Chapter 98: Showing Off?
As time passed, Dark Souls' development progressed with remarkable fluidity. With the influx of outsourced artistic resources, the entire team entered a period of accelerated work. Meanwhile, Dark Souls previews were gradually published on Alex's official blog and Nebula Games' official website.
Simple interactions with players and the release of new promotional illustrations were part of the game's promotional campaign.
Meanwhile, other games were also being promoted. The most notable was the advertising campaign between NetDragon and Aether Games, two of the country's leading distribution channels and video game companies. Both were virtual reality games and had participated in the previous Gameplay Expo.
Although Nebula Games had already stolen the spotlight at the fair, now both games were receiving intense promotion, each aiming to outperform the other.
However, despite the considerable investment, the impact on Nebula Games was not significant. After all, both games focused on virtual reality.
Additionally, there was the ongoing anti-war campaign. From late July to early the following month, quite a few anti-war games have been released on official platforms. There are games for both mobile and PC. The genres are diverse, from RPGs to FPS. However, there are also quite a few games that follow the same format that earned Alex an award last year with To the Moon.
However, none stand out, and many players have given them very low ratings. Many players have complained online.
"Speaking of this year's expedition theme, it's really... hard to describe in words!"
"It's mainly about the theme. An anti-war game should depict the cruelty of war, right? It should have grand scenes, right? With such short playtime, and given that expeditions don't usually have big developers, these games are awkward."
"+1, these games feel like Old Master Q's sermons to me, and the most important thing is that his sermons are very boring."
"Stop arguing, check Alex's official blog. It seems he's also participating in this expedition!"
"What's wrong? Isn't Alex working on Dark Souls? Why did you join this expedition? Could it be that Dark Souls is already developed?"
"Who knows. But anti-war is not just any genre. Will Alex succeed?"
"Whatever. I'll buy it and play it first. I think Alex's product shouldn't be that bad, at least better than the anti-war games on the market right now, right?"
"That's true!"
Alex didn't do much advertising for the launch of Valiant Hearts: The Great War. He simply published an announcement on the official blog and added a description of Valiant Hearts: The Great War to the main interface of the Nebula gaming platform.
This was clearly different from when Alex was relatively unknown and had to resort to unusual tactics to promote the game.
The previous success of Fall Guys and Three Kingdoms Tactics, as well as the ongoing development of Dark Souls, had already given Alex considerable fame and followers.
After the launch of Valiant Hearts: The Great War, it quickly caught players' attention.
However, despite the players' surprise, Alex remained calm.
Many designers participating in this expedition were a little annoyed.
"Good grief! Isn't Alex working on Dark Souls? Why is he making this game?"
"Yes! I thought Alex wouldn't participate in this expedition this year!"
"This is too difficult!"
Many game designers felt a little overwhelmed, while some more cautious ones were still daydreaming.
"Everyone, be optimistic! Maybe Alex's game will be a failure!"
"Yes, Dark Souls has received a lot of promotion lately. Alex, no doubt, is focusing on Dark Souls. After all, it's Nebula Games and its first major title."
"That's right. And anti-war games are very deep. I'm not sure Alex can maintain his level."
Of course, while commenting on this, like many other players, these designers also downloaded the game to see the quality.
Compared to last year's To the Moon, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is priced at $4 and is also available for mobile and PC. On Twitch, Fall Guys' popularity, which previously dominated the live streaming platform, has also fallen significantly.
Although there are still many streamers who stream it, some even specialize in Fall Guys and Three Kingdoms Tactics. However, most streamers have returned to their usual live streaming style. At most, when they don't have a show, they gather with some well-known streamers to play Fall Guys and get visual effects.
The launch of Valiant Hearts: The Great War has also attracted quite a few video game streamers.
On Twitch's live stream, Lily was chatting with her fans, just after starting.
"Let's stop for today. Now, let's play Nebula Games' new game."
"It's not Dark Souls. That game is still in development and we don't know when it will be released. It's the new game participating in this expedition, called Valiant Hearts: The Great War. I guess it's designed to be an indie game, although Nebula Games cannot be considered an indie developer."
On the live stream, Lily introduced the game to the audience.
She is quite interested in Nebula Games. In addition to Outlast and its foundational work, Mirror, she also enjoys games like Overcooked, Fall Guys, Undertale, and To the Moon. So, upon learning that Nebula Games was participating in the launch of a new game, she immediately prepared to stream.
While talking, Lily opened the Nebula gaming platform and immediately saw the game on the main page.
The cover image showed a soldier in military uniform and a war dog, with a cartoon art style.
Upon clicking on it, she accessed the game store interface, where the bold title "Valiant Hearts: The Great War" stood out.
The game description read: "An exciting adventure game with a unique atmosphere and art style. It combines exploration, action, and puzzle elements. Help the heroes survive the war by solving puzzles or infiltrating behind enemy lines."
"The story focuses on four men and women, and a loyal dog, whose destinies intertwine during the war: a story of revenge, family, and friendship."
"This fictional tale transports you to the famous scenes of World War I, reliving the crucial battles of the Western Front and immersing you in historical events."
Before Lily could react, the audience following the live stream already had their own opinions, each commenting and sharing their ideas.
"Isn't this introduction a bit boastful?"
"Yes, isn't it just a small-scale game with a cartoon graffiti style, and judging by the genre, it's a 2D side-scrolling game? How can it relive the main battles of the Western Front throughout history?"
"That's right, how can you feel the cruelty of war with this image?"
"Although I trust Alex very much, this is too much. Reliving the scenes of World War I, if it were a big production, I would believe it, but this game?"
"Yes, it's a bit ridiculous!"
"Not even Nebula Games promoted it much!"
After reading this introduction, many players were a little confused.
'This is too much self-promotion!'
After all, this is just a small-scale 2D cartoon game! How could it possibly depict war? And relive those cruel battles in history?
However, Lily did not focus on the game's introduction.
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