Charlie Ramos said, "Alright, let me explain in detail. Obviously, 'I Am MT' is an original anime, but the anime alone can't bring enough users to the mobile game. Moreover, the anime's runtime is limited and cannot fully showcase the entire Azeroth Universe's setting."
"So, Alex Parker launched the 'Azeroth Universe' as a supplement to the anime, to generate enough buzz and excitement for 'I Am MT' mobile game, while also making it easier for everyone to understand the content of the anime."
"As for saying Alex Parker is ambitious, it's simple. I believe his provocation was premeditated! If it was a spur-of-the-moment bet, how could he remain so calm after winning? This shows that he knew his goal from the start. He only wanted that recommendation slot, and Ben Quinn fell right into his trap!"
"Given Alex Parker's ambition, it's clear what he intends to do. The world of Azeroth is so vast and complete, even detailing rules down to a hearthstone. This shows Alex has plans to turn this world into a large-scale game."
"And this world can't attract many players from the start. He needs to build up hype gradually, release updates slowly, and step by step, reveal the entire world. When players' anticipation reaches its peak and his capabilities are sufficient, he will launch this new game!"
Luca Watson nodded, "Makes sense."
Levi Rodriguez, who had been staring at his phone, looked up, "So, what do you propose?"
Charlie Ramos was quite excited and didn't notice the sarcasm in Levi's eyes, "So I say, this is good news for us! Alex Parker is currently just a C-level designer and can't handle large-scale games in the short term. We need to strike first…"
Levi waved his hand, "Alright, we're all insiders here. No need to beat around the bush. You just want to copy Azeroth, right?"
Charlie Ramos felt stifled by Levi's bluntness, his mouth twitching before he nodded, "Yes."
Levi took his feet off the table and stared at Charlie, "So tell me, how do we copy it? The entire Azeroth Universe is Alex Parker's original creation. We're a big company, and if we dare to plagiarize this, given the current level of intellectual property protection, we'd be sued for a fortune!"
Charlie defended, "I'm aware of that, but we don't have to copy it exactly. We can make adaptations, skirt around the edges."
Levi said, "How do we skirt around the edges? Gameplay mechanics can be skirted around, but how do you do that with world settings and storylines? Nowadays, even slightly similar novels are called out for plagiarism. Recently, a famous writer nearly went bankrupt due to a lawsuit. What's the difference between plagiarizing a world setting and an author copying a book? Do you think lawyers and judges are that easy to fool?"
Charlie argued, "We have so many writers and designers skilled in storylines at Generation. Modifying this world setting shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
Levi was speechless, "To what extent do we modify it? If we change it too little, people will see through it at a glance. What's the point of such a change? Isn't that self-deception? If we change it too much, it's essentially rewriting. If we're willing to put in that effort, why not create our own Western fantasy world setting from scratch?"
Charlie was at a loss, racking his brain for a rebuttal.
Levi continued, "Besides, can Western fantasy really thrive in our country? Don't you know? Last year, the big IP 'Supreme Rings' was adapted into a game and it bombed terribly here. It's not even completely dead yet, and you've all forgotten?"
Charlie said, "Alright, but even if we set aside the world setting, there are many elements within the Azeroth Universe we can use, like corpse running, hearthstones, achievements, and so on…"
Levi rolled his eyes and impatiently tapped the table, "Can you think before you speak?"
"First, the elements you mentioned are all tied to the Western fantasy world setting. Without that setting, can these game mechanics still shine?"
"Second, even if we add these elements, so what? Can a few mechanics support a large-scale game?"
Charlie was speechless. He thought for a moment and then, unwilling to concede, said, "But if this concept has no future, why would Alex Parker invest so much effort?"
Levi said, "Alex Parker is Alex Parker. We are us. Alex has the complete Azeroth setting and owns the intellectual property. What do we have? To us, Azeroth is great, but we can't use it."
"Put it this way, if you can give me a world setting comparable to Azeroth, I'll immediately make a VR game out of it. Do you have one?"
Charlie argued, "We can adapt from the Azeroth Universe!"
Levi retorted, "Can the adapted content be the same as the original? Do you think our writers can create something better than 'Supreme Rings'?"
Charlie: "…"
Luca Watson, seeing Charlie's silence, stepped in to mediate, "Alright, everyone is just expressing their opinions. Sometimes the wording can be strong, but don't take it to heart."
Charlie was speechless. How could he dare take it to heart? Levi was an S-level designer, known for his fierce demeanor, even towards their boss, Natalie Hughes. How could Charlie dare have an opinion?
Still, Charlie felt somewhat unsatisfied and puzzled. Why couldn't they copy it? Why could 'I Am MT' copy, but not Azeroth? One is a card game, the other a large role-playing game!
Luca Watson looked at Caroline Martinez, who had been silent, "What do you think?"
Caroline glanced at him, "Are you pretending to be ignorant? We can only copy game mechanics, not world settings. Levi has made it clear. Doesn't anyone understand?"
"Alex Parker might indeed make a large role-playing game, but the few settings revealed so far can't support a large game. In my opinion, he's clever. He keeps the good stuff to himself and only releases things we can't copy or that don't matter."
Luca Watson was helpless. He intended for Caroline to mediate, but she spoke even more directly than Levi.
Luca sighed, "Well, I think it's not that absolute. Charlie Ramos, you're an A-level designer. If you're really interested, make a PC game first. If it works, then apply to Natalie for a VR version."
Charlie nodded happily, "Alright! I'll do my best!"
Luca said, "Resource allocation and budget can't be too much, just do it as a typical role-playing game."
Charlie nodded, "No problem!"
Luca looked at the others, "Does anyone else have any thoughts?"
The other designers shared their views, but there was no significant breakthrough.
Ultimately, they didn't reach a consensus. Most designers, led by Levi, felt that while the Azeroth world was great, they couldn't use it.
However, to be safe, Luca didn't completely dismiss the possibility. He assigned Charlie Ramos to lead the creation of a game mimicking the Azeroth world setting, essentially as an experiment.
If things went well, they would consider developing a VR game.
Levi, however, disdainfully remarked, "A waste of time."