![]() “I said, ‘Why don’t we complicate this?’ In ‘Street Fighter’ or ‘Street Fighter 2’ or this kind of game, you charge a punch. “They asked me to do one punch to the head, one punch to the torso and one kick in the leg,” Colussi says. So I ask Colussi how to get kung fu right in a game, and he talks about past mistakes other fighting games have made. It’s easier, for instance, for Colussi to demonstrate a move rather than talk through it, but that’s not always feasible in a tight Santa Monica coffee shop courtyard. He may dip into some Chinese philosophy, and he is absolutely a student of pop culture, eager to discuss how film, television and games can get aspects of kung fu wrong. Ask about authenticity and Colussi launches into a history seminar, discussing differences between kung fu and wushu and how Chinese martial arts have changed over the decades, including how interpretations may differ from region to region within China. There would be many lessons, and talking to Colussi is akin to getting a free one. About a year after that, with the game still early in development, the studio reached back out to say that Colussi’s movement was inspiring the game, and could he work closely with the team? At that time, Colussi says, what would become “Sifu” wasn’t yet specializing in Pak Mei. Early into production of the game, Sloclap asked for Colussi to host a workshop where he went over some kung fu basics. The game fell into his lap in large part because some of the creative team has studied with Colussi. But some warn the industry should fix its corporate culture first. ![]() Gaming execs, even ‘Avengers: Endgame’s’ Joe Russo, say games will define next-generation online worlds. He is very happy.”Įntertainment & Arts Gaming has led the metaverse, but NFTs pose new ethical challenges. He does not care, but he loves the video and he loves every scene. ![]() “My master saw the game,” Colussi says of his close relationship with Lao Wei San, who took on the French student as an apprentice before Colussi earned the Sifu or master title, and whose initials grace Colussi’s LWS Pak Mei School in Paris. Today, Colussi is considered an heir to the originators of the Pak Mei style, and in nonpandemic times he spends a number of weeks each year in China to continue to study from his masters. So I started learning Chinese and my father flew me to China to show me what kung fu is. Even though I loved this as a kid, this is not what I was searching for. In France, there was a lot of acrobatic stuff. What is kung fu? You have lots of styles. I was searching for more, and a deep connection to the culture. “When I was a little kid I wanted to practice kung fu,” Colussi says. “Foreigner” is how he has often been labeled, although Colussi notes that the phrase in China doesn’t carry with it the same stigma that it does in France. Since Colussi was 14, he’s made nearly yearly visits to China, having lived in the country for three years. As the architect of the game’s fighting, and a lifelong student of Chinese culture, Colussi is especially sympathetic to the latter discussion. The game has also inspired cultural and mechanical debates, as it’s not only difficult - I’ve barely made a dent into it - but the independent studio that made it, Sloclap, is based in Paris rather than China. In a crowded gaming month with blockbuster releases such as “Elden Ring” and “Horizon Forbidden West,” “Sifu” has managed to make an impact. My goal was to be sure that what they do reflects what we want.” They thought I wanted to take up too much space. So before signing, I said, ‘I want to see the movement, and want the chance to say, “You can do better.”’ It was a struggle for the team. ![]() “For me, it was important to not just sign a contract and go back to my stuff and that’s all,” says Colussi, who was recently in Los Angeles to take meetings for other potential media products. He didn’t want his name or the Pak Mei school he runs to have their brands sullied. The Paris resident and kung fu master has seen too many films and games with an inaccurate approach to fighting. What’s more, the game has earned praise for its fighting complexity as well as the respect it shows to a Chinese art.īut if the game is accurate in depicting the specific kung fu fighting style known as Pak Mei, that’s a debt owed to Benjamin Colussi. 8 release, has become a breakout hit in 2022. “Sifu,” the revenge-focused kung fu action game with nearly 1 million copies sold since its Feb.
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