Less than ten minutes later, all dozen or so people from Honghuang Studio had gathered in the conference room.
Everyone's faces were filled with anticipation and excitement as they crowded around the conference table, discussing animatedly.
"Everyone's here. Is something big going to be announced?"
"I heard Song Laoda say it's to discuss the direction for our next game."
"A new game is finally coming? It won't be another project like super rabbit man, will it?"
"What? You look down on super rabbit man? You look down on the gold content of being first at the exhibition?"
Hearing this, Old Li, who was sitting nearby, immediately disagreed.
super rabbit man was a game he was in charge of, and it had achieved such good results, giving him a lot more confidence when speaking.
One couldn't tell at all the disgusted expression he had when they first started making it.
"Oh, come on. Don't even think about how bad your face looked when you took over this project."
"This game became popular entirely because of Chen Lin's design and promotional CG. You just got to bask in the glory."
"Exactly. He got the benefit and is still acting smug."
Everyone chimed in with teasing remarks, mercilessly exposing his past.
"Even if I didn't have merit, I still put in the hard work, didn't I? Staring at those strange things all day, do you know how I got through the past half-month?"
Old Li argued, his face flushed.
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this, and the entire conference room was filled with cheer.
It wasn't until Chen Lin and Old Song walked in from outside that their expressions became serious, and they quickly quieted down and sat up straight.
"I've gathered all of you to discuss the plan for our next game."
As soon as he sat down, Chen Lin got straight to the point.
Old Song, meanwhile, sat beside him, holding a design proposal, looking utterly stunned, as if his soul had left his body.
The employees didn't notice this anomaly and instead asked, "Mr. Chen, are we still going to make platformer-style games?"
Whether it was braveheart, slay the spire, or super rabbit man, their core essence was all about clearing levels, and it was also the area their studio was currently most proficient in. Sticking to this direction for continued development was surely the right choice.
Players knew they were good at making such games and would generally buy them.
This was a common tactic used by most developers to stabilize their player market.
However, Chen Lin's response was a denial.
"No, this time we don't plan to make the same type of game."
Not making similar games?
Wouldn't that be a waste of the advantage they had accumulated during this period?
The employees were very confused, not understanding why Chen Lin would choose to abandon the excellent prospects they had so painstakingly created.
"Mr. Chen, you're not planning to develop survival adventure games like those other developers, are you?"
Du Xing, who was nearby, seemed to guess something and suddenly spoke up.
As soon as he said this, everyone's expressions changed.
They had all heard some rumors before the meeting and were somewhat aware of this matter, so they immediately began to dissuade him:
"Many big developers are eyeing the survival adventure game market right now."
"I heard that even Wanhai and Star Travel are preparing for such projects, and have already started mobilizing funds and personnel."
"With our studio's current strength, I'm afraid we'll be crushed without a trace. Mr. Chen, please don't be impulsive!"
"That's right, the competition is so fierce; it's too difficult to stand out!"
As professionals in the gaming industry, how could they not know how tempting this big piece of cake was?
But they also understood that it was impossible to get a share of this market without some strength.
Let alone Wanhai, even developers with a larger scale than Wanhai in China might not be able to guarantee taking over this market.
In such a situation where there were too many wolves and too little meat, rushing in would only lead to death!
"Of course, I know everything you're saying."
Seeing everyone trying to dissuade him, Chen Lin spoke, then turned and gestured to Old Song beside him.
Old Song took a deep breath, gripped the game proposal tighter, and finally slowly stood up.
The screen of his laptop was projected onto the central curtain.
"This is our upcoming design proposal. Please take a look at it first before we discuss."
As his voice fell, a huge cover appeared.
The employees, who had been about to say something, instantly widened their eyes after seeing this cover.
"This... this is the game we're going to make next?!"
"Song Laoda, are you sure you didn't put up the wrong picture?"
"Gulp..."
The sound of swallowing saliva rose and fell, and everyone stared intently at the screen.
On the screen, a ferocious beast wreathed in lightning stood proudly, towering between the dark, surging sky and earth.
Its terrifying scales, interwoven with gold and blue, were covered with a thick layer of fur, extending from the dragon horns on its head all the way down its spine.
Its ferocious, domineering claws rested on the mountaintop as it roared to the sky, as if controlling the myriad thunderbolts above its head!
And in front of the beast, a human figure held a greatsword, appearing as small as an ant.
The three powerful characters "Thunder Wolf Wyvern" seemed to declare the ancient beast's formidable reputation.
With just one glance, the employees were awed by the exaggerated visual impact, as if the fierce beast would leap out of the screen, making them feel an intense sense of oppression.
They had no doubt that if they encountered such a monster in reality, their heads would definitely be twisted off in an instant, with no chance of escape!
"Mr. Chen, what is this? Didn't you say we were going to make a survival adventure game?"
Old Li couldn't help but turn his head and ask.
According to the information he had, the games made by those big developers were mostly centered around shooting and gunfights, integrating the currently popular FPS as the main gameplay.
For example, battlefield survival, interstellar adventure, and deserted island exploration generally used firearms as weapons for long-range attacks on enemies, while also highlighting adventure elements.
Players were also generally familiar with this type of gameplay.
But what was shown on the screen didn't look like this type of game; instead, it seemed to be primarily focused on cold weapons?
"You're not mistaken; this is indeed an adventure game. It's just that I don't plan to crowd into the FPS genre like those other developers."
"Then what's the main gameplay?"
"Hunting!"
Chen Lin uttered two words, a smile appearing on his face.
"Hunting?"
"Yes, hunting, and specifically hunting various massive ancient species!" Chen Lin said in a deep voice.
Beside him, Old Song scrolled through the interface, and concept designs of monsters appeared one after another before everyone's eyes.
There were bird-beasts, dragon-beasts, and even Elder Dragons.
Each also had its own habits and habitats.
With each image they saw, the employees gasped, deeply shaken by the bold and exaggerated designs, gradually immersing themselves in this bizarre world of monsters.
Once they finished viewing, several programmers immediately became excited.
"What an amazing design! Letting players become hunters to hunt these giant monsters, even ancient species—the combat scenes alone are thrilling to imagine!"
"And each monster has different characteristics, so we can design various targeted weapons and traps to fill out the gameplay!"
"Materials obtained from hunting can also be used to craft equipment, recreating ancient hunting scenes!"
"I guarantee this game will be a huge hit when it's made!"
Inside the conference room, the employees discussed the game's content excitedly, forgetting their anxious expressions from earlier when they had tried to dissuade Chen Lin.
On the screen, the game's name gradually appeared: monster hunter.