Chapter 184: "Titanfall" PV Officially Released! Mei Visits Su Mu's Home
As the New Year approached, the streets were decorated with lanterns and streamers, creating a scene of auspicious festivity. For the people of Shenzhou, the Spring Festival was the most important holiday of the year—a time when migrant workers finally returned home to reunite with their families.
However, for Kiana and the others, while they didn't share the traditional customs of the Spring Festival, they still enjoyed the public holidays in Shenzhou. Being able to slack off and play games without working was, for Kiana, a wonderful experience like never before—actually, that wasn't quite right. Before she became a gold-star customer service representative, hadn't she lived like this every day? Right now, she was simply returning to her state of a few months ago.
For players all over the world, they also experienced an atmosphere akin to the "Spring Festival."
Because...
Developed by Glamoth Studio under MiHoYo, the first-person sci-fi mecha FPS game—Titanfall—was revealed for the first time!
The announcement immediately ignited countless player forums!
[What's the situation? Mecha? FPS? A first-person sci-fi shooter?!]
[Holy crap, MiHoYo was quietly brewing something this big?]
[Is MiHoYo entering the PC/console market? Their ambition is insane!]
[Glamoth Studio? Never heard of them! Is it a studio MiHoYo specifically established for "Titanfall"?]
[They hid this too well! No leaks at all! Their secrecy is top-notch!]
In the first concept art released on the official Titanfall account, a Pilot in high-tech gear and his Titan walked through smoke and gunfire! The terrifying level of detail on the character and the machine was enough to give mecha-loving players a collective "brain-gasm"!
Immediately following that, the official account released the single-player story PV, which directly set the internet ablaze!
Welt Yang, a fanatical mecha fan, dropped his work the moment he heard the news. Ignoring Tesla's angry "telegraphing" in his ear, he clicked on the video!
In the PV, the footage switched between actual in-game scenes. The graphics were so lifelike that every viewer shouted in disbelief! Pilots sliding freely on walls with dazzling movement, and various Titans falling from the sky...
When the line "Sword Core Ready" rang out and a Ronin Titan tore through an enemy with its blade, many mecha enthusiasts felt their souls tremble!
"This is exactly what I wanted to play! This is the game!!"
Welt completely ignored his image, breaking down in tears in front of his computer. Tesla watched him, bewildered.
"Is it really worth getting that excited..." she muttered as she looked at the screen, only to be shocked by the PV herself!
The most impressive part of the PV was the small text in the bottom right corner: All footage captured in-game. Thanks to a high-tech, upgraded version of the Source Engine, this version of Titanfall had a qualitative leap in graphics compared to the one from Su Mu's previous life!
The smoke from explosions, the glare of gunfire, the details on the Pilots and Titans like mud and dust... and when the Ronin split an enemy Titan in the PV, the precision of the internal components in the severed limbs was staggering!
The internal structure of the mechs in this game is too realistic. Does the producer actually have the ability to build a Titan in real life...?
Tesla was stunned. As a scientist, she could see at a glance that amidst the cool explosions and special effects, the composition of the internal and external armor actually made logical sense!
"I am so moved..." Welt wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief. "From these Titans, I can feel the producer's love for mecha! They must have researched so much material and made every preparation to create this!"
"Who is the producer? Who is making Titanfall!!" Welt stood at attention, staring at the comment section, refreshing repeatedly. And then—
[The latest masterpiece from Glamoth Studio under MiHoYo!]
[Some may not know who Glamoth Studio is, as this is their first game... The producer's name is Firefly, a name you might not have heard. But if I say the Director of "Titanfall" is Su Mu, how would you respond?]
[Holy crap? The Old Thief isn't doing Honkai 3rd and ran off to make mechs?]
[So the money I spent in Honkai 3rd was all used by the Old Thief to make mechs?]
[Eh?? A mobile developer is jumping straight into PC/console games? Is this really okay?]
[This gameplay PV is too cool! But those walls look like they're covered in lubricant—how can Pilots slide around like that?]
[There are single-player story and multiplayer modes? Seeing this movement, I can already imagine pros flying in the sky while noobs crawl on the ground.]
[The movement gods are going to dominate this game!]
[I bet new players will be confused on day one: 'Why is my Pilot a ground-chicken just like a rifleman?']
Seeing the comments, Welt adjusted his glasses with trembling fingers and dialed Su Mu's number.
At this time, Su Mu was at home. Since the New Year was near, MiHoYo had already started the holiday. It was a rare chance for him to relax—though today was a bit special.
Kiana was lying on Su Mu's sofa, hugging a cushion and yawning loudly. she was wearing cute dinosaur pajamas, and the coffee table was covered in snacks—classic Shenzhou New Year treats like Hsu Fu Chi, Want Want rice crackers, green peas, dried fruits, and navel oranges.
