Chapter 81: Preparations Before the Exhibition

Chapter 81: Preparations Before the Exhibition

Looking at the cardboard boxes Chen Xu and Lin Rou had brought in, everyone wore expressions of curiosity.

The boxes were quite large—nearly half a person's height—and from the outside, there was no way to tell what was inside.

"Mr. Chen, what's in these boxes?" Ruan Ningxue asked, slightly curious.

"Could it be custom-made exhibition sculptures? But weren't those already delivered?" Qin Yi asked.

Clearly, everyone was quite intrigued by the large boxes.

Besides, only Chen Xu and Lin Rou had carried them over, so they probably weren’t too heavy.

"Costumes for our Showgirls—cosplay outfits," Chen Xu said with a smile.

Cosplay outfits!?

Instantly, the eyes of Qin Yi and the other male employees lit up.

In that moment, they all thought of the original artwork of female characters from Sanguosha—Sun Shangxiang, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao.

But as Chen Xu sliced open the tape sealing the boxes with scissors, everyone’s expressions turned quite strange.

Because what was inside wasn’t the kind of cosplay outfits they had imagined.

Instead, it was a collection of colorful mascot costumes.

Hmm… the outfits of the beans from Fall Guys.

They looked fluffy, and quite weighty.

So… this was the "something different" they were aiming for?

"For this exhibition, Fall Guys is essentially our trump card. As for Sanguosha, in terms of buzz and spread, it actually doesn't compare to Fall Guys."

"Plus, every other developer is going with the same formula—uniformly female cosers. Players will inevitably suffer from visual fatigue. In this context, we’ll stand out completely," Chen Xu said with a cheerful grin.

This was a strategy he had decided on two months ago, when he first committed to developing Fall Guys.

Female cosers were indeed tempting.

But clearly, relying solely on that wouldn’t be enough to draw in players.

With seven exhibition halls and countless game developers large and small,

it was almost certain that every booth would feature female cosers. This uniformity would easily lead to audience fatigue.

But Fall Guys was different.

Its goofy, fun-loving style perfectly matched the game’s identity.

When it came to grabbing attention, Chen Xu was confident they wouldn’t fall behind.

There was also another key point:

At the moment, Nebula Games simply didn’t have any characters suitable for female cosers to portray.

Their strongest title, Mirror (Game), had been banned from the exhibition stage due to the powerful power of censorship. That left them no choice but to pivot.

Listening to Chen Xu and glancing at the various Fall Guys mascot costumes, everyone had to admit one thing:

On a game exhibition floor, these outfits would definitely draw eyes.

Especially considering Overcooked’s booth, where most characters were also in mascot costumes.

Imagine—while every other game developer showcased long, bare legs, their booth would look like a children's playground. It would be impossible not to stand out.

Of course, these were all gimmicks. The real star was still the games themselves.

After all, Fall Guys might catch players’ attention momentarily, but it couldn’t hold their gaze forever.

As the saying goes, men are either lecherous men or old lecherous men.

Between cute mascot costumes and long bare legs, players might glance at the mascots out of curiosity at first, but their eyes would inevitably return to the legs.

But games were different.

Long legs?

What’s that? Don’t distract me while I’m playing!

So, in preparation for this exhibition, during prior development,

both Sanguosha and Fall Guys had been developed for dual platforms—PC and mobile.

This ensured players could experience the full attraction of the games.

…………………

Days passed, and the games entered their final testing phase.

At Nebula Games, Chen Xu had already been coordinating with the exhibition team, beginning early preparations.

As time progressed,

gamers across the gaming industry began discussing the upcoming gameplay Expo.

"Lately, there hasn’t been much news about new games!"

"The gameplay Expo is coming up soon. Based on previous years, I bet all the developers are holding back, waiting to drop big announcements at the event."

"Anyone planning to attend this year’s exhibition?"

"Feels like it might be boring. Probably just another NetDragon or TengHua double-feature stage show."

"True. If there are any blockbusters, it’ll likely only be those two. Other game developers, even if they have something, probably won’t reveal it at the expo—too hard to compete for attention."

"Don’t just focus on blockbusters! Sure, they’re very satisfying to play, but how many of those come out each year? I think we should pay more attention to Independent Games."

"Speaking of Independent Games, I immediately think of Chen Xu. Wasn’t he last year’s biggest surprise in the gaming industry?"

"Bro in the post above, I think we should split that ‘surprise’ into ‘shock’ and ‘delight.’"

"Exactly. To this day, I still remember his ‘Warrior of Love’ line. Never have I seen such shameless audacity!"

"I saw that Chen Xu’s official Weibo account posted something about attending. I wonder if he’ll bring some special game to this exhibition!"

"Unlikely. It’s only been two months since Overcooked. What could he have made in that time?"

"New player? Chen Xu develops games incredibly fast. Look at the timeline from To the Moon to Outlast to Overcooked—none of those gaps were long. Plus, I heard his company has expanded."

"Right. And it’s not like a new work has to be fully launched. He might just show a playable demo. Other developers do the same thing, after all."

"That’s true. Hopefully, there’ll be a few surprises."

"Forget surprises—Overcooked and Outlast gave me way too many ‘surprises’ already."

As players discussed,

…………………

In Modu, at the gameplay Expo center.

Chen Xu had already arrived with Ruan Ningxue, Yang Xin, and Qin Yi, beginning to set up the booth.

Located in Exhibition Hall 6,

their position was quite favorable—right in the central area.

For their exhibition space, Chen Xu planned to divide it into three main sections.

One section was dedicated to their already-launched older games, such as To the Moon, Undertale, and Overcooked.

The other two sections would be for Sanguosha and Fall Guys respectively.

Meanwhile, rehearsals for Nebula Games’ exhibition showcase segment were already underway.

The group included both men and women.

But now, as they stared at the various bizarre mascot costumes packed in large backstage boxes, everyone looked bewildered.

Especially the female cosers, who were completely baffled.

Before accepting this gig from Nebula Games, they had probably imagined the company would attract attention through sex appeal—otherwise, why would they pay significantly more than other developers?

But now?

Wow. They had overthought this.

These mascot costumes were gender-ambiguous—forget showing bare legs.

With specially customized mascot heads, they couldn’t even see through the eye holes.

"During the event, your movements can be silly and exaggerated, but make sure to prioritize your safety."

"Shift rotations will be handled by you all—organize it yourselves. We’ll have ice water and other supplies backstage. If you feel unwell at any point, speak up immediately," Chen Xu instructed the staff members assigned to his booth.

Safety was a top priority—any incident would be a serious problem.

After a brief briefing, Chen Xu found a stool and sat down to rest.

Meanwhile, the cosers and Nebula Games’ marketing manager discussed and finalized the strategies they’d use to attract players.

(P.S.: Daily request for recommendation votes and Monthly Pass—kneeling and begging~ thump-thump-thump~)

(End of Chapter)<>