The official platform obviously intended to use the computers and cell phones as the main battlefield. They promised that players would first be on the computer version and then the cell phone version.
Logically speaking, it would be more comfortable to operate the cell phone version. However, there were more independent gamers in the computer version after all, and it would be easier to develop it. Thus, they had to go to the computer version first.
…
After watching the promotional video and the game’s contents, Pei Qian’s expression turned serious as though he was facing a formidable enemy.
No wonder so many people were pre-ordering it. It looked very reliable!
The domestic independent gamers were one of the most supportive groups of domestically-produced games. Ink and Clouds was a Chinese-style game. It was obviously more likable to combine traditional cultural elements like calligraphy and games.
However… could this game’s DEMO achieve such a good publicity effect?
That didn’t make sense, right?
Pei Qian clicked on the promotional video on the game’s details page with some confusion.
…
The video started in a dark room.
A child in shorts and a white vest was hiding under the blanket, reading a game magazine under the dim light of the flashlight.
Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the door. The child quickly switched off his flashlight and lay down. He hid the magazine under his pillow and pretended to be asleep.
The camera changed to day time.
His parents were not at home. The child carefully switched on his computer. On the screen was a domestically-produced standalone game with a strong mosaic style.
The child placed the game magazine aside and began to play seriously with the guide.
All of a sudden, the clock on the wall started to chime. The child quickly switched off his phone, took a wet towel, and covered the big head of the computer monitor. Then, he quickly returned to his room, opened his bag, took out his homework, and finally put away the wet towel.
After a period of time, the anti-theft door opened. The child’s father came back and touched the computer monitor. Then, he looked at the child who was studying seriously and turned to busy himself.
The scene changed again. The primary school student became a high school student. They might have changed to a different actor, but they could still recognize him as the same person through his clothing.
In the smoke-filled internet cafe, some of his peers were playing various online games. He was the only one still playing domestically-produced standalone games. However, it was the same game that he played in elementary school. There were no changes.
Some people mocked him for playing such an old game. He just smiled and did not say anything.
The camera changed again, and the high school student became an adult. It was already late at night. In the dilapidated and messy rental apartment, he faced the computer screen and seriously used the game editor to create the game.
The messy room and the piles of miscellaneous items were all hinting at his poverty-stricken state. However, he continued to work enthusiastically in front of his computer.
However, during the day, a loud knock woke him up.
He was silent for a long time after he returned to his room with the receipt for rent and utilities.
In the end, he reluctantly glanced at the computer screen, closed the unfinished game project in the game editor, and opened his resume.
He habitually moved his mouse to the game editor after sending his resume to several companies. However, he could not click on it after much hesitation.
The camera panned around. He opened the closet and flipped through to the suit he hadn’t worn in a while. Then he stood in front of the dressing mirror and studied himself.
In front of the camera, he was dressed in a neat suit and had a proper hairstyle. However, his eyes looked listless as he stared blankly at the image in the mirror.
In the mirror, he was still wearing a white vest, shorts, and flip-flops. His hair was messy, but his face was full of smiles and his eyes were filled with hope.
The two images formed a sharp contrast, hinting that he still wanted to be an independent game designer.
Finally, he sighed softly, picked up the printed resume on the table, and prepared to leave for work.
However, at that moment, he realized that there was a golden invitation letter in the mailbox at the door. On it were the words “Destitution Plan”.
A hopeful smile finally appeared on his face.
…
The promotional video ended there. There was no detailed introduction of the Destitution Plan but it had already pointed out it’s meaning.
As for the plot at the end of the video, most people could imagine it: this independent game designer had obtained the money and could continue to persevere in his dreams, complete the unfinished game project, and add to the development of domestically-produced independent games.
The video was filmed and edited in a very short time.
There were many old buildings in Beijing that were filled with the style of the previous century. Many arcade games shops also had game consoles and big-headed computers. It directly evoked many childhood memories when coupled with the vintage filter.
The content of the video was filled with details.
Domestic standalone games were also developing rapidly in the era when home computers were first popularized.
The newsstand next to the school would sell many game magazines. At that time, many students who did not have much time to play games would buy a game magazine and read it repeatedly. Even if they had not played it before or could not buy the game inside, they would still enjoy it.
He secretly turned on his computer to play games while his parents were not home from work. However, he had to remember to use a wet towel to cool down in advance. Otherwise, his parents would be exposed the moment he touched them. He would then have to welcome a storm.
With the rise of internet cafes, online games also developed rapidly. However, domestic standalone games were going downhill.
The protagonist in the video loved domestically-produced standalone games. However, there was a gap between domestically-produced standalone games. When other students played online games, he still stubbornly played domestically-produced standalone games from a few years ago.
