Although the game " Morality and Rule of Law " is credited to Taketwo and Rockstar Games, the actual developer is Rockstar North Studio behind the scenes.
Its predecessor was actually the United Kingdom company dma-design.
A group of young people from the United Kingdom cobbled together what is arguably the most distinctly United States work in the world, all from their office.
Upon closer reflection, the whole thing is already somewhat darkly humorous.
The phenomenal sales of Lemmings helped dma transform from an unknown small group into Lemmings well-known independent game development team with a global presence.
If this happened to other studios, they might have started a great career of rehashing old material, living off their savings and squeezing every last drop of profit from the "Lemmings" IP.
But DMA doesn't.
They vehemently disliked repetition and used the money earned from "Lemmings" to frantically experiment with all sorts of different themes.
This attempt is not only in terms of subject matter and genre, but also in terms of design concept.
They don't follow formulas or conventions; instead, they try every means to break out of the existing framework and do things that no one has ever dared to do before.
It was in this kind of environment that...
"Race'n'chase" was born. Well, " Morality and Rule of Law " didn't appear overnight.
Its emergence is the culmination of DMA's years of accumulation and a perfectly timed natural progression.
As the name suggests, "race'n'chase" is clearly a work centered around chasing and racing.
And that is indeed the case.
This is a top-down racing game.
Players must control their own car and evade the police officers chasing them in the city map.
For a period of time at the beginning, the project went very well.
The highly trained developers at dma quickly built a prototype for it.
But soon, during a brainstorming session within DMA, some dissenting voices began to emerge.
Why can't we break out of the existing framework?
"It would be so much more fun if everything in the city was interactive, and players could drive any vehicle they saw!"
"What if pedestrians get hit by cars, and players can also do various missions?" Every member of dma started trying to add more whimsical ideas to the project.
Logically speaking, this kind of unrestrained addition and patching is destined to make a game bloated and even a complete mess.
But clearly, DMA won the gamble.
No one expected that through this continuous stitching, a work destined to shock players all over the world in the future would be born.
"If a player can drive any car, then he... would probably be a car thief."
Thus, "race'n'chase" was officially renamed.
The new name is a combination of the words grand (felony), theft (theft), and auto (car).
That is to say... " The Morality and Rule of Law Robin Hood".
"Okay... we've never tried this kind of subject before, but it sounds like so much fun!"
After listening to Lin Lixin's account, Jones, the team leader at the time, immediately became interested.
It wasn't just him; the entire DMA team, or rather, the Rockstar team, was now excitedly gearing up. A great game, even just hearing the concept is enough to pique one's interest.
However, amidst the excitement, underlying concerns naturally arose.
Will Gamenova provide us with technical Support? I mean, we've never tried developing games for NX before.
Gamenova development kits require application.
Although the procedures are not complicated, it's not something just any small manufacturer can obtain authorization for.
More often than not, Activision proactively seeks out talent.
Once we find a vendor that is worth porting to or performs well, we will proactively contact them to discuss the licensing of the development kit.
dma has already made a name for itself with "Lemmings".
However, this game is currently only a hit in Europe, and it will be some time before it hits North America.
They themselves have only just evolved from bedroom developers to small office developers.
This scale is simply not enough to attract the attention of Activision.
"Gamenova... no, they have other businesses to do, and they probably won't be able to spare the time right now." Lin Lixin shook his head.
Just as Jones and the others looked embarrassed, he quickly changed the subject.
"However... other studios in the park can directly recruit people to join your team if needed."
After a few days of settling in, the dma-design team was naturally sent to the Los Angeles campus in Southern California.
After all, the area around Marin County is still under construction.
A plot of land exceeding 2,000 acres cannot be completed in just one or two days.
"Just randomly recruiting people? Don't they have any projects of their own?"
Upon hearing this, Jones looked surprised.
He had assumed that working at Gamenova would be like working for a large, reputable company with strict regulations.
But it seems that's not the case at all right now.
"Of course they have them, so it's up to you to see what you can do."
"Uh, how so?" Go to Bing search to see the latest chapter!
"Can your project convince them to put aside their own work and help you with the project?"