Because the heater was on, the living room was warm and cozy, making one feel drowsy. Beside Kiana, Raiden Mei seemed a bit stiff. she wore a lavender turtleneck sweater and a wool skirt, with black tights highlighting her elegant leg lines. she sat with her legs together, leaning toward Kiana's side. Her gaze seemed focused on the movie, but she was secretly observing Su Mu.
Su Mu picked up Welt's call and was immediately bombarded by a series of questions. He could feel Welt's excitement even through the phone.
"Mhm? Although the producer isn't me, don't worry. Firefly is a very capable girl; her work won't be inferior to mine." "Release date? Around June... the announcement will specify later. But we will have an internal closed beta. If Mr. Welt is interested, you can join the test after the New Year." "Mhm, okay. Let's leave it at that for now."
After hanging up, a helpless smile appeared on Su Mu's face. Honestly, Welt had zero resistance to games involving mecha. Like an old child who found his favorite toy, he had gripped Su Mu with endless questions. He was clearly dying to play.
"Who was that?" Kiana looked at him curiously. "Mr. Welt. He said he's very interested in our new game, Titanfall."
Su Mu's answer made Kiana sit up straight. "Titanfall? The game Firefly is making? Is it launching soon??"
Looking at Kiana's shocked expression, Su Mu mentally typed a string of question marks. Wait? didn't you put up the money for Glamoth Studio? You haven't paid any attention to the development progress? You didn't even know the PV was launching today? Are you for real?
"I—I've been working customer service lately... haha..." Kiana's eyes darted. she had been happily going to work every day, losing herself in the players calling her "President Kiana," and had felt like she was forgetting something. It turned out she had forgotten this!
"So... what's the public opinion of the game so far?" Kiana asked cautiously, still hoping for a loophole.
"Hard to say," Su Mu shook his head. "Before a game launches, 'public opinion' is fake. Have you forgotten how many people doubted and rejected us before Honkai 3rd launched?"
Kiana froze: "Then can this game... make money?"
Su Mu's expression turned playful: "Titanfall is different from Honkai 3rd. It's not a free-to-play game; it's a buy-to-play title... In that sense, its audience is much smaller than Honkai 3rd's."
Ultimately, the barrier to entry decided the audience. Although Honkai 3rd was on several platforms, the main force was mobile—for the simple reason that people might not have a PC or console, but everyone had a phone. This made the user base massive and the barrier to entry non-existent.
But Titanfall was different. It was for console and PC only, with no mobile option, which already filtered out many people. High-end graphics also meant strict hardware requirements. And with a premium price tag... while players in this world were more numerous and willing to spend, Titanfall was never destined to create a revenue myth like Honkai 3rd. That was why mobile games were called "money-making machines."
Furthermore, developing Titanfall cost a significant amount. This was MiHoYo's first attempt at a large-scale PC title, and they were inexperienced. Consequently, it cost more than expected. While it would easily break even given its quality, making a massive profit was unrealistic.
Su Mu didn't mind. Honkai 3rd made the money to spend elsewhere. With that cash cow in front, the funding for other games wasn't a concern.
"I don't get the technical talk, but you mean it won't make much?" "It will make money. Breaking even isn't an issue." "Oh..."
Su Mu's answer didn't hide Kiana's disappointment. Breaking even meant there was nothing in it for her system, right? So her system wouldn't give her a rebate today? Seriously, what is the point of this system? A useless system that never opens for business—what good are you!!
The System felt wronged and helpless, wanting only to spread its hands: "Blame me? Ask me? Who knew you'd be lucky enough to bind with a human 'cheat' right away?"
Raiden Mei watched the exchange and spoke up: "Kiana, it seems you and Su Mu are on very good terms."
Kiana rolled her eyes. "Don't. I don't see the 'good terms' part at all."
On the contrary, Kiana's heart was filled with grief and rage. she wanted to straddle Su Mu right then and there, gripping his neck and demanding: "Is there something wrong with your play! No, is there something wrong with YOU! Are you a disaster star sent from heaven to bury my dream of being a rich woman! Speak! Say something!"
But since Mei was there, and Kiana felt she'd be sent to a mental hospital if she actually did that... she could only fantasize.
Su Mu looked at Mei beside Kiana. He couldn't quite figure out what the Raiden heiress was thinking. Kiana had said her big sister was still with Sirin and she didn't want to go back, so she treated Su Mu's apartment as her own, scavenging snacks every day. That was very typical of her. But Raiden Mei... she had followed Kiana here, which was intriguing.
After all, he was a man. For an educated girl like Mei, she knew that generally, one shouldn't visit an unfamiliar man's home. But Su Mu felt helpless—in the game, Mei was Kiana's closest person. But since she wasn't at MiHoYo, they hadn't interacted much. Despite his curiosity, Raiden Mei truly gave off a "refreshing breeze" vibe. Compared to the dummy Kiana, she was incredibly well-mannered.
But perhaps it was Kiana's personality that always drew friends to her. After all, if you saw a cute, "mentally challenged" white kitten on the roadside, anyone would want to take care of it.
END OF CHAPTER
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium