Chapter 42: Do Our Own Games

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Over the next period, the popularity of Time and Space has continued to rise, and players have become more polarized in their evaluation of the game. As a producer, Martel has not yet decided what direction he wants to focus on. Until now, the game has remained unchanged except for a few patches.

The soundtrack on the other side of Miracle Entertainment has been modified. They specially invited several bands to perform the music, which can be said to be a luxurious lineup.

After replacing the original soundtrack and trying out the game, John was satisfied this time. Although it felt the same as the dream memory, it had a unique charm, especially the theme songs of the Dancer and the Cleric. Even though John didn't fully understand the musical techniques or the instruments used, the contrast and layering of the melodies conveyed the feeling he wanted.

"Sales of Time and Space have exceeded 1.5 million!"

"Yeah, and there are a lot of players online, it has remained around 300,000."

"These media also gave high ratings!"

In the PixelPioneers Studio office, Evelien, Koch, and Duncan discussed quietly among themselves.

John looked at the bug list just sent by the outsourcing test team on the desktop and listened to their discussion.

"What are you all doing? Why isn't it about our own game? Say that the game we are making is Octopath Traveler instead of Time and Space?"

"Mr. John, this is our competitor, and only Time and Space has been released as an RPG-type game recently. Many game media are watching us!" Evelien said to John.

"Yes, President John, these games are being used by the media to rub off our heat, saying that the retro pixel-style JRPG is a relic of the past and will certainly be overshadowed by Time and Space," Koch recalled some of the comments on the Internet and spoke with some indignation.

Unlike previous games, this one was very emotional for each of them. Seeing many people online criticizing it made them angry. The game hasn't even been released yet, why is it getting so much negativity? Their subjective views?

"So the best way to prove them wrong is to show it through our work. First, fix the bugs in the game, and make our own game," John shook his head and said to everyone.

Regarding some of the recent comments on the Internet, although John didn't seem to care too much, he was still aware of them.

With the sales of Time and Space exceeding 1.5 million, many of the interviews with John and Martel at the Independent Game Conference resurfaced in Starry Sky.

There were still many personal game evaluations on social platforms. Influencers publicly criticized John's words and then praised Time and Space. It was unclear whether these influencers were purely trying to gain popularity or if there was marketing behind Time and Space.

But all of this was just an external factor. When the game is excellent, these people will praise it in turn, John was very clear about that. Making their game better was what they should focus on now.

***

Bug fixes, music and CV implementation, and clips for promotional trailers were all completed by the end of July. In front of the computer, everyone looked at the images on the screen and excitedly discussed.

"A lot of special effects are added to the game."

"The shining sand flowing in the desert and the delicate water are great."

Koch and Evelien discussed these things they could see, but there were many artistic applications in the game, such as focal length, light spots, deliberately nostalgic frame-by-frame flowers and plants, realistic trees swaying in the wind, and pixel maps on more elaborate 3D models, reflected in the 2D tile floor with a layer of real light and shadow.

These seemingly trivial elements combined with a large number of shift-tilt photography techniques created a blend of reality and illusion, making the real world look like a model and the model more real.

Balancing these elements was very difficult. If not for the dream memory in his mind as a reference, John alone couldn't achieve this effect.

"In terms of games, related publishers have contacted us. Moondustries, Gemtechs, and Essence, as well as some other well-known publishing companies in the industry, are very interested in our game," John smiled at everyone.

Hearing John's words, everyone burst into cheers.

There was no doubt that the major publishers were still very interested in John's new game, even though John had previously indicated that this was a JRPG and still in pixel style. With the success of Binding of Isaac as an example, most game publishers were still very interested in John's game.

After talking with the team about some things, John and Luna took the Samoyed and prepared to go home. The Samoyed had started to grow hair after being well-fed, looking much more adorable than before.

"We used to work well with Social Tap. Don't we want to continue working with them this time?" On the way back, Luna asked John.

"We'll look at the specific conditions. If the major publishers can give better conditions than Social Tap, of course, we'll choose the major ones," John said while driving.

Regarding Binding of Isaac, their cooperation with Social Tap was indeed quite good, but they didn't owe anything to Social Tap. Binding of Isaac made Social Tap gain fame and fortune, and in terms of making money, John might not have made much from Social Tap. It was just ordinary business cooperation, not a matter of who owed whom.

"But the major publishers are also challenging. If this were a mainstream ARPG, with Binding of Isaac as an example, our voice would be much louder. But the pixel style plus JRPG type means, at least in commercial assessments, they have to drop by about 30%," John saw clearly, but it was necessary to try.

"But I don't think Social Tap and Schultz will be so short-sighted." Parking the car in the community garage, they pulled the Samoyed out and walked while talking.

"Anyway, we can't lose," Luna said casually.

As for the major publishers, she had no conception of them.

"Yes, we can't lose," John smiled at Luna's words.