Deconstructor of Fun TWIG #360 The Story of Two Steam Games, Where Winds Meet & The 4X Shake-Up
Dec 4, 2025
This week, the hosts dive into the state of gaming investments, discussing Dream Games' budget woes and ByteDance's mobile strategy. They examine the intriguing new title, Where Winds Meet, and its implications for China's gaming ambitions. The tough landscape for indie studios comes under scrutiny, revealing their survival challenges. The conversation also explores the evolving 4X strategy genre, highlighting the rise of female gamers and new contenders like Tile Survive, pushing boundaries with fresh designs.
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Where Winds Meet Crosses West Successfully
- Where Winds Meet (NetEase) achieved rapid cross-platform traction, especially in EU/NA, despite Chinese origin.
- Cross-progression and console-caliber visuals fuel its quick growth ahead of mobile launch.
Use Seasonal Resets To Control Progression
- Consider seasonal resets (Diablo-style) to manage progression and long-term economy sustainability.
- Implementing resets is hard but can solve power-score inflation in live-service RPGs.
Chinese Teams Reuse Engines To Scale
- Michail notes Chinese teams reuse proven engines and reskin them to save cost and time.
- He adds that large Chinese teams can produce cross-platform MMOs that are hard to replicate in the West.