Although development on the 'Fate/Stay Night' game had only been underway for half a year, it wasn't an especially massive project. Combined with the fact that Jing Yu had invested heavily, the game's progress moved quickly.
Originally, the hype surrounding the 'Fate/Zero' series had cooled off a bit due to time, but tonight... the series discussions surged again.
Over a million people tuned in live to watch the trailer for 'Fate/Stay Night'.
At this point, the overall quality of games in Great Zhou's gaming industry wasn't very high. In fact, this wasn't limited to Great Zhou — across the entire Great Zhou dimension, game production standards were generally low.
The art style of even top-tier titles wasn't quite pixel-level crude, but still far behind what Jing Yu had seen in his previous world — games that had matured visually to rival blockbuster film productions. At best, the visual fidelity was similar to 'Genshin Impact' from his past life.
Moreover, 'Fate/Stay Night' was a role-playing game, not an open-world or semi-open-world game. The map wasn't especially large, so its fast production pace made sense.
But because of this…
The consensus in Great Zhou's gaming circle was that 'Fate/Stay Night' would flop. People were skeptical from the beginning. And today, after the trailer aired...
The video opened with Artoria, clad in blue knight's armor, standing with her sword plunged into the ground atop a hill of corpses.
Jing Yu had modeled the anime-styled Artoria using Tang Rui's facial features. The character design was a fusion between the real-life Tang Rui and the original Saber from the anime in his past life. Though the style leaned toward anime, fans of 'Fate/Zero' could instantly recognize her.
After the intro animation, Artoria's expression grew more resolute.
A flash of white light appeared, revealing the words: [The Fifth Holy Grail War!]
To Artoria, it may have felt like mere moments ago she was still in the Fourth Holy Grail War, where she obeyed Kiritsugu Emiya's order and destroyed the near-complete Holy Grail with Excalibur.
Before she could even process the pain of that decision, she was summoned once again by the Holy Grail — this time into the battlefield of the Fifth War.
That was the curse she bore in her pursuit of the Grail.
She would obtain the Grail while still alive, but once her wish was fulfilled, she'd become a Heroic Spirit — endlessly summoned by the world across different eras to prevent its destruction. Eternal service, without rest, until the world itself ended.
Not even a moment to breathe.
From her perspective, she awoke in the modern day in Fuyuki City.
Her eyes opened.
A wounded boy lay before her — a boy with a noble face. In the instant she arrived, a Lancer-class Servant was about to strike a fatal blow.
Instinctively, she raised her sword to deflect and counterattack, elegantly repelling the Lancer in one swift motion.
The scene flowed smoothly in the trailer. Artoria turned, bathed in moonlight.
The background theme, "Glory of the King of Knights," began to play.
Golden hair fluttered faintly. Dust motes floated in the warehouse under the moonlight. Her eyes met the boy's below her.
[I ask you—are you my Master?]
The iconic moment froze on screen.
Then other key characters were introduced:
Medusa (Rider), Sakura Matou, Rin Tohsaka, Zouken Matou, Berserker and Kirei Kotomine... and finally, the reimagined version of Gilgamesh, created in Jing Yu's new character style.
As the last two Servants of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Artoria and Gilgamesh's battle was far from over.
After the trailer ended...
In the game industry:
"What the hell is this art style? My eyes!"
"That nose doesn't even look like a nose, and those eyes—alien much?"
"This is the new game from that so-called genius Jing Yu? Ridiculous. If this sells, I'll streak upside-down."
"Laughed my ass off. What innovation? The 'Fate/Zero' live-action cast looked great — just model the characters after them. What's this half-baked art style?"
"Feels like Jing Yu looks down on our industry. Everyone else sticks to realistic designs, and he's doing abstract art? What's the point?"
"Don't get it. Games are about gameplay, visuals, audio — everything. If one part fails, the whole thing collapses. Does Jing Yu think the story alone can carry it? With this art style?"
