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Li Haoyu's surprise press conference.

It was like dropping a nuclear bomb on the domestic gaming industry.

The first true AAA game in China!!!

If any other game company said this, it would be a joke.

After all, this isn't the first time game companies have used this slogan; they've always been using it as a front for something else entirely.

It's similar to those small business cards sold on the street.

The card featured a picture of a busty, round-bottomed internet celebrity, but the person who actually showed up was 40-year-old Sister Feng.

Game companies with even a modicum of conscience produce various cracked and localized versions; they're lucky if they can even change the faces of the game characters.

Domestic gamers generally don't have high expectations for domestically produced blockbusters.

But a person's name is like a tree's shadow.

When these words come from Snail Games, they carry a completely different weight.

Products made by Snail are guaranteed to be of the highest quality.

This isn't something Snail Games boasted about, nor is it like other big companies using online trolls to inflate their numbers. It's the reputation built up by players through a series of high-quality games.

It certainly makes one look forward to it.

…………

There's only one week left until the official release of "Black Wukong".

Li Haoyu approved a large budget for a trial run at Snail Games.

It's not that Li Haoyu is unwilling to spend money.

The main reason is that this method is not only convenient but also makes it easier to manage the situation. Keep in mind that countless people applied to try out the game this time; it wouldn't be suitable to do so elsewhere.

Li Haoyu had Andy estimate the flow of people in advance: at least several thousand people.

This popularity is no exaggeration.

Given the overwhelming success of the last press conference and the positive response from reporters, the number of reporters and media attending this demo event will only be greater than last time.

Even those gaming influencers who weren't invited still wanted to participate in this annual gaming extravaganza despite their reservations.

This is the gaming industry's "annual meeting," you should know.

If you don't come and grab some traffic, you'll regret it for months.

Don't be fooled by the high earnings of those influential figures; they don't get as much exposure as you might think. Not to mention the industry rumors that the promotional budget for "The Myth of Black Wukong" is in the nine figures.

Who wouldn't want a piece of the pie!

Even disregarding advertising costs, it's still a good opportunity to get together and connect with other game companies. Even if we don't end up working for Snail Games, getting to know other game developers isn't a bad thing.

What if you end up eating while drinking?

However, no matter how big a gaming influencer they were, they were all supporting characters at this press conference.

Because someone helped him gain support.

This is truly unprecedented.

You should know that these people can do even just furrow their brows slightly.

Every game developer would feel weak in the knees.

This isn't to say that Li Haoyu has extraordinary connections. No matter how fun or artistically valuable "Black Wukong" is, official departments would usually just repost it on their official Weibo accounts.

They usually wouldn't come out to help out, let alone participate in a highly commercial demo event like this.

He also took advantage of the situation: the country is currently looking to encourage the healthy development of the gaming industry.

However, this can't be attributed to Snail's exceptional talent and sheer luck. After all, several companies have successfully expanded overseas and have been quietly promoting Chinese culture.

Most game companies do nothing but make money and nothing of substance. It's not that Snail Games is particularly strong; it's just that their top competitors are incredibly weak.

Those goose and pig farms naturally received the news as well, so they behaved with unusual discretion on site. They didn't dare to show the slightest bit of arrogance towards the official departments.

At this point, Li Haoyu really just wanted to slack off, but the reality simply didn't allow him to keep a low profile.

Especially when a certain big shot wanted to stand with Li Haoyu.

He smiled and said to Li Haoyu.

"Everyone has high hopes for you and hopes that you can continue to work hard to create high-quality games and better promote our culture."

He patted Li Haoyu on the shoulder at the end.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the subtext was quite clear.

Then the big shot asked another question.

"However, there are still some doubts from the outside world, especially from foreign media saying that Snail Games can't do it. Are you confident about it?"

Li Haoyu smiled and said, "I'm quite confident about that. Time will prove it."

The other party saw that Li Haoyu was so confident.

He said with a smile.

"Indeed, the future of the gaming industry needs talented young people like you to create it. I believe in you!"

Upon hearing this, Li Haoyu felt immense pressure.

