Lucas, who won first place in last year's "Sci-Fi Adventure Game Jam" and stirred up a horror wave with his game Outlast,
was no longer just an indie name.
And this time, Overcooked meant more than just another game for Nebula Games—it was also a test of the platform's direction.
So when it came to promotion, Overcooked got even more resources than Outlast did.
To market this game, Lucas even filmed several 90-second video ads.
In the ads, a couple sits in their separate rooms, sunlight pouring into their bedrooms, each in front of a computer.
On their screens is Overcooked.
"A short time apart won't break our rhythm or our bond."
Chopping veggies, cooking, plating up—and then the screen shakes as the kitchen in the game splits in two.
They're actually cooking on a hot air balloon.
Working together in sync, the couple laugh and play through the game.
Time passes. Day turns into night.
The background shows the man and woman in two separate places, but as the scene progresses, their spaces merge. In a flash, they're now living together in the same house.
But the same thing remains—in front of them, the computer screens still show Overcooked.
"From then until now, our love hasn't changed."
The guy gets up from his chair and opens a food delivery app on his phone.
But the girl quickly snatches the phone away, grinning. She pulls out a chef's hat from who-knows-where and waves it in front of him.
They open the fridge and head to the kitchen—one chopping, one cooking. From making food in the game to cooking together in real life.
"Enjoy the game. Enjoy life. Feel the joy of gaming with your special someone."
As soft background music plays, the video fades out with the couple having a candlelit dinner.
And finally, a line of text appears in the center of the screen:
Overcooked goes live on February 14.
Of course, this was just the couples version of the trailer—there was also a bros version and a besties version.
In total, they made three different versions.
You could say they covered all kinds of groups.
For players, this Overcooked trailer clearly got them really interested.
The cute and colorful visuals, combined with the super wholesome trailer, had already stirred up a lot of excitement among players.
Under the official post where Lucas shared the trailer, comments from fans quickly started flooding in.
"Whoa, the game designer I follow just came back from the dead!"
"This trailer is amazing! But that couples version really hit me hard as a single guy."
"This game is so cute and heartwarming! Is this Lucas making it up to us for scaring us half to death with Outlast?"
"This is what a real 'warrior of love' looks like! I'm definitely getting this to play with my girlfriend. Big thumbs up to you, Lucas!"
"Looks like it's a cooking game, maybe co-op? Guess I'll be playing it with my bro instead."
"Hey, don't lose hope—sometimes bros can turn into couples too!"
"????? You okay, dude?"
"What's wrong with that? Let me take a look, says Brother Jie."
"Hehe, I'm planning to confess on Valentine's Day. She really likes games, so I'm gonna use this game to set the mood—cook in-game, then show off my real cooking skills. I even hid the confession gift inside a cake I'll bake!"
"Respect, man. Hope your confession goes well!"
"Yeah, this is the Lucas I know—not that creepy Outlast stuff. Sure, watching people get scared was kinda fun, but I'd rather play something full of love like this!"
It wasn't just the players talking—even other game designers who followed Lucas joined the conversation.
"Did you hear? Lucas's new game is actually a co-op game for couples."
"Well, maybe not just for couples—it's more about the timing and the way they promoted it around the holiday."
"Still, I'm not too confident in this kind of game. Co-op games really depend on the level design—if that part isn't good, the whole thing can fall apart. Lucas's past games were all story-driven. This might be his first try, right?"
"No idea about the gameplay, but when it comes to the marketing, Lucas totally nailed it!"
"Totally agree. Just watching that trailer gave me warm fuzzy feelings—makes me want to play it with my girlfriend."
"But I feel like getting this game to go viral won't be easy. For co-op games, it all comes down to how much buzz it gets. If Overcooked can build up hype like Outlast did, then it could sell really well."
"Also, looks like there aren't any similar games coming out during the Spring Festival. Lucas might've just gotten really lucky."
"Having no competition isn't always a good thing though. The gaming industry isn't a zero-sum game. As long as the market isn't flooded, it can actually help boost sales overall."
"Still, I don't think Overcooked can reach Outlast's level of success."
"It'll definitely make money—looks like the development cost for Overcooked wasn't too high, so even if profits are smaller, it's still a win."
"But compared to Outlast, Overcooked has that cute, cartoony style—it's way more appealing to a wider group of players."
"By the way, did you guys see that Nebula Games is doing a buy-one-get-one-free deal?"
"Totally makes sense. It's the Valentine's Day—gotta give players some kind of deal. And let's be real, what game developer doesn't want to grow a loyal user base on their own platform?"
"Exactly. And since Overcooked is a co-op game, selling it solo might make some players hesitate. But with this buy-one-get-one deal, it might push a lot of undecided people to go ahead and buy it."
...
Discussions about Lucas's new game were everywhere—among both players and people in the industry.
Regular players were mostly curious about the game itself.
People in the industry were more focused on analyzing the market side of things.
The buy-one-get-one-free deal on the Nebula Games platform also became a topic of discussion among game designers.
But just like Lucas expected, most people didn't make a big deal out of it.
Because at the end of the day, every developer wants to build up their own platform.
If you launch on someone else's platform, their cut isn't small.
As for Overcooked itself, most designers had the same opinion—
It'll probably make some money, but don't expect it to have a huge impact.
Lucas wasn't affected by any of it.
How well the game would actually perform could only be known after it launched.
As the days went by,
On February 14th, the third day of the Lunar New Year, Lucas posted a message on his official blog:
"Overcooked goes live today! It's a fun and wholesome multiplayer game. You and your fellow chefs must complete all kinds of delicious orders before your customers lose their patience. Get your knives and aprons ready! There's no room for mistakes in this crazy kitchen!"
Thanks to user "D to the power of 18" for the 1500 tip.
(End of The Chapter)
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