond technological prowess.

此前有网易兄弟直白地说：“逆水寒、楚留香等游戏在技术上都比《原神》要强。”这是事实，但他们忽略了一点，逆水寒体验再棒，楚留香画面再好，他们也只能算是上一代的游戏。
Previously, some people from NetEase boldly stated, "Games like *Nishuihan* and *Chu Liu Xiang* are technically superior to *Genshin Impact*." While this may be true, they overlook one crucial point: *Nishuihan* and *Chu Liu Xiang* can only be considered as games from the previous generation, despite their excellent gameplay and stunning graphics.

举个玩法的例子：传统的武侠MMO玩法中，核心玩法不过于打怪升级、组团刷副本，注重社交、注重DAU/MAU和用户留存，所以在游戏玩法设置上，会有很多“日常任务”、“周常任务”，此外，为了满足氪金大佬的攀比心和胜负欲，会推出很多刺激充值消费的引导，更有甚者，某些游戏会出一些只有消费后才能体验的专属游戏内容，就算是把MMO做得国内领先的网易，也不能免俗。
For instance, in traditional martial arts MMOs, the core gameplay revolves around grinding monsters to level up and teaming up for dungeons. These games focus on social interactions, DAU/MAU, and user retention, which leads to the inclusion of numerous "daily quests" and "weekly quests" as part of the game mechanics. Additionally, to cater to big spenders' competitive desires, there are many stimuli for in-game purchases. Some games even lock exclusive content behind paywalls. Even leading companies in the industry like NetEase cannot escape this trend.

这种玩法时间久了只会一点点消磨玩家的耐心，不充值打不过，日常任务像上班，玩到后期毫无游戏乐趣可言。
However, such gameplay slowly erodes players' patience over time. Without spending money, players feel unable to keep up; daily tasks start to feel like a job, and the game loses its charm in the later stages.

而《原神》则是打破了这种“常规”，《原神》作为一款需要用户、流量的网络游戏，居然不再注重长线留存、每日登陆这种数据，通过每年四个大季度的更新，让玩家体验不断更新的内容，而玩家可以按照自己的时间喜好去玩，有时间可以多体验丰富的内容，没时间少玩也无所谓，有更新内容你就回来，没有更新内容的时候也不要玩得太累。
In contrast, *Genshin Impact* breaks free from these conventional norms. Despite being an online game that requires users and traffic, it does not emphasize long-term retention or daily logins. Instead, the game offers quarterly updates with fresh content for players to explore at their own pace. They can enjoy the rich content when they have time or take a break when they are busy. With updates bringing new experiences, players return naturally, and when there's no new content, they don't feel pressured to play excessively.

氪金上，基本上《原神》也没有强制消费，就算玩家“零氪”，依然可以享受完整的游戏体验。
Regarding microtransactions, *Genshin Impact* also refrains from enforcing heavy spending. Even if players do not spend money, they can still enjoy a complete gaming experience.

这种做法体现了一种国内网络游戏几乎没有呈现过的游戏理念，也是蔡浩宇最简单的游戏初衷：为好玩而生。
This approach reflects a game concept rarely seen in China's online gaming industry, and it aligns perfectly with Cai Haoyu's simple original intention for games: to create something enjoyable.

而这种看上去佛系的游戏运营理念，反而收获了更多的忠实玩家。
Surprisingly, this seemingly laid-back game operation philosophy has attracted a more loyal player base.

此外，产品的多平台互通体验，让《原神》获得了更多用户的青睐。多平台互通，不是什么新鲜事，很早前暴雪的炉石传说就曾经做过“八屏合一”的理念，但是多设备、多平台互通，对于手游来说，能不能做是一回事，有没有必要是另一回事，做得好不好又是一回事。
Moreover, the multi-platform experience of the game has also won favor among players. Multi-platform integration is not a novel concept; long ago, Blizzard's *Hearthstone* had the idea of "Eight Screens in One." However, for mobile games, the capability of achieving this and the necessity of doing so are two different matters. Additionally, the quality of execution matters.

