Two years ago, Cygames, venturing alone into the realm of anthropomorphic horse racing, could hardly have foreseen the staggering value and prominence now attained by 'Uma Musume.'

According to statistics, as of March this year, 'Uma Musume' has accumulated a global revenue of $2 billion. What's most astonishing is that when you observe the revenue trajectory of 'Uma Musume' throughout its entire lifecycle, you'll find that its revenue is a rare case of consistently rising year after year without any declines.

图源：SensorTower

Regarding its overseas performance, there's no need to say much at this point. Instead, what we're more interested in is whether 'Uma Musume' (known as 'Shining! Charming Girls' in the Chinese version, hereafter referred to as 'Charming Girls') aligns with the aesthetic preferences of Chinese players and whether it can bear fruit in China.

Part 1: Raising, Live, Character-Centric

'Charming Girls' is a game that takes inspiration from horse racing culture, focusing on anthropomorphic sports themes. But it's not just a game; broadly speaking, 'Charming Girls' is a comprehensive project that includes gaming, animation, stage plays, and horse racing, among other core elements (a classic tradition among Japanese developers).

While many people might have some understanding of the gameplay of this game, let's briefly introduce it here. The core gameplay of 'Charming Girls' is 'raising,' where players repeatedly nurture characters, and after they are fully developed, they can participate in arenas and events.

The logic may seem simple, but a gameplay logic that can sustain interest for two years undoubtedly has its unique appeal.

In terms of character development, 'Charming Girls' provides elements such as factor inheritance (inheritance cards) and support cards before development, as well as a script mode during the nurturing process. The entire nurturing script in 'Charming Girls' is primarily simulation management. Players need to schedule the daily activities of characters based on their stamina, continuously improve their various attributes, and ultimately compete in major events.

Notably, the game's nurturing script mode is a 1v1 development, meaning that in each unique script, players can only choose one girl to interact with. During a session of about an hour-long nurturing period, players must focus solely on that girl, training with her, participating in support activities, and ultimately preparing for graduation assessments, even including hidden alternate storylines. The complete character storyline design provides an experience akin to AVG games. Enhanced by the game's visual aesthetics, extensive textual content, and theatrical performance, it perfectly ignites resonance between players and the characters.

On the other hand, 'Charming Girls' departs from the traditional cycle of 'material grinding - leveling up - material grinding' seen in typical 2D character development games with its offering of Inheritance Cards and Support Cards. This allows players to construct their character's growth framework in a Roguelike manner, matching training cards to improve corresponding attributes based on their developmental goals.

To delve into more detail, character cards in 'Charming Girls' are inherent cards that represent the lower limits of developmental values. The outcome of a player's nurturing efforts for a character only determines the lower limit of their competition performance. Support cards, on the other hand, set the upper limit for character attributes. Furthermore, the randomness of whether skills can be triggered during matches and whether the character performs up to the upper limit adds an element of unpredictability, delivering a more realistic and thrilling nurturing experience (during matches, players have no control over the character and can only watch).

In summary, whether it's the simulation management-style script or the 'fully automated' matches, it's evident that 'Charming Girls' isn't a highly 'tactical' game. Even its core 'raising' gameplay and script mode are designed to showcase the charm of the characters.

If we stop here, 'Charming Girls' is undoubtedly very suitable for the domestic Chinese 2D market. Elements such as simulation management, AVG, high-quality performances, Roguelike, and compelling storylines are all beloved by Chinese players. However, we cannot ignore the fact that 'Charming Girls' is fundamentally a sports-themed game based on horse racing culture.

Part 2: Returning to China Against the Current – Will It Face Resistance?

In Japan, horse racing is a nationally recognized sport, but in China, it's an exceedingly niche activity. Furthermore, unlike Japan, China does not promote horse racing culture due to concerns that it could be easily manipulated by individuals with ulterior motives, turning a sport into a form of gambling under the guise of dreams.

Of course, Japanese authorities have also acknowledged this issue. According to data from the Japan Racing Association, 3.6% of people in Japan may have gambling addiction tendencies. Therefore, even in Japan, criticisms of horse racing as a sport have always existed.

Although 'Charming Girls' itself does not involve gambling content, when looking at the entire 'Charming Girls' project, it can be seen as a cuteification of horse racing competitions/culture and a softening of the influence of gambling. This inevitably raises concerns and doubts among some players or the general public, such as whether its consistently high revenue is related to the gambling elements associated with horse racing.

