The next day, in Nebula Games' office, Chen Xu handed over the completed concept drafts, along with the character design requirements for key figures such as Johnny, Liva, Eva, and Neil, to Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue.
Looking at the concept drafts and the included script in their hands, both Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue were somewhat moved.
However, this clearly wasn't the time to get lost in the game's story. The two raised their concerns.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a sci-fi game? Mr. Chen, the core theme here is clearly romance!" Ruan Ningxue was utterly baffled, even changing her usual form of address.
"Yeah, what happened to the sci-fi?" Yang Xin chimed in.
In yesterday's meeting, Chen Xu had described the game's background to them—going to the moon, memory modification technology.
Privately, the two had discussed it, throwing around terms like brain in a vat, dystopia, and cyberpunk.
Yet now, after receiving the design concept drafts, they realized:
Goodness, they'd been completely misled!
This was actually a romance film wrapped in a sci-fi shell!
"How is it not sci-fi? Look at the memory modification technology—doesn't that count as sci-fi?"
"Later, we'll add more sci-fi elements to the background. For example, the car the two doctors drive to Johnny's house—we'll make it more futuristic."
"But that's not the point. What matters is whether the game's content can touch the players' hearts."
"Alright, alright, let's all get into work mode. Our time is limited!" Chen Xu cleared his throat lightly.
……………………
Meanwhile, online discussions about this event were gradually heating up.
After all, the deadline was drawing near.
Since it was an officially hosted event, the organizers naturally launched their own promotion.
Additionally, some participating game designers were also publicizing the event on their official Weibo accounts.
However, most of them were focused on PC and mobile games.
Mainly because the development cycle was shorter.
Some well-known domestic game developers, such as NetDragon, were also participating.
Of course, not their core studios.
After all, these big companies had numerous studios under their umbrella.
Under these circumstances, many player communities caught wind of the news and began discussing it.
'Hey, the Sci-Fi Game Design Competition is about to start!'
'Sci-Fi Game Design Competition? What the heck is this?'
'It's that contest organized by the Game Department earlier. '
'Oh, that one. I completely forgot. The Game Design Competition? Please Give It A Rest. The games they picked last time were all garbage. '
'Exactly. I don't expect them to be as good as Undertale, but at least give us something decent. '
'This time it's a bit different. Players can vote this time. Before, the judging panel was mainly made up of Game Department officials. Naturally, games aiming for awards would cater to the leadership. '
'So this time it's about sharing the joy with the people?'
'Basically, yeah. This time it'll definitely lean more toward the general player base. '
'I'll remain skeptical. '
'But do you think there'll be a bunch of META games this time? META elements have been really popular lately. '
'Probably not. After all, when the competition started, Undertale hadn't even launched yet. '
'Do you think Chen Xu might participate?'
'Are you dreaming? Don't you know the timeline? If Chen Xu actually participates, I'll cut off my whatever!'
'Bro, you're that confident?'
'Of course! Use your brain—it's impossible! During the time the competition was announced, Chen Xu was busy developing Mirror (Game) and Undertale. Where would he find time to make a new game for this event?'
'Damn it! Bro, your whatever is in danger—check Chen Xu's official Weibo now! He actually joined!'
'??? What's going on? Are you kidding!?'
'One second of sympathy for the bro upstairs. '
'Damn it! Is this actually true!?'
……………………
Undertale, as an Independent Game, had a popularity level that was completely unlike a typical indie title.
The main reason was that this game perfectly showcased what a META element truly meant.
Coupled with its impressive sales performance, it had become a classic example of art meeting commerce.
Naturally, it attracted massive attention from countless Gaming Industry Designers.
As for the media, the interest was even greater.
An ordinary game designer created such a game—what did that represent?
It represented traffic and hot topics!
Regarding what project Nebula Games and Chen Xu would develop next, the opinions from both the gaming industry and players were largely consistent:
It would most likely be a Sequel to Undertale, or perhaps another META game.
But who could have imagined that Chen Xu would publicly announce on his official Weibo account that Nebula Games was developing a special game to participate in this event?
As for what kind of special game it was, Chen Xu didn't specify on Weibo.
Still, players, industry designers, and media didn't pay much attention.
After all, no matter how special it was, it was still just a game, right?
The real issue was the timeline!
From the announcement to the game submission deadline—only half a month. Could Nebula Games possibly make it?
After all, judging from Nebula Games' previous project schedules, it was clear that the competition entry wasn't something prepared in advance.
Upon hearing this news, many industry game designers felt that Nebula Games was treating this competition like a joke.
Zhong Mei, who had stayed silent after Undertale's success, apparently had been keeping a close eye on Chen Xu.
Within four minutes of the Weibo post going live, he reposted and commented:
"One moment of success doesn't guarantee lifelong success. Unfortunately, some game designers fail to understand this, treating the official Game Design Competition like a joke. I suspect such a designer's entry won't even pass the censorship review."
Clearly, Zhong Mei had malicious intentions. Seeing Chen Xu's post, he immediately jumped out, hoping to divert some of the attention and criticism away from himself.
Although the comment section still had plenty of sarcastic bullet comments, this time, he actually received some support.
After all, developing a sci-fi game for a competition in just over ten days?
That was simply irresponsible!
In response to Zhong Mei's comment, Chen Xu's reply was simple.
He posted a screenshot of Zhong Mei's previously deleted Weibo post, overlaid with a chart showing Undertale's ratings and sales, and finally added a meme.
The meme featured the recently popular Bugs Bunny character giving a look of utter disdain at a clown, with Chen Xu adding a caption beside it: "Don't talk to me. I don't want to speak with clowns."
Seeing Chen Xu's meme response, countless players instantly burst into laughter.
Damn, that was a hit to the heart!
No wonder Zhong Mei had such terrible reputation in the gaming industry, disliked by both players and insiders alike.
Under this meme, the comment section was flooded with joyful player replies.
(End of Chapter) <