Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Tripping Over Your Own Feet (4)
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Lee Hyeonho's question about my sales forecast.
To be honest, it was an obvious line of attack.
Thanks to the first build being leaked outside the company, positive user reactions had poured in. Because of that, any attack on the game itself could easily backfire.
“I'm projecting a price of around 30,000 won per copy for POD, with a target of over 3 million total sales. With a team of ten developing for a year, that's a final revenue of around 100 billion won. That's the baseline I'm forecasting.”
At my words, Lee Hyeonho tilted his head slightly, a puzzled look on his face.
He must have thought it was a rather high sales projection for a packaged game with no additional revenue after the initial purchase.
“Hmm. 2.5 million copies is a number only a major hit could achieve. That's a very optimistic forecast. Do you really think that's achievable?”
“Yes. My solo-developed game, *Forgotten Andersen's Story*, has sold about 1.2 million copies to date. That was a number I reached without spending even 1 million won on marketing. Now, with a team of excellent developers and marketing support from the company, I don't believe 3 million copies is an impossible figure.”
Just as Lee Hyeonho had mentioned his own career, I brought up my previous work while citing hard data.
Then, I briefly turned my head to scan the room.
‘That guy, the Head of Division 1, is getting antsy.’
Seo Donghyuk was nervously biting his nails, glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.
‘He's probably the one who was pulling strings on Blind.’
Seeing that, I could roughly picture how the whole Blind fiasco had played out.
‘Time to cast some bait.’
I deliberately looked at Seo Donghyuk and let the corner of my mouth curve into a smirk.
This was based on the judgment that it would be easier to target Seo Donghyuk, who had enjoyed his power at NB Soft like a sheltered greenhouse flower, than the battle-hardened veteran Lee Hyeonho. Plus, I figured his composure was already shot.
And then.
“Ahem. Isn't that a bit too optimistic? Compared to a game with a solid business model, a packaged game is far more subject to factors like luck, isn't it?”
Not even a few seconds later, Seo Donghyuk tossed me the perfect softball to hit back.
“No, I believe it's a realistic figure. Just as PD Lee Hyeonho projected his revenue based on the business model of his previous work, I simply used the same method in reverse. We're budgeting about 1 billion won for our team's marketing, and if we execute that on a global scale, I believe it's fully attainable.”
“Urk.”
Seo Donghyuk mumbled, at a loss for words, while Lee Hyeonho furrowed his brow.
‘Hook, line, and sinker.’
I smiled inwardly.
Normally, this would be the moment for Lee Hyeonho to find a flaw in my argument and press his attack.
But thanks to Seo Donghyuk's clumsy and reckless interruption, that path was now completely blocked.
*I used the same method as 'Lee Hyeonho' to project my revenue.*
To deny my statement would be the same as calling Lee Hyeonho's a lie.
“B-But still, the lack of an additional business model is a weakness, isn't it? If the initial sales don't perform, the risk to the company is too great.”
Perhaps realizing he'd tangled his own words, a look of distress washed over Seo Donghyuk's face. As if I'd been waiting for it, I delivered the counterpunch.
“It's quite common for console games not to have additional business models. Besides, it's not as if we haven't prepared any BMs at all.”
I closed the presentation document on the screen and immediately brought up another one I had prepared.
OST bundle sales, limited-edition packages, various character-related merchandise, and even plans for a DLC featuring the story of Van Gogh's brother, Theo.
The document was filled with ways a console game could generate additional revenue.
“Through these various methods, I believe we can generate plenty of additional revenue from our users. Unlike gacha-style monetization, this approach can be framed as fan service, rather than a betrayal of user trust.”
“Hmm. But that's not something for the development team to decide, but rather through discussion with the business division—”
“Well, I can at least make a proposal.”
“...”
When I smiled, Seo Donghyuk could only groan, unable to speak further. Lee Hyeonho pressed his fingers to his temples as if his head was overheating.
‘This is the end of it.’
They had planned to use this meeting to prop themselves up and crush me, but now that everything had gone wrong from start to finish, they probably felt like dying.
And just then.
*Clap! Clap! Clap!*
“Ahaha, good, good! PD Jo has really done his homework.”
President Oh Geoshin, his bulldog-like face beaming with a wide smile, clapped his hands lightly.
It was a clear sign of his satisfaction.
“Well, I'll get your individual opinions later, but at this rate, I think we can pass both PD Lee and PD Jo through this evaluation without any issues. What do you all think?”
“I agree, Mr. President.”
“Yes, I think so too! It's a cause for celebration that both PDs gave such great presentations.”
“Then let's nail it down. The evaluation is a pass.”
The moment those definitive words left the president's mouth.
<>
<<Achieved S+ Rank. You have acquired the achievement 'A Perfect Start'!>>
-Reward: Entire team's morale increased for one month.
<<Your level has increased from 9 to 10!>>
God Game Maker flooded my vision with system messages.
‘Well, I'll check this later.’
I dismissed the system messages, cleared my throat, and slowly began to speak.
“Thank you for the positive evaluation. But while we're on the subject, may I say one more thing, Mr. President?”
“Of course, of course. Go ahead.”
“I'd like to request an investigation into the incident where POD's first build was leaked.”
“An investigation?”
“Yes. We were lucky that the situation was resolved favorably, but the fact that the game was leaked from within means this kind of risk could occur again. As a PD, I want to get to the bottom of this to eliminate such risks from the development process.”
The case of the POD build leak.
