Online, players were discussing all sorts of things, while FOW was busy promoting its new game, "Wasteland 1981."
Actually, Nebula Games wasn't completely inactive.
Various advertisements were being shown.
However, even though the interest was high, there was no major breakthrough.
As more details about the game's content were revealed, players gradually noticed.
That is, the game "The Last of Us" didn't seem to have made significant changes to its gameplay.
It was still a mix of action and shooting. Of course, ninety percent of games on the market that involve action and firearms are of this type.
Even "Wasteland 1981," which FOW was promoting, couldn't escape this.
But the key was that it felt like a completely new trick or a change in gameplay.
And "The Last of Us" felt very traditional to players.
Although there were announcements about crafting and upgrade systems, the overall gameplay was still very standard. This made many players realize that "The Last of Us" would be a story-driven game.
But the problem was, regarding the story alone, players only knew some basic information, like the main characters' names and the world's background.
For example, in the world of "The Last of Us," the virus that caused the apocalypse was something like a fungal infection.
But what more?
That was completely unknown.
Because of this, players were initially very excited about "The Last of Us." But with the promotion of "Wasteland 1981."
The excitement for "The Last of Us" was gradually overtaken by "Wasteland 1981."
Until "The Last of Us" announced its release date: April 25th.
Only then was the excitement finally snatched back from "Wasteland 1981."
Inside FOW, Alex looked at the information online with great joy.
He had been hesitant at first, but after Grayson's persuasion, he successfully withstood the pressure, and it seemed everything was moving in a good direction.
"Even if it's just the promotion, it's also a victory!" Grayson said with a smile.
"But it's a shame that 'The Last of Us' is clearly a story-focused game. Although our 'Wasteland 1981' had an earlier development period than Nebula Games, even if we push hard, we still need a month to release it," Alex said with some regret.
In his vision, if "Wasteland 1981" and "The Last of Us" were released at the same time, it would have been a decisive victory.
What a shame!
"However, even though we can't release them at the same time, we can launch a limited-time Alpha test. The current game progress fully supports it. On one hand, we can see player feedback, and on the other hand, we can grab some of 'The Last of Us's' heat and annoy them a little," Grayson said with a smile, having thought of something.
"Good idea," Alex said, his eyes lighting up, smiling happily.
......
While the two at FOW were plotting their schemes, Nebula Games welcomed a special group of people.
They were reporters from major media outlets, both domestic and international, who had been invited.
Lucas hadn't really done nothing regarding the promotion of "The Last of Us."
But besides ordinary advertising, unlike games like "The Witcher: Wild Hunt" or "Assassin's Creed."
It didn't have cool assassin characters like "Assassin's Creed," a breathtaking leap of faith, or vivid historical and cultural representations.
The core of "The Last of Us" was the emotional impact the story had on players. The details of everyday life in the post-apocalypse interacted with players, immersing them in the game and ultimately evoking strong feelings.
The story and background of "The Last of Us" were very realistic, which was intended to help players immerse themselves in the game's plot later.
At the same time, "The Last of Us" didn't have thrilling and exciting scenes like "Uncharted."
So Lucas chose another promotional method used by many game developers.
That is, early reviews by game media, timed with the release of "The Last of Us."
Of course, this promotional model was quite risky.
For example, if the game's quality was poor, it could backfire.
However, Lucas was very confident about the quality of "The Last of Us."
Therefore, he secretly invited well-known media websites like GameSpot and China's GameSpace to conduct early closed-door reviews.
......
In the morning, in the experience room at Nebula Games headquarters, reporters from all over the world were excitedly chatting with each other.
Although they were reporters from all over the world, those who could participate in this review generally had no problem communicating in language.
Whether they knew each other or not, they were all talking.
Although their profession was reporters, they also had an identity called "player."
"I wonder what kind of work Nebula Games will bring us this time. From the promotional trailers and the information released, there doesn't seem to be anything outstanding!" a female reporter with brown hair said curiously.
As soon as she finished speaking, a bald young man with dark circles under his eyes interjected, "Although the promotional trailers don't show anything special about this game called 'The Last of Us,' this is Nebula Games' first early media review. Obviously, they have full confidence in this game."
"That's right, that's right, this is probably a first for Nebula Games, right?"
"However, their confidence actually makes me more curious, what kind of game is this one that looks so ordinary?"
The surrounding reporters chattered excitedly.
"Gery, do you have any inside information?" At this time, someone asked a young man sitting on a sofa.
Some reporters who were chatting nearby also turned their attention.
"What inside information could I possibly have? I just think Nebula Games has never disappointed us, so I'm very excited about 'The Last of Us'," the young man called Gery said, shrugging.
As a reporter invited by China's Game Space, Gery had a very close relationship with Nebula Games.
He had even done an interview about Lucas in the past.
Although he was a reporter, he was a die-hard Nebula fan.
The promotional trailer for "The Last of Us" this time was a little disappointing because it didn't seem to have anything outstanding just by watching it. But before playing the game, he was still full of confidence in this game, believing that Nebula Games would not let him down.
The group chatted in the room, but soon a staff member came to remind them that testing could begin.
So everyone quickly stood up and, with excited expressions, entered the CosmosVR game pods one after another.
"A special test pod for playing games!"
Gery, who also entered CosmosVR, instantly noticed the difference.
The VR game equipment in front of him had a system that was different from the one used at home.
And there was only one content, which was "The Last of Us."
The game icon showed Joel and a little girl with a gun, looking at the camera in the sunset.
"I wonder what surprises await."
With immense anticipation, Gery quickly clicked on the game.
After all, every minute and second was precious.
For this closed test, the invited media only had three days.
And it wasn't all day.
From 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM was the testing time.
"Hmm… this character design?"
As the Nebula Games LOGO disappeared, the game screen officially appeared.
Gery's expression was one of surprise.
(End of chapter)
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