Although he was very confident in "Black Wukong", it was his first original work.

After all, Li Haoyu's previous success was all based on "borrowing" from others; those games were the result of market validation, so he was never flustered.

But this time the situation is different.

Li Haoyu was also full of confidence before.

But now the relevant leaders have suddenly said this.

He was indeed under immense pressure.

After all, they've already made their statement, and there are so many reporters and media present. What if "Black Wukong" really fails?

That's no longer a simple business issue.

That's like slapping the leader in the face.

Fortunately, the players who tried it out at the event had a good reaction.

It looks pretty good.

………………

The taxi stopped.

Wang Guan was so excited that he was about to get off the bus.

Because he had already spotted his friends not far away.

"You haven't paid the fare yet."

When the taxi driver saw that Wang Guan was about to leave, he couldn't help but remind him.

"Sorry, I almost forgot. Keep the change."

Wang Guan felt a little embarrassed, but that embarrassment was quickly washed away by excitement.

Because he won a trial of "Black Wukong".

For a seasoned gamer like him, it's no different from winning the lottery.

In particular, when he saw the page for the test qualification, it depicted the scene of the Great Sage Wukong's alchemy furnace and how he developed his Fiery Eyes of Truth.

Wang Guan recognized that scene at a glance.

He witnessed firsthand how a story that had been passed down for centuries was transformed into a game, a truly wondrous experience unlike anything he had ever had before.

Wang Guan speculated that true gold is not afraid of being tested by fire.

This is probably the subtext that Snail Games wanted to convey. After all, domestic single-player games have been ridiculed by foreign websites for more than a year or two, so this time it's really quite inspiring.

Wang Guan walked quickly to his friend.

"Why are you here so early?"

The friends smiled.

"There's a queue for this demo, so of course we need to grab the best spot. If we wait until you get here, it'll be too late!"

"This time, everyone was treated equally during the trial period. Even those big-name gamers had to wait in line. Luckily, we acted quickly, otherwise we definitely wouldn't have gotten a spot in the first batch!"

"Didn't you see all those people complaining about being late just walking past us?"

They chuckled mischievously.

They were definitely gloating.

Sometimes, a guy's happiness is that simple.

At this point, someone said, "They underestimated the game's popularity. After all, this is just a demo, and you have to participate offline. I doubt there will be many people queuing up."

"I bet they're kicking themselves right now."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Wang Guan patted Liu Tian on the shoulder: "We still need you. You really are the most visionary man among us."

Liu Tian chuckled, "That's normal, after all, we've all seen the promotional video from the press conference. Those teaser scenes were absolutely amazing!"

"Especially that female demon, she's so alluring."

"It's worth the effort to queue up early in order to be among the first in the world to play this game. Besides, it's a AAA title from Snail Games."

"That's right, this is 'Black Wukong'!"

Everyone echoed this sentiment.

Actually, they all met online.

Most of them are players of Snail Games.

At first, everyone just played games together online, but after a while, they got to know each other well and created a group chat.

Before we knew it, we had formed a small group. We didn't usually do any online or offline activities; we just played games together.

At most, when a new game is released, everyone tries it out together. Over time, the relationships among group members actually become better than those among regular friends.

While waiting for the demo, they chatted about their daily lives.

The topic has returned to "Black Wukong".

"I posted online that I won the trial opportunity, and many people were extremely envious. Some even offered high prices to buy my opportunity."

"I asked them to transfer 50 to me to prove their strength, but none of them did, so I refused them all."

"Besides, this game looks really cool, I really can't leave without playing it myself."

"I've also browsed a lot of game forums, and everyone thinks that Black Wukong is of exceptional quality, and it's just as good as those AAA games from abroad."

"The quality is top-notch."

"Indeed, Snail Games is a breath of fresh air among domestic games! I've been waiting so long, when is it finally going to start?!"

…………

Around 11 o'clock.

The demo version of "Black Wukong" is finally available.

Wang Guan and Liu Tian also followed the crowded people to the Snail Games trial area.

