Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Three-Meter Alice
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I felt like even ten bodies wouldn't be enough.
“Seo-rim, check computer number seven for a moment. Hye-ji, Yu-mi, you two organize the booth queue. A-yun, stop drawing people in for a bit. Go inside and rest.”
The booth was swamped with people.
The explosive success, far beyond what we initially expected, was delightful, but the staffing issue was hitting us hard.
If I had known it would be like this, should I have spent a bit more money to hire more staff?
Somehow, managing the booth was harder than programming.
The days just flew by.
The only saving grace was that time, that relentless thing, only ever flows forward.
“...You've all done great work.”
The grueling G-STAR was finally, somehow, drawing to a close.
The final hour of the last day. People were starting to leave, so it was getting less crowded.
Of course, there were visitors determined to make the most of every last second, but we were no longer overwhelmed by the long queues like before.
We finally had a moment to sit down.
“Ugh, this tin foil is really hot...”
Once there was no more need to attract visitors, Jo A-yun changed back into her original frog tracksuit and a low-pulled hat.
Perhaps the experience of the past three days had given her confidence; she now seemed able to handle people's gazes to some extent even with her bare face.
I also took off the wig I'd been wearing constantly since the second day.
There were two visitors left at the booth. Maybe one or two more would come before it was all over.
“This was a success, right?”
I nodded at Han Seo-rim's question.
“Much more so than we initially expected.”
We could point to several factors, but the biggest credit went to Jo A-yun.
It's still amazing to think about.
Who would have thought a hastily made tin foil cosplay would be so effective?
The general flow of events went something like this.
First, the crowd that gathered at Blizzid's booth would turn around.
Second, they'd spot the tin foil creature, Jo A-yun.
Third, their attention captured, they'd be drawn right in.
Its unique shininess, combined with its crude quality, paradoxically became our winning move.
Being right next to the Blizzid booth, of all places, was perfect for absorbing the crowd, which allowed us to draw aggro even more effectively.
Besides that, the positive reviews posted on the community forums on the first night, followed by more reviews and released information about the game, were also highly effective.
A good flow.
But it wasn't over yet.
‘I have to keep this momentum going.’
The final destination of this promotional effort was the release of the demo version.
Once we finished packing up and returned to Seoul, we had to immediately begin the final checks on the demo version.
We'd already identified all the minor bugs we hadn't caught before during the event.
So far, no three-meter Alice.
Good news just kept piling up.
Just then, an announcement came over the speakers.
[The event will be closing soon.]
A voice, heavy with static, echoed throughout the venue.
I looked around at the team members.
Everyone was exhausted.
I've worked them to the bone. Maybe I should let them relax a bit now.
“We have about two days free, so let's do some sightseeing in Busan before we go. What do you want for dinner?”
“Meat. Let's get meat.”
Han Seo-rim said in a half-dead voice.
It was because she'd been handling internal booth management since the second day and had to deal with quite a lot of people.
As for how... need I say more?
-Oh! You're Seo-rim-nim! The director of Hellic, right?
-Huh? Oh, I'm...
-I'm really enjoying the game! Can I get a picture with you?
This was a mishap that occurred because we used Han Seo-rim's account for community promotions.
I tried to sort it out belatedly, but it didn't go well.
-Hello. I'm Cheon Yeon-ho, the director.
-What? Then this person is...
-The art director.
-...But the person who posted on the community forums was...?
-The art director.
-Hmm...
We managed to gloss over it, but I can't forget the cold look in that visitor's eyes.
Thinking about the 'Hellic Director Catfishing Controversy' post that went up that evening makes it even more horrifying.
The fact that I was wearing a female wig, of all things, seemed to fuel the controversy even more.
It was a relief that the rumor died down without blowing up.
Anyway,
Beeeep—!
[The event has now concluded. All remaining visitors are requested to...]
G-STAR ended successfully.
* * *
After packing up, I went to Haeundae Beach with the team.
