Chapter 29
Chapter 29
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Phoenix, The End (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 29. Phoenix, The End (1)
> 2022.06.29.
>
>
> “Ah… are you already looking for people for the new project?”
>
> “Yes, that's right. I'd prefer to start with the initial team already set up.”
>
> Usually, you don't hire the entire team at once just because the business proposal gets approved and the project begins.
>
> First, you hire the necessary people to create a 'prototype,' which is used to test the game's core fun factor in advance.
>
> Right now, I needed one programmer and one concept artist to work on this prototype with me.
>
> “Hmm, well, it's not a difficult task, so I'll ask around. Will that be enough?”
>
> They say even a dog at a village school can recite a poem after three years. As incompetent as Oh Gwangseok was, he'd been at the company long enough that it was impossible for him to have no connections.
>
> No, in the small world of the Korean game industry, his network was far superior to mine.
>
> In exchange for working hard on his project, I decided to borrow a little from his pool of connections.
>
> “Yes, that will be more than enough.”
>
> “Well… that's a relief then. I'll introduce you to the most skilled and diligent people I know.”
>
> “Thank you.”
>
> “No, no, I'm just glad I can take one worry off your plate. Now, let's go eat.”
>
> Only then did Oh Gwangseok's tense expression relax.
>
> He probably thought that since I was doing him a favor this time, I would treat him even better in the future.
>
> Well… his intentions were plain to see, but since it was like getting a nagging tooth pulled, I decided to look on the bright side.
>
> ****
>
> Tuesday, 9:33 PM. Less than a week remained until the soft launch.
>
> The real showdown was just around the corner.
>
> Since last week, not a single employee had left before 10 PM unless they had something special to attend to.
>
> For the past two weeks, I hadn't been able to meet up with Seol Rokhui and her friend with Yoon Byeongjong on the weekends either.
>
> It was a bit disappointing, but we were keeping in touch well through messenger and phone calls, and for now, work had to come first.
>
> ‘At this stage, it's better to fix bugs and reinforce existing content rather than adding new things…’
>
> Except for the team members who still had tasks left, most were sitting at their desks, playing Phoenix on their smartphones to check for bugs and assess the content's completeness.
>
> The QA team was already running various bug and stress tests, but right before release, it was common for developers to jump in and help if they had free hands.
>
> ‘Damn… It would be nice if I could check the rating, like with Forgotten Andersen's Story.’
>
> Back when I was a solo developer, thanks to God Game Maker's ability, I could see the game's completion grade and expected revenue in real-time.
>
> But…
>
> <<You are not the primary owner of the Phoenix project! To view the detailed information for the Phoenix project, you must purchase a separate skill!>>
>
> It seemed God Game Maker didn't provide information on other people's projects.
>
> [Chapter 1]
>
> - Chapter Clear Condition: 'Launch the Phoenix project with a B-grade or higher'
>
> - Reward: ???
>
> ‘Still… I have to do my best to ensure it surpasses a B-grade no matter what.’
>
> Besides, clearing Chapter 1 also depended on this.
>
> Since the outcome of the Phoenix project would determine both my position as PD and whether I cleared Chapter 1 of God Game Maker, I couldn't let my guard down for a second and had to focus solely on my work.
>
> “Gwajangnim, the character expression for the last line in Chapter 4 was wrong, so I fixed it in the tool and committed the change!”
>
> “Okay, check it again from the end, and also request to reduce the cutscene transition time to 0.8x speed. And just in case, send a bundled email to the Thailand branch too.”
>
> “Yep yep, got it.”
>
> Character concepts, cinematic planning and storyboarding, new scenario scripts, and the tool work to implement them into the game.
>
> I'd done a lot of work so far, but if I didn't wrap this week up properly, it would all be for nothing.
>
> That's why we checked, and checked again, giving it our all until the very end.
>
> ‘Something… The atmosphere is different from the development teams I'm used to.’
>
> While I'd never launched a game at a company, I had experienced many build deliveries with other development teams.
>
> Usually, the office would be filled with tension and fatigue, with everyone staying late to play the game.
>
> Naturally, morale would drop, and everyone would become edgy.
>
> Even minor complaints could escalate into fights, so an atmosphere of caution would naturally form.
>
> But this time, something was different.
