Agreed to make bad games, What the Hell is Titan Fall 135

Chapter 135: Who is actually losing money in this industry? (Extra chapter for Ragnarous, the Guild Master)

In Lu Xun’s essay “Further Discussion on the Collapse of the Leifeng Pagoda,” there is a passage:

“Tragedy is the destruction of something valuable in life before our very eyes.”

When BT’s body was completely pulverized in that unprecedented explosion that could have destroyed the entire planet, the players’ emotions went haywire!

All the streamers were in tears, breaking down on the spot!

Just ten minutes ago!

They were fighting side by side with BT, battling through smoke and fire, screaming as they boarded the ship and charged into battle, facing off against the tenacious poisonous snakes, taking down Sloan, and chasing off Sam the Rogue.

But in the blink of an eye!

BT, who had become one with their will, reaching 100% combat effectiveness, was forever gone from this planet.

Countless streamers left their sensory pods, running out of their live streams to cry.

Even someone like the Boss, who usually cracked jokes and cursed, couldn’t help but reveal their true feelings!

Many other streamers couldn’t even leave a complete voice message for BT, choking up and sobbing before they could finish.

As for the audience, they went absolutely crazy!

In every livestream, the cries of anger and heartbreak rose like waves!

“**** you! You ***! You ***! I *** you ***! You ***! You ***! Gu the Rogue!”

“Beast! No! I need a word more powerful than beast!”

“What? Are you a psychopath? You’re seriously a psychopath, aren’t you?”

“I can’t take it, I’m crying my eyes out.”

“My eyes are leaking.”

“No wonder the English name is TitanFall, but the Chinese name is ‘Titan’s Fall’! It turns out the ending is truly a fall! Damn it!”

“As soon as those three words ‘Believe me’ came out, I was completely broken.”

“Does anyone know where the Rogue lives? I’m going to send him some local specialties!”

“@Gu Sheng Sam, you better sleep with one eye open and one eye closed, I’m not kidding.”

“*** Gu Sheng, give me your address! I *** you to give me your address!”

“Just asking, does Binjiang have any ride-sharing services that beat people up? I’m willing to sell my house for one!”

“One? Other streamers will think we can’t afford it! Get ten! Ten small steel bars a day!”

“I’m heartbroken, brothers, I’m really heartbroken…”

“….”

And this! This was just the reaction in the Chinese market!

Remember!

ArtTour X2 also landed in overseas markets this time.

So, this wave of breaking down wasn’t just from Chinese players, but also from many foreigners!

Foreigners’ emotions are generally less stable than those of domestic players, so their words were even more intense!

One streamer kicked open their sensory pod and crouched on the ground, wailing:

“F***! F*** you Sam! You greasy radish, don’t eat!”

Another streamer stormed out of the sensory pod in a fit of rage, smashing the external livestream screen:

“Why are you doing this to me? Why! I just wanted to play a game, why are you doing this to me?”

Yet another streamer choked back sobs, accusing Gu Sheng of murder on the spot:

“Murderer! Murderer! SamGu is a cold-blooded killer! He killed my friend!”

At this moment, all the global TitanFall players united, showering Gu Sheng with a chorus of beautiful language, delivered through telegrams, in high praise of the ending he had crafted:

“***! You ***! You ***! This *** is really worthy of death! You’re a real piece of ***!”

The players were boiling!

Zhou Jie was also crying in her sensory pod, a sight more tragic than a Parisian night rain:

“Oh my god, I’m so done… Isn’t gaming supposed to bring happiness? …How could this happen?”

“Who does this ending bring happiness to? Oh, wait, I get it…”

“You Rogue, I don’t know about anyone else, but this is definitely bringing happiness to this psychopath…”

Thinking about this!

Zhou Jie couldn’t help but let out a roar to the heavens!

“Oh, Gatekeeper! Why is murder illegal?!”

While thinking this, Zhou Jie also skipped over the game’s ending credits and acknowledgments.

She couldn’t stand the mournful orchestral symphony anymore, she needed to wash her face and calm down.

However!

As soon as she skipped the credits, the screen froze on the moment the rebels were returning home from the vast expanse of space!

Then!

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A string of achievements popped up in the lower right corner of the UI:

[Unlocked “ArtTour X2: BT Voice Pack”]

[Unlocked “ArtTour X2: Cause and Effect Level Background”]

[Unlocked “ArtTour X2: TitanFall Theme”]

[Unlocked “Pacific Rim Movie Discount Card”]

[Unlocked “APEX Apex Tournament Invitation Card (In Preparation)”]

Seeing that long list of rewards, Zhou Jie’s mouth gaped open into an “O” shape!

