Three hours earlier, at home.
Meng Shu, who was writing a statement on his computer, suddenly received a congratulatory call from Supervisor Lian.
Even on this day off when no one was working, Infinite Network Entertainment was paying close attention to Visage's first-day sales.
But it was already five in the afternoon. With less than three hours until the results were announced, the current sales figures could already be considered first-day sales.
[Meng, congratulations! Your judgment was truly precise, and your ability to assess the market is incredibly sharp! Just as you said, players loved this game. Between the two platforms, it has sold 320,000 copies so far! This result has already far surpassed Dark Forest's at the time! No, it has already shattered the domestic first-day sales record!]
Supervisor Lian's voice carried excitement, exhilaration, and delight.
It was clear that she was genuinely happy about the game's success, which was why she had specifically called to share the good news.
Hearing that, Meng Shu took a sip of soda and smiled.
"Thank you for the congratulations, Supervisor Lian. Just like we said in our previous meeting, the game became so popular mainly because we benefited from a gap in the market. Once other companies start getting involved, we won't be able to make games like this anymore."
[Oh?]
The woman on the other end of the line sounded mildly puzzled.
[What do you mean, we won't be able to make games like this?]
Meng Shu glanced at the draft on his computer, reclined his chair, and leaned back against it. He lazily stretched out his legs onto the footrest, looking completely at ease.
"Whether it's Visage, Dark Forest, or 21 Points, they all contain a great deal of horror techniques and methods. They're classic examples to learn from. Future horror games will very likely bear traces of these three games. What I mean is that I can't rest on my laurels or spend too much time focusing on these three games. I need brand-new ideas to attract players."
The person on the other end seemed to have understood, but then spoke again in confusion.
[Meng, do you mean your next game will be even more innovative than the current three? I remember you said that even if other companies started making horror games, you would still have over an eighty percent chance of claiming the largest share of the profits.]
"Of course."
Meng Shu answered without hesitation.
"As long as our games remain VR, other companies' competitiveness is basically nonexistent. At the same time, I already have three horror games that have built up a reputation. Compared with the horror games other companies make in the future, players will naturally favor the company with a proven track record."
"At worst—"
Meng Shu shrugged, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"—I can make other types of games. A VR shooting game, a racing game, or even an open-world action RPG would work. I just want players to know that we don't only know how to make horror games."
After hearing that, Supervisor Lian nodded, her words full of support.
[Meng, your ability is beyond question. You've proven yourself repeatedly through your work and results, and we won't doubt you. If you want to make a shooting game, we'll absolutely give you our full support. If you need anything, just let us know. So, what are your plans going forward?]
Hearing that, Meng Shu sat up in his chair.
"Of course. As I said before, I plan to hire a large number of technical staff and port the games to console platforms. Since you have console distribution channels, that saves me a lot of trouble. I also need to make Dark Forest into VR."
"At the same time, the company is too small right now. I'm planning to relocate, but I'm still choosing a new office location and can't quite make up my mind."
Supervisor Lian immediately laughed.
[Then why not come here? I'll explain it to Manager Liang and rent out an entire floor just for you. We can discuss the rent; that floor is sitting empty anyway.]
Meng Shu shook his head and politely declined.
"Thank you, Supervisor Lian, but you're in Haicheng while we're in Shencheng. It's a little too far, which would be inconvenient for my current employees. Besides, we want to develop in Shencheng. I'm really sorry."
Supervisor Lian did not say anything else after hearing that. She merely gave an awkward smile, clearly not having expected Meng Shu to agree anyway.
[Well, developing in Shencheng is good too. It's a special economic zone and a first-tier city. Have you got any ideas for the next game? Would you like to hold a meeting with our creative director to discuss it? You just said you had lots of ideas, after all. Maybe you'll hit it off immediately.]
"Of course. You can pick a time, preferably before next Wednesday. As long as your creative director can accept the concept of my new game. Besides, players should be discovering the Easter eggs I hid in the games by now."