>
> “Wow, this is fun! A twist like this happens here? Team Lead, have you seen the Chapter 9 scenario?”
>
> “Hey, hey, hey! Don't say it. You know I hate spoilers.”
>
> “Then you'd better clear it quickly. You'll see what I mean.”
>
> “Ah, come on!”
>
> Everyone was genuinely enjoying playing Phoenix.
>
> Usually, developers can't enjoy their own game because they've been working on it for years.
>
> No, to be precise, they can't even tell if it's fun or not anymore.
>
> And yet… I could hear cheerful voices from all around.
>
> The voices of people enjoying the game like players, not just from a developer's perspective.
>
> “Excuse me, Gwajangnim Hyunsoo, if you're not busy, may I ask you something?”
>
> “Ah, yes, go ahead.”
>
> The Art Pateujang, the Art Director, approached me and spoke quietly.
>
> He spoke so softly that even Daeri Seokjin right next to me couldn't hear, and his expression was quite serious.
>
> We had collaborated on a lot of work over the past few months, so I was sure some kind of problem had come up.
>
> What on earth could be the problem…
>
> This kind of thing often happened right before a launch, but even I couldn't help but tense up.
>
> “…Um, so, what happens to Eina in Season 2?”
>
> “Pardon?”
>
> “Well… Eina, she suddenly disappears somewhere, right? I was just… personally curious about what happens to her later. Can't you tell me?”
>
> Feeling a little deflated, I let out a hollow laugh and replied quietly.
>
> “It's a secret. Try it when Season 2 comes out. There's going to be a huge twist.”
>
> Of course, that was a lie.
>
> I hadn't even thought about the Season 2 story, and even if we did make one, Daeri Seokjin would be the one to work on it.
>
> But I wanted to try stringing someone along like that, just once.
>
> “I knew it… Of course.”
>
> “Yes, it would be great if you could play it when it comes out later.”
>
> “Tsk, understood.”
>
> The AD scratched his head, embarrassed, and returned to his desk.
>
> For that fastidious man to act like that…
>
> He must have been quite impressed by the story.
>
> The others who were busy playing the game also frequently mentioned the story that Daeri Seokjin and I had written.
>
> ‘Phoenix might actually do well.’
>
> I finally understood the source of the strange atmosphere spreading through the office.
>
> Every member of the team was feeling it: this game could be a hit.
>
> Seeing how the scenario, such a small part of mobile game development, was having such a huge impact, a hard-to-describe sense of accomplishment welled up inside me.
>
> It was a different feeling from the success of Forgotten Andersen's Story, one that could only be experienced through teamwork.
>
> “Gwajangnim, the reaction to the scenario seems pretty good. My friend on the QA team contacted me to say it's fun.”
>
> “I'm glad to hear they're enjoying it.”
>
> It seemed I wasn't the only one who sensed this current.
>
> Daeri Seokjin said his colleagues who joined with him had also contacted him, saying the game was fun.
>
> Seeing the bright look on his face, Daeri Seokjin also seemed quite satisfied with the results so far.
>
> A joyful forced march.
>
> It was a contradictory phrase, but everyone worked hard, knowing that a sweet fruit awaited them at the end of this march.
>
> Of course, our team wasn't the only one on this forced march.
>
> The staff at the Thailand branch were also localizing the game for the soft launch there, and also…
>
> *Ding-dong*
>
> Just then, the company messenger blinked, announcing the arrival of a new message.
>
> [Team Lead Go Jinho: The final cinematic is ready. Please take a look~]
>
> [Team Lead Go Jinho: 2020_10_11_Phoenix_Final.MP4]
>
> [Bonbujang Shin Chihwan/Director: Okay.]
>
> ‘Is it finally done?’
>
> The cinematic team, who had worked themselves to the bone for the past few months producing the video according to the revised storyboard.
>
> It looked like they had just finished their work as well.
>
> I couldn't just watch something this good by myself.
>
> “Daeri Seokjin, come over to my desk for a moment.”
>
> “Yes?”
>
> “The cinematic just came in. Let's check it together.”
>
> “Ah, yes, yes!”
>
> I handed him one of the earbuds plugged into my computer and pressed the play button.
>
> Honestly, I had high expectations since it was a work for which I had personally done the storyboarding.