雷峰网听《原神》项目组的内部员工说，《原神》立项之初，就确定了多平台融合，跟很多手游上线后随便做个PC模拟器用于挂机的做法不同的是，《原神》对于多平台做了足够细致的优化，保证游戏无论是用触屏、键鼠还是手柄，都能得到完美的体验。
According to internal employees of the *Genshin Impact* development team, from the outset of the project, the game was intended to support multiple platforms. Unlike other mobile games that casually offer PC emulators for players to use, *Genshin Impact* put meticulous effort into optimizing the game experience on different platforms. Players can enjoy a seamless experience, whether they are using touch screens, keyboards, or controllers.

据悉，在PS5上，目前《原神》已经有了很多的收入（具体数额不知道，但应该不少于某些渠道服了），而米哈游厉害的地方在于，不仅仅是想要PS5的渠道，而是通过跟索尼的合作，得到跟一些3A大厂交流的机会，充实自身的产品创新力，这是个国内大厂很少走的路子，甚至称得上有点“野”。
It's reported that *Genshin Impact* has already generated considerable revenue on the PlayStation 5 platform (specific figures are unknown but should surpass some other channels). What makes miHoYo stand out is not just their interest in the PlayStation 5 platform but their collaboration with Sony, which allowed them to interact with some major AAA companies. This is a path that few Chinese companies have taken, and it can even be described as "bold."

雷峰网此前还听说过一个八卦，说就连Switch平台，《原神》都尝试过要上，Switch的护航大作《塞尔达传说》可是曾经被业界称为“《原神》抄袭对象”的游戏。虽然switch的合作还遥遥无期，但起码有过推动。足见用心。
Before, there was gossip suggesting that miHoYo even attempted to get *Genshin Impact* on the Nintendo Switch platform. The popular game *The Legend of Zelda* on Switch had once been called out for being a *Genshin Impact* copycat. Although cooperation with Switch has yet to materialize, there were at least attempts to make it happen. This commitment speaks volumes.

蔡浩宇喜欢尝试更多新的技术，包括大火的“游戏上云”。
Cai Haoyu enjoys exploring new technologies, including the popular "cloud gaming."

云游戏也不是什么新鲜的事，腾讯网易都喊了很多年，但一直都是在“浅尝”阶段，就算做，也是拿一个不温不火的游戏来探索，而米哈游一如往常的激进，直接上线了《原神》的云游戏版本。《原神》有足够多的用户，会产生大量的数据，这些数据将会支撑米哈游云游戏的改变和进步。据说，蔡浩宇已经决定在做的下一款产品，就是原生云游戏，利用《原神》的技术经验摸索出了云游戏的新框架，非常值得期待。
Cloud gaming is not a new concept; Tencent and NetEase have been talking about it for many years, but they have mostly been at the "exploratory" stage. Even if they do attempt it, it usually involves experimenting with a relatively low-profile game. On the contrary, miHoYo has taken a bold approach as usual and directly launched the cloud gaming version of *Genshin Impact*. *Genshin Impact* has a large user base, which generates a massive amount of data that can drive miHoYo's cloud gaming improvements and progress. It is said that Cai Haoyu has already decided that the next product will be a native cloud gaming title, utilizing the technical experience from *Genshin Impact* to explore a new framework for cloud gaming, which is very much anticipated.

近乎偏执的创新，也是米哈游这样的游戏新贵与网易腾讯等老厂拉开差距的主要原因之一。
The almost obsessive innovation is one of the main reasons why miHoYo, as a gaming newcomer, has been able to outpace old giants like NetEase and Tencent.

## Epilogue: The Future of *Genshin Impact* and miHoYo

“中国几乎没有厂商能复制《原神》了。”雷峰网采访到的一位制作人如是说道。
"In China, there are almost no companies that can replicate *Genshin Impact*," said a producer interviewed by Leiphone.com.

米哈游跑得太快，其它厂商几乎快跟不上了，这是很多游戏从业者的共识。
miHoYo is running too fast, and other companies can hardly keep up. This is a consensus among many gaming professionals.

