Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Streamer's Tears
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#67
“1.1 million copies. 400,000 of those were from the initial launch countries.”
As if he couldn’t believe his own words, Yang Gil-sang ran a hand through his hair, scratching his scalp.
His face was blooming with sheer joy.
“It’s an unbelievable number! To be honest, I never imagined we’d sell this many more copies in the countries where it first launched! I mean, Director, can you believe this?”
No, I hadn’t expected it either.
After all, I hadn’t even considered the Korean and American markets in our sales projections.
But the reason wasn’t entirely beyond my grasp.
“...It must have been the collector’s impulse.”
“Yes, most of the sales came from the existing fanbase. Take a look at this.”
Yang Gil-sang had gathered reactions from various online communities.
While a community might seem like a small group of customers, it was a useful space for gauging their general needs.
In other words, the communities showed us the reason.
『(Chat) WaitingForHellic3: Anyone doing a launch day run for the Hellic 2 console version?
BangbaeBloodlord: Me
CherryLipsOfKkotjae: Me too
CorporalKkeomgeomsah: Took the day off lol. Can't miss this one hahaha
S2PoppyS2: It was a console-friendly game from the start! I can't wait to play it on console too ^^
CosmicWarFan: What a waste of money...
zZoneHansu: How could you resist? lololol
ClearAsDay: I bought a PS3 just for thisㅡㅡ』
Despite the Korean community not being particularly console-friendly, many users were waiting for the console version.
In the United States, which is more accustomed to consoles, the response was far greater than I had anticipated.
Their reactions were a bit more direct, revealing the reason behind these incomprehensible numbers.
『-I want to collect the whole series in physical copies. Will they release 1?
┕That one’s basically a Flash game. Impossible.
┕Still, I agree. I want to collect all the Hellic games as they come out.
-They say nothing’s changed. Should I still buy it?
┕If you don't want to, don't. I'm buying it just because I want to have it.』
To sum it up, there was only one reason for these sales.
Because they wanted it.
It was the desire to own a physical copy of the game.
These people had already played the game, knew the ending and all the content, yet they purchased it for the sole reason of ‘wanting to have it.’
It was the realm of irrationality.
At the same time, it was the realm of emotion.
I reflected on my oversight.
‘I failed to consider it. The emotional significance of a physical copy.’
I was a gamer myself, so how could I have overlooked this?
The answer probably lay in the fact that I had spent my entire life creating games for PC or mobile platforms.
But thinking back, it made sense.
As a gamer, I could fully understand the feelings of these users.
‘The magic of a physical object, I suppose.’
That thrill of opening a beautifully designed package, the CD inside, the tremor of excitement as you insert it into the console—these were things a PC could never replicate.
Moreover, the sense of fulfillment and security from owning a game in physical form carried a completely different weight than a game title floating on an online platform.
I knew that feeling too.
That was why I could empathize with their irrational consumption.
From a marketing perspective, it was this.
‘The disc edition console.’
Physical copies will not die out in the future.
Although their market share would shrink with the rise of PC platforms, they would never lose their core audience.
The reason was the desire for physical objects.
In other words, the collector's impulse, which was linked to humanity’s long-standing irrational desire: greed.
Furthermore, this phenomenon could be interpreted in another way.
“It means we’ve gathered this many core fans.”
“Yes, it means this many people have a genuine affection for *Hellic*.”
“So…”
“Roughly 20 to 30% of them could be considered a guaranteed customer base for *Hellic 3*.”
The number was almost laughable.
20 to 30% of 400,000 was between 80,000 and 120,000.
And that was a realistic estimate; optimistically, we could aim for over 50%.
This wasn’t just a number.
It was a measure of the power that Studio Rewind and the *Hellic* IP currently held.
My fists clenched.
A more hopeful outlook had just been quantified.
But the most noteworthy aspect of these sales figures was something else.
“650,000 in Japan, and 50,000 from the rest. These numbers are beyond our expectations.”
*Hellic*'s entry into the Japanese market had been a success.
The numbers weren’t dramatic, but they were undeniably significant.
“We’ve broken into that exclusive market. 650,000 in just one week. Looking at the trend, we could even hit a million within a month.”
The Japanese console market is notoriously difficult to enter.
The giants who already dominate it stand as colossal walls.
Breaking through meant we had earned the minimum qualification to challenge the titans at the pinnacle of the physical copy market.
“Would you take a look at this?”
Yang Gil-sang turned the monitor completely towards me.
It was a live stream, all in Japanese.
A pretty girl was playing *Hellic 2*, on the verge of tears.
Her brown bob, bright eyes, and round face were striking.
“They call it a ‘live commentary’ over there. We’ve really caught the wave.”
“...Who is she?”
“Minami Yuka. A Japanese idol famous for being a huge gamer. Oh, to elaborate, Yuka-chan debuted seven years ago, and her group’s name is…”
Suddenly, Yang Gil-sang became very talkative.
A flicker of excitement crossed his face.
So, he was a fan of Japanese idols.
Come to think of it, his smartphone wallpaper looked like this girl.
“...Anyway, Yuka-chan played the console version of *Hellic 2*! She’s been streaming for 15 hours straight! She’s about to reach the ending…”
“...I see.”
