Chen Xu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Xu (陈旭)
Alias(es)	CEO Chen; “Warrior of Love”; “Old Thief”
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Nebula Games
Occupation/Role	Game designer; CEO of Nebula Games
Status	Active
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Emotion Collection System acquired	1	A system manifests on his hand after his arrival in the parallel world.
Creative skills gained	2	Lottery rewards grant Story Design +1, Music +1, and Painting Technique +5.
System Phase Two	266	After accumulating more than 2,000 draws and using 500, the system upgrades; point gains now account for industry influence as well as emotional value.

Background / History

Chen Xu awakens in a parallel world carrying memories from another life. In his new world, games are regarded as art, designers hold high social status, and advanced technology lowers the technical barrier to development. The original owner of his body had pursued a career as a manga artist, taking illustration commissions and serializing moderately successful online comics after failing to pass editorial reviews. 1

Recognizing that his knowledge of games from his previous life gives him an advantage, Chen Xu abandons the manga path for game development. His initial lack of money, formal game-designer certification, and production resources forces him to seek a small, commercially viable first project. 3

Personality

Chen Xu is confident, pragmatic, and highly deliberate about creative work. He views comics and games as different media for sharing stories, rather than treating either format as an end in itself. 3

He combines a strong grasp of player psychology with a willingness to take risks in public. When Zhong Mei attacked Magic Mirror, Chen Xu openly responded that games could be both art and commodities, turning the dispute into major attention for himself and the game. 17

His public “Warrior of Love” image began because of the emotional themes in Magic Mirror, Undertale, and To the Moon. The label became ironic after games such as Outlast and Overcooked caused players distress, fear, or arguments; Chen Xu repeatedly insists that players misunderstand his intentions. 44 60 79

Abilities & Skills

Game Design and Creative Direction

Chen Xu drafts core design documents, establishes gameplay loops, breaks down narrative pacing, and directs art, sound, mechanics, and production priorities.

• Identified the failed games of Yang Xin’s former company as suffering from weak market positioning and bloated systems. 13
• Developed Magic Mirror as a combination of match-three gameplay, RPG elements, and galgame-style character stories. 5
• Designed Sanguosha around four faction roles, distinct generals, and Basic, Equipment, and Tactic cards. 78
• Planned Dota around competitive balance, newcomer onboarding, matchmaking, ranked play, and improved support-player experience. 710
• Adapts projects to the strengths and limits of their platforms, including separate PC and VR considerations for Bloodborne. 489

Marketing and Audience Engagement

Chen Xu treats publicity as part of game development rather than a separate afterthought.

• Promoted Magic Mirror through paid posts on an overseas gentlemen’s forum, helping its sales rise from 162 copies on its first day to 610 on its second. 10
• Used a deliberately unsettling DV-style teaser to market Outlast for Halloween. 46
• Planned unusual mascot costumes, QR-code downloads, commentary, and safety procedures to make Nebula Games’ exhibition booth stand out. 81 86
• Responds directly to player requests, including posting a Dark Souls gameplay video demonstrating shield-based survival tactics. 127

High-Level Game Skill

Chen Xu possesses practical mastery of many games he designs and uses live demonstrations to explain systems to players.

• Cleared early Dark Souls content without taking damage, consistently parrying enemies and reaching the first boss before his team expected. 108
• Defeated the first boss with dual-wielded Chicken Leg weapons and argued against lowering its difficulty. 109
• Demonstrated advanced Monster Hunter: World Longsword techniques, including slope attacks, rapid blade-layer building, Guard Point use, and item timing during a Diablos hunt. 264
• Provided easier Gunlance and Light Bowgun approaches for players unable to replicate his Longsword gameplay. 265
• Defeated professional Warcraft players using unconventional Night Elf expansion play, Human tower rushing, and Undead Crypt Fiend/Lich tactics. 289 292 293

Emotion Collection System

The Emotion Collection System rewards Chen Xu with points generated by emotional responses to his published works.