We spent about two days and one night sightseeing, and the team's reaction was 'very positive'.
It somehow turned into the studio's first workshop, but since the staff consisted of four university students and one high schooler, it seems the lack of office politics was a big plus.
Jo A-yun, excited that it was her first time at a beach, missed her step and fell into the sea. The 'Fussbudget Duo', true to their nickname, just shrieked, and Han Seo-rim seemed to take hundreds of photos.
“Again, again, again.”
Being the photographer is tough.
That was the conclusion I reached while taking pictures of Han Seo-rim with the sea as her backdrop during this workshop.
And so, after finishing our unexpected workshop, we returned to Seoul.
After a two-day break, I called a meeting.
“The demo version releases tomorrow.”
The release date had already spread throughout the community forums.
I had already scheduled the bug-fixed final version to upload, so there was nothing more to be done.
Tension filled the air among the team members.
Han Seo-rim was especially anxious.
“Will it do well? I feel like it'll be hard to attract users with just G-STAR...”
A reasonable assumption.
It's not that I hadn't thought of that.
The number of visitors at G-STAR this year was 240,000, just as I remembered.
Most of them probably saw our booth next to Blizzid's, but not many actually played the demo.
Even arithmetically, it was clear.
With eight stations, 16 people could play per hour. We ran the booth for eight hours a day for four days, so only about 512 people actually played the game.
Even if all of them downloaded the demo, that's still only 512 copies.
Of course, reality is different from arithmetic.
There's word-of-mouth, people who gave up because of the long queue and went home without playing, and also those who didn't attend G-STAR but heard about the demo.
Taking all that into account, I estimated the number of domestic users, including the community, to be between 10,000 and 30,000.
However,
“Selling a demo version is a long-term game. And have you forgotten? Our main customer base isn't in Korea.”
Studio Rewind's position in the industry is quite unique.
A domestic indie developer using domestic talent, yet a mutant that performs better in the overseas market.
This time is no different.
“I've checked the reactions on overseas communities. They're somewhat aware of the demo, and more importantly, we have a reliable means of overseas promotion, don't we?”
Needless to say, it's James Han.
The man who will become a game streamer no one can touch in the future.
Even now, he's carving out an unrivaled position in that industry.
Han Seo-rim's eyes widened as she quickly realized.
“The person who first cleared that Easter egg?”
“Yeah, I've already asked him in advance, so the results won't be disappointing.”
Expectations for the overseas market are naturally high.
Unlike Korea, where the online market is mainstream, the packaged game customer base is fundamentally more substantial.
Even aside from that, the market trends were favorable.
“Overseas gamers are starting to pay attention to indie games. The AAA market is stagnating.”
Of course, this is a temporary trend.
Next year, in 2010, that game is coming out. Red Dead Redemption, one of the masterpieces from those madmen obsessed with open worlds.
2011 will be even bigger. The flood of GOTY masterpieces includes Portal 2 and Elder Scrolls V.
Besides those, there's a solid lineup, so the overall market growth will be explosive.
But if you ask, 'Are customers satisfied with just that?' the answer is a firm 'NO'.
Packaged gamers generally don't stick with a single game for long.
That's because packaged games have a destination called 'clearing'.
No matter how much you sink your teeth into it, you can see the end in a month or two.
So, you can't fill an entire year with just a few masterpieces.
In other words, there's a need for smaller-volume games that can be enjoyed in between the releases of AAA titles.
“The trend is good. Sales for our previous game, Hellic, are picking up faster than expected. We need to distribute the Hellic 2 demo at this timing.”
We're aiming for two things.
“First, we need to bring in the overseas users of the previous game. Second, we need to use the demo to boost sales of the previous game. We're aiming for mutually complementary growth. It's possible now. The tide is in our favor.”
I could see that Han Seo-rim's anxiety had subsided a little.
The other team members still looked bewildered.
