After selling his company and leaving ByteDance, he created a "quirky" anime-style game

Is there any appeal to watching cute girls in leather outfits battle monsters? A recently released anime-style game called *Ultimate Girl: Altus* has caught the attention of the online community.

You might say it’s a bit out there—the game’s storyline is rife with internet slang, and the allusions to big-tech corporate culture come thick and fast. Lines like “New Tokusatsu addresses the company’s pain point regarding the monotonous presentation of virtual livestreaming content by dissecting the granularity of tokusatsu works and aligning them with the explosive highlights of spectacular combat, all while incubating a brand-new niche virtual livestreaming project through the company’s proprietary technology chain” are enough to make your hair stand on end.

You might call it serious, but the design of the transformed form truly captures the essence of Japanese "dark tokusatsu"—it’s packed with all the elements commonly found in adult anime, from torn costumes to battle damage. The action poses, which vividly showcase "strength and beauty," come one after another, getting your blood pumping.

It’s worth noting that PT, the producer, admits to being a die-hard, hardcore anime and manga fan. He previously founded the Chinese anime and manga community “Banciyuan” and sold the company to ByteDance in 2018, but after staying on for a year, he decided to leave and venture into the business world.

I first tried my hand at developing an adventure game engine, but due to licensing regulations, I was ultimately forced to take it down. After that, I switched industries and threw myself into indie game development, which led to the creation of *Ultimate Girl: Altus*. Now that I think about it, it all makes sense—this explains why the game manages to seamlessly shift between the two distinct styles mentioned above.

Taking this opportunity, the Tea House also had a good chat with PT, the founder of Banchiyuan. In his view, producing *Alters* was a bold cross-industry endeavor that shouldn’t be expected to succeed overnight. He admitted that his mindset hadn’t changed much since moving from a large corporation to a small team; if anything, he felt less driven by short-term gains than before.

“When you’re in your 20s or 30s, you probably want to achieve something quickly in whatever you do. But after experiencing some successes and failures, I’ve actually been able to slow down. We don’t want to jump straight into making a mobile game; instead, we plan to ease into the industry by starting with smaller-scale projects and giving ourselves and the team more time.”

01

One success and a few failures

Teahouse: What initially inspired you to launch "Half Dimension," this anime and manga community?

PT: This happened many years ago. Actually, there’s a rather curious phenomenon: most self-help books will tell you that many large companies didn’t start out with their original business and eventually grew from there. Half Dimension is no exception—it began as an AKB48 fan site.

When I was building the website, I paid close attention to our users’ needs. Additionally, the domestic internet landscape at the time was far more developed than Japan’s. While Japan did have some anime and manga websites, such as Pixiv and Cure, we found their features difficult to use and their user bases relatively fragmented. So we decided to explore whether we could create a similar anime and manga platform in China.So, we were simply the first in China to use a feed-based approach to integrate different content formats—such as cosplay, fan art, and fan fiction—into a unified platform.

Teahouse: Were you still in college back then?

PT: I think I had just graduated at the time, while my partner and the rest of the team were still in school. I started looking for a job right after finishing my undergraduate degree, but they were still pursuing their master’s degrees. So we really did this purely out of interest; none of us were thinking about starting a business back then—we just wanted something to do.

Back then, none of us knew what we wanted to do in the future. I happened to have an idea, so I started recruiting classmates to build a website together. Since we were all fans of anime and manga, we hit it off right away. We started by slowly building up our following. Once we got it up and running, we realized the traffic wasn’t great, but since the site was already set up, we considered using that framework to create content more tailored to the anime and manga community. Eventually, this evolved into the early version of “Ban-Dimension.”

Teahouse: After the success of Banchuan, what has been your greatest takeaway?

PT: Does “success” mean selling to ByteDance? (laughs)

Teahouse: As a startup team of recent graduates, it’s honestly been quite a challenge to make this website a success.

