I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!
Chapter 268 - 110: Digging Your Own Grave!_2

Chapter 268: Chapter 110: Digging Your Own Grave!_2

"♪Back to the beginning, to the time-space where I loved you♪"

"♪Freezing frame, unfaithful♪"

Ke Jin sat in his office, listening to the moving melody coming from the speakers, but his expression was numb.

I listened to the counter-clockwise clock a hundred times, yet I couldn’t return to the eve of the game release.

Sales for "Dark Trickery" had soared past the 20 million mark from day 12, under the onslaught of insane firepower.

It also became Blue Star’s best-selling horror game of recent years.

Naturally, the task also failed.

Ke Jin, utterly deflated, no longer had much of a reaction to the task’s failure itself.

So what if I lost!

I’ve lost so many times already, it’s not like anybody cares, do I look like I care? Hahahahahahahaha!

Of course, aside from sneaking into his office to sulk for a while.

Ke Jin also conducted a thorough post-failure review.

Analyzing why this strategy failed, where it went wrong, and how to optimize it moving forward.

After a series of data collection.

Ke Jin discovered.

Aside from a myriad of minor factors.

There were two main reasons for the failure.

First, competitors played dirty tricks in secret!

Some over-the-top horror game manufacturers, I won’t name any names, but I hope you know who you are.

They actually had the audacity to kick me while I was down, to strike while I was weak, after my life no less!

If it weren’t for the sharp observation of the newly established PR department at Number One Player Company, Ke Jin wouldn’t have even known how he lost.

And could you hire some decent paid posters, please?

So you’re just blowing smoke?

Blowing it so hard that Ke Jin itched to crawl through the internet cable and hammer them!

I’ve seen companies hire paid posters to disparage their rivals.

But to hire paid posters to praise a competitor? That’s a first for Ke Jin.

Just riding the coattails, anything and everything!

What the hell!

Why do I have such abstract competitors!

What?

My recharge interface is also very abstract?

Well, then, no problem.

The second reason for the surge in sales.

Was precisely because the QR code for recharging in "Dark Trickery" was too abstract and kept circulating outside its intended audience.

In this era of ’Survive or Die Trying,’ it even piqued the curiosity of many non-gamers, causing them to click into related videos to learn more.

Learning this, Ke Jin was on the verge of a breakdown.

Damn! So I dug my own grave?

Shoot!

I wish I could dethrone myself!

"It seems, the next time I consider making changes to the recharge interface, I absolutely must not be too abstract."

Such overly abstract things naturally attract attention, and this was a lesson Ke Jin had learned.

Just as Ke Jin had barely finished drawing his conclusions.

"Knock knock." The door was knocked.

"Come in." After Ke Jin nodded, Gou Chehua strode forward.

As usual, he reported last week’s company data, financial status, player daily actives, and a series of issues related to the company’s development.

Ke Jin thought he was ready to leave.

However, Gou Chehua then slowly pulled out a letter from his folder, with an expression that was a mix of joy and concern, and pushed it across the desk to Ke Jin.

"What’s this?" Ke Jin asked curiously as he picked up the envelope.

The envelope was simple and elegant, with a touch of artistic flair.

It was sealed with a gilded wax seal.

It looked quite formal indeed.

But who writes letters these days?

If you have something to say, why not send a message on QQ or WeChat, or just call the front desk?

"Mr. Ke, this is an invitation from the Nine Major Artistic Cultural Associations, sincerely inviting our company to participate in this year’s annual cultural celebration."

"Nine Major Artistic Cultural Associations?" Ke Jin was momentarily stunned.

What kind of insignificant association was this?

I was born and raised on Earth for over twenty years and I’d never heard of such a thing.

At most, I’d heard about some industry-specific cultural celebrations.

Like the annual music celebration, live broadcasting celebration, film festivals, dance festivals, and the like.

However, after hearing Gou Chehua’s explanation,

Ke Jin finally understood.

It wasn’t the fringe folk association he had imagined.

On Blue Star, this so-called Nine Major Artistic Cultural Associations actually had quite a reputation and fell under the jurisdiction of the Cultural Bureau.

Like the Game Supervisory Bureau, it was a distinct official organization on Blue Star, with no equivalent in my past life.

It was only because of the increasing pressure of life on Blue Star and the growing demand for cultural and artistic spiritual needs that this slowly came into being.

The goal of establishing the Nine Major Artistic Cultural Celebration was similar to other art festivals.

Select the best work of the year from each artistic industry, and in addition to a small sum of official prize money as an incentive, it also garnered a significant amount of exposure beyond the usual circles.

It was also humorously referred to by many netizens as the "Huaxia Oscars."

Although it was said in jest, this showed the value of the celebration in the eyes of the people of Huaxia Nation.

And every year, when the best works were finally announced, the heat on all live broadcasting platforms could even directly break one hundred million!

It was far from the trivial activity in the eyes of this alien, Ke Jin.

Reminded by Gou Chehua,

Ke Jin also remembered.

At the end of last year, he was busy participating in the Game Ice and Snow Festival Banquet, but occasionally he could see hot search entries on various media platforms like ’How is the XX artwork of XX art’ and ’This year’s art is like a battle between gods!’

At first, I didn’t pay attention and thought it was just an annual spontaneous public discussion and selection by netizens.

An annual summary, after all, is a common occurrence on Earth.

Turns out, what the netizens were discussing last year was this very art and culture celebration.

If ten trending searches could dominate five, it was hard for the melon-eating netizens to ignore it, the value was indeed high.

"It looks like our company has quite a presence? Such a major official award-giving body personally sending us an invitation," Ke Jin flipped through the envelope in his hand casually, delightedly commenting.

Whether or not to participate is another story; the main thing is that this feeling of being respected is rather pleasant.

Just think about it, if it’s just as Gou Chehua said, Nine major artistic industries gather together on such a grand stage to select the best work of the year for each.

The resulting attention goes without saying, just by making an appearance there it’s possible to capture the gaze of tens of millions of netizens.

Many are breaking their necks trying to get in, but tickets are hard to come by.

Yet the officials have taken the initiative to send the invitation straight to our hands.

Indeed, quite the clout!

"I’ll think about it, which game to put up for the award," Ke Jin thought aloud.

The so-called best work of the year naturally includes all works released within the year.

Seeing as it’s already the end of August and another three to four months till year’s end,

creating a large and interesting new game certainly seems a bit tight on time.

It would be better to just pick from the games that were made this year.

Dark Trickery still lacks a bit of impact, directly pass.

Remaining are the three games made this year.

Pubg, Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley

Choose one out of the three, any would do.

Pubg has the highest popularity.

Hollow Knight’s background world of the Insect Race also has acceptable artistic qualities.

Stardew Valley pioneered a whole new era for farming sims.

Although these three games had slowly lost some of their popularity over time,

and to say their artistic nature is particularly high might be stretching it,

snagging a nomination for Game of the Year should be no problem at all.

Just as Ke Jin was pondering which one to pick for the competition,

he saw Gou Chehua speak with a hint of concern.

"Mr. Ke... Although the official invitation has been sent over, in my professional capacity I must inform you, but personally... I don’t really recommend our company participating in the Nine Major Artistic Cultural Associations’ annual selection this time..."

Seeing Gou Chehua’s troubled expression, Ke Jin became even more curious.

"Is there a story?"

"Go on, tell me."