Chapter 266: A Game That Could Be Called Legendary (Sixth Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 266: A Game That Could Be Called Legendary (Sixth Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Monster Hunter: World continues to sell steadily, and player enthusiasm remains exceptionally high.

In fact, there is still considerable work ahead for Monster Hunter: World.

Although at its core it's a single-player game, it’s a single-player game with remarkable longevity.

Moreover, in Chen Xu’s plan, additional versions would be gradually released in the future.

This includes classic monsters from the Monster Hunter series in his previous life, such as the Crimson Fatalis, Thunder Serpent, Shrieker, Safi'jiiva, and Bulldrome...

However, these would be rolled out gradually in the future. As for the current version of Monster Hunter: World, the content is already quite substantial.

Similar to the DLC approach used in Dark Souls, Chen Xu also planned to establish a dedicated project team to slowly develop these additions.

Beyond that, it was time to proceed with the previously established strategy.

Further consolidating the advantages of the Nebula Games Platform, while Minecraft was a long-term game, for many players it leaned more toward light, casual entertainment.

Monster Hunter: World, on the other hand, currently had extremely active players.

However, as content deepened, the rate of player attrition would inevitably be faster than expected.

Therefore, Chen Xu also needed another game to eventually take over the role of Monster Hunter: World, reinforcing user retention on the Nebula Games Platform.

For this new project, Chen Xu chose a game that could be considered legendary.

An RTS competitive game: Warcraft.

Initially, Chen Xu had considered MOBA-style games.

Whether it was DOTA from his previous life or LOL, both were viable.

For Chen Xu at this point, both user base and capital were sufficient.

Moreover, the development difficulty wasn’t particularly high.

However, after careful consideration and market research, Chen Xu decided to temporarily hold off on the MOBA strategy.

There were two main reasons.

First, MOBA games had never emerged in this world. Even RTS games were still in a developmental phase. Releasing a MOBA game too soon might make its gameplay mode difficult for most players to grasp.

In this parallel world, however, RTS games were relatively popular.

Many key game settings that Chen Xu considered important had already been substantially refined.

For example, the concept of Fog of War in games.

In his previous life, the Fog of War mechanic originated from hardware limitations of early games.

Its earliest embryonic form appeared in Dune, with a more complete concept established in Patton Versus Rommel. But it was truly popularized by Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.

In fact, many classic game designs originated as compromises due to limited technical capabilities.

In this parallel world, however, Fog of War didn’t emerge from technical limitations, but was instead proposed and conceptualized by designers.

There was even significant controversy—for instance, lawsuits lasting years over who first invented the Fog of War design, with no definitive conclusion to this day.

The second point that caught Chen Xu’s attention was that the esports industry in this parallel world was significantly more vibrant compared to his previous life.

This wasn’t surprising, as the gaming industry here was larger and held a higher status than in his previous life.

Under such conditions, where prestige, fame, and attention were abundant, it was natural for a solid competitive game to spawn professional tournaments.

For example, the game with the highest concurrent players on the Channel Alliance was an RTS title called Human Wars.

This was also a key reason why Chen Xu chose Warcraft.

Judging from the subtle moves made by the Channel Alliance, NetDragon, and TengHua after the release of Monster Hunter: World, it was clear they wouldn’t just sit idle.

Chen Xu had no intention of waiting around either.

It was highly probable that once he announced a new game, the Channel Alliance, NetDragon, and TengHua would immediately respond with countermeasures.

If that was the case, it was better to strike first.

When potential enemies pose a threat, eliminate them before they can become dangerous.

How great would that be!

Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, Chen Xu decided to develop Warcraft first.

After making the decision, Chen Xu stared at the computer monitor in front of him, pausing in thought.

He began outlining the basic framework.

In his previous life, there were many outstanding RTS games.

Early RTS pioneers like Age of Empires and Red Alert, and StarCraft, which became the competitive benchmark.

But if one had to name the most influential RTS game of all time...

Among players familiar with the RTS genre, nine out of ten would say Warcraft.

It was simply too iconic—especially the third installment.

Setting aside the story, purely from a game mechanics standpoint, Warcraft was truly the culmination of the series, establishing its own distinct style.

Food/Supply, unique tech trees and skills for each unit, enabling diverse combinations—especially the introduction of the Hero (attack type) system, which revolutionized the entire RTS genre.

In a way, the introduction of Heroes indirectly led to the rise of MOBA games.

Especially with the final expansion, The Frozen Throne, Warcraft ascended to legendary status.

Many players might not be familiar with the Warcraft storyline, but they certainly knew the two central characters from The Frozen Throne:

Illidan and Arthas.

Even when World of Warcraft was later released, many Warcraft fans got into the game specifically because of these two characters.

Although these two characters didn’t appear until Wrath of the Lich King and The Burning Crusade, and were even made into grindable bosses for players.

But for Chen Xu, his current plan was to only incorporate the storylines of Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne from Warcraft 3 into the base game.

As for earlier storylines like Orcs & Humans, Tides of Darkness, and Beyond the Dark Portal, he would gauge player feedback.

If enthusiasm was high, he’d release corresponding solo campaigns as DLC.

If interest was lukewarm, he’d follow Blizzard Entertainment’s old tradition and just release animated cutscenes.

Another core element was the Map Editor.

One game, a thousand playstyles—this was the praise later given to Minecraft before its release.

But before that, this title belonged to Warcraft.

The reason Warcraft in his previous life had such enduring vitality wasn’t just due to its high quality, but largely thanks to the Map Editor feature.

Games like DOTA and LOL were deeply connected to it.

After briefly outlining several development directions, Chen Xu stretched and walked out of his office.

Although it was an RTS game, the scale of Warcraft was absolutely massive. For Chen Xu, he had no intention of treating it as just another small RTS title.

If he was going to do it, he would make this legendary game from his previous life into the pinnacle achievable on the current Nebula Games Platform.

Just to clarify—there are currently no plans to develop LOL or DOTA after Warcraft 3. Even though the world championships and TI are happening now~

(End of Chapter) <>