The popular free-to-play open world Wuxia action RPG Where Winds Meet, already available on PC, PlayStation 5, Android and iOS, launched on Xbox Series S and X earlier this month, featuring exclusive benefits for Game Pass subscribers. The announcement also included a tease for the game's third major expansion, titled Hidden Mountain and slated for a July launch.
Following the news, we had the opportunity to send a list of questions to developer Everstone Studio via publisher NetEase Games to learn more about the development of the Xbox version and the upcoming Hidden Mountain expansion, and to address other pain points of the live service game that have been highlighted by the community so far. You can find the answers from the Head of Publishing, Eric Zheng, below.
By the way, the development team has just announced that another content update, version 1.8, will launch on June 25, introducing a Homestead System and interactive pets, such as cats and geese, which will be featured in a dedicated pet battle system at a later time.
How long have you been working on the Xbox version? Was it challenging to optimize Where Winds Meet for the less powerful Xbox Series S?
Eric Zheng: Development of the XBOX version began alongside our broader console platform planning. As Where Winds Meet features a vast open world, multiplayer interactions, and extensive real-time systems, our goal has always been to deliver the same high-quality experience to XBOX players as on other platforms. As a result, platform adaptation and optimization have been integrated throughout the development process.
Beyond the core porting work, the team invested significant effort in performance tuning, control adaptation, and platform-specific features to ensure the game fully takes advantage of the capabilities of XBOX Series S|X hardware.
Optimizing for XBOX Series S presented its own challenges. Where Winds Meet features complex environments, a rich ecosystem, and multiplayer gameplay, requiring us to carefully balance visual quality, memory usage, and overall stability.
That said, Series S benefits from a modern console architecture. Our tech team has implemented targeted optimizations across asset streaming, scene rendering, memory management, and overall performance. Through extensive refinement, we have been able to deliver the core open-world wuxia experience of Where Winds Meet on XBOX Series S while maintaining a stable and enjoyable gameplay experience.
Will Xbox players have any way to access previously limited-time or gacha items?
Eric Zheng: We are continuously listening to and evaluating the needs and preferences of different player groups. For information regarding future event plans, rerun schedules, and acquisition methods, please keep an eye on our official announcements. Thank you for your patience and support!
What can you share about the upcoming Hidden Mountain expansion and its new mechanics and gameplay loops?
Eric Zheng: The Hidden Mountain expansion will launch in July, and we unveiled its first trailer during our Xbox release on June 8. Unlike previous regions, this is our first attempt to explore and showcase the beauty of cliffs and summits. To bring this vision to life, we've significantly enhanced the region's atmosphere and environmental detail through three core elements: wind, light, and stone. Dappled sunlight dances across rugged mountainsides, the wind echoes through the forests, and ancient stone paths bear the marks of time. Together, these elements help create a world that feels tangible, immersive, and alive.
From a gameplay perspective, we're aiming to provide players with genuinely new experiences. The unique terrain of The Hidden Mountain region means we aren't confined to a flat plane; instead, we can expand exploration vertically, crafting a multi-layered experience.
If Hexi was a tribute to timeless poetry and painting, then with Bujian Mountain, we want to honor the ancient sages' pursuit of reason and ultimate 'truth.' This expansion explores a deeper theme: humanity's pursuit of wisdom and knowledge. Throughout history, countless people have devoted their lives to seeking answers. Whether their conclusions proved right or wrong, their pursuit of knowledge has continued to push humanity forward, inspiring generations across time and expanding the boundaries of what we believe is possible.
We'll be sharing more details about the new Mohist Sect, upcoming new campaign and gaming mechanisms, as well as powerful new enemies in the near future.
Following this expansion, what are your general goals for future Where Winds Meet content?
Eric Zheng: Our goal is to establish Where Winds Meet as an open-world wuxia experience with long-term appeal. We will continue expanding the main storyline and the stories of major factions, while leading players into unexplored regions filled with new adventures, mysteries, and unexpected Jianghu encounters.
At the same time, we plan to further enrich exploration, social features, and multiplayer experiences across the open world. We want this Jianghu to offer not only compelling stories but also a constant sense of discovery and meaningful reasons for players to keep returning to their journey.
Will there be plans to make everything dyeable, including accessories and F2P items?
Eric Zheng: When deciding which items are suitable for the dye system, we need to carefully consider factors such as visual presentation, design intent, and the overall player experience.
That said, customization and self-expression remain important priorities for us. We will continue listening to player feedback and exploring new ways to expand appearance customization and give players more freedom to express their personal style.
Are there any plans to reduce the storage size of Where Winds Meet in the future? How much larger is the game expected to get on mobile, especially for players on older devices like the iPhone 12 Pro Max?
Eric Zheng: As Where Winds Meet continues to grow, we'll be introducing new regions, story content, and gameplay features, which means the overall installation size may increase over time.
At the same time, we're aware of players' concerns about storage space. We will continue optimizing resource management and download solutions to help minimize storage requirements while still expanding the game's scope and content.
As for future file size estimates, we don't have any finalized figures to share at this time. We'll provide more details once development progresses further and those plans become more concrete.
Can you clarify the Black Market situation for the global version, including whether it will be added, replaced, or omitted entirely, and what that means for past banner outfits and unopened cosmetic items?
Eric Zheng: We've seen many requests from players who would like to see the Black Market system become available in the global version.
However, due to differences in legal and compliance requirements across various regions worldwide, we are currently evaluating alternative systems that would be better suited for the global player experience. We'll share more information as development progresses.
What is Everstone Studio doing to improve netcode and server performance, especially for PvP and co-op? Are there plans to reduce the dependency on ping and improve regional server support?
Eric Zheng: To support our growing global community, we continue to invest in server infrastructure, network stability, and multiplayer improvements.
We have already launched dedicated servers in Oceania, the Middle East, and South America, helping deliver lower latency and more stable connections for players in those regions. Looking ahead, we'll continue evaluating future regional expansion opportunities based on player distribution, community feedback, and operational considerations.
For PvP and co-op content, we're also continuously improving matchmaking and network performance. For example, we recently introduced cross-server matchmaking for the Arena. Players can choose whether to enable this feature. When queue times become too long on a player's home server, the system can expand matchmaking across additional servers, helping reduce wait times while maintaining match quality.
Minimizing the impact of network conditions on gameplay remains a long-term focus for us. We'll continue refining our networking technology, server stability, and multiplayer systems to deliver a smoother and fairer experience for players around the world.
Is there any chance of a Mac launch? What about Nintendo Switch 2?
Eric Zheng: We are actively evaluating opportunities to bring Where Winds Meet to additional platforms. We'll share more information at an appropriate time.
Will console performance, including PS5 Pro, be further optimized?
Eric Zheng: Absolutely. Performance optimization is an ongoing effort for us. On PS5 Pro, we plan to continue improving overall performance through enhancements such as Direct I/O-based resource loading, reduced memory usage peaks, improved stability, and shorter loading times.
On XBOX, our current focus includes shader optimizations to reduce memory consumption and improve stability, presentation pipeline improvements to lower input and display latency while delivering more consistent frame rates, and DirectStorage enhancements to further optimize asset streaming, reduce memory overhead, and accelerate loading speeds.
As Where Winds Meet continues to grow with new content and features, we will keep monitoring performance across all platforms and make further improvements based on player feedback and real-world performance data.
Thank you for your time.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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