Chapter 405: Zelda is the Best in the World! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Open world, a concept that emerged after the birth of Red Dead Redemption.

Including the two VR blockbusters from NetDragon and TengHua, as well as some open-world games that recently rushed to launch, though their reputations were mixed—some good, some bad—most players and the gaming industry shared a common understanding.

That is, open-world games demand significant technology and capital.

Nebula Games making an open-world game was no problem.

But on the Switch?

With his head full of doubts, the interviewing reporter bid farewell to Chen Xu, completely unable to imagine what an open-world game on the Switch would be like.

Soon, an interview headline from Game Timespace captured the attention of many Switch players and industry game designers.

“Exclusive Interview: The Development of the Switch and Brand-New Exclusive Games!”

Undeniably, this title was extremely eye-catching.

However, the content was very simple, mainly consisting of what Chen Xu mentioned in the interview, with many parts even using his exact words.

Instantly, many players expressed being utterly baffled.

‘What’s going on!? I’m not surprised the Switch is getting more third-party and mini-games, but Chen Xu seriously plans to make an open-world game on the Switch?’

‘No way? Can the Switch’s hardware capabilities support an open world? Even in TV Mode, it probably can’t handle it. Don’t tell me we’ll end up with an open world at 480P resolution.’

‘By the way, could it be a pixelated open world?’

Soon, players began discussing it online, but this time, apart from some staunch Nebula Games loyal fans,

most expressed disbelief.

Because currently, many players, including the gaming industry, understood open-world games to be solely defined by Red Dead Redemption.

Now, looking at the Switch's meager hardware capabilities, did it look like a platform capable of supporting an open-world game!?

While the outside world was abuzz with discussions, Chen Xu within Nebula Games remained unaffected.

As for Ruan Ningxue, Meng Zuo, Qin Yi, and others, they also had doubts, similar to the game designers and players outside.

However, trusting Chen Xu, they knew that since he had said such things, he definitely had a plan, even if they couldn't figure out how an open-world game could be made on the Switch.

But it couldn't possibly be a pixelated version of Red Dead Redemption, right?

In the office, Zhang Yida, who was in charge of marketing, was reporting on the latest situation with the Switch.

“As for third-party independent developers, many have expressed a willingness to develop games concurrently for the Switch, and quite a few are even willing to make their games exclusive to the Switch platform.”

Currently, one of the most important issues for the Switch was its game library.

Before the Switch launched, virtually no third-party game developers were willing to invest.

The main reason, naturally, was the uncertainty surrounding the Switch's prospects.

After all, a handheld console seemed unreliable no matter how you looked at it.

But now, the Switch's global sales had surpassed 4 million units, and all its games were selling well and continuously growing.

Such a platform, compared to traditional PCs and VR, didn't have a large market share; it could even be considered small.

But the crucial point was that competition was also low; there weren't many games on the platform yet!

In fact, many third-party game developers were desperately trying to port their games to the Switch as quickly as possible.

Of course, porting was one thing, but it still had to pass Nebula Games' quality review.

“We can provide some technical and financial support.” Listening to Zhang Yida, Chen Xu nodded.

He then confirmed some related details about the Switch with him.

This included mini-games for the membership library; Nebula Games had acquired many game studios both domestically and overseas, which could handle this.

Furthermore, they could also develop new exclusive games for the Switch later on.

However, this was a plan for the following year. At least for the latter half of the current year, Chen Xu's main focus would be on the next exclusive Switch game.

And that game, naturally, was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Previously, this game wasn't chosen; instead, Super Mario Odyssey served as the launch title.

There were several reasons for this.

The first was, naturally, insufficient development time, as its scale was considerably larger.

The second point was that developing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild required significant resources, such as adapting the physics engine specifically for Zelda and adjusting to the Switch development platform.

In his previous life, if one had to choose an undisputed leader among open-world games,

in '17, everyone would probably have voted for Mr. Dumas’s The Three Musketeers.

Because it was simply outstanding, it symbolized the pinnacle of open-world games.

But after '17, everything changed.

Although The Three Musketeers remained supreme, still the pinnacle of open-world games,

where once only it stood alone at the apex of the spire,

another presence emerged: a warrior with a green hat, wielding a sword and shield—it was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

It redefined the design of open-world games.

This was the gaming industry's appraisal of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

After this game appeared, many players referred to there being three types of open-world games in the world.

Zelda, The Three Musketeers, and other open-world games.

As an IP game with over thirty years of history, The Legend of Zelda had created countless glories.

From the 2D era, it defined what a competent ARPG should be, being the first game to have save progress and load save data features.

And in the 3D era, Ocarina of Time was hailed as one of the greatest games of all time, as its related settings influenced countless later games—controls, UI, and gameplay alike. This is also the reason behind memes like 'Zelda, the Origin of All Things'.

Subsequent titles like The Wind Waker, Majora's Mask, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and so on, each had exceptionally unique aspects.

The more whimsical and fairytale-like Wind Waker and The Minish Cap; the more grotesque and dark Majora's Mask; the first title with a realistic art style featuring the most beautiful Zelda, Twilight Princess; and Skyward Sword, which incorporated motion control gameplay for the Wii platform.

However, despite each of these games having its own characteristics, none ever quite reached the heights of Ocarina of Time.

Just when everyone believed Ocarina of Time was the series' pinnacle,

Breath of the Wild emerged, and its birth was met with the same acclaim as before.

It redefined open-world games.

‘Zelda is the best in the world!’

For fans of this game, they boisterously shouted this slogan.

And both the quality of this game and its influence on the entire series were truly deserving.

Some players even jokingly commented that with the appearance of Breath of the Wild, buying the game and getting a free Switch was an absolute steal.

This was the charm of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

For Chen Xu, creating a sufficiently representative blockbuster for the Switch next was key.

Breath of the Wild was clearly the unique choice.

Another point was that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, in contrast to the storyline of The Legend of Zelda series,

had a separately listed timeline.

It didn't belong to any of the series' unified, downfall, or hero triumphant timelines.

This was also very beneficial for the game's development.

(End of Chapter) <>