In the end, he became an independent game designer who wanted to fulfill his dreams. However, he had no choice but to make difficult choices in his dreams and reality due to his tight living conditions…
All of this content resonated strongly with those who watched the video!
After searching the internet for a while, Pei Qian immediately understood why Black Ink and Clouds had garnered so much attention in such a short time.
Its DEMO was very fun and likable was only one of the reasons. The more important reason was that the promotional videos of Black Ink and Clouds and the Destitution Plan had already been uploaded to Aili Island’s website, causing a warm response!
On Aili Island’s website and several other video platforms, the promotional video for the Destitution Plan had been pushed to the forefront of the gaming area. Moreover, its popularity was still rising.
In the bullet screen comments and comments section, many independent gamers who had been under the radar were being bombarded.
“This video is making me tear up! Isn’t this child me? It’s just that I’ve already given up on creating games…”
“Dad and Mom touched their computers the moment they got home from work. This is too realistic! They’re actually unified in the entire country?”
“Sigh, the scene at the internet cafe is really sad. People like us who like standalone games have become anomalies. When we were young, domestically-produced standalone games were still in full bloom. In the end, only online games were left on the market. Sigh.”
“Actually, it’s alright
. It has now recovered a little, there are more independent games now.”
“It’s still far from being comparable to overseas!”
“Is this ‘Destitution Plan’ specially meant to sponsor domestically-produced independent games? That’s really a lot of merit! I have to support it well on account of this!”
Chapter 844 - Apologize To The Players!
Pei Qian finally understood why there were so many pre-orders after flipping through discussions related to Black Ink and Clouds and Destitution Plan online.
That was because Qiu Hong had tied Black Ink and Clouds, the Destitution Plan, and the Survival Guide for Working Adults together for publicity!
The promotional video of the ‘Destitution Plan’ could cause such a huge reaction. On one hand, it reignited the common memories of many gamers and resonated widely. On the other hand,there were also high-quality domestically-produced independent games as the catalyst.
It would not have caused such a huge reaction if there was no game accompanying this promotional video.
Black Ink and Clouds was just a demo. It was obviously not enough just for this demo.
That was also the reason why Qiu Hong did not come up with a publicity plan in the beginning. He naturally could not achieve the best publicity effect without an opportunity.
However, the Survival Guide for Working Adults had unexpectedly exploded in popularity, providing an opportunity for the promotion of the Destitution Plan!
It was before Chinese New Year. It was the time for various companies to hold annual meetings and distribute year-end bonuses.
Most of the working adults were not satisfied with the treatment given by their own companies. Many of them were planning to change jobs after receiving their year-end bonuses and taking leave.
The release of the Survival Guide for Working Adults resonated well with the office workers. Not only did it become popular among independent gaming enthusiasts, but it also successfully became mainstream. Many office workers who did not play games also knew about this game.
Qiu Hong had used the success of the Survival Guide for Working Adults and tied the Black Ink and Clouds and ‘Destitution Plan’ to it. He had let gamers know that the reason why the Survival Guide for Working Adults could be successfully produced was because of the sponsorship of the ‘Destitution Plan’. The ‘Destitution Plan’ had also sponsored many outstanding independent game projects, such as Black Ink and Clouds.
Thus, the popularity of the Survival Guide for Working Adults had broken out of their own circle. The sentiments of the local independent game enthusiasts, and gamers’ expectations for domestically-produced and independent games had all been integrated together. That was the good publicity effect!
It would not be able to achieve its current effect if any one of the publicity videos of the Survival Guide for Working Adults, Black Ink and Clouds’ demo, and the Destitution Plan was lacking!
What a coincidence.
Pei Qian felt a little dizzy as he looked at the increasing number of pre-orders.
In just one afternoon, the pre-sales sales of this game had already broken 50,000 copies. Moreover, judging from the current popularity, it was very likely that it would increase by ten times in the next week!
Even though domestic independent gamers were a minority compared to mainstream gamers, there were still millions of active gamers in terms of size.
What’s more, the smaller the circle, the more attention it would have on domestically-produced and outstanding independent games. Black Ink and Clouds would probably become a hot topic among independent gamers like the Survival Guide for Working Adults!
Pei Qian did some calculation and felt that something was amiss.
The official pricing of Black Ink and Clouds was 45 yuan. It was considered above average in domestically-produced independent games. The pre-sales this time was not a full-term pre-sales, but a third of it, which was 15 yuan.
Based on current trends, if 500,000 copies were sold in the next week, the official platform would be able to settle the bill before settlement.
