The Next Game

Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue were both full of confusion.

"We're not developing an Undertale sequel, and we're not making META games anymore?" Yang Xin could not understand why.

Ruan Ningxue felt the same way.

After all, game media outlets were now almost unanimously discussing and reviewing Undertale.

On forums frequently visited by industry designers, game developers from every specialty were analyzing the distinctive features of Undertale's model.

After all, such a fresh element truly seemed capable of becoming a new trendsetter.

Some game companies and designers had even publicly announced that they had launched projects involving META elements.

Yet Chen Xu was now saying they would not make one?

One could imagine how many people would be astonished if that news got out.

After all, before Undertale, no one had cared about the concept of META.

Under normal circumstances, with Undertale's level of popularity, they should have rushed to strike while the iron was hot and release a sequel, just as Magic Mirror had released DLC.

At the very least, they should have made an entirely new META game!

In fact, Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin had privately discussed it before.

They had even thought that their next project might be an Undertale prequel.

After all, in the game, Asriel and Chara's story had only been briefly described rather than fully developed.

But now Chen Xu was telling them that they would not be making an Undertale sequel, or even a META game?

"It isn't very suitable. META elements are also limited in scope. Undertale did indeed give players enough of a shock, but that was mainly because they had no prior psychological preparation and no corresponding concept of META elements."

"If we continue releasing META games now, the response definitely won't be better than Undertale's. It may even feel like each game is getting worse because of players' first impressions."

Chen Xu explained it to the two of them.

Others might not understand the Meta Game genre, but Chen Xu understood it very well.

Before he had crossed over, Meta Games were no longer anything particularly novel.

ICEY, The Stanley Parable, Pony Island, and the Undertale Chen Xu had chosen to develop—

All of them were among the best of the genre.

Yet the best-selling ones were Undertale and ICEY. The Stanley Parable, which had truly brought META into players' view in his previous life, had actually sold less than those two later works.

As for Pony Island, many players had not even heard of it.

The main reason was that META elements were not suitable as the primary selling point.

A careful look revealed that ICEY incorporated action elements.

Although Undertale subverted the conventions of RPGs, at its core, it combined RPG mechanics with bullet-hell gameplay.

Both games used META elements as support, while Pony Island and The Stanley Parable used META elements as their main focus and other elements as support.

META elements could indeed create a powerful sense of shock for players.

But they were not suitable as the central core. They worked better as a lubricant, creating a chemical reaction with the game's own content.

Many major games from his previous life had used similar designs.

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

Then there was the final ending of NieR: Automata, which used players' save data to rescue others.

These were all uses of META elements, but they were more auxiliary settings than anything else.

And Undertale's success was definitely not due solely to META elements.

After listening to Chen Xu's explanation, Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin were still somewhat bewildered.

They understood, but not completely.

However, there was one thing they had understood.

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

On top of that, if a whole bunch of game companies added META elements, players might suffer from aesthetic fatigue.

"So what type of game should we choose for our next project?" Yang Xin asked Chen Xu.

"For now, we'll make a low-cost game as a transition. We also need to expand the team," Chen Xu said.

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

As he spoke, 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 dumbfounded gazes, he opened an announcement.

Science is the source of humanity's progress; scientific advancement and innovation are bringing earth-shaking changes to our lives. With the theme of "Technology Changes Life," the Game Department is holding a Sci-Fi Game Development Competition.

I. Eligible participants: game designers nationwide.

II. Submission requirements: no platform restrictions; themes must be healthy and positive.

III. Event organization: this event is organized by the National Game Department. Selection will use a dual system of expert review and player voting to ensure fairness and impartiality.

IV. Awards and recognition: based on the total number of submitted games, there will be one First Prize, three Second Prizes, six Third Prizes, and several Excellence Awards.

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

Winning designers will also be awarded the title of Outstanding Designer as encouragement.

(Registration runs from September 1 to September 5, and the event ends at the end of September.)

"Are we entering?" Yang Xin looked shocked.

She actually knew about this event.

It appeared to be open to game designers nationwide, but in reality, the participants were mostly independent game designers or small and medium-sized game companies.

There were naturally benefits, since the organizer was the Game Department. Game reviews, designer title evaluations, game engine technology development, and the introduction of related game policies were all basically under the Game Department's authority.

Showing their faces before the officials could only bring benefits, not harm.

And promotion and recommendation on the Official Game Platform's homepage was a tangible benefit.

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

As for why major companies did not participate, it was mainly because this sort of game submission competition was rather pointless to them.

They made high-cost, high-production games and had no shortage of exposure.

Moreover, high-cost, high-production games were naturally centered on commercial appeal.

Games centered on commercial appeal naturally included special elements that attracted players.

Leaving aside violence and fanservice, even something like multiple female leads forming a harem would look extremely inappropriate in an official event like this.

Thus, naturally, there were no big-budget games taking part.

Most participants were independent game designers and small or medium-sized game companies. Of course, some studios acquired by major companies and brought under their umbrella would participate as well.