I cut him off and turned my attention to the monitor.
His personal tastes were none of my business.
My gaze fell on the chat window.
It was a good thing I could understand Japanese.
The raw emotion was palpable.
***
Minami Yuka, 22 years old.
Now a 7-year veteran, she was a fairly senior idol.
She wasn’t particularly popular.
Her image as a ‘game otaku’ had helped her build a niche fandom, and that was about it.
As her retirement loomed, she chose live streaming as a new path. Today, she was playing the newly released title, *Hellic 2*, as part of her live commentary series.
‘This is bad, this is bad! The tears won’t stop!!!’
She hadn’t expected much from the game.
Having conquered all sorts of AAA titles since she was young, she had judged that an indie game wouldn’t move her much.
But once she started playing, she realized her judgment was off.
The fluid narrative and intuitive gameplay were far more entertaining than she had anticipated.
And now, with the grand finale unfolding before her eyes, Yuka had to struggle to keep her expression in check.
‘Get a grip, Yuka! You’re an idol! You can’t show them an ugly face!’
Even though she was pivoting to game streaming, she couldn't show a hideous side of herself.
Her viewers were her existing fans, people who liked her as an idol.
An idol had to be charming.
That meant never showing an unsightly appearance.
Yuka understood this fact quite well.
She also understood that her crying face was exceptionally ugly.
Her round face and large eyes were her greatest assets, but the moment she started to cry, her face crumpled like a squashed dumpling.
‘Hold it in, you have to hold it in…!’
She clenched her jaw with all her might, and her chin began to tremble.
Her nostrils flared slightly, and her eyes widened as if they were about to shoot lasers.
Yuka envied her viewers.
『-What is thisㅠㅠㅠ Damn it! This is too sad!!!
-Alice-chan! Don't go!!! Take Butterfly with you!!!
-ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
-(crying emoji)
-(sobbing emoji)』
‘Ah, maybe I should just let it all out.’
Her resolve weakened, but she steeled herself.
A 7-year veteran idol’s experience doesn’t just disappear.
At that moment, the golden door swallowed Alice.
The final boss, the Warden, appeared.
Yuka didn’t know who this character was.
She only knew it was Butterfly’s enemy, and its stitched face, nailed ears, and blue skin amplified the sense of dread.
Yuka felt her heart drop.
The final boss looked incredibly strong, making her imagine a tragic ending.
‘No!’
If Butterfly sacrificed himself and died, she wouldn’t be able to hold back her tears.
If that happened, she’d show her hideously contorted face to her fans!
It would be a disaster! An absolute disaster!
‘You have to win! Butterfly! You have to win!’
In that instant, Yuka and Butterfly became one.
She had to win and pass through that golden door, and she had to hold back her tears.
“Here I go!!!”
*Tap-tap-tap!*
Yuka’s hands danced across the controller.
A speed the eye couldn’t follow!
Dazzling technique!
Yuka’s gaze, like that of James Han, darted relentlessly, tracking the Warden’s every move!
But there was one tragic fact.
Yuka was not James Han.
Therefore, entering the hidden route was impossible (she didn’t even know such a thing existed).
All that awaited her, after giving it her all, was the normal ending.
And so,
[...Farewell.]
She had no choice but to watch Butterfly crumble with a bright smile.
In that moment, Yuka’s reason shattered.
“Why!!!”
Alice had left.
But Butterfly’s life had ended in tragedy.
The realization brought an uncontrollable surge of tears.
“Waaaaaaaaah!!!”
Yuka wailed.
She dropped the controller and pounded the floor.
Then she threw her head back and sobbed, gasping for breath.
The rebound from holding it in for so long turned her face into a squashed dumpling, red and about to burst.
Tears streamed down her face, and a drop of snot even formed at the tip of her nose.
She regretted it moments later, but it was too late.
Yuka made the choice to just cry her heart out.
“Hnnnnngh!!!”
And so she met with another regret.
It was the next day.
『sheep long high: Yuka-chan wwwww cried while playing a game and even showed off a snot bubble wwww
(Video of Yuka wailing)
So~ kawaii wwwwwwww』
The scene of her wailing became a video and spread across all sorts of online communities.
Not just in Japan, but overseas as well.
“Aaaaaaaah!!! No way!!!!”
Despair enveloped Yuka.
But perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
『Eh, who is this person? She's funny wwww
Yuka-chan? When's her next stream? I want to watch live wwww』
The video of her crying, complete with a snot bubble, gained a cult following and became a meme.
Yuka’s recognition grew to a level incomparable to her idol days, and her future after retirement suddenly looked a little brighter.
“...Ehh?”
Life was truly unpredictable.
And on another note, separate from her story.
The game that had made Yuka burst into snotty tears became known to a much wider audience along with the meme.
A month passed.
***
“...1.43 million copies. That’s how much we sold in Japan alone.”
Yang Gil-sang said, his face a mask of bewilderment.
I, too, couldn’t believe my ears.
The unbelievable number hammered into my brain, bringing my thoughts to a standstill.
“...Crazy.”
Just as the curse escaped my lips,
*Ding!*
A text message arrived.
[Is now a good time to talk?]
The sender was Ayado Goro.
The Director of Sales at Sona.
It was Christmas Eve.