Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Connection
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A developer cannot control the players.
They shouldn't try to, nor should they wish for it.
Because play is the customer's domain.
Because it is the developer's duty to leave the method of enjoying the play entirely up to the customer's freedom.
From that perspective, in an uncontrolled situation—that is, a situation that deviates from one's intentions and expectations—the stance a developer must take is clear.
Observation and analysis.
To understand the reason why it happened, grasp the mechanics, and extract the necessary resources for the next project.
I slowly read through the summary post on the community forum.
『Some well-known user on a hardcore American gaming community called "challengers" posted a review of Hellic.
It seems to have gained word-of-mouth buzz within the community before leaking to external forums.
(Omitted)
…Eventually, the discovery of an Easter egg through data mining seems to have become a hot topic.
Major communities challenged it as a group, and then a bounty was put on it, so they managed to beat it in just one day lol
CherryLipJaehee: The scale of this in the US is insane lol
┕ClearAsDay: Korean players who didn't even know there was an Easter egg are such noobs lol
BangbaeBloodlord: So what is the Easter egg?
┕HighSchoolerSwordsman: You're curious about that? I wanna see the face of the guy who got the bounty』
Indeed, reading the post gave me a rough understanding of the cause and effect.
To sum it up in one sentence.
‘It’s a meme-like success.’
A temporary boom brought on by the current of the times, where various situations cleverly intertwined.
A sudden trend within online communities had led to a rise in sales.
The key was the data mining, and the bounty placed on the Easter egg.
‘A $4.99 challenge. A $1,000 reward for success. They must have thought it was a challenge worth taking.’
I felt like I could bow down in gratitude to those two factors that not only drew attention to Hellic itself but also provided the motivation to play.
My heart swelled.
Achieving results was just that thrilling.
“So, do you have a rough idea of what happened?”
“Hmm… In a word, it’s a trend.”
“A trend?”
“That’s what I mean…”
I explained the chain of events to Han Seo-rim.
Her expression turned a little strange.
“What, so you’re saying this is a flame that will die out soon? And the sales and rankings will drop again?”
I firmly denied her disappointed-sounding assumption.
“That’s not it, either.”
“Huh?”
“A fire that dies out quickly has poor kindling. The trend fades fast because there’s little depth to delve into in the game. But that’s not the case here, is it?”
Of course not. The thing I paid the most attention to while creating Hellic was the depth of its systems.
The time I spent perfecting the weapon growth and combination system accounted for over 70% of my planning and development time.
Hellic was a game that required at least five playthroughs just to complete a standard recommended build.
In terms of playtime, that’s twenty hours.
If someone were to dig into it like a madman, they could conduct research to the point where even I wouldn’t know what other combinations might emerge. How could they possibly uncover everything in a short time and extinguish the flames?
This was just the beginning, and I was confident.
Even without this kind of meme-like success, Hellic was already an excellent game in its own right.
From now on, the only thing to worry about was ‘how to roll this well to make a profit.’
“It’s a game we made. Have some confidence.”
Han Seo-rim’s eyes sparkled.
Her gaze returned to the monitor.
The slight upward curl of her lips suggested she was finally at ease.
“Right? Yeah, it’s a game I personally worked on, so it should at least do this well!”
I wondered when she would fix that habit of getting cocky so quickly.
No, maybe I’ll let it be for now.
Meanwhile, Han Seo-rim asked.
“By the way, who is this guy who beat the Easter egg?”
I had just been wondering the same thing.
Finding him was easy.
As soon as I connected to the North American community, there was a massive post on the main page.
I clicked it immediately.
And the moment I confirmed the contents of the post.
『James Han, owner of the first prize.』
Beyond the screen was a photo of an Asian man smiling in front of a monitor that reflected the corpse of the Cancer Giant.
“Ah.”
My eyes widened.
‘So it was this person.’
A surge of familiarity washed over me.
“James Han? What? Senior, do you know this person?”
“…I know of him.”
To be precise, I would get to know him in the future.
A few years from now, in an era where media would spread in a more widespread and simplified form.
In other words, in an era where ‘personal broadcasting’ would become universally popular, this guy would become a giant, the most famous streamer in the game industry.
James Han, a third-generation Korean-American.
The enemy of all developers and the idol of all gamers.
This guy’s content was none other than this.
-Alright, today’s content is a speedrun of Lost Kingdom! The goal is, of course, to break the record!
‘Speedruns’ and ‘boss exploits’ that broke all the mechanics prepared by the developers and made a mockery of the game’s final content.
Considering that even *Lost Kingdom* was stripped bare by this guy, there was no need to elaborate on his infamy.
‘Is this what he looked like when he was young?’
Barely twenty? No, even that seemed generous for his youthful face, which suddenly felt unfamiliar.
The James Han I remembered was a guy whose trademark was a bushy beard.
“What is it? Who is he that you’re so surprised?”
“He’s just a kid who’s good at games.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I composed myself and moved my fingers.
Right below was James Han’s post detailing his strategy.
In short, it was his typical method.
-I dodged and hit it, and it died.
It perfectly showcased his characteristic style of relying on overwhelming physical skill that no ordinary person could imitate.
Tap, tap.
My thoughts deepened.