过去两年里，有很多文章，描述腾讯错过《原神》的惊慌错愕、痛定思痛，但是一年多过去，腾讯游戏依然还是那个腾讯游戏，那个手握王者、吃鸡两个有着超高营收、超多流水的老资产，依然霸占中国游戏版图半壁江山的腾讯，但是，一个事实是，吃鸡之后，腾讯再也没有出过一款像样的游戏了。
In the past two years, there have been many articles describing Tencent's panic and shock at missing out on *Genshin Impact*, but over a year later, Tencent Games remains the same Tencent Games, holding the high-earning assets of *King of Glory* and *PUBG Mobile*, and still dominating the Chinese gaming landscape. However, one fact is that after *PUBG Mobile*, Tencent has not released any other decent games.

网易也还是那个网易，喜欢做超前产品，喜欢做微创新，但是没有公司级ALL IN的勇气（当年丁老板举全公司之力全员做吃鸡类产品的往事历历在目，也由此给了三国志战略版的机会以及造成了网易最大的一波人才外流，也才有了字节杭州以及腾讯诸多创新项目），始终不能打磨出更好的产品，只能坐在《梦幻西游》、《阴阳师》的功劳簿上傲视群雄。《哈利波特》算是挣扎起身，但比起前两个划时代产品，也只能算灵光一现。
NetEase is also the same NetEase, fond of creating cutting-edge products and micro-innovations, but lacking the courage for an all-out commitment (the time when Mr. Ding, the CEO, led the entire company to work on *PUBG Mobile* is still vivid in memory, and it was this event that provided opportunities for games like *Three Kingdoms Strategy* and caused the largest talent outflow for NetEase, leading to the establishment of ByteDance in Hangzhou and many other innovative projects for Tencent). They have always struggled to polish their products and can only rely on the success of *Fantasy Westward Journey* and *Onmyoji*. *Harry Potter: Magic Awakened* showed some signs of recovery but couldn't match the impact of the previous two groundbreaking products.

而完美这样的老厂商，日子更加难过，在此前的拜访中，雷峰网获悉，在2021年的“人才争夺战”中，巨人已经被企鹅定点挖空，完美世界人才流失严重，负责游戏研发的两个副总裁之一——铁雷也被挖到了网易。池宇峰除了游戏外，正在把目光更多放到影娱上（话说池老板其实一直对游戏无感，游戏只是印钞机而已）。而彼时，字节等新入局者则趁虚而入，据传正以行业2-3倍的工资地挖人，逐渐蚕食完美这样的“老牌大厂”。其它同级别的老厂也都差不多是同样的境遇。
For established companies like Perfect World, times are even tougher. During the "talent war" in 2021, giant companies like Tencent have already poached many of their key talents, and Perfect World has suffered significant talent outflow. One of the vice presidents responsible for game development, Tie Lei, was poached by NetEase. CEO Chi Yufeng is shifting his focus more towards the film and entertainment industry (it is said that Chi has never been interested in games; games were just cash cows for him). Meanwhile, new entrants like ByteDance took the opportunity to poach talent by offering salaries 2-3 times higher than the industry average, gradually eating away at the talent pool of established companies like Perfect World. Other companies of similar stature are facing similar challenges.

时代，已经开始向新兴的游戏公司偏移了。前文提到的“四小龙”则是其中的佼佼者。
The times are shifting towards emerging gaming companies. The "Four Little Dragons" mentioned earlier are among the outstanding ones.

诚然，米哈游的未来也并非十拿九稳。比如在当今游戏工业化非常吃“游戏产能”的境遇下，能不能像现在一样保持激情，在规定的时间内产出更多的内容，特别是《原神》这种PVE游戏，要定期出新副本、新人物、新地图、新玩法，更需要稳定的产能，之外还要做更新创作，想直追大厂，也难！
Undoubtedly, miHoYo's future is not without uncertainties. For example, in today's game industry, which heavily relies on "game production capacity," maintaining passion and producing more content within a specified time frame, especially for a PvE game like *Genshin Impact*, requires regular updates with new dungeons, characters, maps, and gameplay. This demands a stable production capacity, and miHoYo also needs to maintain creative updates to keep up with the big players, which is no easy task.

