Chapter 71: Friendship Can Fail at Any Moment
Although it's Valentine's Day, it's hard to say that many people are confined with their "spouses."
When I'm bored, I occasionally turn on a Twitch live stream and enter a room streaming Overcooked, and I hear the following conversation:
"Hey... hey! David, the rice is burnt again. Hurry up!"
"F*** you, David, can you really blame me for this?!"
"If it's not you, then blame me. You burnt the rice. Look at the comments saying who's to blame!"
"F*** you! Shut up! I have my own opinion."
"Well, hey... stop! Go wash the dishes, stop chopping! Tom, you're stupid!"
"F*** you, I think it's David who's holding me back, okay? Stop talking, let's practice!"
"Ha, am I scared of you? Just practice, practice. Don't worry, I'll go get help. Let's split into two teams, okay?"
"No problem, we'll kill you!"
As the game progressed, the friendship that was once considered so strong soured.
Soon, on the Nebula gaming platform, the official platform, and on some third-party platforms, Overcooked's sales and reviews began to soar.
Despite being on winter vacation, company employees, like Lisa and Jane, were closely following Overcooked's performance.
"Alex, Alex, how are Overcooked's sales doing?"
"Yeah, players seem very enthusiastic!"
In the company chat, Jane and Lisa tagged Alex to ask him about the game.
"15,000 copies sold in eight hours, over 11,000 on our platform, and sales are increasing every hour," Alex smiled.
15,000 copies sold in eight hours is not a huge number, but it's not a small one either. Furthermore, the sales trends of multiplayer games with a party feel are completely different from those of conventional games.
Take Overcooked's promotional campaign as an example. While the promotion wasn't overwhelming, there were trailers, media interviews, and advertising. For typical games, even if they are incredibly high quality, sales usually follow an irregular pattern: they start at a high point, then slowly decline, and then experience another sudden surge in popularity. Or, if word-of-mouth is mediocre, there's a sharp decline. However, Overcooked differs from these games in some aspects.
Since Overcooked is a party game with a more social touch, multiplayer games usually don't sell very well at first, but they can become bestsellers once they become a trending topic. This is because each player has their own social circle, and thanks to the influence of their friends, when a game becomes a trending topic, it can further boost sales. This is a market principle that applies to both the parallel world and the previous life.
"11,000 copies? So many players are buying on our platform?" Lisa was surprised in the group chat.
"After all, it's a buy-one-get-one-free offer," Jane said.
"But there's one thing. We were supposed to be harmonious and loving, but why is there such a strong atmosphere of tension when we actually start?" Lisa posted a cute cat emoji with a confused face in the group.
"Yeah, yeah, I played with my cousin during the winter holidays and it was amazing!" Jane echoed in the group.
"Alex, this doesn't look like a couples' game! And judging by the comments, it seems some players have broken up!" Eric wrote in the group chat.
Observing the chat, Alex, reclining on the sofa at home, smiled. On the system interface, his points soared, and this was just the beginning.
Glancing at the conversation in the group, Alex sent a message:
"Don't be scared. Besides, even if there are breakups from playing, it's definitely not just because of the game itself. It's because the relationship has reached its end and their personalities are not compatible," Alex replied in the group chat.
Although Overcooked was once known as the "breakup kitchen," it's clear that even if some couples break up because of it, it's not because of the game itself. It's simply because their personalities are incompatible. Of course, Overcooked sometimes causes arguments between close friends and couples, making it a common occurrence.
After the successful launch of the game ratings, players who had bought it began to rate it. Most gave it a 9 out of 10, although there were also quite a few with a 1. Whether high or low, the comments in the game's section are incredibly interesting.
"Too much? This is a breakup kitchen! My girlfriend is gone, Alex, you have to compensate me!"
"This is a fake love kitchen! After playing it, I'm single again!"
"I highly recommend buying it and keeping it for when you want to break up with your girlfriend."
"After playing it, I immediately left my girlfriend and went back to playing with my best friend all night!"
"Aren't you talking about ending a friendship? I can prove it, we just had a fight!"
"The game is pretty good, but it's a bit of a friend-wrecker."
"I fell in love with another girl, but it was hard to break up with my girlfriend. Now it's great! After playing this game together, I successfully broke up with her!"
"After playing, my family became harmonious, cooking became easier, and I even passed the firefighter exam. The only thing I played with was a bit unpleasant."
"I had many friends, but after playing this game, I'm so glad they're gone!"
"Before playing, we were just casual friends, but after playing, we thought: 'Am I alive or dead!?'"
It's undeniable that some players have had friction with their friends because of the game's content. But, in general, most players are just playing for the meme. However, the spread of this meme has also boosted Overcooked's popularity. This has become especially evident with some hilarious videos of streamers arguing about the game.
The spread of this meme, like that of the previous Outlast, has driven a meteoric rise in Overcooked's popularity. This rapid growth has also driven a continuous increase in sales. Many players, both those who knew the game and those who didn't, have learned about it through various channels and become interested.
At the same time, among the gaming community, it also has two other names: "Breakup Kitchen" and "Friendship Kitchen."
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