Nebula Games' break room.
During the lunch break, Rachel and Anna were relaxing on massage chairs. Nearby, Hector and a few others were locked in battle with the claw machine.
"The company's perks just keep getting better!" Anna said happily, sipping on a bubble tea.
"The company's got way more funding now, and there are so many new people—it's kinda hard to get used to. We're a pretty big team now, right?" Rachel said with some emotion.
Thinking back, it still didn't feel real to her.
This time last year, she was still at home drawing doujin.
"We're not really a big team yet—still more of a mid-sized one," Anna replied.
"By the way, Anna, I heard we're going to that gameplay Expo soon?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, Lisa mentioned it. And didn't Boss Lucas already go check out the event site before?" Anna said.
"I've been before too, but only as a visitor. Now we actually get to be one of the exhibitors!" Rachel said, clearly excited.
Just then, Hector and the others, finally giving up on the claw machine, came over to join them.
"We're going too, huh? Only about two months left. Wonder if Boss Lucas has a new project planned?" Hector said with a hopeful look.
A new project—something everyone at Nebula Games was always excited about.
From a personal and emotional point of view, seeing players respond to your work is a huge reward.
And if the project does well...
...the bonuses are no joke!
Outlast before the new year, Overcooked after it—both times, Lucas handed out big bonuses when the projects succeeded.
"Feels like two months might be a bit too tight though," one of the new employees said.
"Yeah, two months sounds rushed. But who knows—it's just an expo, not a full release," another one added.
"You guys are still new. Once we start the next project, you'll see why Boss Lucas is where he is today!" Hector said with a knowing smile.
"Totally right!" the older staff nearby said, full of anticipation.
Back-to-back hits like Outlast and Overcooked, plus their one-of-a-kind development style and super clean team management—everything ran like a bug-free machine.
Most of the veteran staff had basically become hardcore Lucas fans by now.
They were still chatting when Anna suddenly let out a surprised shout.
"Check the work group chat! There's a meeting this afternoon about a new project!" She waved her phone in the air.
"Must be for the Expo, right?"
"Wonder what kind of project it'll be?"
"Maybe it's multiplayer? Didn't they say the company would be focusing more on that?"
"Who knows? We'll just follow Boss Lucas's lead. We'll find out this afternoon."
The whole team got excited the moment they saw the message Lucas had posted in the work chat.
Everyone started guessing what kind of project might be coming next.
.........
In the afternoon, employees started clocking in one after another.
Lucas showed up with his laptop and called everyone into the meeting room.
"I'm sure most of you have already heard—we'll be taking part in the gameplay expo this May. And not just that—we'll be one of the main booths in Zone 6."
The booth was around 500 square meters. Not as big as the top companies,
but still solid compared to most mid-sized studios.
A lot of this was thanks to To the Moon being selected for an official showcase, and then the two hit games they released right after.
Everyone nodded as Lucas spoke, with a bit of excitement showing on their faces.
Lucas smiled, and three folders popped up on the big screen.
Each one was labeled with a number: 1, 2, and 3.
"This time, we'll be showing off something new to the players at the expo—but it's going to be a tight schedule." Lucas looked around the room. "We'll be developing two new games at the same time, and on top of that, we need to produce a trailer for a real AAA project we'll be making later."
"Wait, what?!"
Anna, Rachel, and Hector—all the older staff at Nebula Games—were stunned.
The newer employees, who had only joined after the new year, looked like they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Two months, two games, and on top of that, a trailer for a major title.
Even though everyone knew that making a trailer wasn't the same as actual game development — most of the time you just set up a few simple scenes and hand it off to a CG animation company — still, two games in two months?
Even a workhorse wouldn't survive that!
Even longtime team members like Rachel, Anna, and Hector — who all knew how fast Lucas could work — were full of doubt.
If it was just a playable demo for a convention, maybe. That could be done.
But judging by Lucas's tone, it sounded like he wanted to finish the full games.
Was that even possible?
Everyone sat there full of questions as they listened to Lucas explain the two new games they'd be making.
"First is Legends of the Three Kingdoms, a strategy card battle game. I've already finished the core gameplay and rules. You can take a quick look first."
As Lucas spoke, the rules of Legends of the Three Kingdoms appeared on the big screen through the projector.
Some rough drafts of generals and cards were shown alongside.
"In the game, there are four roles — Ruler, Rebel, Loyalist, and Spy. Players can freely choose famous generals from the Three Kingdoms, and each general has their own special skills."
"There are also three types of cards: Basic, Equipment, and Strategy."
Lucas gave a quick overview of the core mechanics of Legends of the Three Kingdoms to help everyone get a feel for it.
Time was short, so he didn't go too deep into the details.
But no one there was a complete beginner.
Rachel, for example, had been part of several projects since last year and had done some upskilling during that time, so with the design docs, she could more or less understand it.
Everyone quickly pieced together how the game would probably play. They didn't know exactly how it would feel yet — but one thing was clear: this game wasn't going to be that hard to make.
The real time sink would be voiceovers and the art assets.
And those could be outsourced.
If one outsourcing studio couldn't handle it, they'd hire two.
Legends of the Three Kingdoms was almost no challenge to develop — the real focus would be the second game, and that "major title" Lucas had mentioned.
Everyone stared at Lucas, waiting for him to reveal the next project.
Lucas looked at them with a smile. "The next game will be super relaxing, and bring players a kind of joy that's hard to describe. It's going to be peaceful and full of good vibes."
If this were a manga, Rachel, Anna, and Hector would probably all have black question marks floating above their heads right now.
Why did that sound so familiar?
(End of The Chapter)
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