Discussion Among Players

The next day, in the Nebula Games office, Chen Xu handed over the completed concept design drafts, along with the character design requirements for main roles like Johnny, Liva, Eva, and Neil, to Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue.

Looking at the concept design drafts in their hands, along with the script within, Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue were both somewhat moved.

But at this moment, it clearly wasn't the time to get immersed in the game's story; the two raised the questions in their minds.

"Isn't this supposed to be a sci-fi game? CEO Chen, the core theme here is clearly romance!" Ruan Ningxue was full of question marks, even changing how she addressed him.

"Yeah, what happened to the sci-fi?" Yang Xin chimed in.

In the meeting room yesterday, Chen Xu had described the background to them.

Going to the moon, memory-altering technology.

The two had even privately discussed it, tossing around ideas like brain-in-a-vat, dystopia, cyberpunk, and so on.

And now, holding the concept design drafts, they finally realized.

Good grief, they'd been completely led astray!

This was a romance story wrapped in a sci-fi skin!

"How is this not sci-fi? Look at this memory-altering technology—how is that not sci-fi?"

"We'll just add a bit of sci-fi flair to the background, like the car the two doctors drive to Johnny's house—we'll make it look more sci-fi."

"And besides, that's not what matters. What matters is whether the game's content can touch the players' hearts."

"Alright, alright, everyone get into gear. We don't have much time!" Chen Xu cleared his throat lightly.

Meanwhile, online, the buzz around this event was gradually heating up.

After all, the deadline was drawing near.

Since it was an officially hosted event, the organizers naturally had corresponding promotions.

At the same time, some game designers participating in the event were also promoting it on their own official blogs.

Most of them, however, were focusing on PC and mobile games.

The main reason was the relatively short development cycle.

Among them, some well-known domestic game companies, like NetDragon, were also taking part.

Of course, these weren't their core studios.

After all, these big companies had plenty of studios under their umbrella.

In this situation, many player communities caught wind of the news and started discussing it.

'So the [Sci-Fi Game Development Competition] is about to start!'

'Sci-Fi Game Development Competition? What the hell is that?'

'It's that competition the Game Department spearheaded before.'

'Oh, that thing. I totally forgot about it. That competition can go to hell—what kind of games did they even pick last time?'

'Seriously, I'm not asking for something like "Undertale," but at least give us something decent, right?'

'This time it's a bit different. Players get to vote too. Before, the main judges were the Game Department bigwigs, so the games aiming for awards were obviously sucking up to them.'

'So this time it's partying with the people?'

'Pretty much. This time it'll definitely lean toward the player base.'

'I'll stay skeptical, thanks.'

'But do you think there'll be a bunch of META games in this competition? META elements are pretty hot right now.'

'Probably not, since "Undertale" hadn't even come out when the competition started.'

'Do you think Chen Xu will participate?'

'Dreaming, are you? Look at the timeline. If Chen Xu participates, I'll chop off my—!'

'That aggressive, bro?'

'No shit. Use your brain—it's impossible! During this competition period, Chen Xu made "Magic Mirror" and "Undertale." Where would he find time to develop a new game for this?'

'Holy crap, bro, your—isn't safe. Check Chen Xu's official blog—he actually joined!'

'??? What's going on? You kidding me?!'

'My condolences to that bro's junk for one second.'

'Holy shit, it's actually true!?'

As an indie game, "Undertale" had a level of popularity that didn't feel like an indie game at all.

The main reason was that this game showcased what META elements truly meant.

Coupled with its impressive sales performance, it had directly become a model of the fusion of art and commerce.

Naturally, it had caught the attention of countless game industry designers.

As for the media, there was even less need to mention them.

An ordinary game designer had created a game like this—what did that represent?

It represented traffic and trending topics!

Regarding what projects Nebula Games and Chen Xu would develop next, the consensus among the gaming industry and players was largely the same.

It would most likely be a sequel to Undertale, or another META game.

But who could have guessed that Chen Xu would publicly announce on the official blog that Nebula Games was developing a special game for this event?

As for what kind of special game it was, Chen Xu didn't say on the official blog.

Yet players, industry designers, and the media weren't paying much attention anyway.

After all, no matter how special, it was still a game, right?

The key was the time!

From the announcement to the game submission deadline, there was only half a month—could Nebula Games make it in time?

Considering Nebula Games' previous project schedule, it was clear that this competition entry was definitely not prepared in advance.

Upon hearing this news, many game designers in the industry felt that Nebula Games was treating this like a joke.

Zhong Mei, who had been keeping quiet since Undertale, seemed to be watching Chen Xu's every move.

Less than four minutes after the official blog post went up, he had already reposted and commented.

"Temporary success doesn't mean lasting success. Unfortunately, some game designers don't understand this, even treating the official game competition like a joke. I think this designer's entry might not even pass the review."

Clearly, Zhong Mei had ulterior motives. Seeing Chen Xu's official blog, he immediately jumped out to shift the spotlight away from himself.

Sure, the comments section was still full of sarcastic remarks, but this time he actually gained some support.

After all, developing a sci-fi game for a competition in just over ten days?

That was simply unrealistic!

As for Zhong Mei's reply, Chen Xu's response was very simple.

He posted a screenshot of Zhong Mei's earlier deleted official blog, paired with a screenshot of Undertale's ratings and sales figures, and finally added a meme.

The meme featured a popular rabbit character looking disdainfully at a clown, with Chen Xu adding a line beside it: "Don't look for me, I don't want to talk to a clown."

Seeing Chen Xu's meme response, countless players burst out laughing.

Wow, that was a brutal takedown!

No wonder Zhong Mei had such a bad reputation among players and in the industry.

Beneath that meme, the comments section was filled with joyful replies from players.