I Have a Question – Chengdu Sheer  

CGGE: Can you give us a brief introduction to Sheer?

Sheer Tianyi Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Sheer”) was founded in 2013, formerly known as Sheer Digital Technology Co., Ltd. established in 2005. Sheer is a company specializing in game art outsourcing. Currently, the company employs nearly 600 people and is the largest local game art outsourcing company in western China. After 14 years of development, we have long-term and stable cooperations with famous domestic game companies such as Tencent, Netease, Perfect World, etc., and have also started business with famous foreign game companies such as Blizzard and Activision in recent years. Sheer pursues quality and sincere service, insists on providing reliable resources for game development and cultivating more creative talents.

CGGE: As many companies are developing IPs and launching original contents, why does Sheer insist on outsourcing game art, and doing it for 12 years? Have you ever thought about developing your own game? When you started your business, how did you consider the positioning and development of the company?

We actually tried the development of original IPs in 2008, but eventually found our biggest interest still in the art creation.

The main reason why we start a business is the our love for game art. I am also an artist, and have formed my own understanding and recognition of this industry. In addition, China’s game industry is booming with great potential, with its global market share second only to North America. So I firmly chose the game art industry. I hope that, through solid development, Sheer will become the top art outsourcing supplier both domestically and overseas, providing the best and the most reliable resources for the development of this industry.

CGGE: How many people are there on the team so far? From the initial team to the current employees, how many employees have been involved in the project from the very beginning? Why did you put forward the mission of “cultivating learning talents in the game industry”? What specific measures do you take to cultivate talents?

The team has about 600 people so far while initially it had only ten people. I am very grateful to the core employees who have been fighting with me for more than ten years and staying at the platform of Sheer. And now we also have a stable management team, and a constantly adjusting and efficient mechanism, which will make Sheer better and better.

“Cultivating learning talents for the game industry” is one of the missions we stick to. Sheer advocates “lifelong learning”. The game industry, to a large extent, uses and promotes the development of cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements, such as VR and AR, as well as a variety of interactive media designs, which have been widely used in the game industry, and will be more extensively applied to other industries in society. In addition to the cultivation of talents in the fields of technology and art, we also pay great attention to the cultivation of management talents. In this way, not only can our products and service quality remain at the leading level in the industry, but everyone can broaden their paths of life.

CGGE: Sheer provides game art services for many top game companies at home and abroad. How did Sheer win the favor of these gamers? Could you share the stories with our readers?

As the core supplier of domestic major companies like Tencent and Netease, we have always won the trust of all customers with excellent and stable product quality as well as perfect and thoughtful services. Of course, we may encounter twists and turns, in the process of contacting with new customers, increasing understanding, and finally making good friends with the customers. This is a process that requires constant efforts. Though there may be misunderstandings, if we maintain a sincere attitude and effective communication, we can always achieve positive results.

CGGE: What is the service features of Sheer? Which part of the game is Sheer good at making? Compared with domestic counterparts, what advantages does Sheer have?

Sheer’s services feature credibility and flexibility. Since we provide a full range of game art services, it is not easy to specify what we are best at, but we mostly make Sub Era roles, Sub Era scenes and scenario integrations, which gain great satisfaction from customers. The biggest advantage lies in the collective strength of our team. We have meticulous divisions of labor, good cooperations, effective communications, and continuouing overall improvement under the continuous optimization of efficient management mechanisms.

CGGE: Your website is available in multiple languages. In addition to the English we often see, there are also French, Japanese and Korean, with similarities and differences in their contents. It seems that few companies make web pages in so many languages. Why do you make your web pages in multiple languages?

First of all, we mainly provide services in English, French, Japanese and Korean. And we have designed a website in multi languages to suit the needs of different markets, as the game industry is cultural and creative fundamemtally. The North American, European, Japanese, Korean and Chinese markets are the most important sectors of the global game industry, whose languages, cultural style, and developing direction differ a lot. With the development of Sheer’s overseas business this year, we also need to adapt to this trend, and ultimately we can actively participate.

CGGE: The company has also won the honorary titles of “Game and Animation Service Outsourcing Branch” and “Best Game Service Provider”. What do these honors mean for Sheer?

Those honors partly represent our past achievements, but more means responsibility. For example, the honorary titles we obtained in the outsourcing industry will attract more people from the outsourcing industry, which requires a higher level of our art and services. We attach great importance to social honors and promote our development inspired by these honors.

CGGE: Why was the US ACM-SIGGRAPH branch introduced to Chengdu? What do you think contributed to the successful establishment of the branch? What role did Sheer play in the Siggraph branch? What benefits will Siggraph Chengdu branch bring for the branch members? In the future, will Siggraph Chengdu branch have more associates with other Siggraph branches in China?

ACM-SIGGRAPH mainly aims to share experience in terms of computer graphics design and interactive technology. As a part of Chinese game art outsourcing industry, Sheer is very willing to introduce such institutions to promote the development of CG industry culture in Chengdu.

ACM-SIGGRAPH is also a platform for communication and interaction with domestic colleagues and other related industries. Each member can have a good chance to learn the industry’s most cutting-edge experience, technology and art, which agrees with Sheer’s mission of “cultivating learning talents in the game industry”. In the future, we will actively promote the exchanges between Chengdu Branch and other branches at home and abroad to produce more learning opportunities. Sheer is making hard efforts for the international development of the game culture industry.

Onsite Reporter：Sophia