但米哈游的决心和远景应该不止追上腾讯网易，很多人跟雷峰网说过同一句话：米哈游的愿景是星辰大海，米哈游自己要做什么是清楚的，并且在自己的领域里面不断在突破，最可怕的是，已经做出了显著的成绩。
However, miHoYo's determination and vision seem to go beyond simply catching up with Tencent and NetEase. Many have said the same thing to Leiphone.com: miHoYo's vision is to encompass the vast expanse of the universe, and miHoYo knows exactly what they want to achieve in their own domain, continuously breaking through barriers. The scariest part is that they have already achieved remarkable success.

而反观腾讯这种量级的中国大厂，有人甚至说他们不能算是一家游戏公司：做出好的产品并非公司运营的核心，游戏反而是公司为了赚钱而催生出来的业务。
On the other hand, Tencent and other Chinese giants are not even considered as purely game companies by some. Making excellent products is not the core of their business operations; instead, games are merely a business created to make money.

对手陷入迟滞，正是米哈游等一众新兴游戏公司奋起直追之时。吴健甚至有些“武断”地说：“未来五到十年，全球的游戏行业米哈游将一枝独秀，远远地领先其他的游戏公司。”
As their rivals stagnate, it is the time for emerging gaming companies like miHoYo to catch up. Wu Jian even boldly said, "In the next five to ten years, miHoYo will be the leader in the global gaming industry, far ahead of other gaming companies."

如果有一天，米哈游彻底超过了腾讯网易等一众老将，也不必觉得惊讶和遗憾，腾讯网易已经到过很多企业终身无法企及的高度，虽然他们想不断稳固自己的地位，这无可厚非，但是这种想法并不实际，因为自古打天下难，守天下更难，没有人可以永远站在顶峰。
If one day miHoYo surpasses Tencent, NetEase, and other established giants, there's no need to feel surprised or regretful. Tencent and NetEase have already reached heights that many companies can't reach in their lifetimes. While it's natural for them to strive to solidify their positions, this mindset is not practical, as conquering the world has always been difficult, and maintaining dominion is even harder; no one can remain at the peak forever.

即使可以做到居安思危未雨绸缪，但是时代里有很多和米哈游一样充满野心、充满激情和充满渴望的年轻公司，他们虽然不一定会以老厂们为标靶，但是他们会更贴近年轻人，更激进地做创新，而老厂会有更多的掣肘，甚至故步自封，你说守天下难不难？
Even if one can be cautious and prepare for the future, there are still many ambitious, passionate, and eager young companies like miHoYo in this era. Although they may not target the big players directly, they are closer to the younger generation, more aggressive in innovation, and established companies will face more restraints, even risking stagnation. So, is maintaining dominion really that easy?

米哈游已经做出了一个大作，而比《原神》这款大作更令人畏惧的，是他们的锐意进取、势如破竹，而这也为老牌们敲响了警钟：传奇很赚钱，但不是游戏的未来！
miHoYo has already created a masterpiece, and what is even more intimidating than *Genshin Impact* is their relentless ambition, determination, and unstoppable momentum. This has served as a wake-up call for established companies: legends may be profitable, but they are not the future of gaming!

“大作·访”是雷峰网新开设的一个系列选题，旨在通过分析赛道上现存的海内外游戏“大作”，一窥中国游戏产业的发展历程与前景，并通过采访，为读者传递最核心的第一手资料。
"Magnum Opus·Interview" is a series topic newly launched by Leiphone.com, aiming to analyze the existing domestic and foreign gaming "masterpieces" in the industry, providing insights into the development process and prospects of China's gaming industry. Through interviews, we aim to deliver the most essential first-hand information to our readers.

后续我们会推出更多大作评述，欢迎业界人士交流指教。本文作者董子博；微信号williamdong，添加请注明姓名和职务，谢谢。
In the future, we will release more critiques of masterpieces, and we welcome professionals from the industry to exchange and offer insights. The author of this article is Dong Zibo; WeChat ID: williamdong. When adding, please indicate your name and position. Thank you.