With the launch of "Warcraft", titles such as PixelPioneers, "Warcraft", RTS Masterpiece, and so on were all placed at the head of "Warcraft". Especially within the circle of RTS-type games, the impact of "Warcraft" could be described as terrifying. Because there was simply no RTS game on the market that could compare with "Warcraft".
Although the vast majority of players were not attracted by the RTS mode of play, it was undeniable that "Warcraft" was truly an excellent game.
"Do you want to promote the game 'Warcraft'?" Inside the office of PixelPioneers, John asked for Armani's opinion.
Armani said. "Of course. On the one hand, we are currently preparing to host the offline tournament for 'Yu-Gi-Oh!'. After all, judging from the current online situation, the enthusiasm of the players is quite high, and the current popularity of 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' is already close to 'Resident Evil Resistance'..."
After a pause, Armani continued, "At the same time, we have already launched the physical card market. From the sales figures, it can be said that the results are quite good. The customized machine from Warwick is also almost complete. According to Warwick's statement, we can begin market promotion soon, and this is also a good opportunity for 'Warcraft'. As for players who are not familiar with this game, that isn't a problem either. After all, everyone is standing on the same starting line."
Listening to Armani's words, John could not help but nod gently. Although he had been busy with "Warcraft" for quite some time, it was naturally impossible for him to know everything happening within the company. It could be said that Armani was right. This included the fact that the subsequent map editor occupied a very large proportion of his plans.
But after all, "Warcraft" was still a game with competitive elements, and for the lifespan of a game, e-sports was obviously a very good choice.
At the same time, according to Koch's development design and improvements, the map editor still needed to add many new features. For example, the opening of their official model database and the permissions that would be granted to map creators. There were also several RPG maps that he had specifically requested. Developing all of these would take some time.
Thinking of this, John became somewhat interested. Although the "Warcraft" series from his memories had eventually disappeared completely, that had been largely due to the circumstances of its era. There had been no influx of capital, no continuous version updates, and the entire game had essentially been allowed to die.
Even so, competitions had still been held on various platforms, while countless players remained active within the game. That alone was enough to prove its excellence.
As for the most important aspect of any competitive game, balance, he also had absolute confidence. Because this was not an immature game, it was a game that had already been polished and refined over a long period of time.
"However, holding events for only 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' and 'Warcraft' would be a little too monotonous, wouldn't it?"
"Live performances, concerts, and some new news about our PixelPioneers games," Armani said. "For example, the 'Assassin's Creed' team is developing something that could almost be used to release some new information. The two-day schedule would already be quite full. If we add 'Warcraft' to it, then the schedule will be even more complete."
As he spoke, a smile appeared on Armani's face. But gradually, that smile faded, and his expression became serious. "And Sir, we also need to have a logo of our own. A logo that belongs to PixelPioneers. It can become a symbol that represents us, and it can also serve as a gathering point for our PixelPioneers fans."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be an e-sports event. It could be a carnival belonging to PixelPioneers, where there are e-sports competitions, announcements about our latest games, previews of upcoming projects, live performances, and other activities."
Listening to his words, John suddenly thought of a game developer from his memories of the dream world. A game manufacturer that could truly be described as legendary.
Although, in the end, the evil dragon that appeared at the carnival had merely become a punchline among the players, something they would mock mercilessly whenever it was mentioned, no one could deny the legendary status of that company.
"Convention?" John raised his eyebrows.
"PixelPioneers Game Convention?"
"Yes." John nodded.
"We have already booked the corresponding venue for the 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' tournament in advance. If you make the final decision, we can immediately begin the corresponding preparations. That includes the program arrangements, the on-site layout, publicity, and the news that needs to be released beforehand. We need to prepare everything in advance."
"Do it," John answered decisively. "Of course we should do it. And if we're going to do it, then we should do it well."
The moment he imagined having a convention that belonged exclusively to PixelPioneers, he couldn't help but feel excited. A true game convention. A gathering where countless players could come together. A place where they could experience the company's games, watch competitions, hear about upcoming projects, and celebrate everything PixelPioneers had created. It was something worth doing.
While they were discussing how to hold their own PixelPioneers Game Carnival, players of "Warcraft" across the Internet had already begun figuring out how to play the RTS competitive mode after completing the story campaign.