PT: I think there are two main points. The first might sound a bit like a cliché, but it’s “staying focused on what you love.” The early members of our team were all friends from school who shared a passion for anime and manga. For example, I met our technical co-founder while buying Gundam models, and others were fellow fans who followed AKB48 together. Looking back now, I realize that the founding of Banchiyuan was entirely driven by our shared passion.

That’s the aspect of what people like. As for the aspect of persistence, in my view, the fragmentation of online social interactions is now widely recognized as an objective reality. However, a decade or so ago, the internet was still a relatively elite platform—take the early days of Zhihu, for example. So during that elite era, if you focused on a very niche vertical—as long as it was sufficiently specialized—you could actually achieve some degree of success.

This process requires a great deal of perseverance. In its early days, Half Dimension also faced several life-or-death crises where we ran out of funds—it even got to the point where I had to borrow money from everywhere just to keep the company afloat. We went through a lot during that time. Even if you happen to be in the right place at the right time for an internet startup and raise tens of millions in funding, it’s quite common for operational problems to arise quickly due to poor decision-making.

Even after I worked at BanYuan, when I went on to start my own business, I still encountered all sorts of challenges. If you don’t persevere and give up at some point, you’ll end up with nothing.

Teahouse: So what’s the second point?

PT: Luck—and of course, I don’t mean some mystical concept here. I think it refers to doing the right thing at the right time, though that’s not something you can fully control. Within the constraints of this era, making a decision that may seem unclear in the short term but is clearly the right one in the long run can yield unimaginable returns. However, from the perspective of that specific moment, it was highly uncertain, so to some extent, it can be attributed to luck.

Teahouse: Between leaving ByteDance and starting your own studio, what have you been up to? Has your mindset changed at all?

PT: My mindset hasn’t really changed; I’ve always been committed to working on the front lines. If I were to step back and let others run things, I’d feel disconnected from our users, and that wouldn’t be right.

Before embarking on my indie game development journey, I built an adventure game engine. This engine was actually quite ahead of its time in many ways—for instance, it supported “pure natural writing,” which allowed text to be converted into visual and interactive content. Looking back now, I realize that two trends that emerged in the years since share a similar conceptual framework. One is AI-driven creative and companion products; however, when we were working on it—from late 2018 to early 2019—AI hadn’t yet fully taken off. The other trend is short-form dramas.

I learned a great deal during my time at ByteDance. Back then, we were already envisioning how to use the feed to create a product and platform capable of distribution and monetization. This logic is actually identical to that of today’s short videos and animated series; it’s just that we were ahead of our time and lacked the support of the mature supply chains and technology stacks that exist today.

Teahouse: Did that AVG engine end up failing too?

PT: Due to certain objective factors—product licensing requirements were quite strict at the time—the game was eventually taken down. I suppose you could call it a temporary setback.

02

Be a little more patient with yourself

Teahouse: When did you first get the idea to travel solo?

PT: The idea actually came about quite by chance. Since our previous product had been taken down, we wanted to continue exploring new directions with the product. However, we faced two very practical challenges: first, by 2022, it had become extremely difficult to launch a new app and achieve success; second, we knew we would have to take regulatory issues into account for our next product.

From a team perspective, we have long-time employees who have been with us since the early days of Banzhiyuan. We’ve been working together for 10 years now—you could say we’ve dedicated our entire careers to the anime and manga industry. We’ve built close relationships with both artists and the gaming community. Given these strengths, might it be possible for us to leverage them and try our hand at game development?

You asked me earlier if my mindset has changed.Looking back now, I think I’m probably not as impatient as I used to be. When I was around 20, I wanted to achieve something quickly in everything I did. But after experiencing both success and failure, I’ve actually been able to slow down. We didn’t want to jump right into making a mobile game or a second-tier title; instead, we wanted to break into the industry gradually by starting with smaller-scale projects. That might have taken a few years, and the result is what you see now: *Ultimate Girl Artis*.