Because the response from regular users had been so positive, the company had smoothly patched things over by releasing press statements framing it as a 'pre-release demo version.'
But if you looked at it by the book, it was a leak of company assets, and the proper corporate response would be to find and discipline the person responsible.
‘Of course, I was the one who leaked it.’
Asking them to investigate something I did. It might sound insane at first, but not only had I cleaned up my tracks so I'd never be caught, I had already anticipated what would happen next.
“Well. It did turn out to be a blessing in disguise, but in principle, punishment is...”
As President Oh Geoshin stroked his chin, deep in thought.
“Th-That's not a good idea, Mr. President!”
“Hm? Why not, Division Head Seo?”
Seo Donghyuk cried out, his voice trembling faintly.
As everyone's eyes snapped to him, the man gulped and continued.
“Is there really a need for that? The business division worked desperately to resolve the situation, and they did a fine job.”
“Isn't that all the more reason to investigate? So that others don't have to go through that trouble again.”
As I spoke, he lightly touched his earlobe and continued.
“In principle, this incident was a negative, but it raised user expectations for PD Jo's project. If we start digging around internally under these circumstances, it could create unnecessary noise and, if word gets out, we'd just be stirring up trouble. PD Jo has a point, but personally, I think the smart move is to quietly let it go.”
It was pathetic, yet in a way impressive, that he could come up with such a ridiculous and yet plausible-sounding excuse in such a short time.
Furthermore.
‘It looks like some of the other executives have caught on.’
I could occasionally spot executives who weren't part of Seo Donghyuk's faction frowning, not looking the least bit flustered like he was.
They, too, must have realized that Seo Donghyuk was acting this way because he had something to hide.
At that, Oh Geoshin crossed his arms and groaned as if he had a headache, then spoke.
“Hmm. Well, Division Head Seo has a point. What do you think, Division Head Shin? It involves a team under your command, so give us your opinion.”
“Haha, I fully support PD Jo Hyunsoo's opinion.”
All eyes returned to me. I turned my head and met the gazes of Seo Donghyuk and Lee Hyeonho.
Their faces were a mixture of anxiety, irritation, and anger.
‘Ah, just looking at them is thrilling.’
Seeing them floundering in a trap of their own making felt like a weight I'd been carrying for ten years had finally been lifted.
Still, I had implicitly signaled that Seo Donghyuk's side was up to something shady. This was enough of a warning for them not to pull any more dirty tricks behind my back.
‘Besides, if a real investigation were to start, it wouldn't be good for me either.’
I shrugged and spoke again.
“On second thought, I believe Division Head Seo Donghyuk is right. I hadn't considered that aspect of it. Thank you for your valuable input.”
“Ahaha, that's right. Then let's just bury this and move on. It's good to see you all sharing opinions like this, even if you're from different divisions. Division Head 1, keep supporting PD Jo and Division Head Shin in the future!”
“Understood.”
Seo Donghyuk replied reluctantly to Oh Geoshin's words.
A build evaluation isn't meant to determine a winner or loser, but this first clash between the Christian Team and the Gold Digger Team had been orchestrated by the other side's machinations.
And in this fight, I had seized a victory that was more than perfect.
****
[NB Soft Blind]
[GameNerd9: Heard both Gold Digger and Christian teams got great build evaluations and passed the review easily.]
[GraphicsMaster: Yeah, figured they'd both pass. I heard the president especially praised PD JHS's work?]
[11O2OO: Anyone who played it would have to praise it. It was fucking amazing. So good I want to join that team. The Gold Digger one felt just... okay in comparison?]
[HippoAnon: By the way, where did all those guys who claimed they played the internal build and trashed it go?]
[1III1I: No idea. Hated seeing those trolls, but they all vanished at some point.]
[KGameDev: I have a pretty good guess who those bastards were lol. Mmph mmph. I want to say it! But it's hard to talk about *those people*!]
[III1O: What? Who are you talking about?]
After the first build evaluation, the trolls on Blind who had been slandering our team vanished as if by magic.
And that development left the impression among the employees that there was some kind of conspiracy to undermine my team.
‘This should stop them from pulling any more crap behind my back, at least for a while.’
For me, this would serve as a deterrent against Seo Donghyuk, who was trying to play politics with means outside of game development.
Moreover, since that day, a lot has changed for me within the company.
“PD Jo Hyunsoo, I really enjoyed the first build. When you have time, please give us some feedback on our division's games too.”
“Ah, yes, of course!”
“How about a drink with Division Head Shin Chihwan and me sometime?”
“Ah, that sounds great. Please get in touch soon.”
Some of the executives had begun to show favor toward me and Division Head Shin Chihwan.
For those who couldn't align with Seo Donghyuk's faction and needed another lifeline, Shin Chihwan and I must have seemed like an excellent alternative.
‘Well, it's not bad for me to have more people who can speak up on my behalf.’
Until now, I had planned to break through simply by making a 'fun game.'
But now that I knew my opponents had no intention of playing fair, I too needed allies within the company.
There was no need to push away those who approached me first.
Thus, the first build event concluded in a way that greatly helped solidify our position within the company.
‘Hmm. It's been a while. Maybe I should check my God Game Maker abilities.’
After all the busy work had finally settled down, I sat blankly in my office and checked the functions of God Game Maker.
I hadn't used it much for a while, but I needed to check how to use the points I'd earned from clearing the quest and see what future quests were in store.
‘25 accumulated points so far, level 25, and no new main quests issued.’
As I was checking the status window.
‘What's this?’
I could see that an unexpected message had been added to God Game Maker.