"OMG! Zhiyuan Qi is impossible!"
"Wtf, her movements are so smooth and seamless throughout!"
"Wow, she's my superhero!"
"This place is really difficult, she's so strong!"
"Is this game designed for Chinese players only? Why do I feel like we're not playing the same game."
...
The pirated video of Bai Zhiyuan clearing the game quickly garnered millions of views. The comment section below was as lively as a street market.
On a well-known overseas forum, posts about "Titanfall" exceeded 100,000, while "Star Wars 2077," heavily promoted by Bao Xuehua, barely reached 100,000 posts.
Spending money and not spending money yielded similar popularity, and the one who spent money was already at a disadvantage.
In contrast, Yubi, who had been largely unknown, leveraged the nostalgia of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" to great effect. Once players logged into the VR game, the intense combat mode had them hooked.
Setting aside cultural depth, it was a popcorn-style masterpiece.
As for "Avatar: The Way of Water," it experienced a somewhat rapid rise and fall. As the story progressed, players found themselves less impressed than in the first installment. Instead, they were angered by protagonist Jake Sully's perceived spinelessness.
Both named Jake, Jake Cooper's reputation almost completely overshadowed Jake Sully's.
Nintendo's first foray into VR gaming ended in failure, and they immediately issued a sincere apology to their fans.
They also announced that their next PC title, "Xenoblade Chronicles X," prepared for five years, would launch on major gaming platforms in a month.
This was a subtle way of indicating that their focus was on the PC platform and that their investment in the VR gaming sector was insufficient.
Fans, accustomed to being teased, naturally chose to forgive them, as he was their "good son."
However, it was clear to any observer that Nintendo was in a difficult position.
Insufficient investment?
They collaborated with Disney and hired renowned director Cameron as a co-producer, bombarding players with special effects as if they were free.
If this was considered insufficient investment, then no game in the entire gaming industry could be considered adequately invested.
They released a masterpiece prepared for five years ahead of schedule, sacrificing the advantage of an early-year launch and the opportunity to win this year's awards.
This was solely to compete in the increasingly fierce market and maintain their current market share.
Clearly, the emergence of Lingjing had disrupted the delicate balance, making things difficult for all the major studios.
After all,
Games released less than half a year ago were ineligible to compete for this year's TGA awards. This was a decision made jointly by Lingjing, Valve, Bao Xue... and a host of other game manufacturers to target Lingjing.
Changing rules arbitrarily would inevitably lead to backlash, and the other clubs responsible for hosting the TGA would not allow it.
They did not want the TGA awards, for which they invested heavily each year, to become a "wild chicken award" due to arbitrary rule changes.
As for Valve, it was a classic case of much ado about nothing.
G's promotion was extensive, but their investment in VR games was the lowest among these overseas renowned major manufacturers.
Rather than being the first to try something new, he preferred to wait for his competitors to pave the way, and only then would he make his move when the path was solidified.
This was his secret to success. If all else failed, he still had the evergreen "DotA," so he would never lose.
If any of these major studios were most angered by the rise of "Titanfall," it would undoubtedly be Bao Xue.
Whether it was the initial investment or the mid-term promotion, Bao Xue had put their all into it, aiming to turn the tide in June.
President Bobby had even issued a military order, stating that "Star Wars 2077" must achieve global sales of 50 million copies in its first month, or he would resign in shame.
A military order was not issued lightly. Bobby had put in genuine effort.
In his repeated studies, even if one or two competitors performed exceptionally, it would not affect their sales.
After all, "Star Wars 2077" was a VR fantasy FPS shooter, and the overlap in target players with competitors' interactive movie VR games was very low.
It would not affect the final sales of "Star Wars 2077." The only variable was "Titanfall" from Lingjing.
As both were FPS VR games, the potential player overlap was high, and "Titanfall"'s mecha setting was quite captivating.
However, based solely on these two points, Bobby did not believe "Titanfall" was a significant threat.
"Star Wars 2077" not only had a strong movie fanbase but also featured inter-planetary warfare, dazzling lightsabers, imaginative exoskeleton armor, and a strong sense of planetary honor...
These were all selling points for "Star Wars 2077." According to the data models at the time, he could succeed in 3,000 out of 3,000 possibilities.
Only in the 3,001st possibility did he have a chance of failure.
That was a concept proposed by the planning department's Puli Jies – emotional connection.
Players forming emotional bonds with their mechs, developing deep friendships, leading to a qualitative change in reputation and a comeback victory.
When Puli proposed this concept at the time, everyone in the conference room, including Bobby, laughed.
Bobby admitted that he was taking a gamble. Although there was a risk of failure, if successful, he would become the foremost figure in the VR gaming field.
Exceptional foresight, the first successful VR game, and the second one that bravely won the championship against all odds, making him a deserving father of VR gaming.
This honor was worth the gamble compared to the small position of president!
Now, Bobby was panicking.
"Strategist, what do you think our chances are?" In Bobby's private office, Puli Jies leisurely stirred his coffee.
"It's mid-June, and 'Star Wars 2077' has sold 30 million copies worldwide. You shouldn't be this worried."
Puli said lightly, "This is a target easily achieved."
"Uh... do you really think so?" Bobby frowned, seeing no emotion on Puli's face.
"Did you see today's news? 'Titanfall' has created another surprise."
Sensing Bobby's displeasure, Puli stopped playing coy. "It's over! We've already lost!"
He shrugged, "There's still half a month left. Do we have any trump cards? Any reversals? Any highlights?"
"Can we continue to suppress 'Titanfall' in terms of reputation? No, it's really disappointing."
This person was truly uninteresting, insisting on getting his face slapped before seeing clearly.
Carrying his coffee, the working man Puli leisurely walked out of the president's office.
If the leader wanted to achieve fame and gamble his future, what did it have to do with him, a mere employee?
He had already stated the worst-case scenario back then, and everyone had mocked him. Now they were thinking of him.
Too late!
Returning to his seat, Puli leisurely browsed the forum.
He didn't want to work for another minute. Someone on the forum had provided a new method for cleaning fan blades.
He wished he could fly home immediately to try it out. Puli had been stuck in the ventilation shaft for some time.
"I don't believe it!"
The president's office was flushed with anger. Currently, all the data for "Star Wars 2077" was better than that of "Titanfall."
He couldn't believe that just one level and one video could reverse everything.
Moreover, Lingjing had always excelled at the "torture" style of emotional damage. This time, they unexpectedly took a quirky approach.
Abandoning their long-standing advantage to compete for temporary acclaim seemed like a very foolish move to him.
He wouldn't admit defeat until the very last moment!
With this thought,
Bobby dialed someone's number.