Chapter 104: Always Imitated, Never Surpassed

Just seeing these sketches had everyone's enthusiasm running high. The thought of the Azeroth world being made into an RPG game excited everyone greatly.

Lily Emerson and Paul Wilder never thought Alex Parker was actually working on an RTS game, considering RTS games were dominated by foreign companies and domestic ones couldn't quite get the hang of it.

Everyone assumed that making an RPG would be the safest choice for Alex.

Suddenly, Lily remembered something and said to Alex, "By the way, boss, have you been following Infinite Entertainment's new game recently?"

Alex shook his head. "No, what's the new game?"

Lily replied, "It's called 'Seven Heroes Saga,' a martial arts-themed large-scale RPG game for the PC."

Daniel Cooper said, "Oh, that one. I've been following it. The closed beta is opening today, and the public beta will start in two months."

Alex showed some interest. "Really? What type of game is it? Tell me more."

Daniel explained, "I watched the introductory video. It's basically a reskinned version of 'Sword of Legends.' They swapped the xianxia theme for a wuxia theme."

Paul added, "What? They can do that? Infinite Entertainment is being pretty lazy."

Daniel said, "It's not really lazy. Given how successful 'Sword of Legends' was, changing the gameplay significantly could ruin the game. It's actually a safer approach to just reskin their own game, changing the theme from xianxia to wuxia, redoing the content, packaging, classes, combat system, and so on, but keeping the core gameplay intact. This minimizes the risk of failure."

Phoenix remarked, "Looks like they're testing the waters. If the PC version is successful, they'll develop a VR version. It's a common strategy."

Daniel said, "The PC version will likely be successful. In the domestic market, 'Sword of Legends' is still considered top-tier."

While they were talking, Amy Johnson suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, everyone look at X. Generation Entertainment's official account! They're announcing a new game too!"

Everyone quickly took out their phones. Sure enough, Generation Entertainment had posted a new game announcement.

After "I Am MT," Alex had developed "Thunder Chess" and "Lifeline," spending over a month in development, plus the time to gather players, conduct research, and prepare. Nearly four months had passed by now.

Clearly, Generation Entertainment hadn't been idle during this time either.

Generation Entertainment's official X account: "Our new game 'Ain World' is opening for closed beta soon, with pre-registration now open! Experience a vast world, rich racial settings, and a unique role-playing experience!"

Below the post were a few pieces of concept art, featuring a human knight, an orc warrior, an elf archer, and several scenic artworks, all with a classic Western fantasy vibe.

Daniel was shocked. "What the hell? Why would Generation go for a Western fantasy theme?"

Lily commented, "Ain World? The name sounds like a rip-off of Azeroth."

Amy asked, "Boss, what do you think?"

Alex chuckled, "What's there to think? The Western fantasy genre has been nearly dead in the domestic market. Generation and Infinite Entertainment previously considered it taboo. Now, suddenly, they want to make a Western fantasy game with a completely original world setting? Clearly..."

Daniel interjected, "They're trying to copy Azeroth."

Alex nodded with a smile. "Exactly."

Paul was outraged. "Wow, Generation Entertainment is really lowering the bar! Almost every game you make, they copy. How can such a big company have no shame?"

Lily added, "They're even copying games that haven't been made yet."

Alex smiled. "Relax, have any of their copied games surpassed the originals?"

Amy said, "Boss, we can't just sit back and do nothing. This blatant copying of our world setting should be actionable, right?"

Alex said, "They've made changes. Look, their game is based on classic Western fantasy settings. They've 'borrowed' some ideas from the Azeroth Universe but don't dare borrow too much."

Amy was still indignant. "So, boss, we're just going to let it go?"

Alex shook his head. "Of course not. Do I look like someone who would just let it slide? Goldfish, bring me my phone."

Amy was confused. "Huh?"

Alex subtly pointed to a table nearby. "Over there."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Boss, you're such a drama queen. It's just a few steps away, and you act like an emperor."

Despite her words, Amy walked over, grabbed the phone, and handed it to Alex.

Everyone was curious. What was Alex going to do? Was he planning to stir up trouble again?

Alex posted a new X post, containing only one image: Arthas' concept art.

After thinking for a moment, he added a caption: "Always imitated, never surpassed."

The post went live almost simultaneously with Generation Entertainment's post, with less than a five-minute difference.

As soon as Alex's post was up, the crowd went wild!

People who were ready to criticize Generation Entertainment's post immediately switched their focus to Alex's post. Who cared about Generation Entertainment anymore?

Alex's post contained just one sketch and one sentence, but the information was profound!

In the Azeroth Universe, there were more than a dozen entries related to Arthas. Everyone knew he was a key figure in the Azeroth Universe. Many players were familiar with Arthas' deeds.

Even those who didn't know who Arthas was could tell how impressive the sketch was!

Just look at the design, the expression, the setting, and the badass skeletal horse and Frostmourne. Two words: mind-blowing!

Compared to this sketch, "Ain World's" polished concept art looked like cheap imitations. No matter how much effort they put into makeup, they were overshadowed by Alex's sketch.

It reeked of imitation.

Moreover, Alex added the perfect caption: "Always imitated, never surpassed."

Exactly! This was the essence of the situation!

"Plants vs. Zombies," "I Am MT," "Thunder Chess," no matter the genre, theme, or approach, whether good or bad, as soon as Alex released a game, other designers would swarm like flies to copy it. The audience was getting tired of it!

And now, Generation Entertainment was even copying the Azeroth Universe? They had reached new lows!

But look at Alex's games. Truly, they had never been surpassed! No matter how much they copied, Alex's next game would continue to dominate them!