The weather was great on the day of the expo. It was cloudy, but not too hot.
Gamers from Magic City and all over the country had gathered, lining up one after another. The place was absolutely packed.
But for people like Lucas and the other exhibitors, they didn't need to wait in line like regular visitors. They had a special entrance.
At Hall 6, invited media and companies were all using the special entrance to get in early.
"NetDragon brought a huge team! Looks like they're showing off a brand-new VR game!"
"Not just NetDragon—SkyNova's got a major project too."
"Looks like those two are going head-to-head this year."
"Man, it's rough for smaller studios like us."
Even though it was a special line, the number of people made it feel crowded anyway. Besides company staff, there were showgirls, cosplayers, and all sorts of other team members in the mix, so they still had to line up slowly to enter.
While waiting, a few designers and studio heads who knew each other started chatting.
Lucas glanced over at the neighboring booths on either side.
Each one had a clear style — SkyNova had a huge LCD screen playing a flashy promo video, clearly their main focus this year.
NetDragon wasn't holding back either. In addition to posters and promo clips, their booth was filled with tall, long-legged showgirls who all looked almost identical in height. Definitely eye-catching.
As for Lucas and the others, stuck in the middle in Zone 6, their setup was more of a mixed bag.
"Mr. Lucas? Is this your first time attending an expo? Looks like your cosers and showgirls aren't fully dressed yet?" someone asked, walking up to him.
After all, the buzz Nebula Games created last year and during this year's Spring Festival was still fresh in everyone's mind.
In the gaming scene — especially among indie developers — just about everyone had looked into Lucas's work.
The Nebula Games logo was pretty recognizable.
But there was another reason people noticed them — compared to the other booths, Nebula Games honestly looked a little weird.
What were the other companies like?
Their cosplayers were already in full costume, with simple props in hand if needed.
Showgirls were wearing all kinds of outfits — office ladies, school uniforms — all very eye-catching.
And Lucas's team?
A few looked the part, holding props and wearing armor cosplay.
But the rest?
There were both guys and girls, tall and short, all wearing sneakers and casual tracksuits.
The only thing making it clear they were staff was their name badges.
Otherwise, people might've thought they were just regular players who walked into the wrong area — or maybe Nebula Games had dragged their entire office to the event.
"We've got everything ready, just left the outfits inside the booth. We'll change later," Lucas said with a smile.
After hearing that, everyone made different faces — some surprised, some confused, probably wondering what the hell they were planning.
But no one pushed the topic any further.
"Our spot this year is kinda awkward, huh?" someone nearby commented.
"Yeah, it feels like those two giants are going to steal all the attention!" One of the designers commented as he looked at the booths of the two big companies nearby.
"Well, it can't be helped—they are giants after all. And this time they even brought a brand-new VR title."
Hearing their conversation, Lucas smiled and joined in: "That might not be the case. There are a lot of players here, and NetDragon and SkyNova can't grab all the attention. Besides, people have to wait in line for those booths. Some players probably won't want to queue up, which actually gives us a bit of an advantage."
"You makes a good point!"
"Now that you say it, that does make sense!"
"When the top two are fighting, the third one usually gets crushed… but that depends on the situation!"
"Mr. Lucas, could we exchange contact info? It'd be great to keep in touch."
"Yeah, it'd be great for all of us to share ideas."
The nearby designers chatted while waiting in line.
Lucas also exchanged contact details with the others and joined a newly made group chat.
Even though this was the indie game section, everyone invited here had at least some skills or reputation in the industry.
It never hurts to make more connections.
Besides, now that Lucas had decided to start slowly building up the Nebula Games platform,
he would definitely have to start working with third-party developers down the line.
Mid-tier companies weren't his focus for now, but indie developers were a great entry point.
He spent some time chatting with the designers and studio reps around him.
Soon after, Lucas and his group entered the venue.
Since the public hadn't been let in yet, the whole space still felt pretty empty.
The cosplayers and showgirls on Lucas's team were getting ready to change outfits.
"What are they staring at?" Anna muttered, a bit annoyed.
"Yeah, why are they all looking this way?" Rachel also seemed puzzled.
They had noticed that people at nearby booths were all staring at their direction with curiosity.
"Well, we do have the biggest booth in this section, so it's normal for them to be curious. Didn't you two keep staring at NetDragon and SkyNova's setups earlier?" Lucas pointed out.
"Ohhh, right!" Rachel and Anna nodded—he had a point.
Thinking about it like that, Nebula Games really had become pretty well-known.
The two of them couldn't help but feel a bit proud.
Just then, staff wheeled over the mascot costumes that had been prepped and stored at the venue earlier.
The cosplayers stepped up, grabbed their assigned costumes, and started changing into them. Meanwhile, the staff also began hanging up the already-printed game posters.
The two most eye-catching posters were Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys.
Putting them side by side looked a little odd, to be honest.
After all, one had a realistic art style, while the other was completely cartoonish.
But separated, they looked a lot better.
So on the booth layout, Lucas had deliberately placed one on the left and one on the right.
In the center was a display area showing Nebula Games' older titles.
Other developers were still keeping a close eye on Lucas's booth.
When they saw the cosplayers—who had been in normal clothes earlier—suddenly suit up in silly mascot costumes, turning into bouncy Fall Guys or little chefs from Overcooked, they were all stunned.
Because it was just too different!
Even though this was the indie game section, almost every booth around them was filled with leggy models.
And Lucas's booth?
It felt like a kids' theme park. The whole vibe had completely changed.
But there wasn't much time to keep being surprised.
As the clock ticked down, all sections of the expo opened up, and the players started pouring in.
(End of The Chapter)
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