"Mr. Alex, GC has officially announced their new game!" shouted the panicked designer at CA Inc., the company behind "The Collection of Cute Pets."
"They're releasing new games so soon?" Alex replied, shocked. "How long has it been since 'Pokemon Red/Green' came out? And now they have another new game?"
"They timed this announcement perfectly to steal our thunder," Ray, who was busy testing the stability of WeGame, chimed in. "They must be trying to ride on our popularity."
"But... but GC's post has already become the number one search trend," Chris said, clearly embarrassed. "Their popularity has completely overshadowed our three hot search entries."
"What?" John was stunned. "Our paid popularity has been overshadowed by GC? That's impossible!"
Despite CA's significant investment in generating buzz, GC had managed to outshine them. The facts were undeniable, no matter how unbelievable they seemed.
"It's still a Pokemon series game. They have big ambitions, wanting to dominate this industry," Ray read Indra's blog posts. "But we don't have to be afraid of them."
"WG has already released the beta version. I tried it just now, and it's far superior to GBA," Ray continued. "We need to have confidence in our first console. Keep an eye on GC's actions. When their new game goes live, we'll officially release WG! Our offline experience store will open simultaneously with the WG launch."
Today, GC stole CA's spotlight. Tomorrow, CA aimed to reclaim it. Ray couldn't believe GC could withstand the combined might of CA's top three revenue-generating games, Penguin's first console, and the offline experience store's grand opening. They were convinced GC would crumble under the pressure.
Meanwhile, Indra wasn't just developing "Pokemon Pikachu"; he also secured 100,000 physical game cartridges from the system store. This launch would see both the PC and console versions released simultaneously, with identical content and no cuts. Unlike the first-generation Red and Green games, which had a truncated second-week storyline on PC, the PC version of Pikachu included all content.
The console version, allowing online Pokémon exchanges, was priced slightly higher than the PC version. Indra initially considered focusing solely on console-exclusive games but decided against it. The current console player market needed further exploration, and it wasn't wise to abandon the PC version updates prematurely.
"Pokemon Pikachu" wasn't a sequel but a revised version of "Pokemon Red/Green." Indra planned to reserve the honor of the first exclusive game on the GBA console platform for the next generation, "Pokemon Gold/Silver."
"Huh? CA actually surpassed me on the search list?" Indra muttered after finalizing his follow-up game development plan. He wanted to see the players' discussions but found that CA had regained the lead in popularity, likely through their financial clout.
CA, as one of the top large-scale game companies in the US, couldn't tolerate being overshadowed by an emerging small studio like GC. They resorted to their financial prowess, buying fake searches to regain their position.
Online, players were fascinated by the heated battle between CA and GC. They recognized that CA's surge in popularity was driven by their financial power, but the competitive atmosphere was beneficial for progress and innovation. Players eagerly awaited Indra's response in this ongoing battle.
Respond? Of course, Indra would respond. He knew that sustaining a game's popularity required continuous engagement. With CA setting the stage, he couldn't resist the opportunity to showcase his work.
Later, Indra logged into his V-Blog account and posted a brand-new update: "The streamer version of 'Pokemon Pikachu' will launch tonight. Streamers from all platforms can enter the official website to draw for experience qualifications!"
The announcement sent waves of excitement across the internet. Popular streamers, including PDD and Diana, rushed to express their eagerness to participate. Streamers from various platforms, such as Tiger Live, Bamboo Live, and Big Bird Zhuanzhuan Live, followed suit, amplifying the buzz.
Pokemon was the most popular franchise, and the hype for "Pokemon Pikachu" was explosive. Securing the first broadcast qualification of the streamer version promised significant boosts in their rankings within the live streaming world. Major streamers needed this opportunity to stay on top, while smaller streamers hoped to rise to fame overnight.
The anticipation for the streamer version of "Pokemon Pikachu" quickly overshadowed CA's trending topics, reclaiming the top spot on V-Blog's hot search list. The excitement continued to soar, hinting at a potential monthly heat record.
More importantly, the focus had shifted entirely to the official game website of Pokemon. Everyone was eager to see which streamers would be the lucky ones to get the first version of "Pokemon Pikachu" and who would be left out. The drawing event for the trial qualification had already caused a sensation online, capturing the attention of the entire gaming community.