On August 28, a 17th-anniversary celebration belonging to JX3 was successfully held at the Guangzhou Greater Bay Area Cultural Sports Center, with 18,000 players gathering together. It can be said to be the largest celebration in JX3's history.
At the event, JX3 Producer Xianyu (Yu Yuxian) announced major news: On October 29, JX3's Level 50 New Generation "Cangsheng Zhushi" will officially enter open beta. The character level cap will return to 50, accompanied by a systematic reconstruction of the level, stats, and growth systems. Meanwhile, new maps, storylines, and sect content for JX3 will gradually unfold.
Now, at its 17th anniversary, JX3 has clearly entered a new phase. In this new stage, the familiar Jianghu will continue to grow, and new stories will emerge. It makes one curious—how will this Tang Dynasty world, which has accompanied players for 17 years, stride into the future? And how will the story of Chinese Wuxia games continue to develop?
With these questions in mind, we met with Producer Xianyu after the celebration, and in this conversation, we heard the story of JX3, which continues to extend.
Below is the full interview transcript:
Q: How do you understand the "MMO original intention" mentioned by JX3? Over 17 years, what has changed, and what has remained the same?
Xianyu:Our understanding of the "MMO original intention" starts with the players. An MMO is not just composed of gameplay, stats, and versions; more importantly, it is about the relationships players build here, the emotions they invest, and the memories left from years of shared life. Over 17 years, technology, gameplay, and players' time habits have constantly changed—and we must also continuously adjust our expression methods and product experience. What has not changed is our emphasis on players and everyone's shared love for this Jianghu. Talking about the "original intention" again today is not about going back to the past, but hoping to preserve these most important things in a way that fits the present.
Q: As JX3 systematically organizes its core ecosystem, what aspects will be prioritized? What is the biggest challenge?
Xianyu:The most important thing this time is not to make any single gameplay feature more complex in isolation, but to reorganize the connections between growth, combat, social interaction, and player organizations, allowing different ecosystems like PVE, PVP, and PVX to operate more completely. The biggest challenge lies in JX3's 17 years of content accumulation and player habits; many systems carry real investments of time, relationships, and emotion. Therefore, we will proceed more cautiously, fully listening to the opinions of different types of core players, optimizing gradually while respecting existing accumulations, rather than changing for the sake of change.
Q: Compared to now, what is the core upgrade of JX3 2.0? Why choose to make large-scale underlying investments at this stage?
Xianyu:JX3 2.0 is not just a simple graphics upgrade, but a systematic evolution spanning the technical foundation, rendering performance, R&D toolchain, and content production efficiency. While improvements in presentation are the most visible to players, from an R&D perspective, the more critical aspect is the upgrade of underlying tools and production workflows—only with a more advanced foundation can future gameplay, scenes, and content expression have greater room for growth. We aim to lay a solid foundation early for JX3's next long-term phase, ensuring this Jianghu retains the ability to evolve continuously in the future.
Q: Without relying on new sects as the main annual growth driver, where will JX3's future appeal come from?
Xianyu:Practices over the past few years have made it increasingly clear to us that new sects are not the only content capable of driving new acquisitions and returns. Players also have deep demands for existing sects, storyline, gameplay quality, social relationships, and world experience. As the number of sects increases, new sects also bring more long-term maintenance costs regarding balance and settings. Therefore, we prefer to deepen and refine existing content, forming diverse and stable long-term appeal through深耕 (deep cultivation) of old sects, new storylines, new maps, core ecosystem upgrades, and better technical performance, rather than betting growth on a single type of content.
Q: After reconstructing the level and stat systems, how will the team handle the potential impact on the overall ecosystem and balance?
Xianyu:This adjustment to the level and stat systems is not aimed solely at a certain type of player or a short-term issue; the core goal is to serve the long-term cycle of the entire game ecosystem. Specifically regarding stats and balance, we will continue to adjust based on actual experience and data. Rather than focusing on any local stat values, we are more concerned with whether this system can operate sustainably and healthily in the long run.
Q: Why choose to "return to Level 50" after 17 years of operation? Isn't this a risk?
