Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Bug (2)
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My heart was pounding.
My mind felt foggy, like I was wandering through a mist.
Cold sweat beaded on my clasped hands.
This reaction of mine wasn't anything special.
It was simply because this was the first time I'd ever shown my face directly to players, whether before or after my return.
"First, on behalf of the Girls Memorial development team, we sincerely thank all the players who chose our game."
...But once the recording actually started, the tension in my body eased faster than I'd expected.
My racing heart calmed down,
my dry hands steadied,
and my foggy mind began to work properly again.
"However, even though we've only been open for a single day, we are truly sorry for this incident caused by our inadequate preparation and response."
As I continued speaking and looked at the camera, my eyes met Yeojin's and Yumi's.
Yeojin and Yumi nodded with expressionless faces, signaling that I was doing well.
Reassured by that, I pressed on.
"We take this opportunity, through this video message, to offer our apologies."
Not as some mere face-saving gesture, but truly as the director shouldering responsibility, I bowed my head to the viewers.
"We, the development team, will redouble our meticulous efforts to ensure nothing like this happens again."
That was the end of the prepared apology script.
Now it was time for the carrot and the stick.
"In acknowledgment of this incident, we plan to provide generous compensation so that our players won't be disappointed. We'll also work to minimize any losses during the resolution of this issue. However!"
I paused for a moment, took a sip of water, and then opened my mouth again.
"We will conduct a thorough investigation to check for any exploitation of the bug, and players who gained unfair advantages through it will face appropriate penalties."
To avoid setting a precedent, there was no choice but to make this crystal clear.
There had been games that went straight to ruin after slapping exploiters on the wrist.
Girls Memorial couldn't follow in their footsteps.
"Finally, some of you may be disappointed or angry that we've caused such worry right from our launch, but please keep watching. We'll repay you with a changed and improved version of ourselves."
I bowed toward the camera one last time.
"Thank you."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After the dawn bug fiasco, the community was pure chaos.
Once the servers shut down due to the bug and the notice went up saying they were investigating the cause, there had been total radio silence.
In a situation where all sorts of people had flooded in on launch hype, this neglect was more than enough to plunge the community into disorder.
But that community frenzy was quelled by a single notice post two hours later.
📰 Forum Post [Nickname: Anonymous] [Title: Girls Memorial official notice dropped ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ (Translation)] ⚙ Official Notice ⚙ Hello, this is Girls Memorial. We'd like to inform you about the measures taken regarding the repeated mail receipt issue and our future plans. Before explaining the situation, we apologize to all the players who looked forward to our game and played it, for the inconvenience caused by this error. We conducted emergency maintenance to fix the issue where rewards in the mailbox could be claimed multiple times, and normal login is now possible. However, due to the repeated pre-registration reward claims, we are currently recovering excess Mana Stones through a full investigation. For accounts requiring recovery, we are sequentially lifting temporary restrictions after completion. Additionally, for cases where recovery is impossible due to prior use, we will apply usage restrictions per our game operation policy. Moreover, for the great inconvenience caused by today's maintenance after launch, we've prepared emergency maintenance compensation with our sincerest apologies. [Emergency Maintenance Compensation Details] ※ Emergency Maintenance Compensation Mana Stones x2000, Stamina 500, Affinity Gift Selection Box 50, Student Enhancement Tickets 500, Mana Batteries 200 ※ Distribution Schedule: Post-emergency maintenance ~ October 31st (Wed) Reward items will disappear after the schedule, so please log in within the period to claim them. Once again, we deeply apologize for the inconvenience. We'll use these errors as lessons to provide a more stable service. [※ The director's apology video will be uploaded to the official Girls Memorial YouTube channel.] 💬 Comments [By Registration Order] — Anonymous Kya, as expected from Enson!!!!!!!!!! We believed in you! — Anonymous Whoa, the compensation is insane ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ — Anonymous That's like 1k pulls worth of Mana Stones, right? — Anonymous Reroll difficulty's gonna drop hard. — Anonymous Whoa, the response here is on another level compared to 'that game' ㄷㄷㄷㄷ 📰 Forum Post [Nickname: ThatShittyGame] [Title: Summary of response differences when bugs hit 'That Shitty Game' vs. Girls Memorial...txt] 'That Shitty Game': If the bug doesn't hurt them, they drag it out forever. Even for critical bugs requiring server downtime, zero compensation. Girls Memorial: Servers down due to bug? Apology notice up immediately, compensation showered, director bows personally <-(NEW) No wonder Inmila players aren't switching over lololololol 💬 Comments [By Registration Order] — Anonymous What the hell were the Inmila diehards even fighting for lololol — Anonymous Seeing it like this, they look like total suckers lololol — Anonymous The compensation they gave out this time is nuts. — Anonymous What's up with the people still sticking with Inmila? For real lolololol 📰 Forum Post [Nickname: Anonymous] [Title: Girls Memorial director's apology video is up!!] [Photo of Hojin bowing his head in apology] I figured it'd be some scripted apology forced by the company, read off a paper and done. But nope. Since it blew up on the Japanese server, I expected a Japanese apology, but seeing him speak natural Japanese without a script made me watch it twice. Even while busy with the bug mess, he put real thought into this. Other game directors need to take notes. 💬 Comments [By Registration Order] — Anonymous Wasn't into mobile games, but this makes me wanna try it. — Anonymous Honestly felt it from the Tokyo Game Show recaps, but that director gives good vibes. — Anonymous For real lololol At least better than directors who shit out trash games and bend over backwards. — Anonymous Thinking of dipping my toes in, feasible to start now?
>ㄴGame just opened yesterday, plenty feasible, go go
I set my smartphone down on the desk after monitoring the community and thought to myself.
'It's landing way better than expected...?'
The bug had hit at the worst possible timing, so I'd figured we'd at best avoid too much backlash.
But that was my mistake.
Instead, our image had improved compared to before the bug.
'Since it's gone this far, maybe I should push our luck?'
After a moment's consideration, I picked up my phone and called Tanaka.
[Director, I was just about to call you. How's the situation over there?]
"The apology video's getting a better response than expected, so I'm still a bit dazed. How about Japan?"
[Same here. Active users are up nearly 30% from before the bug, and reactions are positive.]
Tanaka's response gave me pause, and I carefully opened my mouth.
"It feels like this crisis turned into an opportunity... What if we take it one step further?"
[Got a good idea?]
After a brief pause at Tanaka's question, I spoke up.
"Our first pickup PV upload is scheduled for next week, right? And the pickup banner the week after?"
[Yes.]
"Then, how about releasing the PV now while the buzz is hot, and following up with the pickup banner next week? User attention is at its peak right now—perfect timing."
[Hmm... This is another matter I can't approve on my own, so I'll need some time.]
"Of course. I'll wait."
[But won't the higher-ups hate it? We're already giving out Mana Stones for bug compensation, and pulling the pickup forward in this situation...]
I could easily guess the rest of what Tanaka trailed off on.
It'd negatively impact sales to run a pickup right after handing out generous compensation.
He wasn't wrong.
The rewards would affect revenue to some degree, no doubt.
"But like they say, you can't make sausage if you're scared of the maggots. With the current user interest and hype, I'm confident we can pull in even more."
[If that's your conviction, Director... Understood. I'll let you know the results.]
"I'll be waiting for your call."
I hung up without a firm yes, but I wasn't worried.
After all, I'd already proven my capabilities in handling public sentiment.
I expected approval wouldn't take long.
And sure enough, proving my prediction right, my smartphone rang again a few hours later.
[All the proposals you made, Director, have been fully approved.]