There were so many rewards for completing the game!

But, on second thought, it made sense.

As one of the three major flagship titles for ArtTour X2, ArtTour would definitely have some custom content for TitanFall.

BT’s voice! The time-stopping background! The TitanFall cockpit theme!

If you switched to this whole set, the sensory pod would basically become a “TTF Exclusive Customized Machine”!

Thinking of this!

Zhou Jie applied all the ArtTour X2 rewards!

Then, she tentatively called out: “BT?”

The next second!

That familiar voice, quickly responded in a gentle and firm tone:

[This is BT-7274 Vanguard-Class Titan, you can call me BT, is there anything I can help you with?]

“Ohhhhhhh——!!!”

At that moment, Zhou Jie screamed in delight!

Although, in the game’s ending, BT left her forever.

But in real life, she could still talk to BT.

Just like how she could always return to the Ironclad Training Level and chat with Teacher La’s illusion!

Perhaps, this was the Rogue’s last bit of humanity.

Zhou Jie was comforted.

And the barrage of viewers in the chat were also overjoyed:

“What the f***! BT voice is awesome!”

“I’m buying it, I’m buying it, I’m buying it, I’m going all-in on this one.”

“Good thing the Rogue still has a little bit of his humanity left.”

“A little bit, but not much.”

“Right, because you need to watch BT die before you can unlock this voice pack.”

“Damn it! I declare the Rogue is still not human! His qualification to be a human has been unilaterally revoked by me!”

“You have to be slapped to get a sweet date, he knows how to control emotions.”

“I suspect this guy is doing this on purpose, for the thrill of tormenting players.”

“It’s hard not to agree…”

“….”

Amidst the viewers’ discussions, Zhou Jie continued to test out the background and theme.

These two were probably made by ArtTour, they were very fitting for the sensory pod, very beautiful, and of very high quality.

As for the Pacific Rim movie discount card, she also accepted it.

The “Trial by Fire” level was memorable, the level of this collaboration made her incredibly excited for the cinematic quality of Pacific Rim.

Although the Rogue’s mind was a bit twisted, his taste was undeniable.

Since he collaborated with this movie, it meant the quality of the movie shouldn’t be bad.

And finally!

There was the “APEX Apex Tournament Invitation Card”!

“Is this a… commemorative card, brothers?”

Zhou Jie was confused.

If she remembered correctly, the mercenary group the Rogue led in the game was called APEX.

What was this invitation card for?

Could it be a collectible? A digital commemorative card representing her completing the game?

However.

The moment she took out the invitation card, a string of information appeared on her head-up display:

[Name: APEX Invitation]

[Description:]

In the vast expanse of the interstellar frontier, an ancient and bloody sport has been passed down. Some legends fight for money, while others seek answers.

In the grand invitation tournament hosted by SamGu, only the players who rise to the top can become apex predators.

Claim inexhaustible wealth, or find the answers you’ve been searching for your entire life.

Players holding this card will receive Sam’s invitation to go to the land of fire, earn glory, and be reborn from the ashes…

[APEX Legends – Coming Soon]

[Serial Number: 2938-4432-2913-XXXX (Hidden/Show)]

Zhou Jie stared blankly for five seconds!

“Ah???”

Dumbfounded!

The expression of disbelief was clear on her face!

This wasn’t just a simple “game completion memorial”!

It was a ticket to the next thrilling journey!

At that moment!

Zhou Jie felt her scalp tingle, an incredible scream came from the sensory pod:

“W-what the ****?!”

“Brothers!”

“This is a little wild, I’m freaking out!”

“This is… huh?”

“I really like what the Golden Wind players said – huh?”

“What the f***! So TTF actually has a multiplayer mode?!”

“Strictly speaking, it’s a spin-off, because the battlefield has moved to the frontier, it’s about the selection of the APEX mercenary group.”

“Holy ****, I can’t take it, brothers… I’m getting goosebumps all over!”

“So, the cards the Rogue sent to players earlier were tickets for the next game!”

“This Easter egg is too big!”

“So, it’s a multiplayer versus game?”

“It seems so, and the final selected ones are those guys like Viper.”

“What??? I became a villain???”

“Hahahahahaha, it’s too ridiculous!”

“Can’t beat them, join them, since you can’t kill the Rogue, join the Rogue.”

“….”

Everyone was shocked!

That seemingly ordinary little bridge in the story, a card with a serial number on it!

It actually hid information about the spin-off game!

And!

What’s even more interesting is that this card was hand-delivered to them by the game’s head designer!

