The popular shooter War Robots by My.Games is set to celebrate its tenth anniversary later this year. The game, initially popular in China, has returned after regaining its license last month. To understand the journey of bringing War Robots back to the Chinese market, we spoke with Boris Burangulov, the executive producer of War Robots at My.Games. He shares insights on the process, the game’s reception in China, and the game’s future.
PocketGamer.biz: Last month it was announced that War Robots would be returning to China. What was the process of winning back its license and returning it to one of the industry’s biggest markets?
Boris Burangulov: The return journey was lengthy, challenging, and required patience. It started even before the game was removed from the Chinese App Store when the team began the process of securing an ISBN license, necessary for publishing the game in China. However, the reality proved to be more complicated, taking several years to create a game build that accounted for all the nuances of the legislation. The game underwent a more detailed review process, with many years passing since the initial build was prepared. This effort finally paid off as the game was approved for re-release in China in March last year.
And how has the return of the game been received in China?
The return has been a significant success. After swiftly catching up upon its re-release on the App Store, War Robots has already surpassed expectations in terms of rankings and revenue. Moreover, the comeback has been especially heartwarming for the team, propelling them into a new era.
What makes War Robots a great fit for the Chinese market?
War Robots’ popularity in China can be attributed to the game’s appeal in the shooter genre, which is widely popular in the region. However, War Robots’ success goes beyond just being a shooter and stems from being an exceptional game in its own right.
War Robots was released in 2014. What has been critical to the game’s long-term success?
Three key factors have contributed to the game’s long-term success, including the game’s meta and content strategy, responsiveness to technological advancements, and refined workflow management. The dedicated team’s commitment has also played a critical role in the game’s enduring success.
What about other My.Games titles? Can we expect to see more launches in China?
The Chinese market is of great importance to us, and we are actively working towards bringing our other projects to this market. Having a global reach is incredibly important to us given the significance of the region in the gaming industry.
Is there anything else War Robots-related we should be looking out for?
War Robots is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary this April, and the team is preparing to unveil exciting updates, features, quests, and an epic War Robots Live Show. Additionally, War Robots: Frontiers, a standalone game set in the War Robots universe, specifically developed for PC and console, is set to enter open beta this year, creating further anticipation.