Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Cheeseburger Collaboration
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The meeting was scheduled for the very next day.
The person who visited the Studio Rewind office was an assistant manager from Burger Land's sales team. To summarize his proposal, it was, as expected, a collaboration request.
“Hellic 2 has been making huge waves recently, both at home and abroad. Oh, and of course, I had a blast playing it myself!”
He showered us with praise, a bright smile on his face, before getting to the point.
“We at Burger Land are planning to launch a new seasonal product. We were hoping to name it 'Alice's Cheeseburger'...”
Stripping away all the flowery language, that was the gist of it.
They wanted to use our name for a limited-edition menu item.
In other words, they wanted to attract the Hellic fanbase to their restaurants.
It wasn't a bad proposition.
No, in fact, it was a great one.
Aside from being completely flabbergasting, it was a mutually beneficial deal.
They would secure a new customer base, and by having our name on their menu, we could introduce Alice and Hellic to customers who had no prior interest in games.
This meant we could acquire an additional user base that might try Hellic out of curiosity.
And would it end there?
Of course not. It meant we could stoke the flames one last time before the awards season.
And do so in spectacular fashion.
Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and roses.
I may look like this now, but in my past life, I was a team leader at a major game company.
I had a rough idea of how these limited-edition collaboration menus were made.
'They're just trying to get rid of old stock.'
In this era, collaborations where they create a separate menu item weren't common yet, so I couldn't be sure, but in the era I came from, that was generally the trend.
It was a way to offload ingredients from poorly selling menu items by attracting the fanbase of another IP.
Of course, they wouldn't make something completely disgusting.
That would be a breach of business ethics, after all.
It would be reasonably edible.
Honestly, as long as it was at that level, I didn't mind.
“Let’s do it. The collaboration.”
Let's approach this from a narrative standpoint.
The favorite food of the butterfly who lived a tragic life.
All I had to do was build an image around a cheeseburger that tasted of salty tears.
Of course, they wouldn't just be borrowing the name.
For a marketing collaboration, including a freebie was standard practice even in this era.
But the marketing wouldn't be as sophisticated as what I was used to.
If we were going to do this, it had to sell well.
No, it absolutely had to sell well.
Besides, I didn't know when another opportunity like this would come along, so we had to leave a good impression.
I asked for confirmation.
“Then, let me ask you something first.”
“Yes?”
“What are you planning for the freebie?”
The sales assistant manager replied with a business-like smile.
“Ah! First, we’ll include a code for a raffle, and the winners will receive gift certificates for cultural products…”
“That’s not it.”
See?
It lacks feeling. Emotion.
The 21st century is the age of emotional marketing.
“Let's do limited-edition merchandise. To draw our fanbase to the food itself, shouldn't there be a reward that tempts them?”
“By that, you mean…”
“I have a great idea.”
I whispered, and the sales assistant manager, Mr. Seo Mun-hyeon, widened his eyes.
“…Are you, by any chance, a genius?”
I’m from the future.
I managed to hold back those words.
* * *
The excitement for Hellic 2 had yet to die down.
In fact, it would have been strange for a game with such massive sales to fade away in less than a month.
More importantly, beyond its narrative devices, the game itself was exceptionally well-made, so there were still quite a few people playing it on the community forums.
Of course, now that everything had been revealed, the most common posts were introductions to all sorts of bizarre, experimental builds and discussions about the hidden route rewards.
`[Game] ClearAsDay: Got the dark bat lol. It’s fun.`
In particular, clearing the hidden route with its extreme difficulty was popular enough to immediately land a post in the recommended section.
It was amidst this atmosphere that an event occurred, shaking up the increasingly standardized posts on the Hellic 2 boards.
`[Chat] WaitingForHellic3: I won the review event!!! LMAO`
`[Chat] zZoneHanSoo: Ahahaha, that merch is mine lol`
Winners of the review event, planned as part of the launch, had emerged. People who had beaten the roughly 130:1 odds to get their hands on the merchandise.
And there were two of them within the community.
`[Chat] LordOfBlood_Bangbae: Hurry up and show us the merch...`
A crowd of people was burning with curiosity.
It was only natural.
Despite its immense popularity, Studio Rewind had been stingy with merchandise.