Teahouse: Has your experience founding BanCiYuan provided any useful insights or assistance for your current work at Duyu Productions?

PT: That’s a huge number. To give you the simplest example: someone like me, who has never made a game before, can now not only create one but also keep costs under control. That alone speaks volumes, because many game projects end up falling by the wayside.

To put it simply, I’ve always maintained the habit of working on the front lines, so I have a pretty good grasp of how much a project costs, how the budget is allocated, and how tasks are divided and coordinated—especially since I have over 10 years of hands-on experience in project management.

Teahouse: Has anyone here had a bad experience with this?

PT: There are probably more unexpected pitfalls. For example, recruitment in the gaming industry isn’t as standardized as it is in the app industry. To give an example, if I’m hiring a front-end developer with eight years of experience, I’ll likely find someone who’s a good fit, right? But if I’m hiring a writer for an indie game, someone who previously wrote copy for mobile games might not be able to adapt to the development pace of a single-player game—and they might even have to take on multiple roles beyond just writing copy.Especially since this is our first indie game, the people we hired might not have been a perfect fit for the project’s needs. We definitely hit a few snags along the way, which caused Altus’s launch date to be later than we had anticipated.

Teahouse: In the transition from BanCiYuan to developing indie games, what was the most challenging part of this cross-industry shift?

PT: The hardest part is probably having to cover the costs yourself—you have to find ways to raise money, take on some freelance work, and scrape together funds on your own. I don’t think there are any other major challenges; it’s just a matter of money. As long as you’re determined to do it, all that’s left is to stick with it.

Teahouse: In your opinion, how does this startup differ from your previous ones?

PT: We approached our first project more with a mindset of learning; we just wanted it to effectively convey what we wanted to express.A first game is bound to have its flaws. I think just getting it live is a 60 out of 100; if we can bring our vision to life, that’s a 70; if it sells reasonably well, that’s an 80; and if we eventually break even, that’s a 90. Our expectations aren’t that high—as I said before, we just need to be patient with ourselves.

03

It's pretty risqué, so go all out

Teahouse: Why did *Ultimate Girl Artess* choose an anime and tokusatsu theme? What do you think will appeal to players?

PT: First of all, 2022 marked the heyday of VTubers. As I mentioned earlier, I started out as an AKB48 fan and was quite obsessed with Japanese idol culture. But if we look further back, where did this trend originate? Actually, a game like this already existed 30 years ago: *Sakura Wars*. Dating by day and fighting monsters by night—the characters were all actors in real life.

So my original intention was simply to create my own version of *Sakura Wars*. The reasoning behind this was actually quite straightforward: First, by 2022, the mobile game market was already in its golden age. *Genshin Impact* was already a hit, and *Honkai Impact 3rd* was about to launch. My first thought at the time was that I couldn’t just create another mobile game with the same themes and style as existing titles—it had to stand out.

Second, back in 2022, Japanese idol culture hadn’t really taken off in China yet. Instead, VTubers had become the darlings of the scene, deeply loved by the anime community, and virtual characters like LL (Love Live!) helped introduce this concept to Chinese fans. Then there was the idea of cute girls piloting mechs—a concept that had become quite outdated. So I started thinking about how I could make it seem natural for these cute girls to fight monsters, and that’s when it hit me: costume suits.

The term "avatar" originally came from tokusatsu shows, like Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and the Super Sentai series, right? Since VTuber avatars are also called "avatars," the concept of "beautiful girls" and "avatars" became linked.In particular, in 2018, an anime titled *SSSS Gurren* was released. The worldview and structure of our game were actually somewhat inspired by this anime—specifically, the concept of beautiful girls transforming into super warriors to fight monsters within a fictional space. Ultimately, this is how the theme was finalized.

Teahouse: Looking at it that way, it does seem quite "reasonable."