"This thing's destined to flop. He spent $200 million just to buy out a few failing studios and hire some veteran developers. Add marketing, and he's going to bleed cash."
"Let's see how it plays out. This guy does know marketing — 'Fate/Stay Night' had real buzz, even surpassing several upcoming big-name titles. But buzz alone can't save a bad game."
One veteran game artist chimed in:
"You all hate it? I've done game art for over a decade, and honestly, I find it interesting. The style feels strangely… pleasing."
To which someone else shot back:
"Sure, you might like it — but not everyone's a freak."
"What the hell, man? What did I do to deserve that?"
"Just an example."
"Example your ass."
While the gaming circle squabbled…
Fans of 'Fate/Zero' had a different take:
"Wow… the style is so unique! The characters kinda resemble Tang Rui and Jing Yu, but not quite… It's hard to explain."
"It's a little cold — like sketch art? But also has a classical painting feel? Hard to pin down, but I like it."
"Oddly charming. Leaves more to the imagination."
"Gorgeous! Artoria is stunning. I'm buying it for sure."
"Same here. That opening scene blew me away. Oh, and that new Master Artoria is summoned to? Isn't he the same boy Kiritsugu adopted after the Fourth War — Shirou Emiya?"
"What about Kiritsugu? Imagine finding out your son summoned the same Servant you once did. Mind blown."
"I already see where this is going. Artoria's reappearance will probably lead Shirou to realize the fire that almost killed him was caused by her destroying the Grail, on Kiritsugu's orders. I bet we're getting a father-son showdown."
"Exactly. Kiritsugu would sacrifice 49 to save 51 — even if the 49 included his own parents. If Shirou's fate puts many lives at stake, would Kiritsugu strike again?"
"But didn't he already give up on that ideology in 'Fate/Zero'? Wasn't it Shirou who said he'd inherit Kiritsugu's dream and become a hero of justice? What if he kills Kiritsugu to save others?"
"Guys, the game isn't even out yet. Chill with the murder speculation. Can't the story be wholesome for once?"
"And what about Illyasviel — the sister? Maybe we'll get a tragic sibling fight too."
"Kiritsugu couldn't save Irisviel. Maybe Illya ends up killing him, too."
"Please no! I want a heartwarming plot! What is wrong with your brains?"
"Heartwarming? LOL. Anyone who trusts Jing Yu to deliver warm fuzzies after 'Fate/Zero' is beyond help. I'm bracing for max emotional damage. I don't care if everyone dies — just don't kill Artoria. According to the lore, she won't die unless she gets the Grail, so I'm safe."
"Okay, but seriously — where the hell is Kiritsugu in the trailer?"
"No idea. Why's Jing Yu hiding him? Not showing Kiritsugu is shady."
"Whatever. We'll see when the game drops. If Jing Yu wants to hide stuff, let him."
Unlike the professionals, fans in Great Zhou weren't at all opposed to the anime-style art.
Which made sense.
Just because they'd never been exposed didn't mean they couldn't accept it. Every anime fan started from scratch once. These visuals had global appeal in Jing Yu's past life — it was unlikely to flop in Great Zhou.
Besides, part of it was for nostalgia.
And more importantly, anime-style sells merch.
Anime merch like figures, plushies, body pillows — that was normal.
But real-person figures or pillows? Practically nonexistent — and even if someone did buy one, their family might think they were a freak.
So this was another example of the disconnect between industry insiders and actual consumers.
No matter what, the trailer drop was a massive success. It gave the Fate franchise a much-needed second wind at the tail end of June.
The next day, discussions about 'Fate/Stay Night' topped every major drama and gaming forum.
Within two or three days, media outlets across Great Zhou ran stories about the trailer. Fans of 'Fate/Zero' were hit with a wave of marketing from every angle.
And in their heads, one date became etched:
November 1st.
The release date of 'Fate/Stay Night'.