Chapter 89: The Buzz

After a full day at the exhibition, Chen Xu, along with all the staff members from Nebula Games and the cosers, were completely exhausted.

Mainly because the players showed immense passion.

Although Sanguosha and Fall Guys could both be downloaded onto mobile devices and played within the venue, the sheer number of attendees, combined with Nebula Games' themed booths, had effectively ignited the atmosphere.

And most importantly, players kept rotating—some left, and new ones arrived.

The exhibition would last five days in total. Even after the initial wave of excitement on Day One, the热度 at Nebula Games' booth showed no signs of declining.

In fact, due to the word-of-mouth from players who experienced Fall Guys and Sanguosha on the first day, more and more players flocked to Nebula Games’ booth on Day Two and Day Three.

So much so that the exhibition organizers had to redeploy additional security personnel to Hall Six—Nebula Games’ booth—to maintain on-site order.

Clearly, Nebula Games had become the coolest kid at this year’s exhibition.

Even NetDragon and TengHua, with their long-awaited VR blockbusters that players had been anticipating, saw their热度 gradually overshadowed by the wave of Fall Guys and Sanguosha.

Well, it couldn’t be helped. While both were indeed VR blockbusters, they were still far from launch. Even as giants in the gaming industry, TengHua and NetDragon couldn’t possibly launch large-scale promotions at this stage. Their participation in the exhibition was merely a warm-up promotion.

They just didn’t expect to run into this situation.

As for why their热度 couldn’t compare—it was simple. Players simply couldn’t experience the actual gameplay!

With a VR game, players had to queue up, and each person only got about ten minutes to try it out—just a brief taste of the game’s quality.

In short, it was merely a teaser, nothing compared to the full experiences offered by Fall Guys and Sanguosha.

Granted, both games could only be played within the exhibition venue, but the key was that players got to experience the complete content.

Not to mention, both Sanguosha and Fall Guys were incredibly addictive!

As a result, a rather peculiar scene unfolded at this year’s exhibition.

No matter which booth you visited, you’d see people in line holding their phones and power banks, playing Fall Guys and Sanguosha while waiting.

With the games’ explosive performance at the exhibition, mainstream media on Day One still focused on TengHua and NetDragon’s VR blockbusters.

But from Day Two onward, nearly all game news outlets were flooded with coverage of Fall Guys and Sanguosha.

The two titles directly Ignite the entire gaming industry and became the dominant topic of discussion.

………………

In a chat group of industry designers, many were discussing the news about Nebula Games’ two titles at this year’s gameplay Expo.

‘Did anyone attend this year’s gameplay Expo? What’s the deal with Chen Xu’s new games?’

‘Yeah, bros in the know, what’s the scoop on Sanguosha and Fall Guys?’

‘One is a strategy-based Three Kingdoms-themed board card game; the other is a cartoon-style variety show obstacle course game.’

‘In terms of game quality, they’re both really solid. Sanguosha has more depth, but Fall Guys is kind of hypnotic—I still can’t get that catchy music and those wobbling little characters out of my head.’

‘+1, seriously so damn addictive!’

‘The热度 is high partly because of game quality, but more importantly, Chen Xu’s promotion strategy is just brilliant!’

‘Exactly! If we’re talking about the most impressive promotion at this gameplay Expo, I only bow to Chen Xu!’

‘Yeah! He thought of everything—from Showgirls and cosers to the gameplay itself!’

‘Next time, I think mobile games might see an All-in Push. Chen Xu was just too sly—while everyone else was stuck in line, his new games could be played anytime, anywhere in the venue, and that’s how they went viral.’

‘Don’t even talk about next time—do you think other game developers and designers won’t catch on? Chen Xu was the first to eat the crab, so it worked. If you try the same thing next year, you won’t even get to eat the warm leftovers.’

‘All I can say is, Chen Xu has truly Mastered It at this gameplay Expo.’

‘Do you think Sanguosha and Fall Guys could become the next trendsetter for small-scale games, just like Overcooked was?’

‘High probability! The players at the exhibition are practically addicted, and online players are incredibly excited too!’

Many market-savvy game designers, seeing the current online热度 of Fall Guys and Sanguosha, suddenly had an epiphany.

If Sanguosha and Fall Guys could set the next trend in casual games, then rushing to develop copycat titles right now would give them a high probability of grabbing a slice of the pie!

Granted, most of those who copied Overcooked failed to make a splash.

But at least the first batch didn’t lose money—they made some profit.

And Fall Guys and Sanguosha were completely different from Overcooked.

Non-cooperative games naturally had a broader player audience.

Plus, the current level of anticipation among online players was extremely high!

Many designers from small and mid-sized studios in the industry began calculating their moves.

Meanwhile, in various player communities, discussions were rampant.

‘I gotta say, Chen Xu didn’t lie this time! Fall Guys is seriously super fun to play!’

‘At the exhibition right now, already can’t wait for tomorrow—totally hooked on Sanguosha!’

‘So jealous! After the exhibition ends, Chen Xu should launch these two games, right? Judging from the videos online, they’re already highly polished!’

As the exhibition progressed, the热度 of Fall Guys and Sanguosha continued to ferment.

More and more players learned about these two unique new games showcased at the event.

Watching attendees post their gameplay videos and experiences online, a growing number of players began petitioning under Chen Xu’s official Weibo account, begging him to release the games.

In reality, such actions were mostly just one-sided venting from players.

They didn’t really expect a response.

But to everyone’s surprise, on the fourth day of the exhibition, Chen Xu actually replied on his official Weibo.

Under the players’ Thermite anticipation, Chen Xu’s official Weibo posted just one simple sentence: “Sanguosha and Fall Guys will launch early on the Nebula Games Platform. Sanguosha will be free-to-play, while Fall Guys will be a buy-to-play title priced at 48 Yuan (Chinese currency).”

The timing was perfect—right before the gameplay Expo concluded, when the games’热度 was at its peak.

Many players had already been itching with excitement from all the buzz coming out of the gameplay Expo.

After Chen Xu posted this message, players who already had the Nebula Games Platform immediately logged in to download and purchase.

Those who didn’t have it rushed to download it right away.

All of this, of course, was exactly as Chen Xu had planned.

By leveraging the built-in热度 and traffic from the gameplay Expo and combining it with Scarcity Marketing, he achieved the goal of promoting the Nebula Games Platform.

Though many criticized Scarcity Marketing, it was undeniably effective—especially when热度 was already sky-high.

Of course, one couldn’t overdo it, or players would accuse you of monkeying around, backfiring the entire effort.

(P.S.: I’ve never seen one before—heard there’s something called recommendation votes and Monthly Pass? Can someone pull one out so the author can take a look? 【adorable face】)

(End of Chapter)<>