PT: It just so happened that during those two years, there was a particular emphasis on female tokusatsu characters. For example, Ultraman Tiga introduced a relatively sexy female character like “Karmilla,” and later, Kamen Rider also featured eye-catching female characters like “Akilera.”I feel like female suit actors didn’t used to get as much screen time before, but that particular year happened to be a banner year for female characters—all the elements were in place—so we went ahead and did it with full justification.

Teahouse: When you put it that way, it does seem like there aren’t many products on the market that can compete with yours.

PT: That’s the perk of working at Half-Dimension. Since I’m an ultra-fundamentalist, Brahmin-level otaku myself, as the saying goes, once you’ve seen enough fan art, there’s no anime-style illustration you haven’t encountered. So whether an idea is a copycat or something the market hasn’t seen yet, I can spot it instantly.

Teahouse: I’ve noticed that edgy content seems to be a “highlight” of your game. How do you view this aspect, and has it achieved the desired effect?

PT: I think we need to clarify something here. I don’t think this qualifies as “pushing the boundaries”; it’s more accurately described as “explicit.” Content that’s designed to evade moderation is what we call “pushing the boundaries.” Steam barely moderates anything—as long as you don’t create illegal content, you’re essentially free from Steam’s oversight. So, as a die-hard, hardcore anime fan, if this were released in our day, it could only be described as “explicit.”

For example, the gymnastics outfits we released earlier on Xiaohuihe were inspired by the animation in *Leap to the Summit*. You know, *Leap to the Summit* is all about revealing outfits and showing off certain body parts—but we didn’t set out to do that on purpose. In fact, aside from the combat outfits, you’ll notice that the art style throughout the game is very cute and charming. Plus, since we’ve been rated 15+ on Steam, we really went all out with it.

Teahouse: You’ve opted for a 2D+3D approach for the models. How challenging was the production process for you, and how did you manage the costs?

PT: Actually, once you’ve worked with outsourcing providers a bit, you’ll find that if precision isn’t a top priority, creating a 3D model is actually cheaper than using 2D graphics. With hand-drawn 2D art, many elements can’t be reused, whereas most 3D assets can be reused—whether they’re scenes or assets found in online stores. If you look for smaller outsourcing providers, a single model might cost only a few thousand yuan, and there are plenty of ways to keep costs down.

Aside from cost considerations, we set a clear boundary for ourselves from the very beginning: from a long-term development perspective, we must master the 3D technology stack as soon as possible, rather than opting for a 2D product first simply for the sake of cost and security.

Teahouse: As you mentioned earlier, you want to create a game in the style of *Sakura Wars*. Do you think the combination of AVG and SRPG gameplay might raise the learning curve, potentially turning some players off?

PT: During the demo sessions at the previous New Product Festival, we received a lot of feedback from players. Since we realized that some players really struggled with the tactical RPG elements, we decided to add a "Skip Work" feature. Given that the game’s premise involves players streaming themselves fighting monsters—which is essentially like going to work—this feature allows you to skip all the SRPG gameplay content. In fact, if you skip work enough times, you’ll even earn an achievement.

As for the standard difficulty setting, we actually made the levels a bit harder on purpose, hoping that hardcore strategy game fans would find the stats a bit more challenging.

Teahouse: Why would you do that?

PT: From our perspective, when we first greenlit the project, we viewed the dating-sim elements and the monster-battling SRPG elements as equally important. We didn’t force the SRPG elements into the game to make up for any shortcomings in the dating-sim content. So, if you only like the dating-sim elements, that’s fine—we’ll lower the difficulty for you, and you can even skip the SRPG elements entirely. For players who prefer SRPG gameplay, we’ll create some interesting and challenging content to cater to them.

I believe that when it comes to issues affecting the player experience, the player’s perspective must always come first—after all, the customer is king. However, when it comes to content creation, we should maintain our own unique style and stay true to our principles.

Teahouse: Speaking of unique features, I’m reminded of the many interesting side quests and dialogues in the game—which are actually allusions to the culture of big tech companies in real life. Why did you decide to incorporate these elements into the game? Were you worried that players might not get the references?

