As players began to view Dark Souls more objectively, the hostility in the various Dark Souls game community forums started to diminish.
At the same time, the game's ratings began to slowly climb.
Although there were still many players who purchased and then refunded the game, Chen Xu saw this as a completely normal phenomenon.
Even though Dark Souls possessed uniquely appealing elements, not every player enjoyed such a high-difficulty, hardcore challenge.
For certain players, Dark Souls clearly wasn't the game they were looking for.
Yet for those who persevered, after defeating Gundyr the Ash and crossing the High Wall of Lothric, the unique nectar of the Souls series fully revealed its fragrance, deeply captivating them.
Moreover, in terms of popularity, Dark Souls replicated the success of Outlastâif anything, it was even more explosive.
The main reason was that no previous game had ever been as special as Dark Souls.
Many players, having experienced Dark Souls, carried a genuine sense of goodwill and enthusiastically recommended the game to their friends.
"Chen Xu's Dark Soulsâyou gotta try it! What kind of game is it? Slaying hordes! Super satisfying!"
"See this Great Sword? See this BOSS? Isn't it awesome? Come play Dark Souls with me! We can even team up later for online multiplayer BOSS fights."
"With a shield and a longsword, let us carry the flame through this world of despair! If you're my brother, come to Lothric and join me in the flame transmission!"
"Is the Fire Keeper beautiful? Isn't this knight cool? Want to join me in passing the flame?"
Countless players went to great lengths to lure their friends into joining the great undertaking of flame transmission.
In addition, photos of Chen Xu from the exhibition several months ago and from the earlier online press conference were dug up by players.
Paired with his quote from a media interview a year agoâ"Warrior of Love"âit quickly rose to the top of trending topics.
Especially with creative edits from Photoshop masters, Chen Xu was even turned into a meme.
In the original photo from the exhibition, Chen Xu was holding a microphone, but now it was photoshopped into the Dark Souls game icon.
Beside it, a caption warmly greeted players: "Ready to pass the flame?"
Under Chen Xu's official Weibo post announcing Dark Souls' launch, countless players who once declared "I will pass the flame!" or "I must pass this flame!" now returned to voice new opinions.
They declared that whoever wanted to pass the flame could do it themselvesâthey were done.
Furthermore, within the game, every notorious monster that had claimed countless player livesâAsh Judgment Gundyr, Regular Hollows, Lothric Knight, Winged Knight, Uchigatana Guy, Crystal Lizard, and Mimicâhad their own corresponding memes.
Phrases like "Can you feel the producer's burning passion?" and "This is my love for the players!" spread widely.
These memes fueled the secondary spread of Dark Souls' popularity, adding even more fire to the game's sales.
Of course, beneath this flame burned the deep resentment of players.
As the heat continued to grow, many players began devising mischievous schemes, @-mentioning Chen Xu's personal account on the official Weibo, urging him to come and serve as the leader of flame transmission, guiding everyone together.
Although it was rumored that Chen Xu himself had produced that awesome promotional video during the online press conference, that was still just a rumor.
Many players still harbored the desire to see Chen Xu suffer, eagerly piling on more fuel.
Even though countless UP hosts and streamers on various video and live streaming platforms were already suffering, the thrill and novelty differed greatly depending on who was enduring it!
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ
In Nebula Games' office.
"Mr. Chen, what's the plan for the follow-up?" Zhang Yida from the Marketing and Operations Department was a bit uncertain.
Although he had full confidence in Dark Souls' quality, Chen Xu knew that a game's success wasn't solely determined by its qualityâmarket operations and promotion also played a crucial role.
Simply put, the game's quality primarily guaranteed the lower limit of sales, but to achieve higher sales and greater impact, promotion and heat generation were equally important.
There were plenty of examples from his previous lifeâthe most well-known being Titanfall 2.
In terms of quality, its reputation was explosive. Aside from the single-player campaign being too short, it had no flaws and surpassed its predecessor in every aspect, yet it ultimately flopped.
The core reason? Its competitors were simply too strongâBattlefield 1, Call of Duty 13, and Overwatch, all powerhouse FPS titles focused on online multiplayer.
On top of that, it received little promotional support, leaving it with no path but failure.
Therefore, despite the mixed reviews from players online after Dark Souls launched, and the data showing no major issues, Chen Xu still confirmed with Zhang Yida the preparations for subsequent work, including guiding discussions around the game's popularity.
However, before they could take action, spontaneous player-driven support had already steered Dark Souls in a positive direction.
"Maintain our official game forum communities. Also, prepare to open the Dark Souls Workshop (modding platform). As for marketing and operations, halt everything except ad placements," Chen Xu said, sitting in his chair after a moment of thought.
He then discussed with Zhang Yida matters related to Dark Souls merchandise, mainly later handcraft products and such. Nebula Games wouldn't be involved in production but would authorize others, only overseeing quality control afterward.
After Zhang Yida left the office, Chen Xu sat in front of his computer and opened Dark Souls.
He had noticed, during his free time, the numerous posts on the official Weibo where players were @-mentioning him.
However, he had no plans to stream.
Currently, most players were still in the exploratory phase with Dark Souls, so he preferred not to interfere too much.
Still, he should seize his own popularity while he could.
No live streaming, but creating edited videos about Dark Souls was perfectly fine.
It would also serve as guidance and reassurance for players.
(Oh... secretly adding an extra chapter. Also, I fell down while adding it ăsobbingă. I need Monthly Passes and recommendation votes to stand up again)
Just to say... I've been deleting all the argumentative comments. Writing game-related fiction always leads to thisâevery comment section turns into endless fights. There's no point arguing. If you really can't stand it, just call the author an idiotâI'll take it... Also, can't we just be a little more playful in the comments? Keep it harmonious...
(End of Chapter) <