Chapter 749: When It Comes to ‘Tricking’ Players, Mr. Chen Has Absolute Authority!

Chapter 749: When It Comes to ‘Tricking’ Players, Mr. Chen Has Absolute Authority!

The rich content of New God of War became a key topic of discussion among players.

In the game, beyond the main story gameplay, the focus was mostly on exploring and challenging various realms.

Especially the Valkyries, and finally the Valkyrie Queen, truly transformed New God of War into an ultra-difficult hardcore game. Even with the difficulty lowered, it remained very challenging for most players.

The ultimate Zeus set, obtained by defeating the Valkyrie Queen in the game, also became a goal many players strived for.

Although by this point, most players had already completed the game’s main storyline.

Yet, the inherent ARPG attribute of New God of War still motivated many players to engage in grinding.

As the strongest armor set in the game, many players dreamed of having their Kratos wear the Zeus set and become a true God of War.

After all, during the gameplay experience, Kratos’s performance had spawned many memes.

This was mainly due to a lack of comparison; in his previous Greek journey, some parts of the game were actually even more difficult than New God of War.

But back then, there wasn’t a useful son like Atreus for comparison.

Combining the game’s story with the actual experience, this comparison immediately shifted the image of Kratos as the God of War to his son, Atreus.

Beyond that was the game's story, and the reason most players focused on the Norse content was primarily due to a change in style.

The previous Greek trilogy, while equally outstanding, presented players with a character deemed the most MAN existence in gaming history.

It pushed the aesthetics of violence to the extreme, while its worldview and background were also grand. The corruption of the Olympian gods, Kratos becoming the God of War and directly tearing through Olympus.

Slaughtering various gods, each with their unique divine appearance, skills, and boss fight mechanics. The decisive battles, dazzling bloody scenes, and visually impactful combat under QTE, all these made the God of War Greek trilogy exude a ferocious aura from beginning to end.

But these were all aspects of the game's charm that players could personally experience.

When it came to discussion, players mostly talked about how to brutalize the BOSS gods and various gameplay mechanics and operations.

On the story front, the only point in the Greek trilogy worth discussing was whether Athena was good or bad, and why her transformation was so drastic. Moreover, the game's exploration content wasn't very rich.

Its essence was more like a cinematic game, similar to The Last of Us or BioShock, but also different from a title like The Last of Us. In The Last of Us, players could feel the ugliness and choices of human nature in a post-apocalyptic world.

But in God of War, there clearly wasn’t such profound content. If anything, it was like Uncharted, allowing players to experience pure exhilaration, yet God of War lacked the everyday charm of Uncharted, like Nathan and Elena’s relationship, or the mentor-father friendship with Sully.

In God of War, ‘brute force’ was the only word; it was about killing from start to finish. The plot also didn’t have many major twists.

However, after Kratos arrived in the Norse lands, the game’s style completely changed. Many players initially didn’t understand what was ‘new’ about New God of War until they experienced it.

Because this installment offered a new interpretation of the God of War, imbuing it with new vitality.

Previously, Kratos, though a man who became a god, could be a god, could be a monster, but he was anything but human. In New God of War, through the experiences with Atreus, Kratos was completely elevated.

This made the game’s story and character development entirely surpass its predecessors.

The most direct manifestation of this was reflected in the scores from major media outlets.

The previous Greek trilogy generally received scores around 9.0 from major media. This wasn't low, but it wasn't exceptionally high either; in the gaming industry, it was considered a relatively excellent work.

But New God of War was completely different. Even authoritative media like GameSpot gave it a perfect score.

‘The God of War in the Norse realm is so outstanding, like the dotting of the eye on a painted dragon; it completes that final, most crucial piece of the puzzle.’

‘Kratos is no longer the God of War, no longer the Avenger, no longer the Ghost of Sparta; he is simply an old father to a child.’

‘Every component of this thrilling journey complements the others, ultimately culminating in a masterpiece.’

‘Although some parts of the game felt a bit unfamiliar to players who had just grown accustomed to the trilogy, Kratos is still Kratos, as domineering as ever.’

‘Evolving from an irritable God of War to a mature old father, the new God of War, upon arriving in the Norse lands, shed his impulsiveness and wildness, and instead gained emotion and bonds.’

‘If we absolutely had to point out a flaw, it could only be that the mythological story is still unfinished!’

………………

Shortly after the release of New God of War, Chen Xu also didn't neglect the corresponding events.

Firstly, there was the hosting of the DOTA tournaments. As of now, the skill level of DOTA players has matured daily.

This is mainly due to the emergence of video and live streaming platforms. When some high-level players discover new research or strategies, they are quickly shared through these mediums and become known to more players, so the corresponding tournaments have basically started to mature.

