Chapter 74: Workshop Update and Multiplayer Game

Over the past week, Chen Xu had several meetings with representatives from NetDragon and TengHua.

It was basically just one word: hanging around.

The other party expressed interest in acquiring Nebula Games.

He met with their appointed representatives to discuss the acquisition.

Judging from their offer and various terms,

Chen Xu already had a rough idea.

They were interested, but not particularly serious about it.

After a few discussions, the other party stopped contacting Chen Xu, clearly having given up on the idea.

Thus, the matter of acquisition was temporarily laid to rest.

Meanwhile, the new version of Overcooked officially launched.

This update came exactly two and a half weeks after the game's initial release.

The main highlight was the opening of the Workshop (modding platform).

Of course, it also included several new official game maps, themes, and dish combinations.

With the new version of Overcooked released, players quickly noticed an additional update package.

They rushed to download and install it.

"Huh? Overcooked actually updated?!"

"For free? New maps, new levels, and this 'Workshop'? Isn't this DLC content? So conscientious!"

"I checked the patch notes—players can actually create their own levels now!"

"Damn it! Is it really that awesome? Let me see!"

Many players updated immediately.

At the same time, discussions exploded in Overcooked's player community.

After all, this update was somewhat unexpected.

Typically, such content updates would be DLC—meaning paid content.

But this time, Overcooked's update was completely free.

Secondly, Overcooked had only been on the market for a little over half a month.

Although the popularity of memes related to 'Breakup Kitchen' and 'Friendship Over Kitchen' had slightly declined compared to earlier, the game was still quite popular.

A steady stream of new players continued to join, evident from sales figures and online player counts.

The game clearly had a relatively long lifespan, and this update surprised many players.

After the update, players interested in Level Design began experimenting with Overcooked's Workshop.

During development, Chen Xu had specifically considered the possibility of players creating their own levels in the future.

Thus, the Creative (mode) was extremely simple and intuitive.

In fact, technically, Chen Xu could have fully integrated these features directly into the game itself,

just like a game from his previous life called Super Mario Maker.

From a technical standpoint, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

But in the end, Chen Xu chose not to.

The main reason was that he hoped to use this to build Nebula Games' player community.

How could player engagement be maintained outside the game?

A stable game community was undoubtedly crucial.

After the new version of Overcooked launched, more and more players began joining the community.

In the meantime, several players had already published custom levels.

However, these were still quite primitive, mostly consisting of simple terrain modifications.

And they weren’t particularly impressive—clearly lacking standout features.

But Chen Xu wasn’t too worried. As long as enough people participated, excellent maps would inevitably emerge.

In fact, the Workshop feature quickly sparked a wave of enthusiasm among players.

And the ways players could cause 'breakups' became even more diverse.

For example, designing a truly grim map yourself and then making someone else (or her) play through it.

In Nebula Games' Workshop community, countless players discussed this update.

"Frogs! This update is insane!"

"Right! It feels like there's so much more content to experience now!"

"Has anyone noticed? Some creators have even made levels designed specifically for smooth solo play!"

"Exactly! Awesome! I can finally cook alone!"

"Overcooked... playing solo? Sending sympathy to that brother!"

"To be honest, before I started playing solo, I actually had a partner too!"

Following the Workshop update for Overcooked, Chen Xu checked online player reviews.

Uniformly Positive Reviews.

However, apart from players, the update didn’t stir much attention elsewhere.

After all, it was just a version update.

But Chen Xu clearly understood that the Workshop feature could significantly extend Overcooked's Lifespan for quite some time.

How long exactly would depend on the market and players—something beyond his control.

………………

In the following days, things remained relatively quiet. The main focus was on company expansion.

The entire upper floor had already been negotiated with the Owners and rented out.

Only the renovating remained.

On the personnel side, numerous resumes had been received.

Chen Xu was beginning to consider the next phase.

Users and monetization—these were the two directions Chen Xu was now considering.

But primarily users.

Overcooked had gotten off to a strong start.

Currently, the Daily active users on the Nebula Games Platform numbered around 500,000.

All were brought in by Overcooked.

Thanks to the opening of the Workshop, at least in the short term, these users wouldn’t be lost quickly.

But if Nebula Games didn’t make further moves, they inevitably would.

"Multiplayer games—but not ones with a long Development cycle. Also, we should start preparing for real blockbusters. Can’t have zero experience."

Sitting in front of his computer, Chen Xu had already formed a clear Development path for Nebula Games.

In the short term, develop multiplayer games with relatively short Development cycles to rapidly grow the platform and accumulate users.

Second, the Team should begin accumulating experience toward creating a true 3A blockbuster.

After all, when it came time to grow the platform, they’d need at least one 3A title as a Cornerstone title.

Winning first prize in last year’s Game Design Competition, followed by the successful releases of Outlast and Overcooked, had greatly enhanced Chen Xu’s resume.

Although there had been no official notification yet, the resources available in his backend for Official Game Designer ratings had increased by half compared to before.

Developing a large-scale VR version game was still tight in terms of resources and funding.

But for PC, both funding and resources were no longer an issue—the risks were well within acceptable limits.

At this stage, the main bottleneck was the Team’s Technical capabilities. This had been a consideration even during the development of Outlast.

Including this round of hiring new employees, the requirements were much stricter than before.

Essentially, all candidates needed at least four years of Industry-related experience.

The goal was for them to, under his guidance, use the Official Game Engine to deliver Qualified requirements.

Just as Chen Xu was pondering the future Development path of Nebula Games,

the office door was knocked.

(End of Chapter) <>