The users knew that an indie company with only six employees didn't have the manpower to produce and sell merch, so they didn't complain beyond feeling a little disappointed. But their interest in what the merch might consist of was enormous.
After all, the merchandise that had been made so far had never disappointed in terms of quality or satisfaction.
To put it simply, official Hellic merchandise had a 'rarity' factor.
Would it be enough to say that after Hellic 2's success, someone was trying to buy an Alice figure for a million won?
So, at the announcement that new merchandise would be revealed, the users were buzzing with anticipation.
Two days later, the first person to receive the merchandise finally unveiled it in the form of a review.
It was one of the biggest fans of the Hellic series, ‘WaitingForHellic3.’
`[Review] Cheon Yeon-ho is a cruel man...`
The title was expertly chosen, perfectly understanding the nature of the community.
And the moment the content was revealed, the users instantly understood the title's meaning.
`The merch is two figures and a picture frame... but the frame is just...`
`(Image of Alice figure)`
`(Image of a human-shaped butterfly figure)`
`(Image of the picture frame)`
`ㅠㅠㅠㅠThe waterworks started...!`
The picture in the frame was none other than this:
A scene where the butterfly, in human form, holds Alice in its arms, their foreheads touching as they smile.
That's right.
The merchandise depicted the aftermath of the hidden ending.
``
`LordOfBlood_Bangbae: Wow...`
`FlowerJaeHeeCherryLips: No... No... ㅠㅠㅠ`
`ClearAsDay: Why didn't I get one? Why didn't I get one? Why didn't I get one?`
`GukIsItMe: I'm so jealous...`
`MouthOpenSmokeSword: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ`
It wasn't a matter of rarity.
The event merchandise was designed purely as fan service, and it satisfied the users to the extreme.
For a while, reminiscing about the ending became the main topic of discussion.
Then, belatedly, talk of the figures began to surface.
Such discussions usually ended with the same conclusion.
`[Chat] FlowerJaeHeeCherryLips: I want one too...`
Desire.
The desire to possess something rare was a time-honored human trait.
Before long, the topic shifted to how one could obtain the merchandise.
It was at that very moment.
With truly exquisite timing, a merchandise-related event was announced.
`[Repost] What is this?`
`(Image of the Burger Land collaboration event)`
`Hellic and Burger Land are doing a collab?`
`The freebie is a raffle ticket for merch.`
Alice's Cheeseburger.
The collaboration hamburger, which pinpointed exactly what would make the users cheer and gave them a reason they had to buy it, became an instant hot topic the moment it was announced.
* * *
I bought one of the newly released burgers.
As I unwrapped it, the cheese between the patties oozed out.
No, it was more like an avalanche.
“…Wow, I'd gain so much weight from this.”
Han Seo-rim, ever diligent about self-management, expressed her wariness.
Yet, her eyes remained fixed on the burger, a true irony.
Her reaction was understandable.
The concept for Alice's Cheeseburger was 'overflowing cheese.'
Burger Land had revised and improved a prototype to match the concept of Hellic 2. With two patties and this much cheese crammed in, the phrase 'a visual that makes you gain weight' was a perfect fit.
…Right, it was less Alice's Cheeseburger and more the Butterfly's Cheeseburger.
Because over time, the overflowing cheese would cause the burger to fall apart.
According to Burger Land, it was meant to symbolize the butterfly sacrificing itself to protect Alice.
It was clearly a line they just came up with, but I found myself nodding in agreement, which made me think the users would feel the same.
After taking a bite, I said,
“It’s actually good.”
I meant it.
As if to refute my suspicion that it was just a way to get rid of old stock, Alice's Cheeseburger was delicious enough for most cheese lovers to enjoy.
I felt a little bad for the sales assistant manager I'd met.
Seeing the actual reactions to the burger made me feel even more so.
“…Well, it seems to be selling well.”
Han Seo-rim, the community observer, had gathered reactions to the burger.
Even just looking at the most prominent ones, it was clear.
`[Review] zZoneHanSoo: Now this is a hamburger lol`
`(Image of cheese cascading between the burger patties)`
`It's been a while since I've had such a hefty burger. 7,500 won for the burger alone is a bit steep, but for something this thick, I'll allow it.`
`Looks like you enter the coupon on the Burger Land website?`
`The only thing I'm missing is the Butterfly figure. Hope I win that.`
It was positive.