Lin Lixin was amused; this was a model he had been trying to implement all along.
Otherwise, he could simply wave his hand and assign each of the studios to a separate building to run as they pleased.
"You... you can do that? If they want, they can just come directly?"
"Yes, I call this 'open allocation.' All our subsidiaries use this scheme. Of course, if you want to go to Skywalker Ranch to find Lucas, I won't stop you."
Lin Lixin nodded.
This model wasn't actually Gamenova's original creation; it was inspired by V Company's model, which Gabe Newell later adopted.
However, it wasn't as extreme as V Company. After all, Gamenova still has high requirements for production speed, and it's impossible for them to have zero production for a long time.
V Company's OpenAllocation model is much more radical than this.
It is said that even the desks in their office are equipped with wheels.
Anyone can initiate a project independently. Other employees can also decide for themselves whether to join, whether for technical Support or as a full-time employee.
Once the decision is made, these people will push their desks and run directly to the corresponding group to form a temporary team.
This model... is downright insane.
Perhaps only creative businesses like video games can pull off this kind of approach.
However, it is obvious that this model also has many advantages.
Judging from how many people are willing to support your project, you can make a preliminary judgment as to whether the idea is liked by most people or is just a self-indulgent fantasy.
If the project initiator sits there passionately and gives a long speech all day, no one will be willing to join his team.
This undoubtedly proves that there's absolutely no need to try this idea.
There's a sentence like this in Valve's employee handbook.
You weren't hired for a specific job, but rather to find the most valuable work you can do.
This system may not be suitable for industrialized production, but it is a perfect match for V Company, a company that is not in a hurry and only wants to create works that can shock the world.
Looking at the world, the working model of game developers seems to be no different from that of other internet companies. In fact, it's not much different from that of assembly line companies.
When the boss assigns a task, the project manager has to deal with his superiors while also leading the team, while the workers just dawdle at the construction site every day trying to get the project done.
It seems that only Gabe Newell ) can truly achieve the same level of freedom as Valve.
Perhaps it's because the profits from Steam are indeed enough for him to enjoy his retirement.
V Company has very few human resources; the number of employees is far from matching its perceived status.
But it's a top-tier company; only the very best of the very top developers are qualified to join.
In a sense, this is a gacha pool that only features SSR cards.
If any other company dared to copy its model, it would likely face utter ruin.
But Gamenova can.
Because Gamenova also has an incredibly large cash flow and is also an elite team full of talented people.
"Of course, Jones, you don't need to worry too much."
Lin Lixin added, giving the newcomers a much-needed boost, "Because I will also be following the ' Morality and Rule of Law ' project from start to finish."
After all, it's laying the foundation for a century-long legacy, and as the pioneering work, he naturally has to be highly involved.
Jones was now completely relieved.
What else is there to say, buddy?
The fact that Sage Lin personally came and led the class throughout the entire process is an honor that would benefit one for a lifetime.
Whether it was to take care of the guys who were new and unfamiliar with the work, or because Lin Lixin was genuinely interested in this project.
These are all valuable opportunities.
"Players can drive any vehicle they see in this game, and then... well, they can drive around the city freely, and then... then they can answer phone calls to complete missions, and oh yeah, there are weapons..."
Russell and Jones, who were forced into the role, stood on a makeshift platform and pitched the project to a group of developers from other studios.
Clearly, these people, who had never seen anything like it before, didn't have much to offer in terms of eloquence.
After his speech, he not only failed to move anyone, but even the fun aspects of the game seemed utterly irrelevant due to his pathetic communication skills. But that was enough.
After all, Lin Lixin had no intention of making things difficult for them.
They were a group of newcomers, unfamiliar with everyone else present, and unlikely to be as popular as Mike, Magic Bull, or David.
This is really just a formality.
Let me put it this way: Lin Lixin is going to lead a team on a project. Are you coming?
Isn't this just pure nonsense?!
Why can't we put things aside and do them after the project is finished?
"So... uh, what are everyone's thoughts?"
Silence.
This atmosphere made Jones even more nervous, and he nervously twisted the hem of his clothes.
"So... who's interested in joining the project team?"
"Ohhhh!!"