Xianyu:Level 50 is not a simple nostalgic return, but a new starting line. After years of version accumulations, the level, equipment, and stat systems naturally become increasingly complex, and the growth gap between players gradually widens. We hope to take this opportunity to systematically reconstruct the entire growth system, allowing both new and old players to continue forward within a clearer and fairer structure. For us, this is more like a necessary and proactive structural upgrade during long-term operations; the goal is not to go back to the past, but to create healthier space for future growth.
Q: The emotional intensity of the 17th-anniversary launch event was very high. Does this mean there will be greater emphasis on veteran and returning players in the future?
Xianyu:The anniversary celebration is first and foremost a gathering to celebrate a birthday with old friends. Seventeen years of emotion are hard to summarize in a few words, so this year's launch event and performances emphasize companionship, character bonds, and shared memories. At the same time, we certainly hope more new players will enter this Jianghu. For new players, what is truly attractive is the product quality itself—better graphics, more mature technology, more interesting gameplay, and a lower barrier to understanding. We hope to cherish the emotional accumulation of veteran players on one hand, while attracting new players through continuous improvement of product quality on the other.
Q: From the producer's perspective, what do you most hope to accomplish in JX3 over the next three years?
Xianyu:I have always hoped to let players' characters truly "come alive" in this world. Many players have accompanied their characters for many years; it is no longer just an operational unit, but an emotional carrier connecting the player and the Jianghu. With the continuous development of new technologies, we are also paying attention to their future possibilities in character interaction, NPC performance, and other aspects. Of course, these are still in the exploration stage, and we hope to gradually find application methods truly suitable for JX3 in the future.
Q: Why are adjustments being made simultaneously to PVE, PVP, PVX, and social systems this time? What is most important for a healthy MMO ecosystem?
Xianyu:In the past, we made many isolated improvements, but we increasingly realized that making just one gameplay aspect stand out is not enough to solve the problems of the entire MMO ecosystem. PVE team relationships, PVP faction histories, and PVX lifestyle and expression should all be interconnected within the same world. In the future, we will continue to focus on the ecological foundation, allowing different types of players to find their place. A stable economy and resource cycle provide the underlying support; above this, what is more important is that player relationships, identities, honors, and shared memories can continue to accumulate.
Q: User time is becoming increasingly fragmented, yet MMOs rely on long-term relationships and deep experiences. How does JX3 hope to balance casual and hardcore play?
Xianyu:Casual and hardcore play are actually complementary. Casual content is more like the player's daily life in this world—socializing, collecting, cosmetics, and self-expression; hardcore content provides growth, challenges, and long-term pursuits. We hope to reduce elements that consume time but offer low experiential value, such as unnecessary waiting and repetitive inputs, leaving time for the content players truly want to play.
I once used a metaphor internally: daily life is like a relaxed "Earth," but one must also look up to see the "stars and sea" worth pursuing. If there are only goals, people get tired; if there are no goals, the world loses its aspiration.
We hope both can coexist.
Q: How do you view the relationship between "reducing burden" and long-term activity?
Xianyu:Online time is not the only metric we value. Rather than filling players' days with repetitive tasks, we prefer that their limited time be spent on content that is interesting, rewarding, and memorable. Even if a player only engages intensively for a period within a season, as long as that experience is good enough and worth recalling, they will be willing to return for the next season. For JX3, healthy long-term operation is not about keeping players "locked in," but ensuring that every time they return, they have an experience worth staying for.
Q: Aligning with international R&D systems, what changes will this bring to JX3 in the future?
Xianyu:An important part of this collaboration is the upgrade of underlying R&D tools and production methods. We have also been developing new tools and processes ourselves, and in the future, we will combine these capabilities with external mature technical systems to improve overall R&D efficiency. Ultimately, we hope to enable the team to produce content more efficiently, putting more energy into graphical performance, gameplay, and world experience. As for which specific technologies will be adopted and how the collaboration will proceed, we will communicate details with everyone at a more appropriate stage later.
Q: Why was this year's anniversary celebration made the largest in history?
