Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 292 Mars hits the Earth

"First, who are the people who attend this expo specifically to promote Starry Sky Games?"

Zhao Ming looked around, and before anyone could answer, he continued speaking to himself.

"Aren't they the target users that XGAME platform most wants to attract—anime/manga fans, hardcore gamers, and single-player game enthusiasts?"

"Imagine this scene."

"The Starry Night Games booth at the Suzhou-Hangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center will definitely be packed with people, but what games can they possibly have on display? It'll just be a few old titles, but players naturally come to the exhibition to see something new."

"Just when they were feeling disappointed, they turned around and found that right next to them was our booth, bigger and brighter! The Witcher 3, NieR: Automata, Nioh, Hellblade... a whole row of top-tier AAA titles from around the world, all offering exclusive Chinese demos! Where would the players line up? Who would the media's cameras be focused on?"

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

That scene flashed through everyone's mind.

The StarCraft booth was deserted, while the Tencent booth had a long, seemingly endless line of players. Reporters, armed with cameras and microphones, surrounded the Tencent booth, frantically reporting on the event.
"Tencent brought a lineup of global blockbusters to Suzhou and Hangzhou, igniting the entire venue."

Chu Chen and his team could only watch helplessly as all of this happened in their desolate "home ground".

Awesome!!
Just thinking about it is awesome!!
"I get it! Mr. Zhao, isn't this just stealing the bride right in front of the groom? And at someone else's wedding!"

Although the NTR metaphor was vulgar, it was exceptionally apt, and the office erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha, well said!"

"However, that's not how it works. We're legitimate business people. What do you mean by 'stealing'? This is called 'a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on.' Players choose us because we can provide better content and services."

He cleared his throat.

"Moreover, we are killing two birds with one stone by doing this."

"Externally, we can use the banner of 'supporting the development of the China Game Industry Exhibition' to respond to the call of the Suzhou and Hangzhou authorities, giving them plenty of face. Look, Tencent has brought so many international blockbusters to support your exhibition, isn't that generous?"

"Internally, through the exhibition, we perfectly showcased the powerful capabilities of our XGAME platform to core gamers across China."

The game expos in China are actually quite interesting.

Although games without a publishing license cannot be sold in China, they can be exhibited in China. Therefore, overseas games, and even games that may not be released in China, often appear at domestic game exhibitions.

Zhao Ming's plan, simply put...

Instead of promoting a specific game, they promoted Tencent's participation in the exhibition and the lineup of Tencent Games exhibitors.

In this way, although it appears to be "reporting on the progress of Tencent's overseas platforms," ​​in reality, it is a veiled attack following PUBG and a series of previous promotional activities.

Players already know what's going on.

In this way, they suppressed StarCraft while also promoting the game, achieving two goals at once.

"High! It's really high!"

"It has to be President Zhao! This idea is brilliant!"

Flattery and exclamations of praise filled the room, bringing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
"Then it's settled. The planning department will write the proposal."

Zhao Ming made the final decision.

"As soon as the proposal is approved, contact the exhibition organizer immediately. We want the largest and best-located booth, right across from or next to Xingchen! No matter the cost, we need the highest level of sponsorship!" "Design department, come up with a proposal immediately. The booth design should emphasize 'internationalization' and 'content is king.' Put all the logos of the games we've signed on on it, as big as you want!"

"Technology Department, immediately prepare Chinese demo versions of all games to ensure stable operation throughout the exhibition and prevent any mishaps!"

"Public Relations Department, start preparing the press release now. I've already thought of the title—'Giants Enter the Fray: Tencent Joins Hands with Top Global Titles to Inject International Power into the China Digital Game Expo!'"

Zhao Ming became more and more excited as he spoke, and the more he talked, the more he felt that he was simply a genius.

After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed.

Zhao Ming still felt a little unsatisfied, and stood alone in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, rubbing his hands excitedly.

Stars, oh stars.

It's time to show you who the real powerhouse in the country is!
~~~
Time flies, and it's already early July.

There is one week left until the opening of the Suzhou-Hangzhou "China Digital Game Expo".

At this time, the Chinese internet was quite lively.

Normally, game expos of the "China Digital Expo" level wouldn't receive much media coverage.

Or to put it more directly, in the entire country of China, there is only one exhibition that deserves media coverage: CNJOY.

However, June had just passed.

In a very short time, a shockwave that was initially inconspicuous swept over.

"Breaking news! Tencent has confirmed its participation in the Suzhou-Hangzhou Game Show and may announce the latest news on several major overseas titles!"

"Insider information: Tencent has secured the largest booth at the Suzhou-Hangzhou exhibition, directly competing with Starry Games!"

These articles, which were based on hearsay and had a strong "small editor" style, did not initially cause much of a stir.

Ultimately, it's perfectly normal for Tencent to participate in a game expo.

However, players soon discovered that things were not so simple. As the exhibition approached, more and more "legitimate" players entered the fray. First, major gaming media outlets, as if they had agreed to do so, released special reports on the same day.

GAME Power: "Tencent officially announced that the exact launch time of the official version of XGAME will be revealed at the Suzhou-Hangzhou Game Expo?"

Gamer: "The strongest lineup ever? Tencent brings a global AAA team to Suzhou and Hangzhou, and we've got a glimpse of the game lineup!"

Gcores: "From online to offline, who is the 'new' platform to represent China in the global arena?"

Grape Games: "A Battle of Two Titans in the Mobile Game Era: Tencent vs. StarCraft, Who Will Dominate the Summer in Suzhou and Hangzhou?"

Don't be fooled by these "news reports" which all use "industry" as their starting point; the accompanying pictures are surprisingly consistent.

On one side is the blue and white starry sky logo of Starry Sky Games, and on the other side is the black and green logo of Tencent XGAME, surrounded by a ring of glittering game icons.

The Witcher 3, NieR: Automata, Nioh

Some logos are lit up, while others are silhouettes. The poster also displays the message, "More surprises await you!"

Even before the Suzhou-Hangzhou Game Expo opened, a silent war had already begun, with the entire internet public opinion field almost entirely dominated by the names "Tencent" and "Starry Sky".

(End of this chapter)