Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Limited Edition
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There’s a movie called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In the early part of the film, an item called the “Golden Ticket” appears. Just having one of those tickets grants you a chance to visit the world’s most mysterious chocolate factory.
And the only way to get one of those Golden Tickets? Buy chocolate bars.
The exact odds aren’t stated, but with only five tickets out there, it must’ve been insanely low.
If a game pulled gacha rates like that, you’d deserve a truck crashing into headquarters—no complaints.
“I’m planning to randomly distribute floppy disks with the demo version.”
“Randomly?”
“Yes. To do that, I’ve hidden slips of paper in the Dead Hills and Dead Hills RE packages.”
“Ah! You don’t mean…”
Scarlett and the others finally caught on, their faces lighting up with realization.
Each Dead Hills package contained a small slip with a serial number—one I’d slipped in ahead of time as a lottery ticket for the next game’s release.
“How many tickets are you thinking?”
“1…”
“Ten thousand?”
“A hundred.”
“You call that a number? Even a hundred thousand might not generate buzz!”
“Instead, take the budget for a hundred thousand and pour it all into those hundred.”
The staff stared at me in disbelief.
I ignored their gazes, stood up, and walked to the whiteboard.
Scarlett crossed her arms and stepped back, clearly eager to hear what I had to say.
“We’ll make packages like the Golden Tickets from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Since the game’s called Village Maker, let’s use natural materials to craft something that feels like a luxury product.”
Start with the box itself—luxurious leather. Inside, a custom-made diorama of Village Maker.
Throw in figures of characters from the game or iconic items like pickaxes. That’d be perfect.
Sure, it’d cost a fortune, but we had the spare cash to absorb it.
“You’re giving those away for free?”
“Yes. They only have meaning if they’re free.”
Dead Hills had sold a million copies combined across PC and console.
No telling how many people still had our “Don’t throw this away—keep it!” slips, but even if half did, that’s 500,000.
Out of 500,000, just 100 winners? How thrilling would that be?
That’s why people buy lottery tickets.
Logically, it’s throwing money away given the odds, but everyone clings to that slim chance.
And this demo lottery? Costs nothing.
No one turns down a free lottery ticket.
“But our main goal is promotion, right? I doubt a hundred packages will make much splash, no matter how fancy.”
Scarlett still looked skeptical, questioning the promotional impact of just a hundred units.
“Why are we promoting it ourselves?”
“Huh?”
“Others will do it for us.”
Our job is just to spark the initial rumor. After that, they’ll handle the rest without us lifting a finger.
Taylor, a devoted CGW reader.
As a PC gamer, he subscribed to CGW for its top-tier coverage of PC games.
Sure, internet communities offered PC game info these days, but nothing matched CGW’s quality yet.
“Hmm… Still over two months until Demon Slayer.”
The hot topic in PC gaming lately? Demon Slayer, no contest.
id Software, who skyrocketed to stardom with Deadzone Survivor 3D, was dropping this new title.
They’d been teasing development progress on their homepage for a year, building massive hype.
Taylor was one of those die-hard fans who’d followed every update.
Just two more months until he could blast demons with guns in a game that looked refreshingly badass. He was already buzzing with excitement.
“Oh? Savior’s got a new game too?”
Midway through the Demon Slayer release news in CGW, Taylor spotted the follow-up article and couldn’t hide his surprise.
Savior Soft had rocked the PC scene last year with their shocking debut Dead Hills, then delighted console players this year with Dead Hills RE on Sega’s Hyper Drive.
Quiet since the RE launch, but here they were in this month’s CGW announcing a new title.
“Wait… Another demo version?!”
Last year’s “Dead Hills syndrome” craze owed a lot to their bold free demo giveaway.
Taylor himself had gotten hooked via the Dead Hills demo bundled with CGW.
Wondering if this issue had the new demo as a gift, he flipped to the back—only to find a game poster. Disappointing.
“Probably next month’s CGW, then.”
Shaking off the letdown, he kept reading.
“Hm? Village Maker? Savior’s new one?”
The article described a game where players pioneer their own village—starting with farming, building homes, and developing the settlement. That was the core loop.
Taylor had assumed it’d be zombie-slaying like Dead Hills, so the fairy-tale graphics threw him at first.
But fond memories of Savior’s games kept him reading, and surprisingly, he found himself intrigued.
“Sell crops to upgrade gear? And you gotta hunt forest monsters for materials?”
The deeper he dove, the more he saw it wasn’t just farming—tons of other elements hooked him.
“Gotta play this one for sure when it drops.”
He’d never seen genres blend like this; curiosity demanded a hands-on try.
Finishing the Savior feature, his eyes locked on the bolded final section.
- The demo for Savior Soft’s new game Village Maker is available via lottery entry.
Enter using the slip from the previous game, Dead Hills. Total winners: 100.
Contents of the Village Maker demo package include…
100?
Taylor flung the magazine aside and bolted to his room.
Praying his Dead Hills box was still there.
“Are all Koreans like you?”
“Pardon?”
“No, just wondering if Korea has mafia outfits too.”
What the hell was this guy on about?
“So, for your new game promo, you want us footing the bill for articles in major dailies?”
“Yes. And if you could recommend the best packaging firm, that’d help. Our network there’s still thin.”
“Anyone’d think you were our subsidiary.”
Hudson shot me a look like I was the craziest bastard he’d ever met.
Sure, it was a cheeky ask, but AE had made bank off Savior. Time to pay up, right?
Trying to settle it with a single wine bottle? That’s the real thief move.
“id Software’s got you worried these days, huh?”
“What?”
“They’re skipping distributors, selling direct to consumers. Other devs might follow suit.”
Hudson’s face hardened instantly.
Like I’d poked a raw nerve, his voice dropped low and menacing.
“So, what—you’re saying if we don’t play ball, you’ll go direct like id?”
“Nothing like that. We want to keep partnering with AE, not just for this game but going forward.”
“For real?”
His face brightened just like that.
He clearly feared id’s direct-sales stunt killing distributors like them. But it was premature—too soon tech- and market-wise.
We’ll milk AE for a few more years first.
Even id, riding high now, would tuck tail for Demon Slayer 2 and sign with a publisher for physical copies.
Online game sales weren’t viable yet.
“Of course, that means AE treating us as true partners, not just devs.”
I planned at least two more releases through them, but no way was I letting them walk all over us.
Squeeze every concession possible.
“Deal! We’ll line up the dailies for a big simultaneous promo blast, just like you said!”
“Key is making it feel organic—no ad vibe. Focus on ‘100 units’ and ‘limited edition demo package.’”
“Got it. I’ll hustle the top packaging firm and get back quick.”
Oblivious to my angle, Hudson was thrilled we weren’t ditching them and wrapped the meeting on my terms.
CEO Huck’s even more fun than I thought.
Scarlett was in Las Vegas.
COMDEX, the world’s biggest computer expo, held annually here since 1979.
Savior Soft had submitted under their name.
-Just drop my name at Oseong Electronics.
Even with great software, pitching to businesses wasn’t easy.
Best bet: hit trade shows or leverage connections for direct distribution.
Scarlett had scraped by at Seton using old contacts.
Luckily, recent help from CEO Seon Woo-hyuk had landed Byte Line across all of Oseong’s North American branch.
Never guessed he was the North America president’s son.
Learning Huck’s dad was Oseong’s Seon Woo-jin had floored her.
Sorry for dragging your family into this.
Family? Sure, succeeding on my own matters, but why not use every edge, family included?
Huck’s words hit home—her own drive for success still fell short.
After this expo, I’ll reach out to my family too.
She resolved to stop hesitating.