Some players who preferred the RTS mode had begun digging into the abilities and characteristics of the various races in "Warcraft".
At the very beginning, they had simply produced soldiers without thinking and rushed toward technological advancement. But gradually, they began discovering some basic tactics.
For example, during the early stage of the Orcs, their warriors had extremely high health and powerful attacks. In the hands of a skilled player, one could often defeat one and a half enemies in a direct confrontation.
Or take the Night Elves. Their buildings could stand up and move, while their attack power was particularly high. During the early stage of the game, players could use them to help their heroes level up. There was no need to wait for the barracks to finish producing soldiers, which could save a considerable amount of time and resources.
As for the Human race, during the early stage, players could directly use the abilities of their base to turn peasants into militia. Combined with their hero, they could quickly level up and establish a second mine.
These seemingly simple discoveries were gradually becoming the foundation of increasingly sophisticated tactics.
As for ordinary players who were not RTS enthusiasts, they were not necessarily tired of the RTS gameplay in "Warcraft". Although they would not enter the competitive mode, they were still perfectly happy to play against the computer in cooperative mode.
But this was only the beginning.
As John and Armani finalized their plans for hosting the PixelPioneers Game Carnival and began contacting major live-streaming platforms and major portal media websites, the situation surrounding "Warcraft" continued to change.
RTS players gradually dug out new tactics in "Warcraft", along with completely new ways of playing the game. As they explored deeper and deeper, the evaluation of "Warcraft" continued to rise. Especially because "Warcraft" had its own ladder ranking system, many top players from the RTS circle began switching over to "Warcraft". Then they started playing matches day and night, desperately trying to climb the rankings.
For these RTS enthusiasts, a novel RTS game filled with countless elements was simply an endless source of entertainment.
There was always something new to learn.
There was always another tactic to discover.
And there was always another opponent waiting to defeat them.
But for ordinary casual players, another voice gradually began to emerge. Many players were discussing the game online and expressing their opinions.
"I feel like 'Warcraft' is a little boring. I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do after finishing the story mode."
"Right. Although the game is really exquisite and the story is absolutely incredible, the various CG animations are almost breathtakingly spectacular. But I'm really not interested in the RTS portion. It just feels boring."
"The price is definitely worth the price of 'Warcraft'. To be honest, the story alone is worth it. But if you really don't like RTS gameplay, then it's probably better to think carefully before buying it."
"Actually, I'm still very interested in RTS games. Controlling a hero is fine, but there are so many different units, and every unit has its own skills. When you go out to fight, you also have to pay attention to developing your base. It's really too difficult to manage everything at once."
"It's too hard. I'm giving up!"
As these voices appeared, "Warcraft" also began slipping down the official game platform's sales rankings. Regarding the performance of "Warcraft", the game industry was also filled with discussion.
"Sure enough, RTS games are still too niche!"
"If it weren't for the story mode of 'Warcraft', I feel like its sales would have been at least half as high."
"RTS really isn't suitable for mainstream games. Even a game as powerful as 'Warcraft' is showing a decline."
"PixelPioneers is still too inflated this time."
People throughout the game industry expressed their opinions. Was this the fastest decline in popularity that PixelPioneers had ever experienced?
However, no one dared to say that "Warcraft" itself was a bad game. Its quality was simply there. If "Warcraft" wasn't considered a good game, then what were all the other games? Garbage? Waste?
The popularity of such an excellent game was falling so quickly. What exactly was the reason? There was no doubt about it. The problem was the game genre itself: RTS was truly a niche genre.
John knew everything about the players' reactions and the discussions taking place throughout the game industry, but he wasn't worried in the slightest. RTS was an excellent game genre; there was no denying that. But at the same time, one could not deny the reality that the number of players who genuinely enjoyed RTS games was simply too small.
But this was all within John's expectations, as the real killer of "Warcraft" hadn't even appeared yet.
Looking at the report Armani had sent him, he smiled. He had logged into his account after being away from his social account for an entire week. Then, after thinking for a moment, he finally posted a new message.
The moment his social account update was published, the news spread rapidly across the Internet. Minutes later, the game media outlets had already forwarded his message.
And this time, what he had revealed was destined to cause another wave of discussion across the entire gaming community.