Great job this week!
Thanks to you all, we've collected 350 Power Stones, and our Patreon community is growing with both new free and paid members. I'm so grateful for your support!
This Week's Chapters
As a result of your efforts, from Monday to Sunday this week:
4 chapters will be published daily on Webnovel.
Paid Patreon subscribers will get a total of 8 daily chapters.
A New Goal for a Permanent Increase!
Now, I have some exciting news about a permanent change: if we reach 20 paid subscribers a month on Patreon, the base number of daily chapters will increase!
The base on Webnovel will go from 2 to 3 daily chapters.
The base on Patreon will go from 5 to 6 daily chapters.
This means that any extra chapters we unlock with our weekly goals will be added to this new base, boosting the daily total even more! Your support on Patreon is the key to making this possible.
Thanks again for everything. Happy reading!
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Chapter 22: Double Harvest of Word-of-Mouth and Sales
As more players discovered Undertale, the game's overall statistics soared. Furthermore, Undertale was already featured on the recommended lists of many third-party gaming platforms. Although Alex, as in his previous life, remained extremely disdainful of the parallel world's channels, for now, launching Undertale on these platforms was beneficial and harmless. 'If you have money, you're an idiot not to get it.'
Even if someone aspires to change the landscape of the video game industry, there's something he cannot avoid: capital. Therefore, Alex selected some third-party gaming platforms willing to compromise.
Although Alex was a newcomer to the video game world, he was different from common game designers. First, Mirror had guaranteed sales, and second, media publicity provided Undertale with its own traffic. Therefore, some third-party channels were willing to compromise on their commissions. This was one of the reasons Alex wanted to list the game. Judging by the current results, Undertale's sales growth was quite encouraging.
While Alex closely followed Undertale's sales, many game designers in the indie community were also affected. A small group of indie game designers...
"Oh, shit, oh, shit! I can only use three 'oh, shits' to describe Undertale. Before, I thought what David Cannon said was true. What good game could this Alex make, but now I can only say it's incredible!"
"What's wrong? So exaggerated? Isn't this rating bought?"
"What are you thinking? How can it be bought? Forget about the third-party version, buy an official one and you'll see..." "That's right, stop talking nonsense. Cancel it? Cancel one from the official platform and show me? Aren't you afraid of having your designer title revoked and being blacklisted?"
"I suggest that those who haven't played it play it. I'm truly shocked. I can only describe it with words!" "To be honest, my new game was scheduled to launch next week, but now I guess I'll have to polish it for a while." "So exaggerated?"
"How to put it? From the outside, it's a normal game, but it has several different endings. The first time I played it, I was shocked. The second time, the pacifist ending, was touching. The third time, the massacre ending, made me cry." "I laughed at the previous comments about Mirror changing the world of adult video games, but I think Undertale could spark a wave of enthusiasm for this type of game!"
"Isn't that an exaggeration? Isn't it the beginning of a new genre?"
"It can't be said to be the beginning of a new genre, but rather its extension. And I believe Undertale will be an indispensable name when talking about this type of game in the future."
While everyone was discussing this, someone in the group suddenly posted on Twitter.
"Stop talking, visit Alex's official blog!"
"Oh my God! Is he a real person?"
"Sales and critical acclaim!"
"More than 20,000 sales in just three days? Incredible!"
Everyone clicked and saw that it was Alex's official blog. It was a simple thank you message, and it kept talking about Undertale.
"Thank you all for your support! Undertale has already surpassed 20,000 sales, but I believe this is not the end!"
Alex did not hide these statistics. On the one hand, it's not a big secret. An independent research organization will probably announce it in a few days. Although it will surely be different from the actual situation, it won't be that bad. Secondly, it was for publicity. With such strong word-of-mouth, it was the perfect opportunity to add fuel to the fire. Revealing the data was clearly an excellent way to start the debate.
When Alex revealed the sales figures, not only the retired game designer paid attention. It also shocked the mainstream media covering the game. A relatively unknown game, along with a designer who previously worked on adult games and who had participated in a heated debate with another game designer, generated a truly heated discussion. Furthermore, Undertale's performance was truly explosive. Previously, some video game media had dismissed it as unworthy, but now they were slapped in the face.
For the average player who has played the game, there is only one feeling: Undertale's ratings and achievements are well-deserved. The game's memorable characters, especially the ending, are truly impressive. Before playing it, no player could have imagined that a game could achieve this! All players felt they were witnessing history. Undertale could leave an indelible legacy in the history of indie video games.
Meanwhile, other media outlets were also brimming with news.
"Sales over 20,000 in 3 days! Score: 9.9!"
"An indie masterpiece, a must-have for gamers!"
"A unique RPG that completely revolutionizes players' perception of RPGs!"
"Players: I'm hooked!"
"An incredible game! Incredible results!"
"The first time I played it was amazing, the second was touching, the third was painful, and the fourth made me reflect."
Without a doubt, Undertale was a resounding success, initially with positive reviews from media and players. Then, word spread among game designers because Undertale's setting was completely different from previous games. Not only in terms of story, but also in its presentation. For example, Flowey's words in the game seemed to speak to the player through the screen. This design gave all game designers the feeling of having gained a new understanding.
Honestly, Undertale was not a game with a solid foundation of meta-elements. Because, in addition to the beginning and the end, the intermediate interruptions are about various characters, such as Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne. That's why Undertale is more immersive than the average metagame. When the secret of the ending is revealed, players experience a profound shock. And after each ending, there is also a philosophical reflection. This is the most important characteristic of metagames.
As for meta-elements, Undertale is not as good as The Stanley Parable and Pony Island. But in this parallel world, the concept of metagames is not even in its infancy. Undertale's own meta-setting, combined with the plot, has a much greater impact on players than its predecessor. Especially with live streams and video platforms that have presented part of Undertale's content, this passion has been fueled.