During ChinaJoy 2026, Game Power conducted an exclusive interview with Xia Siyuan, the original producer of "Mingmo: Feathers of the Abyss" and founder of the new studio, Recursive Dolphin. The interview provided a comprehensive review of the first game's turbulent journey, the online harassment incident, the change in IP ownership, and the new plans for the sequel.
"Mingmo: Feathers of the Abyss" launched on July 24, 2025, reaching a peak of 131,000 concurrent players on Steam on its first day, but its reputation quickly plummeted. The team urgently released continuous updates and fixes, and over the course of a year, public perception gradually improved, with cumulative players across all platforms surpassing 5 million. Earlier this year, the original development team disbanded, and Xia Siyuan left the company behind the IP he created. The IP rights were acquired by Digital Bros, the parent company of 505 Games, leading many to believe the series had come to a permanent halt.
On July 29, an official announcement revealed a major partnership: Digital Bros signed with Chengdu Recursive Dolphin, founded by Xia Siyuan. A new entry in the Wuchang series was officially greenlit, with an initial investment of €21.5 million (approximately RMB 166 million). Development will be fully based in China, with 505 Games handling global publishing and establishing a branch in Chengdu to provide localized support.
In the interview, Xia Siyuan candidly addressed the controversies, malicious rumors, and online harassment faced during the initial launch: during the crisis, there was no time to dwell on emotions. The team's top priority was fixing game issues and addressing player feedback to ensure the project's continued progress.
He does not feel betrayed by players; instead, he remains grateful to those who have supported him and the game along the way. It is this player recognition that has empowered him to restart IP development. He will learn from the first game's experience, distinguishing between surface-level demands and underlying causes in future player feedback, avoiding isolated content changes and instead considering overall system balance.
Regarding the so-called "kneeling-style updates" criticized by players at the time, Xia Siyuan admitted that the original team was developing a large-scale single-player game for the first time. With a massive influx of feedback, they could only prioritize urgent fixes, making it difficult to achieve perfection. These lessons will be fully applied to the development and publishing processes of the sequel. Both parties have also reviewed and optimized publishing loopholes from the previous title, such as pre-orders and overseas pricing.
Xia Siyuan admitted that his core identity will always be that of a game developer; running a studio and managing teams are all means to produce better works. Looking back, he has no regrets, only gratitude for the continued support from players, the team, and the publisher. While players in different regions have varying aesthetic preferences, their love for quality games is universal. He will balance the experiences of both Eastern and Western players while polishing the new title.