Bab 47: C47: Discussion
In the early morning of November 11th, I uploaded a teaser video of Escape on my official blog, right before the first smile of the sun struck the Magical city of China.
Below it, I added the caption with bolded font asking ~ Guess what the new game is?
Even though it was Super early, I knew there were still many Night dwellers among my followers. Especially those who are new to college life. They are some of my fresh hardcore fans. As I thought, It didn't take long for players to catch on.
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"What's the situation? Look what I found? A new game teaser?" Myriad Dweller posted.
"I can't believe he updated his SNS in the early morning. Isn't this too much?" Cat Empire snooped in.
"My God, what is this! I thought something exciting was coming at this hour!" Billy__Bao you added
"Wait, what the heck is this video? A horror game?" Gone exclaimed
"Wow, this DV footage is creepy!"
"So, is Chen Xu's next game a horror title?"
"I'm not big on horror games, but seriously, this timing... it's too much!"
"So, the new game revolves around DV recording?"
"Isn't this too early in the morning, I can still see the vast galaxy and the stars in the sky." Young Master Fan Mo posted
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At first, many players appeared confused. The question was clear, and so was the answer—the ten-second short clip was enough to tell everyone that my next game is a horror game. Yet what seemed to stir the pot even more was the unusual timing of my announcement.
By the next day, my blog had ignited another wave, with multiple media outlets retweeting and reporting the same. Many of them spared no effort to shoot up some fake reviews. While some were requesting an interview. After all, I had already gained a bit of a reputation following the success of To the Moon.
And with New Year approaching. At a time when there weren't many notable releases on the market, the buzz continued to grow. Players started analyzing the video, trying to figure out what theme might there be in this new horror game.
Even within the horror genre, there are different styles and themes.
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One player speculated, "There's a DV and it seems like it's in an indoor office setting. It looks like it's modern. I am betting that it isn't going to be scary enough."
Another added, "In the footage, the player will be filming with a DV. But it's super quiet. The room looks messy, so I'm guessing maybe one can only see the ghosts through the DV? they are following that instrument troupe for this horror game"
Xu Chen Jue chimed in, "You're walking through corridors of some mental asylum or hospital with the DV, and suddenly some mad people show up on the screen before dragging you into the abyss!"
"Come on, there's nothing concrete to analyze here," Cat Empire countered.
"I'm getting chills just looking at this during daylight!" (=ಠᆽಠ=)
"You guys are too wishy-washy. Is this seriously scaring you already? Maybe you should wear a diaper when you play," Zhong of Fujian mocked.
"That video was creepy as hell! I found it when I was about to go to bed. It didn't even reveal much, but it still spooked me. I spent another half of the night thinking someone was under my bed." Person_1 poster
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While the online discussion was raging with all sorts of wild guesses. Most of it was presumption. After all, I only hinted that the next game would be a horror title. The exact type and theme? I kept everything under wraps.
It wasn't only between players either. The video sparked heated debates among game designers and media outlets in the industry too.
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"Did you hear? Chen Xu's next game is going to be a horror title!"
"Yeah, I didn't expect him to go down that route. It's a bit of a surprise."
"But, if you think about it, it makes sense. For smaller teams and indie developers, horror games are a good development pathway."
'Small team? Chen Xu does not have a small team. Haven't you read the introduction of Neon Game? Chen Xu's team isn't exactly small.'
'It's normal, after all, "Undertale" and "To the Moon" are selling very well.'
'However, horror games are still relatively niche, especially domestically, and even overseas, there haven't been many standout horror games in the industry.'
'Yeah, although VR seems more suited to horror games, the market, official acceptance and cost are a huge challenge.'
'Chen Xu's horror game. I think it is Selling dog meat with a sheep's head.' ૮ – ﻌ–ა ૮ ºﻌºა ૮ ⚆ﻌ⚆ა
'What do you mean by that?'
'If you look at "To the Moon" and "Undertale," it's clear that Chen Xu excels at storytelling. So, maybe this so-called horror game is just a scary skin wrapped around a heartwarming story.'
When it comes out, people will buy it and then it will turn out the 'horror' game is just a haunted spectacle where the ghosts offer you tea and life advice. The jump scares? Oh, just heartfelt hugs in disguise. Monsters? Nah, they're just misunderstood life coaches. Truly, nothing's more terrifying than emotional growth!"
'That doesn't seem impossible, considering he is the warrior of love'
｡:ﾟ૮ ˶ˆ ﻌ ˆ˶ ა ﾟ:｡
'True, that makes sense!'
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As we discuss Chen Xu and the news of his new game, it's clear the industry is buzzing with speculations. However, for some media outlets chasing clicks, it's chaos out there.
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"Strange video dropped late at night—what's Chen Xu planning?"
"Crime at Neon Game office! Chen Xu Injured"
(ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻
"From Cozy to Creepy, Warm to Harm~ is this the Warrior of Love path: Designer Chen Xu ventures into horror games!"
"Leaving his comfort zone to try a niche horror game—is it confidence or blind optimism?"
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Articles like these flood various websites and forums.
Larger media outlets seem to take a neutral stance, but smaller, second- and third-tier game media are stoking the flames, pushing all sorts of narratives.
The main reason is the type of game Chen Xu has chosen to tackle.
The horror game genre has been a stagnant sea for years. There are not many ripples within it.
The few horror games that do sell well are part of long-standing IPs, but even their sales have been declining year by year.
And horror games themselves? They're a mixed bag.
Domestically, you've got zombies or female ghost themes.
Abroad, it's killers or demonic entities.
Some are realistic, others are surreal.
But there's no real standout.
None of these games have managed to break out of their niche.
They still rely on the same formula: scares, shooting, and predictable plot twists.
It's not that the formula doesn't work, it's just that it's incredibly hard to make it feel fresh.
How many horror shooters from the past stand out? Maybe "Resident Evil" or "Dead Space." The former is still a top-tier IP, while the latter was dead in the water until EA revived it years later because they had nothing else to push.
But for, Chen Xu, and the entire Neon Game team, all this online noise doesn't affect us much.
Why? Because the game's development is progressing visibly.
Even though the game isn't fully finished, we can already experience some of the early content.
After playing it, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and the rest of us had the same thought:
There is no way in hell this should be played at night!
Seriously, it's terrifying.
Even though we're the ones developing the game, and every element has been built by our team, that doesn't make it any less scary for us!
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