Chapter 60: Players Always Misunderstand Me!
The online buzz about Outlast continues. The duration of this Outlast craze largely depends on how long it remains relevant on streaming platforms. Expecting Outlast to maintain its popularity solely on its horror quality is unrealistic.
Meanwhile, some online game developers and designers are rumored to be developing their own horror games, clearly hoping to capitalize on the horror craze sparked by Outlast. As for the genre, it's easy to imagine; most will be combat-free escape games.
Alex didn't pay much attention to it. Developing Outlast wasn't even on his radar before this. If it weren't for the lucky [Fear Converter] item, Alex wouldn't have planned to develop the game.
"Two months is too rushed," Alex thought, looking at the date. As before, large-scale games and virtual reality titles are out of the question for now. He still lacks the capital.
Furthermore, due to the approaching winter holidays, even if a medium-sized game is to be developed, it won't be released until after the New Year. Meanwhile, Alex is also looking for talent that can handle aspects other than video game development.
Additionally, there is the Nebula Games platform. Functionally, the Nebula Game Store is quite comprehensive. It features a store, inventory, community, friends, and reviews, including Nebula Workshop. Of course, some aspects like recommendation interfaces haven't been implemented yet, as there are only three games available: Outlast, To the Moon, and Undertale.
The platform is established, but the key lies in a small user base. Currently, only 15,000 copies of games have been sold on the Nebula Game Platform. As for daily active users, there are fewer than 1000. Despite the dismal performance, Alex still has high hopes for the platform.
"With enough funding for now, it's time to start working on it," Alex thought.
To quickly build a user base, an exclusive strategy is clearly the most effective. Major game manufacturers, both Western and international, as well as some distribution channels, have their own exclusive strategies. However, this approach is definitely not suitable for Nebula Games at the moment. While they have some capital, the gap between them and major game manufacturers is still significant.
If they truly want to pursue an exclusive strategy, they must release a sufficiently attractive game. However, the key issue is that launching such a game at this moment would undoubtedly be a tactical hindrance to other developers. After all, gameplay is inherently unprotected, and in previous lives, many online multiplayer games, which relied heavily on creative gameplay, were Alex's ultimate weapon. Using it now would not only harm others, but also himself.
"Multiple channels, purchases, discounted prices, bundled passes, and multiplayer."
Sitting in front of his computer, Alex pondered for a long time, then picked up a nearby pen and wrote some keywords in his notebook. This was his definition of the new game he was going to develop. The channels were self-explanatory; Nebula Games was not suitable for exclusives at the moment.
The purchase model is designed to complement the price discount and better attract players to the Nebula Games platform. As for the pass bundle, those who purchase the upcoming game on other platforms will need to register a Nebula Games Pass account for verification. This could result in the loss of players who find the hassle unsatisfactory, and some platforms even prohibit this account linking model.
However, it is still crucial for Nebula Games to build a user base in its early stages. Regardless of whether they buy the game or not, or even if they simply register without downloading the platform, at least they can be persuaded to register first to get a pass. The multiplayer mode will reinforce this model, allowing players to play on different platforms.
As for the project, this game will also not be large-scale. After all, it's an exploratory game. Furthermore, this year's winter holidays fall relatively late, and New Year's Eve isn't until December 31st. Two months is enough time to develop a low-budget game.
Sitting in front of his computer, he made plans for future development. Alex left the office to get some fresh air and think about which game to choose for his next project. After all, there were still many options.
It was already time to leave work, and some employees who hadn't gone home for lunch greeted him. Alex nodded. Observing the office, he was considering expanding it. He hadn't noticed before when there were fewer people, but now that the R&D department was integrated with other departments, the office was a little crowded, with each workstation simply separated by partitions.
But before he could think about it, Lisa and Jane approached and interrupted him.
"Alex, you've become a meme," Jane said with a smile.
"No, it's more like what our Alex said has become a meme," Lisa said, holding up her phone.
Alex looked at it and was speechless.
Lisa's phone showed a doctored screenshot. It showed the protagonist of the game Outlast doing push-ups for the doctor who cut off his finger. Next to it, a message: "I'm a love warrior!" Lisa swiped across the screen and a new meme appeared: a screenshot of a fat security guard who had been decapitated.
Of course, the image was blurred, with a message next to it: "I'm a love warrior too!"
"Hasn't this meme faded yet?" Alex asked, speechless, but amused.
"Of course not! Any Outlast player who doesn't know this meme is ashamed of their experience!" Jane said with a smile.
"That's right!" Lisa nodded.
"Alex, your explanation back then was brilliant!" Jane brought up the official blog post Alex had published earlier. It had already accumulated over 500,000 likes and over 70,000 comments.
"Players always misunderstand me!" Despite his words, Alex's face was still beaming, and an idea crossed his mind.
"Well, I've decided! I need to prove myself as a 'love warrior.' My next game will be something truly friendly," Alex said with a smile.
Jane looked surprised. "Alex, do you have a new project so soon? What kind?!"
"A very friendly game? Alex, you're not going to use that Outlast rhetoric again, are you?" Lisa expressed her doubt.
"Don't worry, I'll think about it for a few days and tell you when I've finished the game content. Although it won't be very extensive. It just so happens that the winter holidays and Valentine's Day coincide this year, so we'll have a perfect game for the occasion," Alex said with a smile.
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