Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 612 Where Did This Monster Come From?
It's no exaggeration to say that the moment this announcement was released, all the players went crazy. Some "opportunistic" people immediately sensed an opportunity to stir up trouble and were about to type out some sarcastic comments.

"Isn't this so unfair to those who paid for tickets and waited in line at the venue?"

"Heh, so after all that, the players on site became the guinea pigs?"

But before they could let these sarcastic remarks take hold, they discovered that the actual gamers at E3 were also cheering.

On the one hand, the offline demo area only gives you 30 minutes to play a dozen or so games, which is simply not enough time. Many people only go there to play one or two games, so being able to finish them online is a great thing.

On the other hand, one game is available for trial each day, and the most anticipated "Black Myth" demo is reserved for last. Online players won't be able to play it until almost next month.

For players who paid to attend E3, this isn't exactly bad news.

In short, just minutes after Starry Sky's announcement was released, similar boastful comments sprang up like mushrooms after rain on Twitter and Weibo.

"Just finished playing the Werewolf at E3, the gameplay was amazing. Too bad it was only 30 minutes, not enough time. Sigh, I'll have to wait until the online demo comes out next month to study it more thoroughly, and maybe I'll make a guide for you guys then. [Sunglasses]"

"The atmosphere at the scene was really amazing, and it felt so wonderful to brush shoulders with Henry Cavill."

"Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Los Angeles and just left the exhibition hall. StarCraft's event was impressive, but I still recommend that everyone come and experience it in person if they have the chance."

For many players who attended E3, StarCraft's announcement actually became an excuse to "show off".

As for the previous posts questioning the preferential treatment of Starry Sky resources and predicting the downfall of the Starry Sky Game Alliance, they were instantly ignored. Everyone's attention was captured by this announcement. Who had time to argue with those sour grapes? Isn't playing games more fun?
The hard-won counterattacks were blasted away by the stars before they could even take effect.

Actually, Chu Chen wasn't deliberately targeting anyone.

This series of moves had been planned from the moment the decision was made to release a playable demo of Black Myth at E3.

After all, if we're talking about who in this world has the most confidence in "Black Myth," then Chu Chen is definitely one of them. So he knows better than anyone else that once the PV and demo of "Black Myth" are released, they will be like a black hole, sucking up all the attention and traffic.

How to divert this massive amount of traffic and accurately distribute it to other members of the alliance is indeed a difficult problem, and Chu Chen's solution is the solution.

It's an online activity where you "unlock a demo every day".
Using "Black Myth" as a pre-show promotional video, we whetted everyone's appetite, captured the traffic, and then gradually pushed it out one dish a day.

~~~
Meanwhile, at the E3 exhibition, there was a Tencent booth.

In Zhao Ming's temporary rest room, smoke filled the air. On the screen in front of him was the announcement from Starry Sky that had gone viral across the internet, as well as reports from various media outlets about the rapidly increasing download numbers for "Star Core: Extinction".

After a long while, he stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh.

"What kind of brain could come up with something so ingenious..."

A sense of powerlessness, mixed with deep frustration, arose spontaneously.

From the E3 pre-show press conference onwards, every step taken by StarCraft has been like placing a piece on a precise chessboard.

From Sony's pre-E3 press conference building hype, to the series of promotional videos igniting anticipation, to the hands-on demos at E3, and Henry Cavill's "chance encounter"...

Now, this "online E3 exhibition" is even more astonishing. Even the E3 organizers didn't put together an "online exhibition," but Xingchen managed to do it.

It can be said.

Every step Xingchen took was unexpected, yet it seemed so perfectly reasonable.

The reason why others find it unreasonable is because the two sides are thinking on completely different wavelengths, including Zhao Ming.

In the past, offline hands-on trials were essentially an exchange of interests between manufacturers and media. Manufacturers provided special trial access, and media could leverage this information gap to gain traffic. Manufacturers could also control the initial reputation of a game through the media.

This approach is essentially no different from the earlier practice in China where manufacturers would give CD-KEYs to the media, who would then hype the products, and everyone would end up profiting from the players.

However, Xingchen's move was essentially "abandoning" the media and turning directly to the players.

Most manufacturers wouldn't dare to do that.

The problem is that Starry Sky is a game platform, and what is a game platform? A game platform is a distribution channel.

Just like in the past, why doesn't Steam participate in E3?
It's because it's unnecessary.

If it weren't for the stars, Steam wouldn't have appeared at E3.

However, the more this is the case, the more terrifying it feels that Xingchen's path is so interconnected, with each step leading to the present. Zhao Ming suddenly recalled a story from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

The tomb tiger fears the Shu dragon.

Why was Sima Yi so afraid of Zhuge Liang?

Because you never know where his next move will be, and the strategy you painstakingly devise may just lead you into the next trap he has prepared for you.

"Where the hell did this monster even come from?"

~~~
Davis Miller, the head of EPIC, shares the same idea as Zhao Ming.

At this point in E3, the players had left, the noise had subsided, and only emptiness remained.

Davis Miller was standing in front of his own booth, but his gaze was fixed on the Starry Sky booth in the distance.

The lights were still on over there, and even from a distance, he could see that the media area was still bustling with activity.

Although Davis knew that this was because Starry Sky had a lot of demos and many media outlets were working overtime, the light was still dazzling.

The more confident he was before E3 started, the more dazzling this light is now.

What's worse, this isn't the first time.

The first time was when he thought EPIC could capture a large market share by giving away games for free, but he was proven wrong. Before E3, he thought the collaboration between EPIC and Bethesda would grab players' attention, but he was proven wrong again.

If the first mistake could be attributed to a strategic misjudgment, underestimating the unique characteristics of the Chinese market.

This time, at E3 on his home turf, in his most familiar arena, he ultimately failed to defeat StarCraft, which was purely due to being crushed by the game's lineup.

Although EPIC invested heavily and reached a deep partnership with Bethesda.

Although Davis believed that the Fallout name, coupled with EPIC's cost-no-holds-barred promotion, was enough to attract everyone's attention.

But the reality is that Fallout 76 didn't beat that monkey, and it doesn't even feel like it beat Steam's Count to 3.

For EPIC, this platform war may have just begun, but for Davis, the war has already reached a rather dangerous point.

(End of this chapter)