C169: The Player's Mood May Be a Little Excited
In the City, within the fifth area of the gameplay exhibition, the staff worked busily to set up the event.
Unlike last year's event, Neon Games' exhibition area had been moved to the third exhibition zone. With the success of Dark Souls and Divide, Neon Games no longer stood as just an independent game manufacturer. Meanwhile, major companies like Tenghua and Net Dragon retained their prominent exhibition areas, just as they had the previous year.
The third exhibition zone predominantly housed second- and third-tier game manufacturers. Booth sizes were distributed evenly, and Neon Games' exhibition space remained similar to last year's allocation.
"I feel like the game makers around us are paying a lot of attention to us," Ruan Ningxue remarked while setting up the exhibition area.
"Yeah, it feels like a tiger watching its prey," Yang Xin replied.
"Some designers even came over earlier with the usual routines to gather intelligence!"
"Well, President Chen did steal all the limelight last year," Lin Tao added with a smile.
Ruan Ningxue sighed with slight regret. "I feel like we're just here to play soy sauce this year. The only thing we have to show is the promotional trailer for the Dark Souls prequel."
"There's not much choice," Yang Xin said.
"The timeline is too tight, and President Chen already released Silent Hill PT ahead of schedule. If it had been unveiled here, the players would have rattled there legs!"
At that moment, several Cosplayer rehearsing nearby faltered in their dance steps. Being gamers themselves, they were well aware of the hype surrounding Silent Hill PT, the most terrifying demo trending online in recent days. Even those who hadn't played it had seen reviews, live streams, or media coverage. If Silent Hill PT had been brought to the exhibition, it would undoubtedly have left the players ecstatic.
As the team continued their preparations, Chen Xu and Qin Yi arrived at the booth entrance with several staff members, pushing a small cart laden with peculiar props.
"President Chen, is this a new COS item? It looks so strange!" someone exclaimed.
"Yeah! What's with this inflatable hammer and water tank sofa? What even is this?" asked Yang Xin and Ruan Ningxue, their curiosity piqued.
The props on the cart were clearly custom-made. Among them were four water tank-shaped sofas, each about 80 centimeters high, reaching just above Qin Yi's thighs. Nestled within each sofa was a large, inflatable hammer resembling those used on construction sites.
Chen Xu explained with a grin, "Qin Yi and I came up with a small game over the past couple of days. These props are part of it. We thought adding this to the exhibition area could help fill the space and give players a sense of immersion."
"Oh, I see!" Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin nodded in understanding, their initial confusion replaced with excitement.
However, some are curious about what game Chen Xu has made.
In response to Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin's inquiry, Chen Xu simply spread his hands and smiled without saying a word.
On the other side, Qin Yi looked at the four large water tank sofas in front of him and the four hammers but hesitated to say anything.
After thinking about it, Qin Yi silently approached the exhibition area staff and communicated, "Tomorrow, send more security guards to the exhibition area to maintain order? The players may get more excited there and there."
The large security guard, clearly a Souls fan, heard Qin Yi's words and saw the developer label on his chest. He immediately laughed. "No problem! I understand! Is it the demo of the prequel to Dark Souls? Players might get really excited, it's been so long!"
Looking at the security guard, smiling with some anticipation, Qin Yi's expression grew more complicated.
Try it out? Is that what it's called?
And the excitement the guard expected... what he said to him was far from what Qin Yi had in mind!
On the day of the exhibition, just like last year, the gameplay exhibition was crowded with people.
Many local players from the Capital showed up, and some traveled from other places to try out the new games on display.
At the entrance, players were discussing the exhibition.
This year, NetDragon and Tenghua, the two game makers, didn't have any major breakthroughs. Aside from some third-party studios, there were no shocking masterpieces.
However, they still attracted many players as the top choice, since there were more games to try.
As for Neon Games, many players came directly for Dark soul prequel. Chen Xu had already stated on the official blog before the exhibition that new information about the sequel would be announced at the event.
Coupled with the internet buzz around Silent Hill PT in the past few days, Neon Games had garnered significant attention.
There were also many loyal fans of Neon Games.
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"I wonder what Chen Xu will bring to this year's exhibition!" Zhang Yi said with anticipation.
"Hopefully, something like Silent Hill PT!" Wang Han replied.
"Anything new will do, just not a horror game," added Song Ren, tall and strong.
"By the way, why didn't Wang Yifan and Qiao Yi come this year?" Wang Han asked curiously.
"Qiao Yi can't come because of a broken leg. Wang Yifan's on a business trip this month and couldn't get time off," Song Ren explained.
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When they arrived at the Neon Games exhibition area, Zhang Yi and Song Ren were a bit confused.
It was so crowded.
The entire exhibition hall was packed with people. Although everyone was queuing up under the supervision of security, the area was still overwhelmingly full.
But they can't stand in the crowd!
From a distance, there is basically nothing on the stage except the showgirl and cosplayer performing.
But soon, Zhang Yi and the others understood why.
After the opening cosplayer performance, a familiar person stepped up.
"Hello, everyone!" Chen Xu greeted the players present with a smile while holding the microphone.
Many players in the audience waved and returned the greeting.
["Finally met Chen Xu!"]
["When will the prequel to Dark Souls be announced?"]
["Is Silent Hill PT just a DEMO?"]
The players chatted and shared their thoughts.
Chen Xu motioned for the crowd to quiet down before continuing, "I believe the reason why everyone is here today is for this!"
As Chen Xu's voice echoed, the players in the venue erupted in excited shouts.
On the big screen behind him, an icon appeared—a bonfire with a spiral sword from Dark Souls!
An undead knight, half-kneeling before the bonfire, was slowly outlined.
As the video played, the players' voices gradually quieted, only the background music filling the exhibition area.
The video didn't end there. The bonfire continued to burn.
With the flames rising, the image began to distort and blur.
The undead figure kneeling before it slowly vanished.
In the end, the figure turned into a cloud of white mist.
The flames burned brighter, and the white mist enveloped the entire screen.
The next moment, amidst the uncontrollable cheers of the players, an elderly voice echoed through the speakers.