NetEase's Low-Profile Project Finally Comes to Light—Something Big Is Really Coming

It’s been a really long time since we’ve heard anything about NetEase Leihuo’s *Infinite World*.

Teahouse still remembers that the last time *Infinite* was heavily featured was at the end of last year, when the game dropped its "codename," released a promotional video, and announced a technical test trailer. At the time, it dropped quite a few bombshells: a vast modern metropolis, a vehicle system, and countless side activities set within the urban landscape…

December 2024 PV Screenshots

At the time, *Infinity* left the tea house with a sense of "utter amazement," but aside from excitement, it would be impossible to say we weren’t worried—because if the project were to match the scale shown in the PV, *Infinity* likely wouldn’t be completed anytime soon.

This isn’t a lack of confidence in Lei Huo, but rather the fact that a large scale, high quality, and fast development pace are practically the “impossible triangle” of game development. Given the objective laws of the physical world, Teahouse speculates that if you want to play *Infinite*, you’ll definitely have to wait a while.

On top of that, the team behind "Infinite" seems to be keeping a very low profile; after making a brief appearance last December, they essentially "disappeared." Just when we thought we’d have to wait until the end of the year to hear any new updates on "Infinite," the game suddenly released a teaser for new gameplay features at 10 a.m. this morning.

After a nine-month hiatus, they’ve come back with a bang.

01

The camera zooms in to show

A good trailer really only needs to do one thing: build anticipation. From that perspective, *Infinity* certainly excels.

In the Teahouse’s view, this gameplay trailer is nothing more than Lei Huo flexing its muscles.

The opening scene appears to be a brief "duet" between characters, but in just a few seconds, *Infinite* showcases the game's character models and facial expression detail through a series of close-ups and medium shots.

Of course, you could say that, after all, with "Thunderfire" and "Infinity," isn't that exactly what it's supposed to do?

The subsequent montage—a blend of countless cityscapes, gameplay elements, and cutscenes—is absolutely packed with information.

The cityscapes of *Infinite* showcased in the trailer are truly impressive in both depth and richness, featuring everything from the city’s CBD and residential areas to shopping districts, beaches, and parks. The rendering of environmental textures—particularly water and metal surfaces—leans toward realism. Crucially, Leihuo’s rendering seamlessly integrates these elements with the anime-style characters, ensuring that the characters blend naturally into the vehicle and city environments without any sense of dissonance.

As the highlight of this preview, when it comes to gameplay, I must admit I’m at a loss—it’s hard to pinpoint the game’s core mechanics because the revealed features are simply too extensive. The preview offers a dense array of lifestyle-oriented activities, including extensive character interactions, selfies, live performances, home customization, and costume changes.

It also features a wealth of content, including combat mechanics reminiscent of *Yakuza*, high-altitude swinging and movement similar to *Marvel's Spider-Man*, stealth elements, in-game events, a firearms system, and undercover gameplay found in Rockstar titles like *GTA*, as well as hacking mechanics akin to *Watch Dogs* and other combat-action elements.

Judging solely by the variety of gameplay shown in the trailer, *Infinite* truly lives up to its name.

I won’t be discussing the video any further here. I’m sure anyone who’s watched this trailer can sense just how “massive” *Infinite* truly is. What I’d like to focus on is using this trailer to try and figure out exactly what kind of product NetEase is aiming to create.

02

This is no ordinary second game

First of all, we need to question the product format of *Infinite*—is it a mobile game? If so.

There isn’t another mobile game on the market with gameplay mechanics this ambiguous—or, perhaps, this diverse. That’s why, at first glance, Teahouse believes that *Infinite* is closer to traditional single-player games than to other mobile titles.

Setting aside its anime-inspired style, many of the gameplay elements in *Infinite City* draw inspiration from the best aspects of various single-player games. And when it comes to gameplay—whether it’s racing, stealth missions, or delivering food—these mechanics are unlikely to feel out of place in *Infinite City*’s urban setting; in fact, if they’re integrated well, the game is sure to be a blast.

However, the question that follows is: Will NetEase make *Infinite* a one-time purchase? The answer should be clear: no.

From a product portfolio perspective, NetEase still needs a title capable of sustaining long-term success. Moreover, *Yan Yun* has already established a new revenue trajectory that combines the wave-like growth pattern of traditional content-driven games with the smooth growth curve of MMOs, demonstrating that it is feasible to develop GaaS games using a single-player mindset.

So, while this strategy might well prove effective among the broader anime and manga fanbase, previous mobile games in this genre have relied heavily on version updates—or rather, on the production of high-quality content (characters, storylines)—and have rarely relied on sheer “fun” to attract players. If a particular update falls short, revenue will drop significantly; if this happens several times in a row, player retention becomes uncertain.

However, as the operational lifespan of these platforms extends, it becomes difficult for any developer to guarantee that the content they produce will still align with user preferences years down the line. After all, cultural trends and technological advancements are constantly evolving—just as "tsundere" was once a universal term in the anime and manga community, it is now no longer accepted by the mainstream anime and manga audience.

So, what if we take characters and plot as the core, and then build a new core around a combination of highly acclaimed gameplay elements, positioning this as the game’s new competitive edge?

The teahouse thought it was a promising venture.

Many anime and manga fans are now complaining that mobile games aren’t fun and have long lulls between updates. There’s a significant mismatch between how quickly they consume content and how much the developers can produce, so many players end up playing multiple mobile games at the same time. Is it because they have nothing better to do? No—it’s precisely because “gameplay” has always been the weak point of mobile games.

Teahouse believes that *Infinite* is set to revolutionize the mobile game industry. It is both a mobile game and a new product. It may break free from the traditional gacha model of mobile games, but it may not—because as long as it stays on track, gacha mechanics actually align well with the spending habits of mobile gamers.

Furthermore, based on what the trailer shows, certain gameplay elements—such as playing as a police officer—may be assigned to different characters, while some characters might feature unique gameplay mechanics to differentiate them commercially.

Thinking about it more deeply, since *Infinite* has already taken a bold approach to gameplay and created a core experience that breaks with tradition, it may indeed present the industry with a monetization model that is completely different from traditional mobile games in the future. However, we won’t know for sure until that moment actually arrives.

As for whether this trailer is just a pipe dream, we at Tea House don’t think so. Technically speaking, given LeiHuo’s technical capabilities, recreating these gameplay elements shouldn’t be too difficult. However, maintaining such urban scenery, NPC density, and visual quality across all three platforms is likely to be quite challenging. We suspect that PC or consoles will be the true home for *Infinite*.