PT: When it comes to company culture, I actually have a lot to say. My previous company was truly impressive, and I learned a great deal there. On the other hand, many large tech companies have aspects that go against human nature. For example, I really hated working at those big companies because I had to give reports to my superiors, navigate complicated relationships with coworkers, and deal with people from other departments. That’s why I left ByteDance after just one year.

Looking back at our game’s storyline, from a real-world perspective, all the VTubers in it are essentially working for major studios and platforms. So, within the game’s setting, these companies and platforms are naturally cast as the villains. When it comes to portraying the villains as thoroughly and unambiguously evil, we’ve lacked imagination in some respects, so the best we can do is incorporate elements drawn from our own experiences.

So I’m not worried that players won’t get the references. They can treat it as either a romance-focused visual novel or a monster-slaying SRPG. If there happen to be industry professionals playing, they might see deeper layers that resonate with them. I think players of every level will be able to find their own enjoyment in the game.

Teahouse: It’s like exploring a rather serious topic within a game featuring a cute art style.

PT: Yes, it’s a very real topic—so real it’s almost scary. For workers who’ve been in the workforce for a few years, reading much of this might make them smile in recognition, or cause their brows to furrow and their hair to stand on end.

However, the prerequisite for this is that we must never take the initiative to preach. Our main focus is on romance and beautiful girls fighting monsters, while those gritty, realistic stories serve more as a way to flesh out the overall world-building. My personal philosophy on storytelling is this: our own thinking on a given topic should aim for an 80, internal team discussions should aim for a 50, and the final content presented to players should only need to be a 30.

Authentic content always leaves room for readers and players to interpret it for themselves, rather than me standing there and loudly telling you whether capitalism is good or bad, or that it’s oppressing you.

04

Be accountable to yourself, not to your superiors

Teahouse: I’ve met a lot of indie developers who end up with a lot of rework due to various issues. It seems like your development process has gone pretty smoothly?

PT: To be honest, the product is currently on track with our expectations. The only part that might require rework is the script, since we weren’t satisfied with it at first, which set us back by about a few months.

Teahouse: When did you start this project, and how long has it been going on?

PT: The project was launched around 2022, and we hired our first external employee in 2023, marking the official start of production—a process that took a little over two years.

Teahouse: Was it because the management experience gained during the Half-Dimension era gave you an advantage?

PT: I’ve been working on the front lines for 10 years, have developed a few products, and have gained some experience in managing people and projects. For example, how to communicate with others, how to delegate tasks, and how to provide emotional support.

Teahouse: You’re also responsible for providing emotional value—how do you go about that?

PT: For example, if we’ve been working really hard on a tight deadline lately, I’ll book a private screening during our days off and take everyone to see a *Ghost in the Shell* movie or a new anime series. I always keep an eye on everyone’s mood and do my best to ensure we’re all working in a happy environment.

Teahouse: So, after moving from a large company to a small team, what do you think has been the biggest change?

PT: The biggest change is being accountable to yourself rather than to your superiors.

Teahouses: How Should We Understand Them?

PT: In large companies, you’re often tasked with two things: the first is managing up, and the second is meeting KPIs. More often than not, managing up is more important than meeting KPIs. In my view, meeting KPIs still has some value—after all, it’s your performance—but managing up is completely meaningless.

Teahouse: Do you have any plans or ideas for the future?

PT: Following the official release of *Ultimate Girl Artes*, our next new title is already in the early stages of development; it will likely be a top-down ARPG.In a way, this can be seen as a continuation of our previous title. Due to limitations in team experience and budget for *Ultimate Girl Artis*, we weren’t able to achieve a satisfying level of polish for the RPG elements. Although *Artis* has a cute, QQ-style aesthetic, its RPG system actually uses the same engine as *Disco Elysium*. So, for our next project, we plan to continue along the RPG path, hoping to make it even more fun and hardcore.