As the first-prize winner of last yearâs 'Sci-Fi Journey' competition, and the creator of Outlast, which had sparked a wave of horror game popularity, Chen Xuâs influence extended far beyond the independent gaming community.
Moreover, Overcooked held special significance for Nebula Gamesânot just as another game, but as a Trial Run for the platformâs strategic direction.
Thus, in terms of promotion, Overcooked received even more resources than Outlast had previously.
To promote this game, Chen Xu personally filmed several short video ads, each lasting one and a half minutes.
In the promotional video, a bright and sunny bedroom is shown, where a couple sits in front of their respective computers.
On their computer screens, the game graphics of Overcooked are displayed.
'Temporary separation cannot affect our tacit understanding or our love.'
Chopping vegetables, cooking dishes, then serving themâaccompanied by a screen shake, the in-game kitchen suddenly splits in two.
They are actually cooking on a hot air balloon.
Through mutual cooperation, the couple laughs and enjoys the game together.
The next moment, as time progresses, day gradually turns into night.
In the background, the two people in separate locations slowly merge into one space. After a brief flash of imagery, the scene shiftsânow they are living together in the same house.
Yet what remains unchanged is that on their computer screens, the game graphics of Overcooked are still displayed.
'From the past to the present, our love remains the same.'
The boy stands up from his chair, opens a takeout app on his phone, and prepares to order dinner.
But the next moment, the girl snatches the phone with a bright smile. She pulls out a chef's hat from somewhere and waves it in front of him.
Opening the refrigerator, the two enter the kitchenâone chopping, one cooking. Virtual cooking in the game transforms into real-world cooking.
'Enjoy the game, enjoy lifeâexperience the joy of gaming together with your special someone.'
Accompanied by a soothing Background Music, the video draws to a close with the couple enjoying a candlelit dinner.
Finally, a line of text appears in the center of the screen: Overcooked launches on February 14.
Of course, this was the couples version of the promotional video. In addition, there were also versions for brothers and for best friends.
Three different versions were filmed in total.
It effectively covered all audience segments.
Clearly, the promotional video for Overcooked sparked significant interest among players.
The Q-style cute graphics, combined with the heartwarming narrative, had already stirred up anticipation among countless players.
Under Chen Xuâs official Weibo post releasing the video, replies from players quickly flooded in.
"Damn it! The game designer I follow has come back from the dead!"
"The promo video is amazing! But watching the couples version makes this Single person feel a pang of loneliness."
"This game is so cute and heartwarming! Is Chen Xu trying to compensate us because Outlast scared us too much?"
"This is the true Warrior of Love! I'm going to buy it to play with my girlfriendâkudos to you, Chen Xu!"
"Looking closely, it seems to be a cooking gameâtwo-player co-op? Poor me, I can only play it with my bro."
"Donât lose hopeâsometimes a bro can become a lover!"
"????? The guy above is not normal!"
"Whoâs not normal? Let Brother Jie see for himself!"
"Hehe, Iâm planning to confess on Valentineâs Day this year. She really likes games, so Iâll use this game as the perfect momentâprepare everything in the game, then show off my real cooking skills afterward. Iâll even hide the confession gift inside the cake I bake!"
"Bro, youâve got thisâwishing you success in your confession!"
"Yeah, this is the Chen Xu I know. Stop making grim games like Outlast. Sure, watching others get scared is fun, but I prefer games full of love like this one!"
Not just players were discussing itâsome Gaming Industry Designers who followed Chen Xu were also talking.
"Did you hear? Chen Xuâs new game is actually a couple's co-op game."
"Well, not exactly couple-focusedâjust that the promotion and launch timing lean that way."
"Still, Iâm not too optimistic about this kind of game. Cooperative games live or die by Level Design. If the levels arenât well-designed, the whole game collapses. Chen Xuâs previous games were all Story-drivenâthis is his First (achievement), isnât it?"
"Hard to judge the gameplay, but in terms of promotion, Chen Xu has definitely Mastered It!"
"Exactly, exactly. Watching that promo video, I felt such warmthâIâm actually considering buying it to play with my girlfriend."
"But I donât think itâll be easy to become popular. After all, the success of cooperative games depends on popularity. If it can generate the same kind of buzz as Outlast did, Overcookedâs sales could be impressive."
"Still, there donât seem to be any competing titles during the Spring Festival, so Chen Xu has a big advantage here."
"No competition isnât necessarily goodâafter all, the gaming industry isnât zero-sum. As long as itâs not oversaturated, it could actually expand the market."
"I feel itâs unrealistic to expect Overcooked to sell as well as Outlast did."
"Itâll definitely make moneyâjudging by appearances, Overcookedâs Development Costs should be low. It might just make less profit."
"But compared to Outlast, Overcookedâs art style is Q-style cute and cartoonish, which broadens its audience significantly."
"By the way, did you notice? Chen Xuâs Nebula Games Platform is running a buy-one-get-one-free promotion!"
"Normal. With both Spring Festival and Valentineâs Day coming up, theyâve got to offer players some benefits. And honestly, what game developer doesnât want to build a loyal fanbase on their own platform?"
"Right. And since Overcooked is a cooperative game, selling it individually might make some players hesitate. But this buy-one-get-one model could push many interested but undecided players to finally take the plunge."
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Chen Xuâs new game sparked widespread discussion among both players and industry insiders.
Ordinary players were simply curious about the gameâs quality.
Industry professionals, on the other hand, focused more on market analysis.
Even the buy-one-get-one promotional model of the Nebula Games Platform was discussed among some industry designers.
But as Chen Xu had anticipated, few people paid it much mind.
After all, as the saying goesâwhat game developer wouldnât want to grow their own platform?
Listing games on other platforms comes with high Commission (percentage), after all.
As for Overcooked itself, many industry designers shared a similar opinion:
They believed the game would make some profit, but expecting major influence seemed unlikely.
Chen Xu, however, remained unaffected by any of this.
The gameâs true performance would only be revealed after launch.
As the days passed,
On February 14âthe third day of the Lunar New YearâChen Xu updated his official Weibo account with a new post.
"Overcooked launches todayâa harmonious and loving multiplayer game. You and your chef partners must complete various delicious orders before your customers lose patience. Sharpen your knives and put on your chef uniformsâget ready! Thereâs no room for error in this mad kitchen!"
Thank you to 'D's 18th Power' for a 1500 coin donation.
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