After the official account posted the video, the comments section and the player forums instantly exploded.
Countless players were sharing it and leaving comments full of excitement.
"Tell me this isn't real! This has to be a CG animation!"
"So this was really built inside Minecraft?"
"Holy crap, that's insane! If that's possible, then does that mean other famous buildings could also be recreated in Minecraft?"
"I'm speechless! This doesn't look like the same game I was playing at all!"
"Now I suddenly want to log in and try it myself. Why didn't they release this before the test run?"
"Exactly! If they showed this earlier, I wouldn't have just built a tiny dark box!"
"Heh, whatever, give us a hundred years and we could build something like that too!"
"Don't say 'us.' I know for sure I'd never be able to build something like that!"
"I can only sum this up with two words: unbelievable!"
"It's just amazing, that's all! But this couldn't have been built by one person, right?"
"Of course not! Did you see the fast-cut clips at the end? It's obvious this was a group effort."
"The workload is massive, definitely needs a team. But what about smaller projects?"
"Wait… is this really the pixel game I know? It looks better than some triple-A titles!"
"Exactly!"
Even though Minecraft is a pixel-style game, that doesn't mean it's ugly.
On the contrary, unlike in the past, Lucas's version of Minecraft didn't cut corners on the visuals.
There was no holding back on cost. The pixel look was just a design choice to serve the gameplay.
The modeling and lighting in the game were all top-notch.
Looking at a single block on its own, you might not notice anything special.
But once those blocks were put together into huge buildings or whole complexes, the impact was immediate.
That's why so many players online were blown away after watching the video.
Before, in most people's minds, Minecraft was just a simple block-stacking game, maybe with a bit of survival mixed in.
And that's exactly what players had felt during the earlier test run.
There wasn't really anything shocking.
Some players had built some nice little houses, but nothing that left a strong impression or gave much sense of expectation.
The short test period just wasn't enough to show the game's full potential.
But this new video was a whole different story.
What the hell was this?
They actually recreated Ancient Rome inside the game?
Was this really the same Minecraft they knew?
It wasn't just regular players being stunned. Even game designers across the industry were shocked after seeing the trailer.
A block-building game could actually be used like this?
Lucas had already planned a full promotion strategy for Minecraft.
Everything before this was just a warm-up. Now, the real promotion was starting.
With the shock from players and Nebula Games' marketing push, Minecraft's popularity shot up like a rocket.
It even broke out of the gaming circle and hit trending on the official platform.
Even the official Game Division account shared it that same day.
Not only gaming media, but also many non-gaming outlets were sharing it too.
The promo video's views skyrocketed, reaching 15 million in just one day.
Other games had gone viral before, but usually not because of the game itself.
Minecraft was different.
The recreation of Ancient Rome became the main focus of media reports.
The main focus was on promoting traditional culture, but the key point was that this kind of recreation was itself a way of playing Minecraft.
Even many people who had never played the game had heard that someone had rebuilt Ancient Rome and the Colosseum inside it.
That sparked people's imagination. If that could be recreated, then what about other famous buildings and scenes?
And the wait wasn't long.
On the third day after releasing the trailer, Lucas uploaded another video on the official account.
This time, it showed none other than the world-famous Forbidden City.
With the excitement from the scene before still fresh, players were even more hyped this time.
They clicked in almost without hesitation.
And the video didn't disappoint.
Under a gloomy sky, raindrops fell one by one onto the Forbidden City's red walls.
The camera slowly moved toward the gates of the palace—quiet woods and pavilions, golden glazed roof tiles shining in the rain.
White jade stairways with dragon carvings, ponds and stone bridges in the back courtyards.
Red pillars, golden tiles…
Step by step, it showed players what this breathtaking palace looked like inside Minecraft.
The buzz from the Ancient Rome hadn't even cooled down yet.
And now, with the Forbidden City on top of it, it was like pouring fuel on fire.
Minecraft's popularity exploded instantly.
Game designers across the industry were stunned.
There was no doubt this was Lucas's marketing strategy.
The bigger problem was, it was something they couldn't copy.
Because this was a strength only Minecraft had!
That made it spread far beyond the gaming community.
Marcus, who had been following Minecraft closely, finally understood what Lucas meant before.
With moves like this, who could possibly outshine him?
Meanwhile, in the project room for Voyage, Julian was stuck in a tough spot.
If they pushed forward, Voyage's launch would be completely crushed by Minecraft's insane momentum. Aside from a few loyal followers, it probably wouldn't make much of a splash.
But if they pulled back, it wouldn't really be about saving face.
As long as sales were good, being embarrassed didn't matter much.
The real issue was the marketing side—Minecraft had already raised the bar so high.
Backing down now would mean huge losses, and they'd likely lose out on any decent promotional resources later.
"It's not over yet. Sure, Minecraft has Ancient Rome and now the Forbidden City, and they're impressive, but at the end of the day it's still just block-building, right? Even if it's super popular now, Voyage's content might not lose to it!" Julian tried to reassure himself.
But three days later, Lucas dropped another video on the official account—shattering his last bit of hope.
(End of The Chapter)
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