>
> <<The Phoenix, who possessed the power of immortality. But its descendants, the 'Phignia,' failed to inherit that power. Their story, stained with the stench of blood…>>
>
> A moment later, the video began with a voice actor's narration.
>
> Then, it showed the Phoenix flying into the sky and scattering, its fragments striking people below.
>
> After this brief introduction to the world's lore, war scenes and battle scenes followed one after another.
>
> Dazzling effects and backgrounds, fluid character movements, lighting, high-quality models, and on top of it all, a grand orchestra…
>
> A video of a quality that truly showed the cinematic team had poured their very souls into it was unfolding before my eyes.
>
> “Whoa…”
>
> Daeri Seokjin's jaw dropped in awe at the overwhelming video, and I too let out a gasp.
>
> The video created by the cinematic team was completely stealing my heart.
>
> ‘It came out even better than what I planned in the storyboard.’
>
> Honestly, it was an incredible video that went beyond my expectations—no, it far surpassed them.
>
> I could feel how ambitious the cinematic team had been with this video.
>
> If players saw this, they would probably think the same thing I did.
>
> <<And so… our time for revolution has come.>>
>
> The moment the video ended with the voice actor's final line.
>
> Daeri Seokjin and I let out the breaths we had been holding for the past three minutes.
>
> “What do you think, Daeri Seokjin?”
>
> “It's amazing… absolutely amazing… I don't know if I should say this, but it doesn't feel like a cinematic made in Korea.”
>
> “I was thinking the same thing.”
>
> We couldn't hide our excitement.
>
> [Me: The video turned out incredibly well. It's the best cinematic I've seen from Korea. Team Lead Go Jinho, you've really worked hard.]
>
> [Bonbujang Shin Chihwan/Director: I agree, Team Lead Go Jinho~ You worked really hard. I'll share it with the business department and the other teams~]
>
> [Team Lead Go Jinho: Thank you ㅎㅎ. The storyboard you made, Gwajangnim, was so good that we decided to put some extra muscle into it.]
>
> The atmosphere in the chat room was also warm and friendly.
>
> I was excited to see what kind of reaction it would get when it was shared with our team and then revealed to the players.
>
> Everyone was probably thinking something similar.
>
> That this video would give wings to the tiger that was Phoenix.
>
> And so, the final week before the soft launch passed quickly in a flurry of excitement and anticipation.
>
> ****
>
> Soft Launch.
>
> Thailand, Indonesia, India, and so on…
>
> This refers to releasing a game first in countries where the game market isn't yet that large.
>
> The usual process is to launch the game, then supplement and fix any problems that arise before tackling major markets like North America, Japan, Korea, and China.
>
> ‘Even though it's a test, if the soft launch is a disaster, it's over.’
>
> The problem is that even though this soft launch is a testing phase, the project's fate is decided by its results.
>
> Once the game is released, metrics like DAU (Daily Active Users) and ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) start pouring in, and based on those results, the business department assigns a grade to the project.
>
> And depending on that result, it's decided whether or not to launch in other markets, and if so, what the scale of the marketing will be.
>
> ‘You can't make it big in today's market without marketing, but you can't just pour marketing funds into a bad game either.’
>
> These days, marketing costs are on par with the game's development costs.
>
> Going in without a thorough review carries a high probability of incurring massive losses.
>
> Therefore, if the soft launch performance was poor, in the worst-case scenario, the game often wouldn't be released in other markets at all.
>
> Launch day.
>
> Most of the team members, including myself, had a site called App Annie—which shows market rankings in other countries—open on our screens, refreshing it nonstop.
>
> We also browsed Thai gaming communities where the game had soft-launched, using translation tools to check the reactions.
>
> Once the first day was over, the metrics would come out, and with them, the fate of this project—and my own—would be decided.
>
> ‘The results have to be good.’
>
> And so, a day passed.
>
> The next morning, PD Oh Gwangseok disappeared somewhere right after coming to work and didn't show up even after an hour.
>
> We all instinctively knew that he was in some kind of meeting with the business department or the higher-ups.
>
> “Ahem, everyone… I have something to announce to all of you in the main conference room. I know you're busy, but please make your way there.”
>
> A short while later, PD Oh Gwangseok returned to the office and summoned the entire team.
>
> The moment of truth had finally arrived…
>
> With tense faces, everyone followed him to the main conference room.