This kind of Easter egg was already enough to make people feel curious, but this kind of breaking-the-fourth-wall form was something that all players absolutely adored!

The players were shocked, saying that Gu Sheng was temporarily granted the right to breathe, and they would wait for the spin-off to come out before deciding whether to organize an offline brawl!

And the industry peers were even more shocked, waving their hands and saying “Too wild, too wild.”

The Golden Wind’s tricks were just too **** wild, this kind of creative form was unheard of.

It was a sudden shock that twisted our waists.

And so!

TitanFall, after eight days of release, all its game content was fully released!

But!

Its influence on the gaming industry spread rapidly like ripples from a giant rock falling into a lake!

Media reports poured in, another wave of 10s given out!

Some gaming media even gave TitanFall an extra point, bringing it to 11!

Above and beyond the ceiling!

Competitors also sprung into action!

Disassembling levels, analyzing designs, streamlining concepts, researching scripts!

Of course!

It seemed that everyone knew that TitanFall’s legend couldn’t be completely replicated.

So, everyone turned their attention to its single-level level design!

Some manufacturers took the time travel level and made a puzzle game with a theme of traversing timelines.

Some manufacturers took the Ironclad system and incorporated wall-running and other movements into regular multiplayer combat arenas, improving battlefield mobility.

While other manufacturers set their sights on the exhilarating mech battle level, focusing on researching and developing pure mech battle game modes.

For a while, TitanFall became a hot commodity in the hands of the media and competitors.

There was even a saying circulating in the market:

If you’re a media outlet, all you need to do is put the words “TitanFall” in your article to attract traffic.

If you’re a developer, all you need to do is say that your game’s gameplay is “inspired by TTF” to ensure you make a profit!

With such a booming game market!

TitanFall’s sales naturally went up through the roof!

350,000 copies!

450,000 copies!

550,000 copies!

China, Japan, Cologne, San Francisco…

Domestic, Asia, the world…

From the city of Binjiang, the Golden Wind swept across the Chinese gaming industry, and even, for the first time, with the help of the ArtTour X2 sensory pods, tentatively took its first steps onto the world stage!

Perhaps, countless media outlets had speculated that the second half of TitanFall would be a high-opening, low-closing affair, unable to replicate the legendary brilliance of the first half.

But when the work was presented, all the arguments vanished into thin air.

Replaced by even more terrifying sales growth!

Even!

When the game reached its 12th day of sales, an incredibly absurd situation occurred!

Remember!

The seven-day unlock schedule for the upper and lower parts was temporary.

After all, once the first batch of players got through, this upper and lower part lock schedule would be meaningless.

So, when the lower part unlocked and went online, all of TitanFall’s storyline could be experienced in one go.

And so…

“According to Huayun Digital’s data statistics-”

“As of last night at 23:59,”

“TitanFall’s sales have surpassed 650,000 copies, selling 657,773 copies globally,”

“And ArtTour X2’s global sales as of last night at 23:59 are-”

“634,589 units…”

Yes!

At this moment! A historic, nonsensical sales record appeared!

A game exclusive to ArtTour X2!

The sales actually exceeded the platform it was on!

Over 20,000 free riders actually chose to buy an ArtTour X2 after TitanFall’s complete story was unlocked, and then, after buying and experiencing the game, they chose to refund it.

Their goal was to be a bicycle riding to the bar, saving where they could and spending where they could.

The news came.

Yan Sheng’s eyes almost rolled to the back of his head, he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood!

103% game occupancy!

This kind of ridiculous result, if it hadn’t happened to him personally, who would believe it!

Yan Sheng was so angry he was twitching, he had never felt so speechless in his life.

However!

Now that it had happened, there was nothing he could do about it.

After all, he couldn’t just announce the cancellation of the seven-day no-reason return policy, that would cause a huge commotion.

Fortunately, there weren’t many free riders, and ArtTour X2’s current sales were already far beyond their set goals, so it was harmless.

It was just that these ridiculous numbers made him the laughing stock of the media for a while.

Sales booming!

Fame soaring!

In the blink of an eye!

It had been a hot sale for half a month!

And on this day!

The 15th day of TitanFall’s release!

In a small one-bedroom apartment in Binjiang’s Happy Garden Community, late at night, the lights were dim.

A girl’s chaotic mix of crying and laughing could be heard, sounding incredibly creepy in the quiet night…

“Wuwuwuwu… hiss… hiss…”

“Hahahahahaha… wuwuwu…”

“This industry… this industry, who is actually losing money…”

“Huh?”

—

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(End of chapter)

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