Chapter 73: Development Direction
Following Alex's official blog post, a wave of complaints erupted from countless players and was re-posted across various gaming communities. Comments on Alex's post were riddled with countless players. These players essentially expressed the same sentiment: 'Did you believe his lies? Communication, tolerance, patience?'
It seemed reasonable, but it felt like a scam.
Some players believed Alex's rhetoric, others did not. One thing remained constant: Overcooked, a charming and touching game. Since Valentine's Day, it has rapidly taken over major live streaming platforms, video sites, and related gaming communities. Many people raved about this unique cooperative game.
Overcooked's sales also soared. One week after its launch, sales officially surpassed 450,000 copies. This compares favorably with previous games like Undertale and To the Moon, and even the underrated Outlast.
Overcooked's 450,000 sales may not seem as high as expected, but it's worth noting that 340,000 of them came from the Nebula gaming platform. This means they gave away 340,000 copies of the game (via the buy-one-get-one-free promotion). More importantly, compared to Outlast and To the Moon, Overcooked, as planned, has attracted a significant number of users to Nebula.
While these users, to be honest, currently have low loyalty, they are still users. At least they have the Nebula gaming platform installed on their computers and have registered for Nebula Game Pass. This is something Outlast simply couldn't achieve.
Furthermore, Overcooked offers a longer playtime than Outlast. After all, there are still very few brave players. Most players, when faced with a game like Outlast, simply buy it and watch what they're playing. Overcooked, however, is different. Playing with friends creates a completely different kind of fun.
Overcooked's success drew many people's attention to Nebula Games and Alex. Before this, Undertale sparked a wave of metagame craze in the indie game community, and Alex won first prize in the Science Fiction Tournament with To the Moon. For most video game companies, these achievements, while impressive, were no big deal. However, the popularity generated by the two consecutive games, Outlast and Overcooked, was completely different.
In Nebula Games' office, Alex, reclining on the sofa, beamed as he looked at his points. Overcooked was truly impressive. The point growth rate was even comparable to Outlast's, which previously used boosters. In just one week, he had already accumulated 20 consecutive draws.
Looking at the current points on the interface, he thought for a moment and decided not to. Those dozens of consecutive draws had truly intimidated him. Everything was blue sky and white clouds. He should save them for a while; he would release them when the volume increased.
As for his next project, he hasn't decided which game he will develop yet. His current capabilities are sufficient for now, and it won't be too late to participate in the lottery if there's demand. After all, points don't just disappear.
Additionally, a new year brings a new beginning. The company expanded during last year's Independence Day holiday, but the staff is still somewhat limited. He needs someone to handle game operations. Unlike games like Undertale, To the Moon, and Outlast, Overcooked is an online multiplayer game, with upcoming workshops and new version updates. This requires someone to oversee game operations, and the platform also needs operations staff.
Furthermore, he will definitely develop a true multiplayer game in the future, which will require an even larger operations team. He needs to cultivate an operations team that embodies Nebula Games' philosophy. Operations are paramount for a game, especially for multiplayer games, and sometimes even surpass the quality of the game itself.
Secondly, the development team needed to expand. The music, action, and art departments had already mentioned to him that they were struggling, so they needed to hire. They needed about 15 more people. They also needed to expand their offices, as they were a bit cramped. It seemed that an entire upper floor of the building was empty, so they could contact him about subleasing it.
After finalizing the broad plan, Alex called the office staff and asked them to initiate the hiring process. Short-term hiring was unrealistic, but Alex was not in a hurry. Two or three months would not be a problem.
However, in addition to handling hiring matters, Alex also received a somewhat unexpected call from Mark Stone, a person he had previously met at NetDragon. Nevertheless, the caller was not specifically looking to get close to him. In reality, he represented NetDragon to express interest in acquiring Nebula Games.
After all, the success of several titles, even if they weren't big productions, could be considered a huge success. The recent releases Outlast and Overcooked, in particular, had generated a lot of buzz. As one of the video game giants, it was natural for them to take notice of Nebula Games. And the day after NetDragon expressed its acquisition intentions, Aether Games, somehow, managed to obtain his contact information and expressed its desire to discuss the matter.
Currently, the two companies are direct competitors in the video game world. Simply put, Aether Games wants to do what NetDragon wants to do, and vice versa.
Alex, the target of both companies, hadn't thought much about it. He definitely wouldn't sell. However, this was a good opportunity to see what both companies thought of Nebula Games.
"But either way, development must accelerate!" Alex said, chin in hand and a thoughtful expression on his face.
Nebula Games certainly doesn't have a lot of money to spend right now, but with its current and methodical development, we can safely say it's not lacking. So far, the accumulated sales of games like Mirror, Undertale, To the Moon, Outlast, and Overcooked have surpassed several million dollars and are still growing. Some of these games have high R&D costs, while others are low. But, in general, they are all profitable.
Including daily employee salaries, bonuses, and rent, Nebula Games has several million dollars in liquid funds. The average development cost for a large-scale virtual reality game ranges from $10 million to $30 million. Of course, this is an average, as top-tier titles cost more. A major PC title usually costs between $2 million and $8 million. While it is feasible to develop it without further ado, it is still somewhat risky for Alex. After all, this represents R&D costs, not including marketing or promotion. It's impossible to develop a successful game and not even promote it, right?
Furthermore, the current staff is somewhat limited, so expanding it is essential. Additionally, even if they plan to develop AAA games in the future, even for PC, they will inevitably need to boost their platform. How can the Nebula Games platform quickly present itself to the public and attract more players? The best way to achieve this is through exclusive titles. A common, but effective, strategy.
However, if they were to dedicate themselves to exclusive games, sales would inevitably be affected. Alex's original plan was to continue focusing on small and medium-sized titles, with a consistent approach. He would gradually consolidate the Nebula gaming platform and expand its game catalog.
For now, he needed to consider the direction of his future development.
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