Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

Chapter 102 Edmund

When cleaning the booth.

All four of them were exhausted.

But their faces were beaming with excitement.

"It's a success!"

Susie said as she tidied up the items.

"I've done a rough count, and at least two hundred people have tried our game today."

"more than."

Wu Zhixuan said.

"Many people watch others play, which is also a form of indirect experience."

"Most importantly, it's getting attention from IGN."

Jiang Chang was still very excited.

"With their coverage, our international profile will be greatly enhanced."

Don't get too excited yet.

Lu Chen reminded him.

"The report hasn't come out yet, and the crowds might be even bigger tomorrow, so we need to be prepared."

"Do I need to prepare several extra phones?"

Susie asked.

"Bring two more tomorrow."

Lu Chen nodded.

"clear."

They returned to the hotel that evening.

Jiang Chang immediately sent the test version of "Famine" to John Davis.

Lu Chen then searched online for media reports on the first day of E3.

Most of the headlines were dominated by Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's exclusive blockbusters.

Take your time.

Lu Chen muttered to himself.

"Word of mouth needs time to build up."

June 3, the second day of the exhibition.

At 8:30 a.m., Lu Chen and his group arrived at booth number 5278 in the West Hall again.

Unlike yesterday.

They had just arrived near the booth.

Several familiar faces came forward to greet them.

"You've arrived!"

The boy who played until closing time yesterday waved excitedly.

"I brought a few friends with me, and they all want to try your game!"

He was followed by five or six people, both men and women.

They were all in their early twenties.

"You're here so early?"

Jiang Chang asked in surprise.

"I'm afraid of queuing!"

A girl wearing a baseball cap laughed.

"Jack told us yesterday that the games here are really fun, so we came early this morning to wait."

Lu Chen checked the time.

There is still half an hour before the official opening.

However, about ten people had already gathered in front of the booth.

"Looks like today won't be quiet."

He said with a smile.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the exhibition hall doors opened.

People surged in again.

But unlike yesterday.

A significant number of people went straight to the booth of Journey Technology.

"This is it! The Famine booth!"

"I want to try that mobile game!"

"I heard IGN will be reporting on them today?"

The crowd quickly gathered.

Twenty or thirty people quickly gathered around the small 9-square-meter booth.

Jiang Chang was extremely busy.

They maintained order while guiding new players through the trial run.

Susie was in charge of distributing promotional materials and souvenirs.

Wu Zhixuan continued to observe the crowd.

Find potential hires.

Around 10 a.m., the area in front of the booth was already packed with people.

Please line up!

Only ten people can play at a time!

Jiang Chang raised his voice and shouted.

The line stretched out from in front of the booth.

It turned a corner in the aisle.

This attracted the attention of passersby.

"What are they queuing for over there?"

"It seems to be the company that developed Minecraft."

"Minecraft? You mean that game where you can build houses anywhere?"

"Yes! They also have a new game called 'Famine'."

"Let's go take a look!"

More and more people gathered.

Right here in this crowded and noisy environment.

A slightly overweight young man with a thick beard, dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans.

I squeezed my way to the front of the demo area.

He watched the scenes from "Famine" on the screen quietly.

His eyes widened slightly.

Jiang Chang noticed his focused expression and asked, "Want to give it a try?"

This is our new game, a survival adventure.

The young man nodded and took the Conquer Online 1 phone from Jiang Chang.

He played for about twenty minutes.

Unlike other players, he didn't shout or yell during the game.

Instead, he frowned slightly and made precise gestures on the screen.

His character suffered a mental breakdown on the sixth day.

When you are attacked and killed by a shadow monster.

He was not upset.

Instead, he nodded thoughtfully.

He started another game.

This time, his operation was even more skillful.

They collected gold on the first day.

The next day, they created a scientific machine.

On the third day, we began collecting various materials to prepare for developing the camp.

By the seventh day, his camp was already taking shape.

There were scientific machines, several boxes, and even a wooden armor.

"This game—"

Young people put down their phones.

He muttered to himself in a slightly hoarse voice.

"They did a much better job than us."

Jiang Chang keenly noticed the word "we" in the sentence and quickly asked, "You guys are playing games too?"

The young man seemed to realize he had let something slip.

He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

"Yes, my friend and I are making a platforming game called Super Meat Boy, but it's still a long way from being finished."

Just as Jiang Chang was about to ask more questions, Lu Chen walked over.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Chen asked.

"This gentleman said he also makes games, and is developing a platforming game called 'Super Meat Boy'."

Jiang Chang explained.

Lu Chen looked at the young man, slightly stunned.

Edmund Macmillan.

Although the young man in front of me.

She looked slightly younger than Lu Chen remembered.

But that iconic beard.

Lu Chen would never admit his mistake.

As a reborn individual, Lu Chen knew all too well what this name would mean in the future.

Edmund McMillen.

He is affectionately known as "E-Fat" by players.

Pi was born in Santa Clara County, California, USA in 1980.

He grew up in a family with a very strong religious atmosphere.

My parents divorced when I was five.

He was mainly raised by his maternal grandmother.

Compared to his mother, his maternal grandmother encouraged him to explore his inner world more freely.

During his primary school years, Edmund was ostracized because of his withdrawn and unsociable personality.

He was even advised by his teacher to undergo mental health intervention because his paintings were filled with terrifying and bloody monsters.

Painting became his only refuge and the foundation for his later artistic career.

After graduating from high school, he did not attend a traditional four-year university.

Instead, he chose to attend a local community college for two years, majoring in web design.

This is not out of interest in programming.

Rather, it was to build a platform to showcase their own works.

Around 2000, Flash technology emerged.

It provided him with a wider world.

It was at this time that he discovered Newgrounds, an open and inclusive Flash game publishing platform.

He then used the online name "blueboy" to upload his first work.

The Newgrounds platform.

Seeing Iogo will surely awaken many people's childhood memories.

Because of the large number of Flash games on this platform.

It was "re-uploaded" to China by some platforms and became popular.

Examples include Kuangyi | Kids, Alien Soldier Battle, Striped Pants Kid, and other travel and accommodation experiences.

It's a childhood memory for so many people.

His first major work was "GISH" in 2005.

A world-class game where you control a blob of black slime to navigate through levels.

GISH boasts innovative gameplay and a unique art style.

He received the Seyumas McNally Award from the Independent Game Federation (IGF) that year.

This is the highest award for independent military personnel.

For Edmund...

This was the first time he had gained recognition from the travel industry.

At the same time, the IGF award earned him a prize of $20,000.

This led him to meet more independent game developers.

In the years that followed, Edmund began to plan an even larger project.