Chapter 71: The Game Is Great, Just a Bit Rough on Friendships

Chapter 71: The Game Is Great, Just a Bit Rough on Friendships

Even though it was Valentine's Day, there were still many people who could only spend it with their left and right 'big and little wives'.

When bored, occasionally opening Shark TV's live streaming channel and entering a live stream room for Overcooked, one might hear conversations like this:

'Hey... hey! Brother Sun, the rice is burnt again! Can you move a little faster?'

'Damn it, how can you blame me for this, Brother Huang?'

'If not you, then should I blame myself? You burnt the rice! Check the bullet comments—see who they say is at fault!'

'Damn it, shut up! I have my own approach!'

'Fine, fine... Wait, no! Go wash the dishes, stop cutting vegetables! Brother Sun, your IQ is way too low!'

'Damn it, I think it's you dragging me down, okay? Stop talking and let’s settle this with a match!'

'Ha! You think I'm afraid of you? Bring it on! Let’s split into two teams, just the two of us!'

'No problem! I’ll destroy you!'

As the game progressed, the boat of friendship, once peacefully sailing, suddenly capsized.

………………

Soon, on Nebula Games Platform, the Official Game Platform, and various third-party platforms,

the sales and reviews of Overcooked began skyrocketing.

Even though it was the Spring Festival holiday, employees within the company—Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and others—were closely monitoring the performance of Overcooked.

'Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen, how are the sales of Overcooked doing?'

'Yeah, the players seem incredibly passionate!'

In the company group chat, Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin @-mentioned Chen Xu, asking about the game’s status.

'15,000 copies sold in eight hours, with over 11,000 sold on our platform. Sales are increasing hourly,' Chen Xu said, a slight smile on his face.

15,000 copies in eight hours wasn’t an enormous number, but it wasn’t insignificant either.

Moreover, party-style multiplayer games like this had completely different sales trajectories compared to regular games.

Take Overcooked’s promotion as an example. Though the campaign wasn’t everywhere, it still included promotional videos, media interviews, and ad placements.

For most games, even if the quality was exceptional, sales typically followed a roller coaster pattern—peaking first, then gradually declining before possibly surging again if word-of-mouth exploded.

Or, if the reputation was mediocre, sales would plummet straight down.

But Overcooked was somewhat different.

Because Overcooked was a social, party-style game that required multiple players, initial sales weren’t high. However, once it became a hot topic, sales could explode.

Every player had their own social circle, and through this network of friends, when the game became a trending topic, it could drive much broader sales.

This principle held true in both the Parallel World and Chen Xu’s previous life.

'11,000 copies? So many players chose to buy it on our platform?' Yang Xin asked, surprised.

'Well, it’s buy one, get one free,' Ruan Ningxue replied.

'But there’s one thing—wasn’t it supposed to be a harmonious, loving game? Why is there so much heated atmosphere once you actually start playing?' Yang Xin sent a meme—a cute Palico looking utterly bewildered.

'Exactly! During the New Year, I played it with my cousin, and simply unbelievable!' Ruan Ningxue chimed in.

'Mr. Chen, this really doesn’t feel like a couple's game at all! And judging from the reviews, some players actually broke up!' Qin Yi typed into the group chat.

Watching the lively conversation in the group, Chen Xu, lounging on his sofa at home, couldn’t help but smile.

On the system UI interface in front of him, points were rapidly increasing—and this was just the beginning.

Glancing at the chat, he sent a message:

'Don’t worry. Besides, even if some players did break up while playing, it’s certainly not just the game’s fault. It’s because their relationship had already reached its end, and their personalities simply weren’t compatible.' Chen Xu replied in the group.

Although in his previous life, Overcooked was famously nicknamed 'Breakup Kitchen,' clearly, even if some couples genuinely broke up after playing, it wasn’t the game causing it.

It was that their personalities were never suited for each other.

Of course, it was quite common for good bros, close friends, or couples to end up in arguments after playing Overcooked.

After the game’s rating system was successfully unlocked, players who had purchased it began leaving reviews.

Most gave it a 9 or a perfect 10.

Naturally, there were also many who gave it a 1.

Whether high or low scores, the comments left by these players in the review section were especially entertaining.

'Overcooked? More like Breakup Kitchen! I lost my girlfriend—Chen Xu, you owe me one!'

'This is clearly Fragile Love Kitchen! After playing, I’m single again!'

'Strongly recommend buying and storing this. Pull it out whenever you want to break up with your girlfriend!'

'After playing this game, I dumped my girlfriend on the spot and spent the whole night playing with my best bro!'

'What’s all this talk about Friendship over being exaggerated? I can prove it—we just had a fistfight!'

'The game’s great, just a bit rough on friendships.'

'I fell for another girl but was struggling with how to break up with my girlfriend. Now it’s solved! After playing this game together, I successfully broke up!'

'After playing, family harmony improved, cooking went smoothly, and I even passed the firefighter exam—only the person I played with tasted a bit bitter.'

'I used to have many friends, but ever since playing this game, I’m thrilled they’ve all left!'

'Before playing, we were just regular friends. After playing, we became life-and-death companions—either I survive, or I die!'

Undeniably, some players did experience friction with friends due to the game.

But the vast majority were just playing along with a joke.

Yet this meme’s spread further boosted Overcooked’s popularity.

Especially as entertaining videos emerged, and numerous streamers started arguing with each other over the game.

Just like the earlier viral wave of Outlast,

Overcooked’s popularity skyrocketed.

The rapidly rising popularity further fueled continuous growth in Overcooked’s sales.

Many players who had previously heard of it—or hadn’t—

learned about Overcooked through various channels and became interested.

Among players, it also earned two additional nicknames: 'Breakup Kitchen' and 'Friendship Over Kitchen'.

(End of Chapter) <>