• Points can be spent on lottery draws for Profession Skill Books, Memory Capsules, and special items. 2
• Memory Capsules allow him to draw on prepared templates and information while developing projects such as Minecraft. 213
• The Keyboard Spitting Milk Card can produce extraordinary gameplay maneuvers and positive public attention when used by Chen Xu. 286 288

Equipment / Items

• Emotion Collection System — grants draws through emotional points gained from Chen Xu’s works. 1 2
• Memory Capsules — lottery rewards used to preserve and access useful memories or prepared templates. 2 213
• Keyboard Spitting Milk Card — self-use item that enables extraordinary in-game actions while producing a strong milky fragrance. 286 288
• Self-Service Store Key — item obtained during Chen Xu’s 500-draw session. 266

Relationships

• Ruan Ningxue — Chen Xu’s senior and original illustration collaborator for Magic Mirror. She later joins his company and remains a core art contributor. 3 5 15
• Yang Xin — Initially a struggling designer with three failed games; Chen Xu critiques her work, and she joins his company to develop games alongside him. 13 15
• Qin Yi — Nebula Games designer and frequent project collaborator, particularly on action systems and combat-focused titles. He is repeatedly impressed by Chen Xu’s gameplay ability. 45 108
• Meng Zuo — Industry peer and former competition rival. Though initially conflicted over Chen Xu’s victory, he respects To the Moon and later works closely with Nebula Games. 43 827
• Yang Chen — Modu Game Department director who presents Chen Xu with competition honors, grants him a Senior Title, and invites him to assist with VR development testing. 43 142 159
• Players — Chen Xu’s most important audience and frequent critics. He actively studies their reactions, demonstrates strategies for them, and is regularly accused of deceiving or tormenting them through his games. 127 264 827

Story Role / Major Arcs

Founding Nebula Games

Chen Xu develops Magic Mirror as his first source of capital, working with Ruan Ningxue on character illustrations while outsourcing non-critical assets. He risks nearly all of his funds on its launch, even borrowing money and living on instant noodles while reserving 20,000 yuan for promotion. 5 7

Magic Mirror becomes an unexpected hit, earning high review scores and strong sales. Chen Xu uses the first earnings to rent an office, register a company, and begin building a team with Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and former employees from Yang Xin’s closed company. 11 12 15

Selected Games and Projects

Game / Project	Role and defining focus
Magic Mirror	Chen Xu’s commercial breakthrough; an 18R match-three RPG with galgame-style stories and four initial heroines. 3 5 10
Undertale and To the Moon	Works that establish his reputation for emotionally resonant storytelling; To the Moon wins first place in the Sci-Fi Conquest Game competition. 43
Outlast	Nebula Games’ first major horror project, developed with a tentative budget of 6–8 million and marketed through a disturbing Halloween teaser. 46
Overcooked	A couple-focused cooperative game marketed as “friendly and loving,” but notorious for testing players’ communication, patience, and relationships. 60 72
Sanguosha and Fall Guys	A Three Kingdoms strategy card game and a variety-show-style obstacle-course game, jointly showcased at a major exhibition. 76 77 86
Valiant Hearts: The Great War	A quietly launched anti-war game made for the Game Recruitment Event. 97 98
Dark Souls and Dark Souls: Age of First Flame	Major action RPG projects defined by demanding combat, player-guidance videos, Random Mode, and a prequel built around the First Flame’s mythology. 108 127 158 171
Monster Hunter: World	A cooperative hunting game explicitly positioned as distinct from a Souls-like; Chen Xu demonstrates its weapons and hunt strategies himself. 241 264
Warcraft	A four-race RTS whose public balance controversy Chen Xu addresses by challenging professional players in livestream exhibition matches. 270 286 296
Bloodborne	A faster Souls-like designed around agile Hunter combat, visceral attacks, Vileblood mechanics, and deceptive trap placement. 489
Dota	A competitive team game designed with matchmaking, ranked ladders, tutorials, classic systems, and improved support-player tools. 710
Firework	A Chinese funeral-themed horror game intended to challenge feudal superstition while drawing on traditional cultural imagery. 751
Elden Ring	An open-world ARPG for which Chen Xu plans arena and random modes after monitoring boss-kill data. 827 848
Payday	A PVE-focused FPS about robbers, detective elements, and morally contextualized crime, developed with planned consultation from frontline personnel. 849
Nebula All-Stars Brawl	A crossover action game built around easily accessible controls, up to eight players, and sending popular characters flying. 864 865 867

Recognition

Honor	Details
Sci-Fi Conquest Game Competition — First Place	Won with To the Moon and received significant recognition from fellow designers and game media. 43
Senior Game Designer Title	Granted despite his short time in the industry because of his rapid success with works including Fall Guys, Dark Souls, and Outlast. 142
World Game Hall of Fame — Lifetime Achievement Award	Received in the final chapter; both supporters and critics regard the honor as deserved. 918

Notable Quotes

“On this card, I am the CEO of a game company.”
“In terms of thought, I am a game designer.”
“But in my heart, I have always been a player.”
— Chen Xu 918