Yao Zhuangxian (, born 1969), also known as Johnson Yau or
Saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
Yao (姚仙), is a
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
ese computer game producer, working in
Softstar Entertainment
Softstar Entertainment Inc. (), abbreviated as Softstar (), is a Taiwanese video game developer and publisher based in Zhonghe District, New Taipei, with Mainland subsidiary branches in Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen.
Softstar is famous among the ...
as the general manager of Softstar Technology Beijing. He was best known for developing ''
The Legend of Sword and Fairy
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy'' (), also known as ''Chinese Paladin'', is a game/media franchise created by Yao Zhuangxian and is developed by Taiwanese company Softstar. The franchise centers on a series of Chinese mythology-based role-playi ...
'' (also known as ''Chinese Paladin'') series, earning him the nickname "Father of Sword and Fairy" (仙劍之父)
Career
Yao was born in
Hualien County
Hualien County (Mandarin Wade–Giles: Hua¹-lien² Hsien⁴; Pīnyīn: ''Huālián Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Hoa-lian-koān'' or ''Hoa-liân-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Fâ-lièn-yen''; Amis: ''Kalingko'') is a county on the east coast of Taiwan. It ...
in
eastern Taiwan The regions of Taiwan are based on the historical administrative divisions. However, most of the definitions are not precise.
Division into two regions
* Eastern and Western Taiwan: the Central Mountain Range separates Taiwan into east and west.
:* ...
, living in the countryside during his childhood. He graduated from the National Taipei Institute of Technology. In 1989, as a college student, with the interest in computer technologies, Yao developed ''
Richman Richman as a surname may refer to:
* Adam Richman (born 1974), host of the Travel Channel's ''Man v. Food''
* Adam Richman (singer) (born ca. 1983), American indie pop singer-songwriter
* Alfred A. Richman (c. 1892 - December 8, 1984), orthopedic s ...
'', a ''
Monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
''-like
digital board game
A digital tabletop game is a video game genre that includes video games that have gameplay similar to physical tabletop games, including board games, card games, and role-playing games. Many digital tabletop games are adaptions of existing physica ...
that was published by Softstar. This marked the beginning of his long association with the company.
In the summer of 1995, when Yao was 26, the game ''
The Legend of Sword and Fairy
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy'' (), also known as ''Chinese Paladin'', is a game/media franchise created by Yao Zhuangxian and is developed by Taiwanese company Softstar. The franchise centers on a series of Chinese mythology-based role-playi ...
'' developed by his project team, the "Crazy Boys Production Group" (狂徒創作群), was published in Taiwan, and all the 10 thousand copies were sold out during the first day. The game became a
runaway hit
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
overnight and broke the record of
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
s in the history of Taiwan
electronic game
An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...
s.
In 2000, Yao took the initiative to move to
Mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
, founded Softstar Technology in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
with several collaborators, which was the
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of the
parent company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
Softstar Entertainment
Softstar Entertainment Inc. (), abbreviated as Softstar (), is a Taiwanese video game developer and publisher based in Zhonghe District, New Taipei, with Mainland subsidiary branches in Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen.
Softstar is famous among the ...
The Legend of Sword and Fairy
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy'' (), also known as ''Chinese Paladin'', is a game/media franchise created by Yao Zhuangxian and is developed by Taiwanese company Softstar. The franchise centers on a series of Chinese mythology-based role-playi ...
The Legend of Sword and Fairy 2
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy 2'' ( zh, t=仙劍奇俠傳二, s=仙剑奇侠传二, p=Xiānjiàn Qíxiá Zhuàn Èr), also known as ''Sword and Fairy 2'' () or ''Chinese Paladin 2'', is a fantasy adventure role-playing video game developed by t ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Chinese Paladin 3
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3'' ( zh, t=仙劍奇俠傳三, s=仙剑奇侠传三, p=Xiānjiàn Qíxiá Zhuàn Sān), also known as ''Sword and Fairy 3'' () or ''Chinese Paladin 3'',Chinese Paladin 3 Gaiden: Wen Qing Pian'' (2004)
* ''
Chinese Paladin 4
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4'' ( zh, t=仙劍奇俠傳四, s=仙剑奇侠传四, p=Xiānjiàn Qíxiá Zhuàn Sì), also known as ''Sword and Fairy 4'' () or ''Chinese Paladin 4'', is a '' xianxia''-themed fantasy adventure role-playing video g ...
The Legend of Sword and Fairy 5
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy 5'' ( zh, t=仙劍奇俠傳五, s=仙剑奇侠传五, p=Xiānjiàn Qíxiá Zhuàn Wǚ), also known as ''Sword and Fairy 5'' () or ''Chinese Paladin 5'', is a ''shenmo''/''xianxia''-themed fantasy adventure role-pla ...
The Legend of Sword and Fairy 5 Prequel
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy 5 Prequel'' ( zh, t=仙劍奇俠傳五前傳, s=仙剑奇侠传五前传, p=Xiānjiàn Qíxiá Zhuàn Wǚ Qián Zhuàn), also known as ''Sword and Fairy 5 Prequel'' () or ''Chinese Paladin 5 Prequel'', is a '' xian ...
'' (2013)
* ''New Legend of Sword and Fairy: Online'' (2013)
* ''
The Legend of Sword and Fairy 6
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy 6'' ( zh, t=仙劍奇俠傳六, s=仙剑奇侠传六, p=Xiānjiàn Qíxiá Zhuàn Liǜ), also known as ''Sword and Fairy 6'' () or ''Chinese Paladin 6'', is a ''wuxia''/'' xianxia''-themed fantasy adventure role-p ...
'' (2015)
* ''
The Legend of Sword and Fairy 7
''The Legend of Sword and Fairy 7'' ( zh, t=仙劍奇俠傳七, s=仙剑奇侠传七, p=Xiānjiàn Qíxiá Zhuàn Qī), also known as ''Sword and Fairy 7'' () or ''Chinese Paladin 7'', is a '' xianxia''/'' shenmo''-themed fantasy action-adventure ...