After a full day at the expo, Lucas, the Nebula Games staff, the cosplayers—everyone was completely worn out.
Mostly because the players were way too excited.
Even though both Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys could be downloaded and played on mobile phones as long as you were inside the venue…
…the huge number of attendees, combined with Nebula Games' themed booth, really fired up the whole atmosphere.
The most important part? Players just kept coming. One group left, and another showed up.
The event was set to last five days, and even after the buzz of day one, the heat around Nebula Games' booth never cooled down.
In fact, because players who tried Fall Guys and Legends of the Three Kingdoms on day one kept spreading the word…
By day two, day three, more and more players were rushing to the Nebula Games area.
It got to the point where the event organizers had to bring in more security to the sixth hall—where Nebula Games was located—just to keep order.
Nebula Games had clearly become the star of the show.
Even the long-anticipated VR titles from NetDragon and SkyNova started getting overshadowed by the buzz around Fall Guys and Legends of the Three Kingdoms.
There was no helping it. Sure, both VR games were impressive.
But the problem was—they were still a long way from release. No matter how big SkyNova and NetDragon are, they couldn't go all-in on promotion this early.
Their booths were just meant to build some early hype.
But then, this happened.
As for why their popularity didn't hold up, the reason was simple.
Because players couldn't really try the games.
For VR titles, people had to wait in line, and even then, each person only got about ten minutes to test it out.
Basically, just a quick demo—not enough to compete with Fall Guys and Legends of the Three Kingdoms.
Even though those two could only be played inside the venue, players could experience the full game.
And both games were just super addictive.
So, this year's expo had a pretty weird sight.
No matter which booth you went to, you'd see people in line holding phones and power banks, playing Fall Guys or Legends of the Three Kingdoms while waiting.
At first, major media outlets focused on the VR games from SkyNova and NetDragon on day one.
But by day two, three, four... the headlines were all about Fall Guys and Legends of the Three Kingdoms.
The two titles totally blew up and took over the gaming scene.
.........
In a private group chat for game designers, a bunch of them were talking about Nebula Games and the two titles at this year's gameplay expo.
"Did anyone go to the expo? What's the deal with Lucas' new games?"
"Yeah, if you know, spill. What's up with Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys?"
"One's a strategy card game based on the Three Kingdoms. The other's a cartoony obstacle course game, like a game show."
"In terms of quality, they're both solid. Legends of the Three Kingdoms is deeper, but Fall Guys is super addictive. That music and those wobbly characters are stuck in my head."
"+1, seriously addictive!"
"The games are popular partly because they're good, but mostly because Lucas totally nailed the marketing!"
"Exactly! If we're talking best marketing at this year's gameplay expo, I gotta hand it to Lucas."
"For real! He thought of everything—showgirls, cosplayers, and the games themselves."
"If you ask me, next year mobile games might explode. Lucas played it smart—while everyone else had long lines, his new games could be played anytime, anywhere in the venue. That kind of exposure was wild."
"Forget next year. You think other devs and studios didn't notice? Lucas was the first to pull this off and got the results. If you try the same thing next year, you'll be too late to the party."
"All I can say is—Lucas really knew what he was doing this year."
"Do you think Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys might become the next big trend in casual games, like Overcooked was before?"
"Very likely! Players at the expo were acting like they were hooked, and people online are just as hyped!"
Many game designers with sharp market instincts were suddenly inspired as they watched the rising popularity of Fall Guys and Legends of the Three Kingdoms online.
If these two games really do set off the next wave of casual games, then jumping in early and releasing similar games could definitely earn them a piece of the pie.
Sure, the previous wave of copycats after Overcooked didn't really make a big splash.
But at least those early games didn't lose money. Some even made a small profit.
And Fall Guys and Legends of the Three Kingdoms are totally different from Overcooked anyway.
They're not co-op games, which means they can attract a much wider group of players.
Also, player expectations online are sky-high right now.
A lot of small and mid-sized devs in the industry are running the numbers in their heads.
Meanwhile, in all the major gaming forums, people are talking non-stop.
"I'm telling you, Lucas wasn't lying this time! Fall Guys is insanely fun!"
"I'm at the expo right now, and I seriously can't wait for tomorrow. I'm totally addicted to Legends of the Three Kingdoms!"
"So jealous! Once the expo's over, Lucas will probably release both games. From what I've seen online, they look super polished!"
As the expo went on, the hype around Fall Guys and Legends of the Three Kingdoms kept growing.
More and more gamers were learning about these two new and unique games.
Seeing expo attendees posting videos and showing off their gameplay made others even more eager.
Soon enough, tons of people flooded Lucas's official account begging for the games to be released.
To be honest, this kind of stuff is usually just players venting. No one really expects a reply.
But out of nowhere, on the fourth day of the expo, Lucas actually responded on the official account.
With everyone watching and waiting, Lucas simply posted:
"Legends of the Three Kingdoms and Fall Guys will launch early on the Nebula Games platform. Legends of the Three Kingdoms will be free, and Fall Guys will be a one-time purchase for 8 dollar."
The timing was perfect — right before the end of the gameplay expo.
It hit just as the hype was peaking.
By that point, tons of players were already itching to get their hands on the games after hearing everything from the expo.
The moment Lucas dropped the announcement, players already using the Nebula Games platform logged in to buy and download right away.
Those who weren't on the platform yet also rushed to get it.
All of this, of course, was part of Lucas's plan.
He used the heat from the expo to push a scarcity-driven marketing strategy, promoting the Nebula Games platform at the same time.
A lot of people complain about this kind of marketing, but there's no denying it works—especially when the hype is this hot.
Of course, you can't push it too far. Otherwise, players will feel like they're being strung along, and it'll backfire hard.
(End of the Chapter)
---
Read +80 advanced chapters on my patre*n
patr eon.com/GustinaKamiya
Free Tier can read 3 advanced chapters
---