Chapter 484: If Nothing Goes Wrong, CloudPower Is in Trouble |
"‘Alien: Endless Dark Tide’ sparks heated discussion on launch day! Innovative game modes maximize the experience!"
"A touching tribute to a classic, revitalizing the L4D-style genre"
"Over 700,000 copies sold on day one! ‘Alien: Endless Dark Tide’ sets CloudPower’s best annual sales record!"
"The sixth-generation Phantom Dream engine leads industry innovation! Early engine releases could push weekly sales past three million!"
"Refined Reality Augmentation technology points the path for next-gen games"
<......)
The next day!
Reports about Alien: Endless Dark Tide swept in like a tidal wave, topping headlines across major gaming media!
When the news arrived, CloudPower’s internal ranks naturally rejoiced, morale soaring!
Great! Great! Great!
So excited that Konik called out "great" three times in a row!
"I told you our project would be flawless!"
At the project’s day-one data review meeting, Konik’s face glowed red, exuding triumph:
"With our Flamebird Studio leading production, plus exclusive support from Phantom Dream technology,"
"Most publishers dared not compete with us, and even some reckless companies that wanted to stir trouble have quietly backed down,"
"This also indirectly proves our dominance in the gaming circle...."
Konik spoke forcefully, spittle flying.
Although he didn't name names at the meeting,
the executives present all knew exactly which "reckless company" the president was referring to.
It was strange, really.
Not long ago, when CloudPower announced it was using the latest Phantom Dream V engine to develop Alien: Endless Dark Tide, Golden Wind reacted quickly and launched a project called Rainbow Six: Siege to face them head-on, ready for a sharp confrontation.
Yet.
Just when CloudPower thought a battle was imminent and had prepared everything to clash with Golden Wind, Golden Wind’s Rainbow Six suddenly went completely quiet, as if it had vanished without a trace, hiding all its sharp edges.
It looked as if Golden Wind was deliberately yielding to CloudPower.
Such behavior drew commentary not only within CloudPower but across the gaming circle and media.
Most media outlets shared roughly the same view:
Because Phantom Dream V’s technical breakthrough was overwhelmingly strong, and CloudPower had sent out its top ace Flamebird Studio to produce the game, even Golden Wind dared not pick a fight and forcibly clash with Endless Dark Tide.
After all,
given the situation, this was the single most reasonable explanation.
And this outcome didn't surprise most insiders.
After all, the difference in strength between the two sides was obvious.
CloudPower’s release of Alien: Endless Dark Tide was arguably the biggest marketing push in recent years.
Just the development cost exceeded 355 million dollars, and the marketing budget was further increased by 150%.
Although the game had only just launched,
up to now the project had already burned nearly 550 million dollars!
But for Konik, that no longer mattered.
If burning 550 million dollars could reverse the downturn of the past two years, successfully suppress Golden Wind’s momentum, and restore CloudPower to gaming hegemony,
then not only 550 million, but double that amount would be worth it!
After all, being able to stifle Golden Wind’s rise was an achievement too precious to squander!
"Over 700,000 copies in a single day!"
After his rousing speech, Konik gasped a little for breath, then steadied himself and continued:
"I know this result represents a resurgence after a long dormancy, and naturally it fills us with joy,"
"but"
"I think our fighting spirit should not stop here!"
Saying this,
Konik slowly put away his excited expression, and said in a deep voice:
"Seventy thousand copies in one day, estimated four million in the first week, this is only the beginning!"
"In the days ahead, we will continue to increase investment in this project, strive to hit even greater peaks, cement our position as the gaming hegemon, force certain presumptuous companies to face reality. I believe they will soon—"
.......
"—taste the bitter end."
Early that morning!
Chu Qingzhou brought a stack of briefing materials to the president who sat steady at the heart of their command tent.
To be honest, she didn’t understand how President Gu could remain so calm.
They had previously agreed in meetings that Rainbow Six would be scheduled to launch right after CloudPower’s Endless Dark Tide, using the most powerful sniping tactics to deliver a lethal blow.
Yet just five hours after Endless Dark Tide's release,
President Gu had urgently halted Rainbow Six's release plan, telling everyone to wait for his signal.
Chu Qingzhou didn’t understand, and neither did Lu Bian.
So early this morning, Chu Qingzhou hadn’t even had time to eat; she carried her report materials and went straight to see Gu Sheng.
The only replies she got were, "Do you want to grab some breakfast together?" and "CloudPower is about to taste some hardship."
"No, thank you, President Gu..."
Chu Qingzhou rolled her eyes internally, muttering that he never actually planned to invite her to breakfast, did he?
Otherwise, why would he swallow a boiled egg in two bites and make it look like she was about to steal his meal?
And also, how did he decide CloudPower was "about to taste hardship"?
Public opinion was clearly unfavorable to them—everyone said Golden Wind was avoiding confrontation because they’d run into someone too strong and realized their weakness.
Besides,
could he please open his eyes and look? Endless Dark Tide’s sales had already broken 700,000, and conservatively the first-week sales would top four million; pushing to five million wasn’t impossible!
Why say they were "about to taste hardship"?
Chu Qingzhou filled with questions, standing there waiting for Gu Sheng to give a reasonable explanation.
But Gu Sheng only waved his hand, looking as if he almost wanted to speak but stopped himself, seeming very calm.
Chu Qingzhou felt a jolt inside.
No way... even invincible President Gu might fall?
"President Gu, you are...?"
"Hydro—"
Gu Sheng’s expression twisted painfully:
"The egg—stuck—"
What the hell!
