As Nebula Games began preparing, little by little, for the 'big project' Chen Xu spoke of.
Online, many players discovered new movements from Zeus and Atrai.
Regarding Storm Action, both Zeus and Atrai had essentially given up on it.
On their official website's promotional interface, it had already shifted from a first-level display to a second-level sub-interface.
After all, Storm Action's failure was an undeniable fact.
Despite being an exclusive title for the Zeus platform and possessing average quality, it clearly didn't align with the expectations of Atrai and the Zeus platform.
However, the setback of Storm Action this time wasn't too difficult for Zeus and Atrai to accept.
After all, it was just a temporary failure. Especially for Atrai, an old-established game giant in Europe and America that had even faced near-death situations where it had to sell buildings, one project's failure was nothing, let alone impacting the overall situation.
But in terms of reputation and appeal, Atrai clearly needed to quickly release a game to divert players' attention and re-prove itself.
To tell the gaming industry that Atrai was still Atrai!
Although it might have just been approved, as a top-tier industry giant, Atrai was clearly skilled in the essential art of 'making grand promises'.
They directly announced a series of news that greatly excited players.
First up was the renowned game designer: Antorini.
He is one of Atrai's famous designers, primarily specializing in action-adventure games combined with FPS shooting gameplay.
What often drew criticism, however, was that designer Antorini rarely delivered significant surprises in terms of game plot.
It was usually very conventional.
But while the plot might not be special, his strength lay in game mechanics.
Moreover, this time Atrai had another trump card, something Atrai loved to do:
IP adaptation. But this time, their focus was no longer on movies.
Because Atrai understood some of the drawbacks of adapting movies into games, their target this time was a novel.
It was a bestselling Western-themed novel titled 'Beautiful Era', which would give the game greater creative freedom while also allowing Antorini to compensate for his biggest weakness: the plot.
This immediately attracted countless players, as it looked like Atrai was rolling up its sleeves for a major endeavor!
And regarding Atrai's new work, Antorini also answered some questions from players.
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is certainly a very cool game, especially the recently released Warzone, which is very interesting.”
“However, I don't believe Storm Action was a complete failure, because the direction was different. As an IP-based game, Storm Action perfectly expressed the content of the movie.”
“A new project? Of course, this time we believe we can successfully adapt this novel. We will present a satisfying Western world.”
“In the new game, players will be able to use a variety of weapons, and of course, horses will also be an important element. Players riding magnificent steeds will experience the changing times, which will differentiate it from a game like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.”
“Of course, I'm not saying Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is bad. It's just that players are too constrained in that game. I actually appreciate this game designer's other game, Minecraft. But unfortunately, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, I didn't see what I wanted. In my new game, I will present players with a world offering unprecedentedly rich gameplay content.”
It must be said that as a famous designer, Antorini also had some tricks up his sleeve.
And the grand promises he made also filled many players with anticipation, as it sounded genuinely promising.
Of course, his use of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as an example also attracted many fans of Modern Warfare.
“What's that all about? This is pure sophistry, okay? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a linear narrative game!”
“This guy is so malicious! He says Call of Duty: Modern Warfare isn't free enough, but why doesn't he mention the game's graphics and story performance at all?”
Of course, there were also some who sided with Antorini and retorted:
“He's mad, he's mad, some people are mad! What he said isn't wrong. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare really isn't free enough. My mission failed when I killed Shepherd in the training ground!”
Players online split into two factions, arguing, but this was quite normal.
Even with other games before this, including Nebula Games' own titles, players often engaged in online disputes.
Regardless, in terms of topic popularity, Atrai clearly created a very successful buzz.
Let bygones be bygones. Who doesn't have a few unbearable stories? Now, let's stand tall and greet a future full of glory.
Watching the online buzz, Atrai and Antorini were very satisfied.
..................
However, Chen Xu wasn't particularly concerned about other matters.
Instead, he focused on the content of Red Dead Redemption.
He didn't need to worry about the major content for now, but rather the preliminary preparations.