Xianyu:The reason is actually quite simple. In previous years, player enthusiasm for the anniversary events was very high, and the venue expanded year by year. If we had continued with the single-sided stage from the past, it would have been difficult to accommodate the scale this year, so we adopted a four-sided stage for the first time. Ultimately, it is still about hoping to allow more Xia Shi (heroes/knights) to come to the site and celebrate this birthday together.
Q: How do you view the value of fan-created content to JX3's long-term IP? Will the official team and players move towards closer co-creation?
Xianyu:Fan-created works are of great significance to JX3. The official team can provide the game's own content, but players use their own understanding and expression to extend this Jianghu further. Often, the influence generated by a player's work is something the official team cannot easily replace; it allows more people to recognize characters, sects, and this IP.
Therefore, we will continue to support the fan-created content ecosystem. For us, players are not just recipients of content; they themselves are enriching the Jianghu of JX3, which is an important reason why this IP can maintain its vitality over the long term.
Q: Why has JX3 consistently integrated ancient architecture, intangible cultural heritage, and public welfare projects into its IP building in recent years?
Xianyu:JX3 itself is a game rooted in Chinese history and Wuxia culture. As the world continues to expand, we increasingly realize that authentic ancient architecture, historical materials, and traditional culture can help us build a Jianghu with deeper roots and basis. Collaborating with professional cultural institutions allows the R&D team to obtain more accurate and rich materials, improving worldview and content expression; on the other hand, the game can also serve as an entry point for young people to understand traditional culture, bringing ancient architecture and cultural content that were once distant from the public into a broader视野 (view).
For us, this is a matter of mutual achievement, and a very natural one.
Q: What does JX3 value most when choosing IP collaborations?
Xianyu:The most direct standard is still whether players like it. When selecting collaboration partners, we pay close attention to player feedback and acceptance. If players themselves are not interested in an IP, or feel the two sides are not a good fit, we will not force a collaboration just for the sake of doing one. For JX3, collaborations must ultimately serve the players, making them truly feel it is interesting and something to look forward to, rather than simply adding to a list of partnerships.
Q: After 17 years of operating JX3, what is the most important lesson learned for long-term operations?
Xianyu:The core is still keeping players in mind and being willing to continuously invest in the product. Long-term operations cannot be without problems forever; what matters is whether the team is willing to face issues and invest resources to solve them when players truly care about something or some experience. At the same time, we must cherish the player relationships, community culture, and content accumulation that have already formed. A product can go far not just because of one explosive moment, but through continuous innovation, continuous response, and the trust built with players over the long term.
Q: How will JX3 handle low-activity legacy gameplay features and participation barriers in the future?
Xianyu:Having operated JX3 for so many years, we have indeed accumulated a vast amount of gameplay features. In the past, when creating content, if something seemed interesting or popular, we would want to add it to the game. But as time passed, we increasingly realized that gameplay must ultimately be considered within the context of the entire ecosystem.
Next, we will continue to organize this content. Parts with strong repetitiveness and low experiential value will have their burden reduced, or even be adjusted; gameplay features that are truly loved by players and have long-term value will be retained and optimized. Ultimately, we hope players can live more easily in this Jianghu, rather than being burdened by a large amount of scattered content.
Q: How can technical upgrades avoid visual homogenization?
Xianyu:I believe technical tools themselves do not directly lead to visual homogenization. The same technology and engine can produce completely different visual styles. What truly determines a product's recognizability is the team's own aesthetic direction, content assets, and investment in resource production. Technology is ultimately a tool; the key lies in what we want to create with it.
Q: Standing at the 17th-anniversary milestone, how do you view JX3's development direction for the next ten years?
Xianyu:For many players, JX3 today is no longer just a game, but more like a companion that has been with them for over a decade. We have always talked about the 30th anniversary, but to go further, we must first establish a solid technical and R&D foundation, ensuring our underlying capabilities can keep up with industry developments. On this basis, we also hope to further explore the possibilities of characters, NPCs, and the entire game ecosystem, making this Jianghu more vibrant and complete. The next ten years are long, but the work we are doing now is the first step toward a more distant future.