Meng Shu smiled and looked toward the browser in front of him.
The search bar's dropdown menu contained his previous search history.
Several historical keywords were already listed there.
They were: Control Bureau, anomalies, entities, and the Level series.
Clearly, the plan for a game universe had begun to take shape in his heart.
Execute it!
At around eight that evening, Only Game's first-day statement was posted in two places.
One was beneath Shuo Guang's own post on Danmu Network, while the other was a repost from Infinite Network Entertainment's official Weibo account.
Upon hearing the news, players flocked into the comments.
The first thing they saw was an ordinary, crude poster.
The number written on it was Visage's first-day sales figure.
320,000 copies across both platforms!
When players saw that number displayed on the poster, they did not look particularly shocked.
More than anything, they wore expressions of just as expected.
The game was priced at ninety-nine yuan on the Cyber Platform and seventy yuan on IGame.
As of now, it had sold a full 320,000 copies!
The figure was enough to prove the game's exceptional quality and how much players loved it!
Combined with the fact that it was a rare VR Game, as well as the solid foundation built by the previous title, 21 Points, Visage selling 320,000 copies on its first day was well deserved!
Although players discovered that the completion rate on the Cyber Platform was zero percent, considering that it was a horror game, frightening enough, and highly difficult, everyone thought it was perfectly normal that nobody had cleared it after a full day.
After all, the game was not short. It was incredibly long—absurdly long, even.
Besides the crude poster, there was also a document-style statement below it.
The document looked rather serious, making people unable to resist seeing what it said.
First came the customary thanks: thanking players for their love, thanking them for their patience, and saying that Only Game could not have come this far or created one popular game after another without everyone's support.
It then stated that Visage was already highly polished, that every mechanic had been tested, and that it was complete upon release with no need for further updates. The team's next focus would be the VR development of Dark Forest and its PC port.
It also added that, due to the company's small staff, the VR version might be delayed. However, players were asked not to worry: to thank them for their support, anyone who had purchased the PC version of Dark Forest would receive the VR version for free.
Finally came the plans for future games.
At the very bottom of the document, producer Shuo Guang clearly stated that the next game would not be very large in scope.
The map would take a vertical form, with a huge, open, and highly free space. It would still be a horror survival game, but with extremely high replayability, weapons, and online multiplayer functionality.
At the same time, the game would be a spin-off of another large-scale game.
The players were instantly stunned when they saw this and began leaving comments.
"Can any expert explain what an open vertical map means?"
"I know what an open world is, but an open vertical map? I'm too ignorant for this—I've never heard of it."
"Bold prediction: it should be the kind of map that goes up and down?"
"A spin-off of another large-scale game? What does that mean?"
"I'm really curious just how huge that large-scale game will be. Huge enough to need a separate spin-off game."
"None of that matters. What matters is that there are weapons! And multiplayer! Holy crap! You're telling me a game you can play online with friends is still called a horror game?"
"The dev team finally got it. They're adding a weapon system and multiplayer to the new game. I refuse to believe I'll still get scared while playing with friends."
"Exactly. It'll turn into a goofy game in minutes. No matter what monsters or ghosts show up, we'll kill them all. Don't underestimate players, damn it!"
"When is it coming out? When is it coming out? When is it coming out?"
While the players were discussing it, a well-known content creator who specialized in story analysis posted a video that shocked the entire player community.
Its title was simple, yet explosive.
Shocking Easter Egg! Shuo Guang's Three Horror Games May Share the Same Universe! A Mysterious Organization Spans All Three—FBC!
PS:
FBC (Federal Bureau of Control)
I'm truly sorry for the slow updates. My boss has been working me to the bone these past few days, and I still have meetings after work. I can only do my best to make it up with three updates a day over the weekend. Things should get better in a few days when I'm not so busy.
Thank you, Chubby White, for your 5,000 donation and three monthly votes. I saw what you said too, and I'll keep working hard! Thanks as well to Reader 1539 for the donation!
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