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Press release:
Shenzhen, China — July 10, 2018 — Today a Chinese graduate team operating under “Project Kepler”, a special training program for Tencent Games’ graduates, announced that its debut folk music adventure game, Nishan Shaman, is coming to the App Store this July. Setting out to educate the world about Chinese culture, the team introduces a game based on the Manchu tribe folk tale featuring a traditional paper cutting art style with local Shamanistic music and a rich backstory embedded in cultural heritage and lore. Backed by NEXT Studio and Tencent Games to support innovative titles and minority cultures, Nishan Shaman has secured the Top1 recommended position on the pre-order list in China since the end of June.

Nishan Shaman is available for pre-order on the App Store.

“We wanted to shed some light on traditional Chinese mythology, which is relatively unknown in the gaming world,” said Steven Wu, Shenzhen department manager at NEXT Studio. “One member of the development team is a real Manchu person so this personal relation with the tribe’s mythology really helped create a meaningful adaptation of the Nishan Shaman epic poem to a mobile game that is both fun and informative.”

The uplifting and challenging gameplay of this title is controlled via touch around the semi-circular area of influence of the titular character; players must time their drum beats correctly to in order to ward off the demons of the underworld.

The game is heavily inspired by The Tale of the Nishan Shaman, the one great surviving text of Manchu literature, where a female shaman resurrects the son of a rich landowner. Nominated for the Best Sound award at Casual Connect London 2018, the game features five background folk music tracks created by a student from Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Nishan Shaman combines rhythmic game mechanics with musical storytelling and will be available in 12 languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Russian and others.

About Nishan Shaman’s creators
Based in Shenzhen, China, the development team consists of six graduates that share a passion of designing and developing games with a message. Their debut musical title, Nishan Shaman, is inspired by the Manchu folk tale and is meant to educate the world about the cultural heritage of Chinese minorities. To conduct research for this title, some of the team even travelled into the villages of North Eastern China to learn more about Manchurian culture.

About “Project Kepler”
“Project Kepler” is a special training program for Tencent Games’ graduates and is aimed at enhancing their understanding, R&D and creativity of the game design. During the last part of the Project, a production contest is held that enables participants to complete the transition from game players to game designers, and to enhance their professional capabilities and influence. The winners of this contest will have the opportunity to see their vision realised.

About NEXT Studio
NEXT Studio aims to make unique, high quality and reputable games through multiple approaches including but not limited to original idea incubation, advanced technology application as well as external collaboration. We experiment with new designs, create new experiences, research new technologies, work across platforms and game genres, to explore future possibilities in gaming as a unique media and keep pushing the boundaries. For more information, visit: www.thenextstudio.net