Chu Qingzhou wanted to stuff Gu Sheng into the water dispenser, but she had to turn and fetch a glass of water, which she respectfully handed to him with some helplessness, sighing:
"So, President Gu, what should we do...?"
"Ah—much better, thanks."
After using the water to wash down the lodged tea egg, Gu Sheng relaxed and patted his chest:
"Nothing to do, just wait and see. I estimate we can release R6 next week."
Huh?
Chu Qingzhou froze, her mind struggling to process:
"Just... wait?"
"Just wait," Gu Sheng nodded.
"If nothing goes wrong, CloudPower is about to run into trouble..."
Saying that!
Gu Sheng took the reports from Chu Qingzhou’s hand and motioned for her to sit.
Gu Sheng had a special feeling toward Chu Qingzhou.
This feeling had nothing to do with romance; it was trust, admiration, even appreciation.
Although it sounded odd—Chu Qingzhou was three or four years older than him—
there was no doubt that Little Nezha’s Sister Chuchu, the personal secretary that Lao Shen personally dispatched to his beloved daughter, was an unusually composed and capable talent,
efficient, steady, and precise.
Since Golden Wind opened for business, Chu Qingzhou had never made a mistake—handling everything from staffing and project marketing plans and media integration to restocking the claw machines, answering phone calls, and accompanying appearances.
For four years, big or small tasks were always executed flawlessly, mission accomplished every time.
Her precision and near-photographic memory, combined with the ability to extrapolate, once gave Gu Sheng chills.
A small example: Chu Qingzhou even remembered the birthday of Lu Bian’s previous girlfriend, because three years ago when they weren’t together yet, Lu Bian changed his phone and casually mentioned it while clearing messages.
Good heavens!
That’s terrifying!
Thanks to Chu Qingzhou’s gentle intellect and high emotional intelligence, who knew how miserable Lu Bian’s life might have been otherwise!
Because of this,
Gu Sheng was willing to explain the "why" and "how" to Chu Qingzhou in depth on many matters.
When it came to work, he was more forthcoming with Chu Qingzhou than even with Little Nezha,
otherwise, if their relationship were only a regular boss-subordinate one, Chu Qingzhou wouldn’t have dared ask why he remained so calm.
The duty of a secretary is to do what the boss asks, no questions asked.
With Chu Qingzhou seated, she opened her notebook and uncapped her fountain pen, listening attentively to this young yet cunning president’s explanation.
"Last night I called Xiao Ming..."
Sipping tea, Gu Sheng began to explain—
After confirming Alien: Endless Dark Tide’s game format yesterday, Gu Sheng judged that without support from a Workshop, the game would quickly enter a slump.
Estimate of four million in the first week?
Konik was bold to predict that.
From Gu Sheng’s play experience and assessment, if CloudPower continued with its current marketing strategy, the game’s weekly sales would top out around two million.
Even if CloudPower kept pouring money into marketing, its sales would only peak slightly above three million.
As a game designer and corporate president, Gu Sheng understood that Endless Dark Tide’s development cost was high—new tech and rushed timelines—so the cost was naturally steep,
but an $80 price tag is really too high for most players.
And multiplayer games are different from story-driven titles; the idea of "buy early to play, buy late for discounts, or wait for freebies" is especially true for these games.
If a game is priced far above expectations, and its price doesn’t affect spoilers or core experience, most players choose the same thing:
wait for a price cut and buy then.
This rule holds true across lifetimes.
After all, whenever Golden Wind runs a big sale with huge discounts, Left 4 Dead still sells a lot.
What Gu Sheng wanted was to strengthen players’ inclination to wait, accelerating Endless Dark Tide’s decline.
At this point Gu Sheng took a gentle sip of tea:
"You borrowed the idea from me, so conversely, if I emulate your fusion concept in my game, that’s not excessive, right?"
"…Not excessive," Chu Qingzhou shrugged, indicating that was entirely reasonable.
Gu Sheng nodded and asked:
"You don't have a Workshop. If I graciously show you how the Workshop is used, that's not excessive, right?"
"Mm, not excessive either."
Chu Qingzhou agreed.
Gu Sheng continued:
"If I produce a map in the Workshop with the exact same format as yours, players who feel your game is overpriced could temporarily use mine as a substitute until you reduce your price and go on sale—that's not excessive either, right?"
Hiss—!!!
At this moment!
Chu Qingzhou finally understood where Gu Sheng’s serene confidence—this air of just-waiting-for-Konik-to-have-a-heart-attack—came from!
He had quietly instructed Wang Xiaoming, using a third-party identity, to create a mod in Left 4 Dead’s Workshop whose gameplay and content mirrored Alien: Endless Dark Tide exactly!
That way, although a mod’s overall quality could never match CloudPower’s heavily funded original,
don’t forget!
Left 4 Dead has graphic enhancement patches!
And from a core technical standpoint, although Left 4 Dead lacks the latest Reality Augmentation tech, it benefits from Yiyou’s exclusive full-sensory assistance system!
A perfect lower-tier substitute!
The most critical point—
Left 4 Dead is cheap!
At launch, Left 4 Dead sold for only 85 yuan per copy, roughly $12!
And in a recent sale, it went down to an absurd 0.5 discount!
An original 85-yuan Left 4 Dead now costs only 4.25 yuan!
Pay $0.5 to enjoy an $80-like substitute experience!
Moreover, this game mode was originally pioneered by GW!
That meant players could enjoy the most authentic platform-optimized shooting feel that no one had surpassed so far!
Plus the staggering price gap—like Mount Everest versus the Mariana Trench!
Even Chu Qingzhou was stunned for a full five seconds before slowly raising her thumb:
"President Gu, damn,"
"You really are ruthless..."