The only good news was that the game was not distributed in the name of Tengda. Therefore, it did not enjoy the privilege of Tengda’s high share of the profits. It could only get sixty percent even if it included the special preferential policies of independent games.
On this basis, Tengda would get thirty percent.
In other words, the pre-sales of Ink and Clouds before settlement would be more than 1.3 million yuan!
On top of that, there was also the money earned from the Survival Guide for Working Adults.
It might not seem like a lot of money, but Pei Qian felt like a camel with straw on its back. When it came to settlement, this one million yuan could be the difference between heaven and hell.
What if he earned more than a million yuan? Who could he reason with then?
Pei Qian was furious.
Why was this Qiu Hong finding trouble for me at such a crucial time!
Couldn’t he just go home and celebrate the new year? Why did he have to create a publicity video a day before the holidays? He had even posted a DEMO to earn some pre-sales money?
It was too much!
Pei Qian immediately called Qiu Hong at that thought.
…
At that moment, Qiu Hong had just treated everyone in the incubation base to a feast. He returned to the house he rented in Beijing to pack his things and prepare to fly home early the next morning.
Qiu Hong could not help but feel surprised when he received Boss Pei’s call.
“Could it be that Boss Pei saw the popularity of the Destitution Plan video and specially called to affirm the results of my work because he was very happy?”
Before this, the entire incubation base had only completed two games. What’s more, they were not selling well. Even so, Boss Pei still praised Qiu Hong, saying that the effects were obvious and that he was improving rapidly. He wanted him to work harder.
Qiu Hong pondered for a while. According to such standards, the videos of Survival Guide for Working Adults, Black Ink and Clouds video and the Destitution Plan had been quite well received. Wouldn’t Boss Pei be overjoyed?
He quickly picked up the phone and waited for Boss Pei to praise him.
However, Boss Pei’s first question stumped him.
“Who asked you to put a semi-finished game on the official platform for pre-order?!”
Pei Qian’s tone was stern because he was indeed very angry.
The game had not been completed yet. You should sell it in the next cycle. Don’t affect my settlement!
However, Qiu Hong’s pre-order caught Pei Qian off guard.
Qiu Hong was stunned for a moment. He looked a little confused as he said, “Boss Pei, isn’t pre-sales very common in independent gaming circles…”
Pei Qian could not help but fall silent. “Er…”
He thought about it. Qiu Hong was right.
ESRO’s official platform was actually encouraging independent games to be presold. The reason was very simple. It was just like crowdfunding.
Independent game designers often lacked money and resources. There would definitely be all sorts of compromises during the production process. In order to achieve a high completion rate for the game, various conditions were actually not allowed.
On the other hand, the pre-sales would allow those quality and popular independent games to earn some money in advance. On one hand, it would help out with the development fees, and on the other hand, it would increase the producer’s confidence.
Of course, there might be some lousy producers who would be suspected of scamming money. For example, they could update a very fun DEMO and slowly develop the game after receiving a huge amount of pre-sales money. They could turn the game into a ‘to-be-completed-sometime-in-this-lifetime” series and not be released.
However, the official platform also had corresponding punishments for such producers. What’s more, such people were in the min
ority after all. They could not cancel this rule that was beneficial to all independent game designers just because of some black sheep.
Thus, Qiu Hong taking the DEMO of “Black Ink and Clouds” for pre-sales was indeed in line with the usual routine of independent games. It was an action advocated by the official platform.
Thus, Pei Qian’s question seemed unreasonable.
After a moment of silence, Pei Qian said righteously, “Why do the other independent games like pre-sales? It’s because the producers lack money. They can only use pre-sales to refund and obtain development funds!”
“Are the producers of the Poor Plan lacking in development funds?”
Qiu Hong was stumped. “Er, this…”
Pei Qian did not give him much time to react. He continued, “If we are not lacking in funds, why do we want to do pre-sales?”
“Pre-sales is actually using the players’ sympathy to transfer the risk of failure from the developer to the players.”
“The official platform supports this behavior mainly because the conditions of most independent game designers are too poor. They need players to contribute and support them.”
“Such action might be a punishment skillfully given by one that is gladly accepted by another, it still hurts the interests of the players. The best way should be to hand over money and goods at the same time. Once the game is done and released, players can buy it if they like it.”
“Since the independent game creator of the Destitution Plan does not lack money, shouldn’t we not start pre-sales and wait for the game to be developed before selling it?”
Qiu Hong was speechless. “This…”
He suddenly felt that what Boss Pei said made sense!
In fact, Qiu Hong had only set up a pre-sales based on the usual routine of independent games. He had not thought too much about it. However, now that he thought about it carefully, this behavior was indeed inappropriate.
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