Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat, CAPCOM‘s highly anticipated title is still yet to see a global launch, but the tests carried out have certainly made the fans impatient with excitement thanks to how promising the game has looked. Curious about the behind-the-scenes elements of the game, we sat down with Bobby Gao, CEO of NebulaJoy and Producer of Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat alongside Meng Jing, the Marketing Director of NebulaJoy during gamescom asia 2023 for an interview which helped us get more insights into the game development, Game Mechanics, the future and more interesting details.
DMC on mobile is a dream come true for fans of the genre. What was the process behind getting this series to mobile?
We have been making mobile games for nearly 10 years and have several mobile titles. Personally, I’m a Devil May Cry fan. 5 Years ago I had an idea to bring this highly popular IP to mobile, and Capcom realized that we are very good partners when it comes to mobile games. We showed them all our existing mobile games and they were very happy about those. That’s how Devil May Cry Mobile started. And after 5 years, here you can see Devil May Cry Mobile.
What are the steps taken during the development phase to keep this mobile game close to the original series?
Throughout the development process, we had numerous discussions with Capcom’s team on how to retain the essence of Devil May Cry while adapting it to the characteristics of mobile platforms. I would like to express gratitude to Capcom’s development team, particularly Mr. Hideaki Itsuno, for providing guidance on what should and shouldn’t be done. He emphasized that Dante should never be knocked down as he possesses a certain demonic power that prevents him from falling like an ordinary person. This attention to detail is a crucial step in faithfully recreating the original series.
For how long the game has been in development? And what’s the team size?
As I mentioned, this project has been in development for five years and has involved nearly 70 people. It has required a significant amount of both financial resources and human capital. The project is being developed in Beijing, China.
Why particularly this name Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat?
Actually, because we have PvP as a core mechanism of this game. And we really want players to enjoy that part. This is why we chose this name. And depending on how the players like it, we may implement more PvP-based features in the future.
Do players need to know the storyline behind the previous titles to understand DMC: Peak of Combat?
I would say that if you know the storyline, it is better. However, for this game, it features a new story based on the original one. So if you are familiar with the stories, it would help in understanding the characters.
Will every single character from the DMC franchise arrive in this game?
Now we have Dante, Virgil, V, Nero, Lady, etc., but every single character from the different titles will be available. Perhaps in the future, more characters will be added. However, the roster is huge so it will take time to bring them one by one.
The cutscenes are very cinematic and well done, big fan. How important is it to have such high-quality visuals to narrate this particular game?
Well, I would say it is very important because Devil May Cry is renowned for its high quality. So when it comes to mobile, we should do our best to maintain that quality, even though it’s quite challenging. If we don’t maintain that quality, I believe the players might lose interest and go elsewhere.
Can you tell us more about the motion capture technology used in the game? Is it with reference to character movements because they look very humanlike, and not robotic?
Most of the cutscenes do that, using motion capture. Also, for other actions or skills, you can see motion capture being used. It’s important because it’s an action-based game, and we have to make the skills smooth, so the use of motion capture is important.
What are your thoughts on the character switching during combat?
Character switching is a simplification of Devil May Cry’s combat. The original game is highly complex, with each character having numerous skills. Therefore, we introduced the concept of character switching to significantly reduce the game’s complexity and address the issue of complicated controls. This way, each character has approximately 4 to 5 skills, and players can choose different skills by switching between characters.
Another consideration was the limitations of mobile devices. If a character had too many skills like in the original game, it would consume a significant amount of memory. Within the constraints of limited space, we assigned these skills to different characters, preserving the original setting while offering players a fresh experience with each character.
Did you ever feel like adding new things to the combat style for this game? If yes, then why? If not, then why not?
Overall, I aimed for the combat style to closely resemble the original series. The most important aspect of Devil May Cry is stylish aerial combos. Players should be able to perform jumps and dodges and execute magnificent combos in mid-air. Therefore, we chose to recreate this combat system while simplifying the controls, making it possible for average players to achieve stylish combos.
However, this does not mean that we didn’t introduce any innovations. In addition to the simplified controls mentioned earlier, we also developed a PVP system. This is a fair competitive system where players can showcase their skills and strive for victory.
The shop has a lot of items and offers. Do you think this might bridge the gap between f2p and p2p more?
All of the items are kept together over time. So, if you’re playing the game for a while, like 2 hours per day, you can perform very well.
Who is your favorite Hunter in this game? And why?
Well, my favorite hunter is Virgil. I like him because he is quick. You have Virgil who is strong at the beginning, but V represents the other side of Virgil, who was my favorite character before. I liked Virgil because he is silent, seemingly in pursuit of power.
Many guys like him because he’s so cool, but when he was separated from V, it worked for me. I appreciate that V is elegant, maybe because I studied in the UK before so I like that kind of elegance.
Mobile Games have come a long way in the last decade. How do you see this industry’s state compared to the PC and Console side by side?
People’s expectations for mobile games have undergone significant changes. Initially, they leaned towards casual experiences but have gradually shifted towards more complex and immersive gameplay. Mobile games are now becoming increasingly similar to console games, demanding industry professionals to provide high-quality products that cater to players’ needs. However, it’s important to note that there are more regular users on mobile devices, and the mobile gaming experience differs. Therefore, simplifying controls is also necessary.
What are the future plans for this game?
As I said, we want to see the release of unreleased characters from different generations, such as Nero, Virgil, and more. Releasing these characters would be the next step, and after that, we’re going to establish connections with other titles for IP collaborations.
Considering the track record of NebulaJoy, can you give us some hints on what other mobile titles mobile fans can expect in the future?
As you have seen, we have been focusing on IP-based games in our past developments. Prior to Devil May Cry, our previous famous work was One Piece: Burning Will. In the future, we will continue to focus on the development of IP-based games.
However, first and foremost, we will further optimize the Devil May Cry product to meet the players’ expectations. We also hope to collaborate further with Capcom, and fans can look forward to crossovers between Devil May Cry Mobile and other IPs.
Final comments for players who are playing or looking forward to playing this game once officially launched.
Well, first of all, hope you all love this game, we’ve put a lot of effort into it. If you have any feedback, please follow us on social media and let us know. If you like this game, we would appreciate it if you could recommend it to your friends as well.
That’s all for our Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat interview! Did you feel we missed out on any query in this Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat Interview? Let us know in the comment section below!
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