Delta Force: Hawk Ops Q&A with Game Producer

In a recent interview, Yao Yuan, General Manager of Tianmei Y1 Studio, and Guo Zhi, Game Producer, shared some insights about Tencent’s new game, “Delta Force: Hawk Ops”.

Here are the highlights of the conversation:

Q: Why did you do this project in the first place? How did you come up with this IP?

Yao Yuan: Many of the keywords of Delta Force are still relevant today. It is also one of the originators of FPS, including open world, medium and long-range shooting, arms, props. So this IP is still valuable, it depends on how to make it right again.

Guo Zhi: It has some classic elements that are still very attractive today: The seamless world, where you may encounter different tasks at every point. You can choose different arms and weapons to enter the map, and there are different solutions to the AI in the mission. The second point is large-scale multiplayer battles, and the number of people can be continuously expanded. So when we obtained the IP license from NovaLogic, we wanted to use delta as a classic element to upgrade and evolve.

Q: Are there some old programmers and planners who worked on the first generation?

Guo Zhi: We hired them as consultants and took many courses. Some of them have joined leading companies, and some are in their own studios. When talking about the delta, they would also talk about how they might do it from their own perspective. They particularly emphasized two points. One is the big world of the first and second generations; the other is the cinematic narrative experience of “Black Hawk Down”. We are also based on these two points to make extensions.

Q: Are you worried that the original game rhythm of Delta will be slower in the current market?

Guo Zhi: Nowadays, when looking at the tactics (playing method) of a medium- to slow-paced game, it is not outdated and can easily cross platforms. If it is like some current shooting games, they are fast-paced and exciting games that meet the need for high-frequency stimulation, but they are often easy to homogenize.

Q: What new things will be done in the new Delta game?

Yao Yuan: We bought the rights to adapt the movie “Black Hawk Down”, as well as the image copyrights of the actors in it. We’ll build a single-player campaign around it. For overseas media and markets, single-player narratives are always higher than multiplayer and mobile games. This is a natural fact. So if you want to enter the global market, you must do this kind of thing.

Q: How did you come up with the idea of buying the film adaptation rights?

Yao Yuan: You also know that the logic of Tianmei’s success cannot be separated from users, data, and gameplay. So how to let the team improve the narrative and content capabilities, we must find the shortest way.

As Tencent continues to develop “Operation Delta”, gamers around the world eagerly await more updates. Stay tuned as we bring you more insights from this exciting new venture.

Q: What are the plans for testing and official release?

Yao Yuan: The official release of “Operation Delta” is planned for next year. We still need to conduct more tests, and we hope to begin testing the PC version in the second half of this year.

Q: How are you considering commercialization?

Yao Yuan: We’re considering offering the single-player mode in the form of DLC, while the two multiplayer modes will remain Free-to-Play. For commercialization, we aim to ensure a completely fair system. We’re also looking at ways to package the overall operators and guns.

Q: What is your market positioning for Delta?

Yao Yuan: In terms of overall positioning, we believe that COD is still the best gunfight game on the market. Delta Force will be a lighter, competitive, and cross-end product.

Q: What do you think is your advantage?

Yao Yuan: In the realism category, we believe there are still opportunities for misaligned competition. We’re good at putting user experience first. We have a humble attitude and aim to meet users’ needs in terms of optimization, matching, and anti-cheating.

Q: Were these concepts and positioning planned from the beginning?

Yao Yuan: Initially, we focused mainly on mobile games. However, we later realized that to do global business, we need PC, console, and single-player content. Just making a mobile game is not enough.

Q: What kind of products are suitable for cross-terminal?

Yao Yuan: There are many strict restrictions. First, the IP must be suitable for GAAS (Game as a Service). Second, the IP must be driven by gameplay that is suitable for playing on mobile phones.

As Tencent continues to develop Delta Force: Hawk Ops, gamers around the world eagerly await more updates. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest news and developments from this exciting new venture.