Each participant received a canvas bag with the official logo and a paper wristband as a one-time entry pass.

Wang Guan couldn't wait to open the canvas bag as soon as he got it.

This is a pass card.

The above describes the gameplay process for this demo.

This demo includes four levels, each with a boss to challenge.

After the 45-minute trial, players can obtain a stamp at the boss icon they successfully challenged and exchange the stamp for corresponding souvenirs.

This immediately energized Wang Guan, who was determined to achieve all the accomplishments!

The first group of players had finished their game and were coming down from upstairs. Everyone looked excited, their faces flushed. Because of their excitement, they were all speaking much louder.

However, Wang Guan didn't care at all.

Because it was finally his turn to try it out.

Wang Guan was immediately impressed by the game's quality upon starting it.

Wukong's attacks are divided into light strikes and heavy strikes: there are three sets of staff techniques, and the light and heavy strikes of different staff techniques have completely different movements and effects.

In addition, there are skills such as immobilization, copper head and iron arms, and splitting into hairs, which, combined with equipment with different effects, provide a variety of gameplay options.

This relieved Wang Guan.

He didn't say it, but he was still a little worried. Wang Guan was very concerned that Black Monkey King would end up like previous big-budget domestic productions, suddenly becoming a pipe dream and failing to live up to expectations.

Although the main storyline doesn't reveal any clues yet.

However, they clearly put in a lot of hard work in other areas.

You can tell how much effort the game company has put into it just from the most basic map details.

Anyway, there will be rest areas in the "Black Wukong" map.

Its shape varies greatly depending on the environment—it is built of stones in caves, woven from branches in forests, and covered with mud in the mountains...

Coupled with its unique art style, it's already a sight to behold. It's a pity there's still no storyline involving female demons.

Even so, it's still quite a pleasant surprise.

Wang Guan considered himself a decent player, but he still failed miserably in the fourth boss challenge.

The game was much harder than he had imagined. Fortunately, as a player who had reached the third level, he had another chance.

The annoying thing is that he has to queue up again.

The venue is actually quite large, but there are just too many people coming.

To accommodate more testers, Snail Games didn't set up chairs here, but that didn't dampen the enthusiastic atmosphere in the venue at all.

Many players have queued up multiple times, but are still challenging the first boss. Some players even sit on the ground in small groups to discuss strategies for clearing the level.

Wang Guan was at the end of the queue.

The guy in front of him said with a chuckle.

"You've come to the loser's bracket too?"

Wang Guan wasn't shy at all: "That's right, Tiger Vanguard ate his fill today. Before leaving, he said he was determined to succeed in killing Tiger."

The two exchanged a few words.

They chuckled at each other.

Wang Guan is very excited. He's already thinking about taking a picture after defeating the boss. He'll also post it on the game forum so he can enjoy everyone's praise and envy.

That feeling was absolutely amazing.

Wang Guan recalled the promotional video for "Black Wukong".

The opening is the "Song of the End" from "Dream of the Red Chamber".

When he first saw it, he was completely stunned.

Wang Guan really likes this "Black Wukong" setting; clearly, this worldview is not a simple black-and-white one.

This is what a good game should be like.

Actually, Wang Guan has played many excellent AAA games before.

But none of them could compare to the impact of "Black Wukong" on him. Because finally, there was a game whose aesthetics were uniquely Chinese and rooted in traditional Chinese aesthetics.

It's so beautiful.

This game is truly unique, both in its art style and its profound storyline.

So while waiting in line, Wang Guan clicked on the trailer again.

He's watched it countless times. But each time he watches it again, it still brings him a different kind of shock.

This time, when he saw: "Adapted from the 1592 Chinese mythological novel 'Journey to the West'", his mind started racing like fireworks.

He felt as if he had returned to those carefree summer and winter vacations, sitting on a cool mat, in bed, watching Journey to the West with his grandmother.

Now we can finally truly experience this journey to the West in the game.

He touched the stubble on his chin that he hadn't shaved for days...

Wang Guan really wanted to tell her grandma.

Journey to the West has also been adapted into a game!

...............