Regarding the tournaments, Chen Xu didn't immediately launch a world tournament or introduce a Battle Pass, like DOTA in his previous life, to allocate a portion of the revenue to the prize pool.

While such an approach could indeed create a globally renowned tournament, it also had its drawbacks. The most direct one was making this key tournament’s importance far outweigh others.

For example, leading to situations where only one TI is played a year, with other tournaments being half-hearted, and then all effort is exerted during the TI.

Furthermore, in terms of attention and popularity, Nebula Games didn't need to do so at present. So, the plan was to first divide the various regions into A-tier and S-tier.

Once the teams in major regions matured, they would then host corresponding global tournaments and Major Leagues. Points from these would determine which teams directly qualified for the world tournament and which needed to play through wildcard stages.

This was an area where Nebula Games wasn't without experience. They had already accumulated sufficient experience from tournaments related to Warcraft, Rainbow Six Siege, and other games.

In addition, there were DOTA-related cosmetics crossovers. After all, DOTA’s revenue primarily came from cosmetics, and Nebula Games owned various classic IPs. It would be a waste not to utilize them!

Looking at the relevant revenue activities, Chen Xu calculated quickly.

First, a set of World of Warcraft crossovers: Anti-Mage's Illidan Arcana, Phantom Assassin's Maiev Shadowsong Arcana…

Then, a set of God of War crossovers: Zeus's Arcana.

A series of crossovers left many players doubting their lives as they looked at their wallet statements.

Isn’t DOTA a free-to-play game?

So the question is: where did all the money go?

………………

Inside Nebula Games, at lunchtime.

Chen Xu, holding a hot coffee, walked to the sofa in the lounge area.

“What are you looking at?” He walked towards Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue, who were gathered around a table looking at something, and asked curiously.

As he got closer, Chen Xu saw a large tablet computer in the center of the table, and then an expression of speechlessness appeared on his face.

Good heavens, it was a Nebula Games cosplay show.

Arthur Morgan and Mary, Link and Mipha, Johnny and Liva, Gehrman and Maria, followed by Roach, Ghost, Soap…

All characters from Nebula Games, filled with tragic undertones.

“Mr. Chen, do you feel the players’ resentment?” Yang Xin turned to Chen Xu and asked.

“Hmm… Compared to this resentment, I think if I release a half-finished game and then declare it as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ series, that would stir up even more resentment from players,” Chen Xu found a seat and said with a chuckle.

Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue, standing nearby, widened their eyes.

Although they didn't speak, their eyes clearly conveyed what they wanted to express: Is that something a human would say?

“Mr. Chen, you’ve already done that! The follow-up to New God of War, Ragnarök, hasn’t even been approved yet!” Qin Yi, on the side, couldn't help but complain.

It was only the continuous DOTA crossover events and related tournaments that diverted some of the attention. Otherwise, Nebula Games’ official Weibo account would once again be bombarded with criticism.

“Four consecutive titles, players are probably a bit tired. Let them rest a bit,” Chen Xu said with a smile.

Is that even an excuse?

Listening to Chen Xu’s words, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and the others all showed speechless expressions.

“By the way, Mr. Chen, what kind of big surprise are we preparing for players this Halloween?” Yang Xin suddenly remembered something and asked Chen Xu.

Halloween was approaching again, which was Nebula Games’ annual tradition: bringing players a horror game.

“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t disappoint the players,” Chen Xu said with a chuckle.

Meng Zuo, next to him, smacked his lips but didn't ask any questions.

“Aren’t you curious about the theme?” Chen Xu waited for a while and, finding no one responding, couldn't help but clear his throat.

“When it comes to tricking players, Mr. Chen, you definitely have the right to speak,” Ruan Ningxue added.

“How can you call it tricking? This game isn’t meant to scare players or make them emotionally distraught and sad. It’s an educational horror game,” Chen Xu spread his hands, then paused before continuing: “Did you hear the news that the science program that aired recently was suspended?”

“That old show? Mr. Chen, you watched it too?”

“The show called Approaching Science? When I was a kid, it felt quite scary, a childhood trauma. Only when I grew up did I realize it was a comedy show.”

“Indeed, it would start by talking about flickering lightbulbs, making it sound all mysterious, only to reveal in the end that the switch was faulty.”

The few of them spoke one after another, clearly having all watched it in their childhood, treating it as a nostalgic memory.

“Regarding its suspension, I hope it was because it completed its mission rather than being canceled by the TV station due to low ratings, but that’s probably just wishful thinking.”

Chen Xu didn't smile like the others; instead, he gently shook his head.

“Mr. Chen, is the new game related to this?” Yang Xin asked curiously.

“You’ll find out then,” Chen Xu stretched, smiled, and stood up.

(End of Chapter) <>