Chapter 25: Reminiscing on the Illustrious Years of the Past

As the leading gaming company in Shenzhou and indeed the world, every move made by Shengshi Huanian is closely watched by countless players and competitors alike.

Barely a night after Shengshi released the first promotional video for *Otherworld*, it had already stirred up a storm of attention. Players’ reactions to the trailer were polarized; some were filled with anticipation, while others were deeply disappointed. Those who were excited were drawn by the game’s high production quality and what seemed to be a compelling narrative adaptation, feeling it was well worth experiencing.

Conversely, the disappointed players felt let down by Shengshi’s decision to "rehash old goods."

*With your technical prowess, wouldn't it be better to create a brand-new open-world game? Why keep obsessing over these ancient titles?*

This was the shared sentiment among this group of players. Looking back, when other developers were rushing to cash in by using emerging virtual reality technology to remake classic games from history, only Shengshi held firm to its original vision. By refusing to join this somewhat superficial trend, they earned widespread acclaim throughout the gaming community.

A classic is a classic precisely because it was crafted with the creator's sincerity and heart. To attempt a truly brilliant recreation is no easy feat. However, the companies that typically remade these classics were merely using nostalgia as a pretext to make a quick buck, prioritizing cost-cutting and minimal effort. In their eyes, if one were to actually pour significant effort and heart into remaking those classics, one might as well invest that energy into creating a new game entirely. Because of this, very few companies approached the task of remaking classics with any real seriousness.

As a result, for a long time, the vast majority of games adapted from classics were underwhelming—like pearls that had lost their luster, dull and lacking substance. Some companies even resorted to "bait and switch" tactics, slapping a famous name on a hollow product. Over time, players naturally grew to despise these developers for destroying classics in the name of profit.

Therefore, those who had previously praised Shengshi for not participating in these "rehashes" now felt a burning sensation on their faces, as if they had been slapped hard. Meanwhile, those who had stood on the opposite side, criticizing Shengshi for being holier-than-thou, did not miss this opportunity to mock them, leaving them speechless and unable to retort.

Consequently, these fans began to feel that Shengshi had finally "fallen," betraying the trust they had placed in them. Disappointment became inevitable.

However, in the face of all this external debate, Shengshi showed no intention of offering an explanation. In fact, Ling Feng had quietly instructed Mei to organize her department to secretly fan the flames. To Ling Feng, it didn’t matter whether players thought Shengshi’s silence was a guilty admission of "rehashing" or a sign that there was a deeper, hidden motive behind the move. What mattered was that all their arguments and heated discussions would fuel the fire, building intense anticipation for the official release of *Otherworld*. All the negative reviews and slander would, as the true face of *Otherworld* was gradually revealed, melt away like snow in spring, transforming into a tidal wave of positive word-of-mouth. In short, Shengshi would always come out on top; they simply couldn't lose.

As for the competitors watching Shengshi, when they learned that the release was merely a remake of *Genshin Impact*, they all breathed a massive sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from their chests. It wasn't that they were cowards; they had simply been beaten so thoroughly during their years of competition with Shengshi that they had developed genuine psychological trauma.

In years past, they had racked their brains and exhausted every possible method to compete with Shengshi. They had tried everything—from fair play to underhanded, malicious schemes. But the cruel reality eventually taught them a cold, hard truth: against the towering mountain that was Shengshi, they could neither defeat them nor afford to provoke them.

Looking back at the early years when Shengshi first emerged, several companies that perceived them as a major threat attempted to use dishonorable tactics to suppress this new star of the gaming industry. But as for the results... Heh, those companies had long since vanished into the dust of history. The two that had gone the furthest were used by Shengshi as a warning to others, publicly acquired and swallowed in an unmasked display of power, becoming mere fodder for gossip. These incidents sent a clear message to all parties: Shengshi had their own backers, so they should never harbor any crooked thoughts or try to use cheap tricks to deal with them, or they would face the consequences.

Very well, if playing dirty wasn't an option, they would just have to compete in the open. Let each rely on their own skills—come on, who’s afraid of whom!

And so, the 1950s became a decade where Shengshi Huanian dominated the Shenzhou gaming scene, crushing its competitors for over ten years. During that era, Shengshi was like an invincible king, devouring the largest and most lucrative portions of the industry’s cake. To this day, other gaming companies have become entirely docile when facing Shengshi, consciously yielding the biggest and freshest pieces of the market, no longer daring to challenge them.

*Competitors: We’re satisfied with the leftovers; we just hope the boss shows mercy and doesn’t wipe us out completely.*

This time, upon learning that Shengshi’s release wasn't some world-shaking masterpiece, several companies acted like starving wolves sensing an opportunity. They began sharpening their knives, preparing to take advantage of this rare window where Shengshi wasn't fully engaged, hoping to launch their own carefully prepared games and snatch up the market scraps leaking from Shengshi’s fingers.

This situation had become an unspoken consensus among all gaming companies in Shenzhou other than Shengshi: when releasing a game, one must avoid Shengshi at all costs, or else face total financial ruin.

Of course, they were destined to stumble once again. No doubt, after the fact, they would deeply grasp the truth of the old proverb: *Don't panic when things happen; steady yourself first!*

Naturally, the players were not concerned with the infighting among these companies; their eyes remained fixed on the game itself. Since Shengshi hadn't released any further information about this "new game" in the days following the first trailer, the attention of those following the project shifted instead to the episodes Shengshi continued to update on "BiliBili."

In this regard, Shengshi showed no hesitation, keeping to their schedule with the adapted Teyvat storyline featuring the black-haired Traveler, releasing an episode every single day without fail...