Chapter 47


    In the early hours of October 31st, followers of Chen Xu received a notification that there was a new upload.


    The post contained a short video clip and a message : Wanna guess what the new game is?


    Even though it was posted on such an ungodly hour, there were still arge number of night owls who followed Chen Xus socials.


    So it didnt take long for the likes,ments and reblogs toe flooding in. <ul><li>[ Whoa, whats happening? Look what I found! Does Chen Xu have a new game for us? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ What time is it? What gamingpany posts promos at this hour??? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Chen Xu: Ill post whenever I feel like it. *Gigachad png* ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Yo, whats this video about? Is it a horror game? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Ive never felt more ufortable watching a video camera recording lol ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Is this real? Is Chen Xu making a horror game? ]


    </li></ul><ul><li>[ Shame, Im not into horror, but the timing is so perfect ] </li></ul><ul><li>[ Is this an actual live recording or is this part of the game? Is it video camera rted? ]</li></ul>


    Many were left puzzled. After all, Chen Xus intentions were obvious. This intensely eerie video posted at this timing indicates that his uing project would be horror rted.


    But what caused more discussion was the timing of this message.


    The very next day, Chen Xus post kicked up quite a stir among the gaming media outlets.


    After all, he had gained some measure of fame in the recentpetition with his hit piece, To the Moon, making him good clickbait material for their articles.


    And also, November was fast approaching. There would be little to no major releases worth mentioning during this time period because everyone would be waiting for the holiday season of December.


    Meanwhile, the most heated discussions were conducted by the nichemunity of horror enthusiasts, sequestered away in their hidden ces and dusty forums.


    After all, even horror games have subgenres. <ul><li>[ Alright, so heres what we know. Theres a video recorder and it seems to be shot in a modern office. Looks like a contemporary setting ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ The person seems to be trying to film something with the camera, but the entire video is silent. And look at how messed up the room is, Im specting ghosts. Like, maybe we can only see ghosts with the camera? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Prime jumpscare material, I can see it already. You walk through dark corridors and rooms with the video cam, then BOOM! A ghostly face appears in the camera footage, pulling the cameraman into the darkness ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Damn, I think youre all overthinking it. Theres literally nothing in the video, stop throwing out random nonsense in broad daylight, youre scaring me ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ It is a fantastically eerie setting, I stumbled upon the posttest night, and even if it didnt reveal much, I kept feeling like there was something under my bed, kept me away for half the night ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Lmao heres a link for adult diapers, you big baby  ] </li></ul>


    Discussions such as these were happening fervently in popr gaming forums and boards, but it was mostly wild analysis and ideas being thrown around. After all, Chen Xus video only hinted at the genre of game he was cooking up, without offering up many other details.


    And It wasnt just the yers who were buzzing with curiosity either, there were many among the gaming media and game designers who were trying to get a feel for what was toe. <ul><li>[ Have you heard? Chen Xus uing project is actually a horror game! ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Thats unexpected, really didnt think he would choose to go down the horror route ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ But its not a bad choice, for smaller teams and indies, horror games have always been a very good entry point ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Smaller teams? Chen Xus team isnt exactly small. Havent you heard they were recruiting a lot of people recently? I bet theyve expanded quite a bit ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Now <em>thats</em> something I expected. Undertale and To the Moon both sold very well ]


    </li></ul><ul><li>[ But horror games are so niche tho And not just here in China, there arent really any noteworthy horror titles abroad either ] </li></ul><ul><li>[ VR tech should pair really well with horror games, but it so gosh darn expensive, I wouldnt go for it, too risky ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ What if its a bait and switch? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ ? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Look, Chen Xus a good storyteller. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it. So what if this horror game is just a front for a heartwarming storyline experience? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ Huh, if you put it that way, I guess it makes sense. He told everyone hes a warrior of love right? ]</li></ul><ul><li>[ You might be onto something dude ]</li></ul>


    While members of the game designermunity were having logical, level-headed conversations about Chen Xu, things were a bit more chaotic on the media side.


    CREEPY VIDEO RELEASED AT MIDNIGHT!! WHAT IS CHEN XUS MASTER PLAN??!!


    FROM HEARTWARMING TO HORROR? DESIGNER CHEN XUS NEXT MOVE


    CHEN XU ABANDONS HIS LOYAL FANS! PURSUES NEW FIELD! CONFIDENT OR BLIND?


    ..


    Soon various articles flooded gaming news websites and forums. Mostrger outlets tended to favor a more neutral approach, trying to maintain amicable rtions with the designers featured in their articles.


    But the same couldnt be said for the smaller marketing ounts and lower tiered outlets, where creating a buzz was the business.


    This was mainly due to the specific genre chosen by Chen Xu.


    After all, it has been several years since the gaming industry was introduced to an excellent horror game. And even back then, its quality was still rather poor whenpared to excellent games of the more popr genres like Action or Adventure games.


    It wouldnt be urate to say that the horror scene is stagnant in this world.


    There is a diverse range of horror games focusing on many types of antagonists. From zombies and ghost themed games poprized in China to serial killer and demon themed games poprized abroad.


    There are also horror games that take a more grounded, realistic approach and horror titles that lean towards the supernatural and myth.


    So theres a lot to pick and choose from, but the scene isnt exactly bustling either, almost none of them have sold well.


    In the current market, the horror games that do make sales are usually from older IPs and are part of a series. But even those are facing lower and lower sales with each gaming season.


    And one of the reasons is that none of these games have tried breaking out of their traditional restrictions.


    Theyre still relying on small, one-shot plotlines. Still using jumpscares as their main tool. Still relying on rudimentary FPSbat systems and designs.


    Granted, none of these are <em>bad</em> per se, but its difficult to make things more exciting and take major risks when funding is limited and the investors are king.


    For Chen Xu and the rest of Neb Games, these discussions online have had very little impact.


    Because the development progress of the game was ramping up significantly and many of the staff were now in the zone of their creative process.


    While the game was not yetpleted, many parts of the game could already be experienced.


    And after experiencing those segments, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and many of the other team members came to a unanimous conclusion.


    Dont y this game at night.


    Its really scary, please send help.


    Even though they had peered behind the curtain, participated in the creation of the game from scratch, and had ess to the backend systems of the game


    The yable parts of Oust were still delivering a level of terror that was previously unseen in the horror gaming genre.


    Yang Xin was closely monitoring the online buzz after Chen Xus post, and she made a silent prayer for the poor souls who would be the first to experience the monster they were about to unleash.<ul data-sharing-events-added="true">


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