When gamers around the world tuned in to see their first glimpse of games on the next Xbox, the very first game they saw was a first-person shooter set in a classical Chinese garden, complete with bamboo trees and pagoda lanterns.
That first title showed off at the event on Thursday was Bright Memory: Infinite, a game Microsoft’s Damon Baker said was made by just one individual in China.
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It’s a designation that impressed fans who have embraced the indie game for its slick graphics since it was first unveiled for PC. The original version won overwhelmingly positive reviews soon after launching on Steam last year. But it’s also baffled doubters who questioned how such an elaborate game -- which has been compared to Titanfall and Dark Souls -- could possibly be the work of a single developer.
Some people thought they found the answer when it was revealed that Bright Memory: Ep1 was built with art lifted from pirated software sites. In a public apology posted on Weibo in January 2019, Zeng Xiancheng admitted that he repurposed unlicensed 3D models in the game he created. Recalling the controversy earlier this year, he said the graphics were free for download and he didn’t realize they were actually stolen, blaming the error on his “weak copyright awareness.”
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Zeng says Bright Memory: Infinite is inspired by historical architecture that still exists in China today, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing and the classical gardens of Suzhou. (Picture: FYQD Studio)
The discovery forced Zeng to scramble to replace the pirated graphics with new ones, even as the game continued to amass downloads on Steam. Zeng said that within a week he had contacted the rights owner, who gave him an additional grace period of five days. With little time left, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be a one-man job.