‘I didn’t expect to form a connection like this…’
Even though we were strangers, a bond between a developer and a gamer had its uses in the future.
After all, in the future game industry, a single playthrough by a massive streamer like him would have the same effect as a major promotional campaign, so how could I not drool over the prospect?
A desire began to grow.
A desire to deepen this connection, to develop it in a mutually beneficial direction.
The deliberation wasn't long.
‘A private message.’
What’s the worst that could happen?
There was no need to be timid.
I immediately sent a message to James Han’s private inbox.
***
In a house somewhere in California, USA.
In a room filled with various game packages, a young Asian man, James, turned on his computer as he did every day.
He was about to write a post to reveal the reward for the Easter egg in ‘Hellic,’ the game that was currently heating up the community.
It was in that moment that he discovered the message.
‘What’s this?’
The sender was ‘Studio Rewind.’
James narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, then exclaimed, “Ah!” and shot up from his seat.
“The developers of Hellic!”
The developer’s name on the intro screen was ‘Studio Rewind.’
He had heard they were a Korean developer, so how did they contact him?
Right, they must have seen the community post!
A grin spread across James’s face.
His personality, which naturally loved being the center of attention, delighted in this situation.
To a gamer, a developer was a close yet distant entity.
Close because you always consumed their content, yet distant because you could never make personal contact.
Receiving a message from them, especially from the developer of a game currently receiving so much buzz, made him feel like he was someone special.
With a strange sense of anticipation, James opened the message.
『Hi James.』
It was a long letter that began like that.
As James read through the message with a pounding heart, his expression blossomed into a full-blown smile at the praise that followed the greeting.
But then, at a certain point, it turned to puzzlement.
‘What is this about?’
James furrowed his brow and read the text several times.
In the end, it boiled down to this.
『Hey, have you ever heard of live internet streaming? I was thinking, if you’re planning to reveal the Easter egg reward, why not do it on a live broadcast?』
Live internet streaming.
He knew what it was, but it was a field he had never been particularly interested in.
But now, they were suggesting he try it.
‘Reveal the reward live?’
James imagined the scene.
Himself, reflected on the monitors of countless people.
‘…Sounds fun.’
His interest was piqued.
***
The year 2009 was when the internet broadcasting industry was just beginning to sprout.
This was true in Korea, which was unrivaled in internet speed, but the situation abroad was a bit more dire.
‘Its commercial value hadn’t been proven yet.’
In the case of the United States, the poor broadcasting environment was the problem.
With the internet infrastructure to cover that vast landmass still incomplete, a system that transmitted data in real-time was bound to have many flaws.
That was the standing of internet broadcasting in the US at the time.
A minor hobby for a very small number of extroverts who liked being in front of others and were internet-savvy.
In this period, when even donation systems hadn’t been properly established, internet broadcasting was clearly a niche market.
As such, James Han wasn't involved in internet broadcasting back then.
No, to be precise, he was practically a layman in the industry.
It was something he had once said on his stream.
-I really got interested around 2011? It was after the dedicated game streaming platforms appeared. If I had known about this industry sooner, I would have started a few years earlier. It’s not about the money; I just love streaming itself.
If he had become interested sooner, he would have jumped into broadcasting sooner.
So, I was giving him a push.
It was good for him because he would get to know the industry earlier, and it was good for me because I would become his benefactor.
Wasn’t this a win-win situation?
I read the reply that came back.
『Ok.』
A short reply.
But the objective was achieved, so it was fine.
I immediately suggested the necessary programs, a broadcast schedule, and a promotional plan for it.
We continued the conversation, and eventually, we even set a final broadcast date.
‘The broadcast is in one week.’
Exactly three days before the next sales tally.
That was the best time to maximize the number of viewers, pump up the sales, and get immediate feedback.
『See you then.』
After sending the final message, I looked at the clock and saw that two hours had flown by.
Only then was I able to leave the computer.
Han Seo-rim spoke with a weary face.
“What were you typing so hard for?”
“Promotion.”
“What kind of promotion? For the community?”
“Something like that. More importantly, you should close that community tab. How can you be staring at it again as soon as you get here?”
“You’re so strict.”
Han Seo-rim pouted and closed the community forum.
Getting addicted to that would be a big problem.
As I watched her, Han Seo-rim changed the subject.
“So, are you going to take a break for a while now?”
“To be precise, I’m taking a break from work.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The plan has changed.”
I tapped Han Seo-rim’s monitor.
With the community tab closed, what was visible was the Steam sales ranking chart.
The rank had already climbed to 91st.
“It looks like we’ll make money faster than I thought. I’m going to start preparing for the next game.”
The most fundamental reason for taking a break was money.
But now, that problem was being solved earlier than expected, and much more easily at that.
I didn’t know how much more successful we would be by the next sales tally, but now that we were on the charts, and if my intentions hit the mark, we would be able to gather enough seed money.
‘The next game requires a lot of preparation.’
So, there was no time to rest.
Han Seo-rim’s eyes lit up as if she welcomed my words.
“Great, I was getting antsy anyway. What do we do first?”
I answered.
“Study.”
“?”
“You need to study.”
Han Seo-rim looked blank.
I explained a little more.
“We’re going to make a 3D game. You need to learn 3D modeling.”
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