By anthropomorphizing real-life horses to resonate with players

While the future performance of 'Charming Girls' in China remains uncertain, looking at the product's performance in the Japanese region, it's difficult not to draw a connection between the gambling tendencies of some Japanese citizens and the game's success in the Japanese market (as mentioned earlier, 'Charming Girls' has accumulated $2 billion in global revenue, with 95% of it coming from Japan).

In addition to this potential risk, idol culture is another reason 'Charming Girls' might face resistance in China. Comparatively, idol culture holds significant influence in Japan, with groups like AKB48 being classic representatives of Japanese JPOP and enjoying long-lasting popularity. This culture has a considerable impact on the entertainment industry in Japan. In Japanese anime, film and television, as well as most 2D character development games, you can often find elements of 'idol nurturing' or 'live stage performances,' all of which perform well. This demonstrates how Japanese citizens find this culture appealing. However, while idol culture is gradually expanding its influence in China, it still needs time to develop. Considering this, the user base of 'Charming Girls' in China may inevitably be affected.

Lastly, it's worth noting that the growth trajectory of 'Charming Girls' gameplay has revealed some level of rigidity. Of course, nostalgia and rigidity are part of a 'historical tradition' in the Japanese gaming market, but in the highly competitive domestic Chinese market, it's undeniable that players have increasingly high expectations for all aspects of a game. Therefore, Chinese game developers are known for their 'unique skills' (distinctive game innovations), 'ample resources' (sufficient development funds), and sometimes even 'secret weapons' (IP derivatives, original innovations). They carefully consider each event, update, and player feedback for their released games.

However, looking at the two-year operational trajectory of the overseas version of 'Charming Girls,' you'll notice that its operational model is relatively fixed (though this may also be related to player preferences in the Japanese region). For example, in each version cycle, 'Charming Girls' conducts a 'live broadcast' (official livestream) where they announce new content updates, provide bonuses, and engage in merchandise promotion. The flow of each livestream is quite similar. In terms of gameplay, 'Charming Girls' typically introduces a new script-style gameplay and new missions about every six months. This operational pattern has remained consistent during the first anniversary, 1.5-year anniversary, and the recent 2-year anniversary events.

So, objectively speaking, the overseas version of 'Charming Girls' has some shortcomings in terms of its operational approach and innovation. When it returns to China and faces the 'discerning' Chinese players, will it be able to satisfy their appetites? Perhaps time will provide the answer.

Part 3: Conclusion

Despite some hidden concerns, 'Charming Girls' draws a significant portion of its strength from its mature status as an IP product with a large user base. As mentioned at the beginning, 'Charming Girls' is a comprehensive project that extends beyond the game and encompasses multiple entertainment domains, including comics, animation, live performances, stage plays, and more. Judging by the popularity of the anime series on Bilibili, the total views of 'Charming Girls (Uma Musume)' Season 1, Season 2, Four-Panel Comics, and Road to the Pinnacle have collectively surpassed 150 million, with each season consistently receiving ratings above 9.7, with a peak rating of 9.9.

Bilibili is not only a major gathering place for domestic 2D/anime enthusiasts but also a primary platform for the dissemination of 2D culture. When searching for 'Uma Musume' on Bilibili, you can find various game guides, fan creations, game/anime MAD videos, game live performances, anime clips, and much more. The highest-viewed videos even exceed 10 million views.

Bilibili not only serves as the primary gathering place for domestic 2D/anime enthusiasts but also stands as the central hub for the dissemination of 2D culture. When searching for 'Uma Musume' on Bilibili, you'll find a plethora of related content, including game guides, fan creations, game/anime MAD videos, game live performances, anime clips, and more. The highest-viewed videos have even exceeded 10 million views.

In this collaborative environment, each character in the game can be seen as an independent IP symbol (each character represents a unique idol persona), further expanding the creative space. Leveraging a linked project approach and strong collaboration, 'Charming Girls' is gradually evolving into an indispensable cultural phenomenon. In this context, 'Charming Girls' has the potential to break boundaries.

With the participation of gamers, anime enthusiasts, and Bilibili's mature agency experience, can 'Charming Girls' deliver a satisfying performance in the domestic market? We await with anticipation.

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