I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!
Chapter 349 - 129: Park Lafu: "Our Huaxia Nation games are really awesome!"_2

Chapter 349: Chapter 129: Park Lafu: "Our Huaxia Nation games are really awesome!"_2

million spent on the overseas version of TikTok in Korea.

At a click rate equivalent to 2 RMB per click.

In a week, at least two to three million users could tap on the ad interface.

Discounting a portion of repeat clicks and accidental touches,

there are definitely over 2 million left.

If only one percent ultimately download it, that’s still about 20,000 in weekly active users.

Add in recommendations from neighboring game streamers and reviewers, and you scrape together 30,000 weekly actives.

Given that "Eternal Ring" has ditched the pay-per-download model for in-app purchases, a fast payback is definitely not realistic.

But as a test field to gauge player feedback and stickiness, it’s more than sufficient.

After Jia Kuigan’s arrangement and coordination,

Netcom’s Korean branch also began intense preparations for the promotion campaign.

The ad copy was very aggressive too.

"Interpreting the soul of explosive Huaxia Nation ’Martial Arts’ masterpiece! Take your trusted weapon, dominate the martial world that belongs to you! Let ’Eternal Ring’ melt the ice and snow in your heart this early spring!"

However, immediately after the first round of promotions went out, they faced an unexpected defeat.

Branding itself with the orthodox Huaxia martial arts flag, "Eternal Ring" failed to create much buzz in the Korean gaming market.

Judging by the return on investment from the media ads,

it was even below one percent of Jia Kuigan’s earlier expectations.

On the game’s launch day, they spent about one million yuan on ads, thinking it would at least generate active users numbering around five thousand.

But by the end of the first day, the figures sent back to headquarters showed,

daily active users were a mere thousand or so.

The average online time for players was even less than half an hour...

In comparison, "Reviving Martial World" next door had a daily active user count of 50,000, with an average online time of over three hours.

In all aspects, the data completely outperformed "Eternal Ring".

"This isn’t right..." Jia Kuigan frowned slightly after seeing the data.

He was also internally relieved.

Thank goodness he hadn’t gone all-in with a whopping three hundred million on advertising.

With this rate of return, even recouping thirty million would be a cause for gratitude...

Moreover, Netcom’s top brass expected more than just breaking even for "Eternal Ring".

At the very least, they needed to outperform "Reviving Martial World" enough to quickly wash away the black mark from being called out by the central media before the new year.

The wave of central media naming and shaming combined with the full-scale online attack had already caused a sharp turmoil in Netcom’s stock market.

Currently, without any other new titles to offer, all hopes were pinned on "Eternal Ring" to reverse the negative public opinion to some extent.

Yet, "Eternal Ring," which had been heaped with great expectations, crashed upon launch.

"Where did it go wrong..." Jia Kuigan was at a loss for answers.

The game, according to his department’s staff,

was impeccable in terms of quality, gameplay, and playability, and counted as a ’Martial Arts’ masterpiece...

What Jia Kuigan couldn’t figure out, Ke Jin saw quite clearly.

On the launch day, Ke Jin also got hold of the sales data from the backend.

One glance, and his mind was crystal clear.

There was no problem with the game itself.

The biggest issue lay in the promotional ad copy.

Netcom was too eager to redeem itself, too desperate to reverse its deteriorating reputation at home.

They were in a hurry.

Thus, throughout the promotion process, they kept emphasizing—’This is Huaxia ’Martial Arts’!’, ’The best martial arts game in the world!’, ’You’ll definitely regret not playing it, a hundred times more enjoyable than "Reviving Martial World"!’ and the like in the ads.

The core was all about hyping up "Eternal Ring" and its ’Martial Arts’ features.

The original intention was to ignite players’ curiosity and sense of comparison.

Upon seeing the ads, they would think, "Really? More fun than ’Reviving Martial World’? I’ve got to see what that’s all about!"

That would fulfill the aim of the ad.

The starting point was correct, amplifying one’s own selling points is very normal.

But the problem is, this strategy only works on domestic netizens.

Because Huaxia people themselves are fond of ’Martial Arts’, swords and clubs, Flying above Eaves and Walking on Walls, and the like, legendary elements of chivalry.

However, the nation of Korea, with a history of merely 70 years, lacks this cultural foundation.

Mention ’Huaxia Martial Arts’, and they get curious, wanting to see what it’s all about.

But now that they already have a fairly popular martial arts game on the market,

regardless of how well it’s portrayed, it at least fills their barren imaginative space.

That’s already enough.

As for whether a newcomer is authentic and martial arts enough,

that’s already become unimportant.

Just as the Huaxia people, whose food culture is mainly rice and noodles, find it novel to dine on a Western meal with corn and mashed potatoes as the main dish,

tasting a similar flavor is sufficient, but do you really expect me to eat like this at every meal?

So, from the moment the ad went out, Ke Jin had already guessed the outcome.

Although I guessed it, I didn’t say it, heh, I’m just playing!

Preventing Netcom from foolishly throwing large sums into advertising was the most Ke Jin could do out of goodwill.

You can’t have it both ways; if you want the ultimate package, you must endure these hardships in the early stages.

When it’s time for me to take off, it’ll be a trifle to help Netcom re-promote with funds from their number one player.

As for the current stage,

"Netcom can only suffer a bit longer. Once I, Master of Divine Skill, make my move, I’ll credit you all for a merit," Ke Jin mused as he looked at the first day’s sales figures that hadn’t even broken ten thousand.