Capítulo 81: C81: Preparations
As I brought in the cardboard boxes, I could see the curiosity in everyone's eyes.
The boxes were quite large, almost 80cm high. From the outside, it was impossible to tell what was inside.
"Mr. Chen, what's in there?" Ruan Ningxue asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
"Is it a second custom-made sculpture for the exhibition? But wasn't one shipped earlier?" Qin Yi chimed in.
Clearly, intrigued by these big boxes.
We moved them here, it was obvious they weren't too heavy.
"Costume suits for our mascots," I said with a smile.
Costume suits!!!
In an instant, the male employees' eyes lit up with excitement. They were visualizing the original artwork of Sun Shangxiang, Da Xiaoqiao, and the other female characters from the Three Kingdoms.
But when I cut the seal of the box with scissors, the expressions on their faces shifted to confusion.
Inside the box weren't the kind of suits they had envisioned. Instead, it was filled with colorful doll costumes.
Yes... JellyMan suits from JellyMan.
They looked fluffy and quite bulky.
So, this was what I meant by doing something different?
"JellyMan is our secret weapon this time," I explained.
"As for Three Kingdoms, while it's still popular, it's not nearly as hot as JellyMan right now."
"Plus, every other company is using female cosplayers. After a while, the audience is bound to experience some aesthetic fatigue. In that case, our approach will surely stand out." I added with a grin.
This was a decision I made months ago when we first started developing JellyMan.
Sure, female cosplayers are appealing, but it's hard to draw in players purely on that alone. Plus, don't forget that there will be female gamers in the exhibition. One needs something fluffy to attract them.
And with seven exhibition areas and who knows how many other game companies, big and small, most of them will be featuring female cosplayers. It's easy for the audience to get bored.
But JellyMan is different.
It has a quirky, fun style, which perfectly matches the tone of the game.
In terms of grabbing attention, I was confident we wouldn't be outshined.
There was also another factor.
At Neon Games, we didn't really have any characters that were suitable for female cosplayers to portray.
The most powerful character, Magic Mirror, wasn't even allowed on the exhibition stage due to its strict content guidelines, so we had to adjust our strategy. Nobody wants to be thrown out of the venue.
As everyone listened to my reasoning and looked at various Jelly Bean costumes, nodding, it made sense and was reasonable.
When placed at the game exhibition, these costumes would certainly catch the eye.
Especially compared to the Overcooked area, where most characters were in doll costumes anyway.
Just imagine Other game companies featuring the usual flashy cosplayers. While our booth feels like a whimsical children's paradise—it would definitely draw attention.
Of course, all of this was liberating some awareness. The real focus had to be on the game.
After all, while JellyMan might capture attention for a while, it wouldn't hold it forever.
As the saying goes, men are only divided into two types: Trendy and old-fashioned.
Some may be drawn to flashy things for a while, but the gaze eventually returns to what truly matters.
But when it comes to games, it's a different story.
Flashy things? What are those? Let me play!!!
For this exhibition, during the research and development phase, whether it was Three Kingdoms or JellyMan. I made sure to develop both for PC and mobile platforms. This way, players could enjoy game charm no matter where they played.
Days passed, and the game entered its final testing phase. I also communicated with the exhibition organizers and began preparations in advance.
As the date approached, discussions among players in the gaming community started to heat up.
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"There hasn't been any big news about new games recently!"
"The gameplay exhibition is coming soon. Based on past years, I bet different companies are saving announcements for it."
"Anyone planning to attend this year? Let's go together!!!"
"I want to see the face of Old Thief Zhong"
"He isn't even invited"
.
.
.
"Might not be that interesting. It's probably going to be dominated by NetDragon or Tenghua."
"True, if there's going to be a blockbuster, it'll likely be from one of them. Even if other companies have something, they probably won't steal the spotlight at the exhibition."
"Don't always focus on the blockbusters. While they're fun, there's more to gaming than just those big titles. You should also keep an eye on the indie scene."
"Speaking of indie games, Chen Xu comes to mind. He was probably last year's biggest surprise in the gaming world, right?"
"Hold on there, that surprise may not be for everyone!"
"Yeah, I still can't forget his Warrior of Love comment—never seen someone so thick skin!"
"I checked on Chen Xu's official blog. There is a post which says he will be participating in this year's exhibition. Wonder if he's bringing something special?"
"I doubt it. It's only been two months since Overcooked, what could he possibly have in store?"
"Newcomer, huh? Chen Xu develops games fast. Look at how quickly he moved from To the Moon to Escape to Overcooked. And I heard his team has expanded since then."
"Exactly, and it doesn't have to be a full release to be considered a new game. There could be a demo or something. That's pretty common from other developers too."
"That's right, I hope there will be a little surprise then."
"Don't be surprised, I've had enough 'surprises' from Overcooked and Escape."
Players continued to discuss...
_____________________
[Fast Forward...]
At the Shanghai Expo, I had already arrived with Ruan Ningxue, Yang Xin, and Qin Yi, and we began setting up the booth in Hall 6. In terms of location, it was prime—right in the center.
I decided to divide our exhibition area into three sections. The first would feature our previously launched games like To the Moon, Undertale, and Overcooked. The other will feature the newer entries Three Kingdoms and JellyMan.
Meanwhile, the Neon Games cosplay team was rehearsing their performance. Men and women were both involved in the preparation, but at that moment, everyone was stunned by the doll costumes in the backstage boxes. The female cosplayers, in particular, looked confused, their faces morphed like cats.
Initially, they had assumed Neon Games, as a hot entrant in the industry last year, would attract attention with something sexy, glossy, and hot—otherwise, why would the compensation be higher than what other companies were offering? But now?
Well, they sure had a rich imagination.
These doll costumes weren't made to be flashy for either gender—forget about showing any legs. The custom-made doll heads didn't even reveal the eyes!
"When performing, make sure your movements are exaggerated. But most importantly, pay attention to your safety," I reminded everyone. I don't want to pay their hospital bill, in case an accident happens due to their laxity.
"The stage will rotate, so make sure to coordinate your movements. There's ice water backstage if anyone needs a break. If you feel unwell, speak up immediately and inform your co-workers or the staff." I emphasized safety again—if something went wrong, it would be a serious issue.
After giving the instructions, I found a stool and sat down to rest for a moment.
On the other side. The cosplayers and Neon Games' marketing manager were discussing how to reel in the crowd.
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