There was some pushback due to the fairly high price from ingredient costs, but it maintained a 'worth the money' level of evaluation.
Thinking back, it had been a swift two weeks from planning the event to its execution.
I still didn't understand how they managed this level of quality at that speed… but hey, if it's good, it's good.
“Sales are increasing. For us, that’s all that matters.”
The event was held simultaneously in North America, Burger Land's home turf, and in Korea, where Studio Rewind was located.
The favorable feedback from both sides boosted both burger sales and game sales.
“I didn't realize there was so much interest in merchandise. It's beyond what I imagined.”
I knew the users wanted Hellic merchandise, but the level of demand exceeded my expectations.
User feedback is important.
If they wanted it this much, it was worth seriously considering a merchandise business.
Since we had decided to focus solely on packaged games, we couldn't ignore a business that leveraged the power of our IP.
“Organize the user feedback on merchandise into a separate file. We might need it later.”
“Okay.”
“And it's about time we started getting ready.”
At my words, Han Seo-rim's expression tensed slightly.
The other employees, who had been listening from afar, reacted similarly.
Right, they had every reason to be nervous.
“Our flight is the day after tomorrow.”
The third week of December. The end of the year.
In other words,
“Let's go. To the awards ceremony.”
It was time to conclude Hellic 2's journey.
* * *
We had a long flight ahead of us.
But among us, only Han Seo-rim and I had experience flying.
My experience was limited to a few business trips to Japan and the US in my past life.
Han Seo-rim, apparently, had traveled quite a bit with her family.
“I've been traveling since I was young. I’ve been almost everywhere except for Africa and the Middle East.”
Just what you'd expect from a rich man's daughter.
Anyway, the point was that this was the first overseas trip for the rest of the team.
I knew they had endured a tight schedule and a grueling workload.
Thanks to them, Hellic 2 had achieved incredible results. Although this was a business trip, I wanted to repay them, even if just a little.
That was the reason.
“P-President…! They're serving steak in the sky…!”
First class.
It was my first time, too.
“…Yeah.”
“You can watch movies, too! This is really…!”
Jo A-yun had become much more energetic since finishing her college entrance exams.
Should I say she was starting to show a bit of her past-life self?
Separate from my fond observation, my hands were trembling.
Spending around ten million won per person for an 18-hour flight made my vision go a little white.
'With this money, I could fund development...'
No, I shouldn't think about that.
Hadn't we made tens of billions in revenue even after taxes?
A single splurge like this was well-deserved.
'That's right…!'
I had to enjoy it.
I absolutely had to enjoy it.
I did my best to personally experience the '18-hour fattening' I'd once heard about.
I ate nonstop, drank nonstop, and slept nonstop.
As a result, I reaped an unexpected benefit.
I managed to melt away the fatigue that had built up from marketing after the launch.
By the time we got off the plane, my body felt surprisingly good.
It felt like I had rediscovered the vitality of my 20-year-old body, something I hadn't felt since just after I regressed.
It was then that I resolved to properly manage my physical condition during the awards circuit.
That was the end of my moment of reflection.
“This is America!”
The dramatic duo shrieked with delight.
Han Seo-rim, looking embarrassed, distanced herself from them and came to my side, while Jo A-yun and Myeong-gyu stared blankly at the foreign scenery passing by.
It was better to let them enjoy it to their hearts' content.
Once we got out of the airport, that is.
“Let’s go. We need to check into the hotel first.”
We booked three rooms.
One for me and Myeong-gyu, one for Han Seo-rim and Jo A-yun, and one for the dramatic duo.
The awards ceremony officially started the day after tomorrow, so I scheduled some sightseeing until then.
It was after I had led the team through immigration.
“…Sunbae, look at that.”
Han Seo-rim narrowed her eyes and pointed somewhere.
In the middle of a crowd of people waiting for arrivals, a middle-aged man was holding up a sign.
[Welcome Hellic!]
My body instinctively froze.
A Western man with a bushy beard, blond hair, a potbelly that made him look like a drunkard, and a flushed red nose.
'…Russo?'
Alid Russo, the head of Studio Valhalla.
He was looking right at me.
A smirk playing on his lips.