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In the Modu Game Department.

Unlike the previous world, the various entertainment industries in the parallel world were not governed by a single overarching department.

Instead, they were subdivided into different specialized departments.

The Game Department, naturally, was responsible for everything related to games.

Domestic agents handling overseas game licensing, the review of domestic games.

And games that had passed domestic review and been released but were destined for export—all of these fell under the Game Department's purview.

As for the review process itself, unlike the one-size-fits-all approach of the previous world, the parallel world had a detailed rating system.

Of course, this was mainly due to the more advanced technology in the parallel world, at least in terms of online real-name registration for games, which was fully implemented.

Minors shouldn't bother looking for anything risqué—they definitely wouldn't find it.

It was precisely because of this factor that the review regulations were more lenient than in the previous world.

But if someone insisted on pushing explicit content, that still wouldn't fly.

Just like the first game Chen Xu developed, "Magic Mirror," it could only be exported and then sold domestically through a roundabout route.

It was a gray area—not supported, but not outright shut down either.

Additionally, the Game Department had opened up its self-developed game engine to the public.

It was pretty similar to the Unreal Engine from the previous world.

Only difference was, one was commercial, and the other was state-owned.

And the technology wasn't on the same level either.

At this moment, in the Modu Game Department, the relevant leaders and judges responsible for this year's Sci-Fi Game Development Competition were holding a meeting to discuss the situation.

Unlike ordinary players, these judges had to play every game, so they basically relied on summaries provided by the lower-level reviewers, combined with their own assessment of the game's content, to give scores.

After all, starting from the beginning and finishing the story in such a short time, facing so many games, was completely unrealistic.

At the same time, considering the strong player backlash against the games selected in previous years, this time they had decided on a joint scoring system involving both players and officials.

After all, the purpose of the Game Department holding the competition was to better guide the domestic game market environment.

And the game market was determined by the players.

If the officials selected games that were technically sound but players didn't like, how could they possibly steer the market?

"Let's start with the vote for the first prize. Everyone, state your choice one by one." The leading judge at the head of the table spoke.

"NetDragon Games, designer Meng Zuo's 'Galaxy Heroes.' There are some flaws in the story and numbers, but the level design rhythm is outstanding." The first judge began to speak as they took turns.

"Nebula Games, designer Chen Xu's 'To the Moon.' While there's nothing noteworthy about the gameplay, the entire game uses a reverse narrative structure, and the pacing is practically perfect."

"I second that. Although Chen Xu's game, unlike his previous 'Undertale,' doesn't showcase any stunning new systems, the pure story alone is enough to be called breathtaking."

"'Galaxy Heroes' is indeed excellent, and 'To the Moon' is also fantastic. But from a personal perspective, I think most ordinary game designers wouldn't have the resources to make a game like 'Galaxy Heroes,' while 'To the Moon' is different. So from that standpoint, I lean toward choosing 'To the Moon.'"

"While I acknowledge the game's quality, can 'To the Moon' really be considered a sci-fi game? Because at its core, it seems to be about love, right?"

"Strictly speaking, 'To the Moon' isn't sci-fi. But if we go by that standard, over forty percent of the entries in this competition wouldn't qualify as sci-fi either."

"I have my doubts. I still favor 'Galaxy Heroes.'"

The game review leaders in charge of this event had entered into a heated debate over the game selection.

Meanwhile, online, countless players had already started experiencing and trying out the various entries.

In terms of early promotion, many of the participating games had done some marketing.

But the one that drew the most attention was still Chen Xu.

After all, the buzz from "Undertale" hadn't fully died down, and then there was Zhong Mei, who had been lying low, jumping out only to get utterly destroyed by Chen Xu.

So in terms of hype, Chen Xu had it completely locked down.

This led to many players jumping straight into trying "To the Moon" as soon as possible.

And in various forums and player groups, they were already filled with frantic recommendations and discussions.

"I strongly urge everyone to go play Chen Xu's new entry 'To the Moon'—it moved me to tears!"

"Come on, man, is it really that serious? Moved to tears? Isn't this just a game Chen Xu made in ten-odd days?"

"So what if it was made in ten-odd days? If it's good enough, it's awesome! And the story is really touching. Play it and you'll understand what it means for a tough guy to cry."

"Damn, seeing you guys talk about it, my tears are about to come out again!"

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Just go play it yourself and find out, won't you? This game made me realize my tear threshold is way lower than I thought!"

"That impressive? Holy shit, I'm going to buy it and give it a try."

"Who are you guys voting for? I'm voting for 'To the Moon,' no matter what anyone says!"

"Same here, I've decided to vote for 'To the Moon' too!"

"I'm touched too, but I don't think To the Moon really counts as a sci-fi game, does it?"

"I don't care if it counts as sci-fi or not. I'm voting for it anyway!"

Those players who had played To the Moon right away cast their votes for the game without a second thought.

As for whether it strictly qualified as a sci-fi game?

After experiencing that moving story, hardly any players cared.

After all, why should they bother about whether it was sci-fi or not?

If they thought the game was outstanding, if they thought it moved them, then voting was all that mattered.

As for whether it was eligible, that was something for the officials to decide.

Soon, the three-day sales figures for this batch of competing games were out.

To the Moon led the pack with 193,000 copies sold, while second-place Galaxy Heroes sold 87,000 copies.

That number was already quite impressive.

However, the reason for such a large lead came down to two main factors.

First, To the Moon was a dual-platform game, available on both mobile and PC, giving it a broader player base.

Second, To the Moon was priced at just 15 yuan.

In contrast, Galaxy Heroes was 65 yuan.

Although To the Moon's low price was also related to the game's length.

After all, the entire game, from start to finish, took only about four hours or so.

But a lower price still had a significant impact on sales.

Thanks to 'L_ys' and 'agxusvswh' for their 1500 tips.