Well, even if it's just a demo, it's their first experience with a release, so it's natural for them to be confused.
I made it clear.
“Don't be too nervous. You don't need to worry too much. Just be aware that this is how our company's schedule is progressing. So, that's all on this topic.”
Marketing is a problem for the president to worry about.
The development staff shouldn't have to bear that burden.
“Now for what you all need to focus on. It's about Chapter 2...”
The meeting continued like that for about another hour.
* * *
The demo release day arrived.
Sales figures weren't immediately available. All we could do was monitor community reactions, check for reviews, and look out for any potential bugs.
And coordinate the future schedule.
‘The flow so far is good. The reviews from first-time clears are favorable.’
This meant the visuals, sound, and basic game systems were well-received by both existing and new users without any resistance.
This was good news.
It meant the game's first impression wasn't bad.
‘Then, the thing to worry about is marketing.’
The key issue is how to promote the game further.
Marketing is strategy.
Understanding the current trends is the first priority, and finding the right position within them is the second.
As I mentioned in the previous meeting, the tide is in our favor.
Especially in the overseas market, Hellic 2 was perfectly suited to the current customers' needs. Moreover, James Han's stream was causing such a huge stir that it was making waves across overseas communities in real-time.
The overseas market would cruise along smoothly even without any special intervention.
Then, what I need to focus on is the domestic market.
‘It's fine for now... but thinking about the future, I need to secure more domestic customers.’
We are, fundamentally, a Korean game company.
It's natural that our domestic standing is important.
Putting aside various other reasons, this is especially true in terms of recruiting talent.
Expanding the development team is a gradual task.
While lead positions can be filled from overseas, as long as the company doesn't relocate, it's most ideal to source junior staff domestically.
That's what I mean.
For people in this industry, what's most important is their 'career'.
Setting aside academic background or practical skills, due to the high turnover rate characteristic of the industry, developers want to work for a company that will positively impact the career they are building for their future.
In other words, Studio Rewind needs to become an attractive option for them.
This means we need to gain more recognition.
So, what must be done to build our domestic presence?
If I think about it, the answer comes quickly.
‘The timing is perfect.’
2009. The first decade of the 21st century is about to end.
The coming year, 2010, will be a time of upheaval.
Among the changes, there is one that will work in Studio Rewind's favor.
‘Next year, Steam's Korean local servers will open.’
It's nothing less than the removal of Steam's barrier to entry.
If accessibility to the platform improves, it's only natural that sales will be affected.
It's the perfect time to expand our customer base in the domestic market.
I opened my wallet.
I took out a business card I had received at G-STAR.
[Jinseong Daily, Games Division Reporter - Jin Woo-hyeong
Tel. 010-XXXX-XXXX]
-Hello! Are you the director of Hellic?
It was a chance meeting.
No, from his side, it was probably an intentional meeting.
Perhaps the success of our previous game had made an impression on the games media, as the reporter offered me his card and requested an interview.
It was that kind of era.
The best way to increase our domestic presence was, without a doubt, to get an article published.
I could leak information about Steam's Korean local servers in the article. Talk about the next game, the schedule, or some behind-the-scenes stories would be good too.
‘Should I contact him now?’
I was looking down at the business card, thinking.
“S-Sir!”
Han Seo-rim's shrill voice rang out.
Startled, I turned around to see Han Seo-rim pointing at her monitor, rambling incoherently.
“It's up! It's up!”
“...What is it?”
“Three meters! Alice is three meters!!!”
I shot up from my seat.
I got up and went over to Han Seo-rim's desk.
The moment I saw the monitor, my body froze solid.
Han Seo-rim was looking at a post on the community forums.
One that had already received a ton of upvotes and was sure to hit the front page soon.
『[Game] CrystalClearT: ?
(Screenshot of a 3-meter Alice looking down)
???』
The accident I had been dreading had occurred.
'Alice...'
Why did you get all long again...
Bug Report