The Next Game

Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue were both full of confusion.

"Not developing a sequel to Undertale, and not making any more META games?" Yang Xin couldn't understand why.

Ruan Ningxue felt the same way.

After all, the game media was practically unanimous in its praise and analysis of Undertale.

On forums frequented by industry designers, professional game developers were dissecting the characteristics of Undertale's model.

This fresh element truly seemed like it could become a new trend.

Some game studios and designers had even publicly announced that they had already started projects for META-related games.

But now Chen Xu was saying they wouldn't do it?

If this news got out, it would shock countless people.

After all, the concept of META was completely ignored before Undertale.

Following the normal pattern, with Undertale's popularity, the obvious move would be to strike while the iron was hot and release a sequel, just like Magic Mirror had done with its DLC.

At the very least, they could make another brand-new META game!

In fact, Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin had already discussed this privately.

They even thought the next project might be a prequel to Undertale.

After all, in the game, the stories of Asriel and Chara were only briefly touched upon, not fully expanded.

And now, Chen Xu was telling them they wouldn't make a sequel to Undertale, and wouldn't even make META games anymore?

"It's not really suitable. The scope of META elements is very limited. Undertale did give players enough of a shock, but the main reason was that players had no psychological preparation beforehand and no concept of META elements."

"If we keep releasing META games now, the subsequent reactions definitely won't be as good as Undertale. In fact, based on players' first impressions, they might feel the quality is getting worse."

Chen Xu explained to the two of them.

Others might not understand meta games, but Chen Xu knew them well.

Before his transmigration, meta games were nothing special.

ICEY, The Stanley Parable, Pony Island, and the Undertale he chose to develop—

All were standout examples.

But the highest-selling ones were Undertale and ICEY. The Stanley Parable, which had first brought META into players' view in his past life, actually sold less than these two newcomers.

As for Pony Island, many players had never even heard of it.

The main reason was that META elements weren't suitable as a core selling point.

If you looked closely, you'd find that ICEY incorporated action elements.

Although Undertale subverted RPG conventions, at its core, it was a combination of RPG and bullet-hell gameplay.

Both games used META elements as a supplement, while Pony Island and The Stanley Parable relied more heavily on META as the main focus.

META elements could indeed be a shocking concept for players.

But they weren't suitable as the primary core; they worked better as a lubricant, creating a chemical reaction with the game's content.

Many large-scale games in his past life used similar designs.

For example, the boss Psycho Mantis in the Metal Gear series, who could read the player's actions.

Or the ending of NieR: Automata, where players used their save files to help others.

These were all uses of META elements, but more as supplementary features.

And Undertale's success wasn't solely due to its META elements.

After hearing Chen Xu's explanation, Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin were still a bit confused.

They understood, but not completely.

However, one thing they did grasp.

Continuing to release META games might not make much money, and the reputation might not be good either.

Plus, with so many game studios jumping on the META bandwagon, players might even develop aesthetic fatigue.

"So what type of project are we doing next?" Yang Xin asked Chen Xu.

"For now, let's make a small-budget transitional game, and we'll also need to expand the team," Chen Xu said.

"As for the type... take a look at this."

With that, Chen Xu opened the laptop beside him and logged into a website: the Game Department Official Website.

Then, under Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin's slightly bewildered gazes, he opened an announcement.

[Science is the fountain of human progress; scientific advancement and innovation are transforming our lives in earth-shattering ways. With the theme "Technology Changes Life," the Game Department is hosting the Sci-Fi Game Development Competition.]

1. Eligibility: Game designers nationwide. 2. Requirements: No platform restrictions; themes must be healthy and positive. 3. Organization: This event is hosted by the National Game Department, using a dual selection model of expert review and player voting to ensure fairness and impartiality.

4: Selection and Commendation: Based on the total number of submitted games, one first prize, three second prizes, six third prizes, and several excellence awards will be given as commendations.

Outstanding works will be promoted and recommended on the Official Game Platform's homepage after the event concludes.

At the same time, winning designers will be awarded the title of Outstanding Designer as encouragement.

(Registration period is from September 1st to September 5th, and the event ends at the end of September.)

"Are we going to enter?" Yang Xin asked, looking surprised.

She actually knew about this event.

On the surface, it was calling for game designers nationwide, but in reality, most participants were indie game designers or small to medium-sized game companies.

There were benefits, of course. After all, the organizer was the Game Department—game reviews, designer title evaluations, game engine technology development, and the introduction of related game policies were all primarily managed by the Game Department.

Getting exposure in front of the officials was definitely beneficial and harmless.

And being promoted and recommended on the official platform's homepage was a tangible advantage.

After all, the Official Game Platform was one of the largest channels in the country.

As for why the big companies didn't participate, it was mainly because this kind of game submission was a chicken rib to them—useless but a pity to discard.

With high costs and high production values, they had no shortage of this kind of exposure.

And games with high costs and high production values were inevitably commercial at their core.

Commercial games naturally couldn't do without certain special elements to attract players.

Not to mention violence and fanservice—even things like multiple female leads or harems would look extremely bad in an official event like this.

So naturally, no high-budget games participated.

Most were indie game designers and small to medium-sized game studios, though some studios acquired by big companies also joined in.