It's safe to say Fall Guys is a seriously addictive game.
In Lucas's previous life, it came from a small studio.
But within just one week of launch, it sold over 2 million copies — and passed 10 million in its first month.
You could say it was completely over the top.
It was definitely a breakout game.
Even though the hype didn't last long because of the company's own issues,
judging from the game itself, its popularity was almost guaranteed.
So, what made this game truly special?
When it comes to gameplay, aside from Fall Guys, no other game had ever mixed game show-style obstacle courses with video games like this.
The "lose and leave" mechanic let players jump straight into the next match without any wait, which really helped reduce frustration.
Before players got bored, the game kept them hooked with tons of fun and varied levels that felt like a collection of mini-games.
Of course, once you do get bored, it all starts to feel repetitive.
So to keep Fall Guys popular, the best move is to keep adding new maps or special modes to keep things feeling fresh.
When the full version of Fall Guys launched, they added not just the Creative Mode, but also a daily map rotation.
That way, players would get a new experience every day, which helped keep things exciting.
Visually, the cartoon-style jellybean characters, their silly movements, and the chaos of sixty players in one match made the game super entertaining.
The sound effects were also carefully chosen to add to the fun vibe.
It all created a cheerful and lighthearted atmosphere.
For many players, their first impression of Fall Guys was simple: it's just fun.
Compared to it, Legends of the Three Kingdoms might have deeper gameplay, but in terms of first impressions, Fall Guys was clearly the winner.
Pretty soon, a lot of players who tried Fall Guys were completely hooked.
"Anyone want to team up?"
"Come on, let's go together!"
"This Fall Guys game is so dumb and cute!"
"Yeah! They walk like wobbly little Weebles."
"Hey hey! Who keeps grabbing me? I'm about to get knocked out!"
"Feels like I just can't stop playing! And there are so many levels!"
At the same time, these players brought Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys over to other booths at the event, and that sparked even more interest.
Even though the Nebula Games booth was packed with people, with a livestream and cosplayers dressed as Fall Guys characters to hype things up,
the number of games people could actually play there was still limited. But both of these games had mobile versions.
Before, people were just wandering around because the lines were too long and boring.
But now it was different.
Now they had something in their hands to pass the time!
Over at the NetDragon booth — codenamed "Star God" — Marcus and his team were keeping things organized.
Looking at the long line of people, he felt nothing but excitement.
Based on the feedback from players, Star God still had some rough edges that needed polishing.
But overall, the comments were mostly positive.
No doubt about it — as a brand-new VR blockbuster, NetDragon was clearly the star of this year's gameplay convention.
The only slight downside was that SkyNova, their rival, also brought a brand-new VR game to the show.
And based on reports from his team, that game was doing really well too.
It was clearly their biggest competitor at this year's event.
"We need to get a press release out ASAP and get early reviews of the game out there," Marcus said.
"Also, let's buy some trending spots online and get people talking in the forums. We can even hire a few people to help boost the buzz."
He discussed the next steps with the staff beside him.
This was the first big project he'd handled since joining NetDragon.
Even though he wasn't the only one in charge of the game's entire development,
after all, it was a large-scale VR game—
the final product and later marketing operations were completely handled by him alone.
So he really cared about how well the game would do.
If it became a massive hit, then his career would basically skyrocket!
At that moment, Marcus's head was full of dreams about a bright future.
After giving the staff instructions for the upcoming tasks, Marcus walked toward the long line ahead, planning to check out the area for their game "StarGod."
Even though the staff had already told him most of the feedback and data,
he still wanted to see it with his own eyes.
But as he got closer, he noticed something unusual.
"Wow, what kind of luck does this Zhen Ji have? Seven Luo Shens and even Zhuge's repeating crossbow?"
"What?! Seven straight Luo Shens? That's crazy, absolutely insane! My Luo Shen only ever draws red cards!"
"Damn, who's this pineapple-head? Such a jerk—if he can't make it, he's dragging me down with him!"
"Hurry up, hurry! Guys, the Yellow Team just took the lead again—quick, go steal eggs from their base!"
"Haha I'm dying—only three people made it past this 'rising tide' level. The rest all drowned!"
What's going on? What are these players even talking about?
Marcus stood there, totally confused, listening to them.
He understood every word individually, but put together… what were they even saying?
There were also some players still waiting in line, looking curious after hearing the others.
"Bro, what are you guys playing?" one confused player asked.
"'Fall Guys' and 'Legends of the Three Kingdoms'! Super fun!"
"What's that? A new release? Never heard of it!" Many were puzzled—so many people were playing, how had they not heard about it?
"It's not out yet! These are games Nebula Games brought for this expo," the player replied.
"What?! Nebula Games? The same company that made 'Outlast' and 'Overcooked'? Those two games totally drained my last bit of passion and energy. No way I'm touching anything from them again," said one guy, who instantly remembered some bad memories the moment he heard the name Nebula Games.
"Haha, no no, this time it's different! Lucas isn't bluffing this time. These two games are actually super fun! And it's super easy—just scan the QR code and download. Wanna try? Just scan mine with your phone and you're good to go."
"Oh really? Thanks, man. I'll download it and check it out!" The player perked up.
Wait—so I can play without even lining up?
After downloading and going through the beginner tutorial, they quickly got hooked on both games.
"Bro, it's your turn!"
"My turn already? Ah screw it... You go first, I'll get back in line. Damn! Why is this jerk dragging me?!"
Some players were already at the front of the line,
but couldn't bring themselves to quit their current games since the match wasn't over yet.
They glanced at the line and just decided to requeue.
Marcus, who saw the whole thing, couldn't believe his eyes.
His eyes widened on their own, and he was completely stunned.
And it wasn't just Marcus—SkyNova and a few other game companies were also seeing the same thing.
They all watched as players from the Nebula Games booth, with phones in hand,
walked over to their booths while still playing Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys.
And then, those players started "infecting" the ones waiting in line at the other booths.
Before long, everyone was holding their phones, playing Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys. The whole place fell into chaos.
What the hell!?
Star... wait no, Nebula Games?
These were the two new games brought by Lucas?
No lineups, just scan a code and play anytime, anywhere?
You've gotta be kidding me!
Are you seriously trying to cheat?!
And don't you Nebula Games players have your own booth or what?!
(End of The Chapter)
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