Firstly, there was a large amount of art content in the game. Big cities like Saint Denis didn't need to be created in a hurry, but smaller areas could start to be built.
For example, the town of Valentine, which is based on animal husbandry, and its associated farms.
He decided to start with some art content creation, as most of the tasks in Red Dead Redemption were related to art.
In addition, Chen Xu also needed to visit the Game Department.
After all, this game was rather special, and its gameplay was somewhat sensitive.
It was better for him to report it in advance, just like with the previous Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Inside Minister Yang Chen's office.
Looking at a simple design draft placed before him.
Yang Chen sighed with a helpless expression: “Mr. Chen, this... Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was already quite controversial, even involving overseas issues. But this new game...”
Chen Xu chuckled: “Minister Yang, compared to the last one, this is more in line with the main theme of revealing the dirt beneath the beautiful facade of the USA.”
“Why are there frequent turmoils in Western society now? You can glimpse a thing or two from history: the atrocities committed against local Native Americans after immigration, and the exploitation of ordinary people by big capitalists. Although Red Dead Redemption is a Western-themed game, it uses history to satirize the present. The game's story is like a sharp, bloody knife, peeling back the seemingly beautiful exterior of the USA.”
“At the same time, the Van der Linde gang in the game is already a rather unconventional gang. But what about them? They still plunder everywhere for survival and development. This is the so-called cowboy Western history; seemingly chivalrous, but actually a bunch of bandits. It's just that some bandits might eventually understand the brilliance of humanity and achieve their own redemption.”
“Furthermore, the main storyline also has great realistic significance. Arthur Morgan eventually achieves his own redemption, but this doesn't mean the mistakes he made can be ignored. So, Arthur's redemption leads to the end of his life, which also means that the decline of the USA in reality is inevitable. They might have been glorious once, but they are bound to decline!”
Listening to Chen Xu, Yang Chen was speechless.
Was he talking about these elements? Did he really think he was so easily swayed by all this talk?
“Alright, Mr. Chen, you don't need to say more. After all, I've heard your nickname, 'Warrior of Love' or whatever it is. This plot... players are in for a treat!” Yang Chen let out a light laugh, tapping his finger gently on the desk.
Chen Xu, sitting on the sofa, felt a wave of embarrassment.
Good heavens, this nickname was even known to the head of the Game Department?
“Actually, the content of the game's plot isn't a major issue, and the entire framework is based on foreign historical backgrounds. Although it also touches on some domestic issues, these are indeed facts.”
“The main problem is the framework of your game mode,” Yang Chen said.
“Minister Yang, this area will try to adjust the depiction of bloody content, and the game actually has educational significance because if players do bad things in the game, they will inevitably face consequences, such as being wanted, bounty hunting, and so on,” Chen Xu explained.
In fact, Chen Xu already had ideas for this. While Chen Xu didn't believe that playing a game could genuinely foster violence, one point couldn't be avoided.
Red Dead Redemption is quite realistic. Think about the visuals in the original version, for example, killing an enemy with a shotgun could even result in fragmentation. This certainly couldn't be depicted that way in VR.
Because the impact would be too strong. Aside from genuine psychological deviants, would most people feel excited under extremely realistic immersion?
Clearly not. Instead, they would feel negative emotions like fear, disgust, and so on.
So, this kind of depiction wouldn't appear even in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and blood would also be differentiated from reality as much as possible, appearing more like ketchup.
In the office, Chen Xu explained in detail what methods would be used in the game to dilute players' sense of realism, allowing them to differentiate the game from reality.
“For now, there aren't many big issues, but you still need to pay attention to the game's scale. The Game Department will need real-time confirmation of your progress, and the game rating will definitely be the same as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” Yang Chen finally decided.
“Understood,” Chen Xu said with a smile, nodding.
“Do it well. I heard that Zeus and Atrai's new games are also Western-themed, so you're under quite a bit of pressure,” Yang Chen said, looking at Chen Xu.
Clearly, this was also a major reason for the approval.
(End of Chapter)
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