Chapter 47: Players and the Industry in Heated Discussion

October 31st, early morning. Chen Xu uploaded a pre-recorded video to his official Weibo account right on schedule.

He also posted a message: Guess what the new game is?

Though it was the middle of the night, there were still quite a few night owls among the players following Chen Xu's official Weibo.

As soon as the message was posted, it didn't take long before it caught the attention of some players.

'What's going on? Look what I just found! Does Chen Xu have a new game?'

'He posted this at midnight? That timing is just too something!'

'My God, what kind of video is this! Posting it late at night—I thought it was something fun!'

'Wait, what the hell is this video? A horror game?'

'Damn it! This DV footage is way too grim!'

'So the next game Chen Xu is making is a horror game?'

'Horror game or not, I don't really care. But the timing of this post is just way too grim!'

'So the next game is related to DV footage?'

Many players were Taken Aback.

After all, Chen Xu's intention was extremely clear. This incredibly grim video was clearly meant to tell players: his next new work is a horror game.

But what sparked even more discussion among players was the timing of this announcement.

The next day, Chen Xu's Weibo post triggered numerous reposts and reports from various gaming media.

After all, the popularity from Chen Xu's previous win of the Zhengyou Award with To the Moon still lingered a little.

Plus, with November just around the corner, there were currently no major blockbusters worth mentioning in the market.

As for Chen Xu's video, players began discussing and analyzing what kind of theme his new game might have.

Even within the horror genre, there are different themes.

'There's DV footage and it seems to be set in an indoor office—looks like it's set in the Contemporary Era.'

'Handheld DV filming something, yet the entire video is eerily silent. Considering how chaotic the room appears, can we boldly speculate that ghosts can only be seen through the DV?'

'Walking with a handheld DV through dark hallways and rooms, suddenly a ghastly face appears on the screen, then drags the cameraman into the dark Abyss!'

'MMP, you dramatic bunch! There's nothing concrete here—can you stop making wild guesses? I watched this in broad daylight and still felt chills all over!'

'You're way too scared already? I suggest you wear a diaper when you play or watch it later.'

'It was truly grim. I saw this late last night, and even though it revealed nothing, I ended up scaring myself, thinking someone was under my bed. I was mentally drained for half the night.'

Online discussions were animated, but most were just random speculations. After all, Chen Xu's video was only meant to hint that his next project is a horror game.

But the specific game type remained undisclosed.

Not only players, but also industry designers and gaming media began heatedly discussing the topic.

'Have you heard? Chen Xu's new work is actually a horror game!'

'A bit unexpected. Never thought Chen Xu would choose to Get his hands on a horror game first.'

'Not too surprising though. For small teams and Independent Game designers, horror games are actually a relatively accessible entry point.'

'Small team? Chen Xu isn't exactly a small team. Haven't you seen Nebula Games' profile? His Team (mode) isn't that small.'

'Makes sense. After all, both Undertale and To the Moon sold pretty well.'

'Still, horror games are quite niche. Even overseas, there haven't been many outstanding horror games, let alone domestically.'

'Yeah, even though VR seems like a good fit for horror games, market demand and development cost remain big issues.'

'I think Chen Xu's horror game might just be hanging a sheep's head and selling dog meat.'

'What do you mean?'

'Look at To the Moon and Undertale—clearly, Chen Xu is a designer who excels at storytelling. So, is it possible that this so-called horror game is merely cloaked in a horror facade, while actually delivering a heartwarming story?'

'Now that you mention it, that does sound plausible. Didn't Chen Xu once call himself a Warrior of Love?'

'Makes sense!'

Industry designers discussed Chen Xu and the news of his new work.

But for various gaming self-media chasing traffic, it was nothing short of a chaotic spectacle.

'Chen Xu Releases Strange Video Late at Night—What Are His Intentions?'

'From Heartwarming to Horror? Game Designer Chen Xu Switches to Horror Games!'

'Abandoning His Strengths to Try Niche Horror Games—Confidence or Recklessness?'

………

One headline after another flooded websites and forums.

Larger media outlets managed to maintain a relatively neutral stance.

But for marketing accounts and second- and third-tier gaming media, it was all about setting the narrative.

This was mainly due to the game type Chen Xu had chosen.

After all, the gaming industry hadn't seen an excellent horror game in years.

While it wasn't entirely a stagnant pool, the horror game market lacked vitality.

Some horror games selling moderately well were mostly established IPs, and their annual sales continued to decline.

Horror game themes were incredibly diverse.

Domestic themes: Zombie, female ghost.

Overseas themes: Serial killers, devils.

Real-world, surreal.

All kinds existed.

Yet none had achieved massive commercial success.

The main reason was that these horror games hadn't broken out of a certain mold.

They still relied on jump scares, shooting mechanics, and tightly-paced story progression.

It's not that this model was bad—just that making it truly outstanding was extremely difficult.

In the previous life, how many combined shooter-horror games could truly be considered memorable?

Only Resident Evil and Dead Space. And even then, only the former remained a top-tier IP, while the latter was long dead—only revived years later when Electronic Arts had run out of old rice to fry.

However, for Chen Xu and the entire Nebula Games team, the online buzz had little impact.

Because the game's development progress was visibly advancing.

The game wasn't complete yet, but the early sections were already playable for testing.

After trying it out, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and the rest of the team shared only one thought:

There was no way in hell this could be played at night!

No choice—it was just too terrifying.

Even though the entire development team had been involved in creating it, with every element crafted collectively,

that didn't mean they weren't scared!

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