Chapter 496: You have a new email, please check it: The truth needs to be revealed |
"Price."
As she spoke, she saw the originally languid Shen Miaomiao stand up from the sofa, slowly walk to Gu Sheng's side, and pat his shoulder with a slap:
"Get up, the Chairman is about to speak, why are you so clueless?"
Gu Sheng was drinking tea and almost got slapped into spraying it out.
He hurriedly stood up, both anxious and fearful, and yielded the seat of honor to Little Nezha:
"My fault, my fault, I was being inconsiderate, please take the seat of honor, we're all ears."
As he spoke.
Gu Sheng walked around the desk, came to sit beside Chu Qingzhou, picked up his notebook and pen, assuming an attitude of awaiting orders.
Chu Qingzhou couldn't help but laugh.
No matter how large Golden Wind's scale is, no matter how great their achievements are now,
Whenever the two of them are together, they always seem so unserious, laughing and joking, treating life like a game.
"Price! Is the absolute top priority of our lesson this time!"
Shen Miaomiao, now sitting in the head seat, also put on an air, speaking while pointing at Gu Sheng:
"Write this down, why are you looking at me."
"Oh oh oh! Sorry Chairman,"
Gu Sheng hurriedly opened his pen cap, looking serious:
"You look too beautiful today, I was momentarily stunned, please forgive me."
"Hey—"
Hearing this, Shen Miaomiao was naturally overjoyed but still pretended to be reserved, waving her hand:
"Now is work time, let's talk business first, I'll let you look properly after we finish, be good."
Chu Qingzhou: What the hell...??
"....If you two don't have any other serious business, I'll leave first, okay?"
What the hell did I do to deserve this?
I'm just like that stray dog passing by, walking along fine and suddenly getting slapped!
What's going on? Am I also part of your play?
"Ah— no no no—"
Seeing Chu Qingzhou's dark expression, Shen Miaomiao hurriedly waved her hands awkwardly:
"Let's talk business, hehe, let's talk business..."
Price adjustment.
Shen Miaomiao doesn't understand games, but she understands the market.
What is the most fundamental reason for Endless Dark Tide's Waterloo now?
Is it Golden Wind's sniping?
Is it the monotony of the game format?
Or is the sales pricing too high?
All of them, and none of them.
Because theoretically speaking, any single one of these three reasons alone isn't enough to directly cause Endless Dark Tide's failure.
Only by combining all three is the crux of Endless Dark Tide's problem.
A game priced far above the market average, with playability not matching its price, colliding with a work of the same caliber that has both superior playability and price.
Failure is inevitable.
And now!
What Shen Miaomiao wants to do is deepen and expand this failure further, pouring another handful of salt on their wound!
If they take this opportunity to launch a brand new game, meeting current gaming industry quality standards, of the same type or even with the same basic gameplay as Endless Dark Tide, supplemented with a low price!
It's hard to imagine how badly the already struggling Endless Dark Tide would crash and burn by then.
And this kind of price war!
Is exactly what Shen Miaomiao hopes to see.
After all!
The lower the game's selling price, the greater her chance of getting a rebate!
Assume! Just assume!
If Rainbow Six's release price is $1, with over three hundred million in costs sitting there, doesn't that mean no matter how amazing Gu Sheng is, this transaction is guaranteed to be a loss?
Of course, this is just an extreme assumption.
The actual pricing still needs to refer to the range given by the system.
And the pricing range given by the system depends on Gu Sheng.
That is to say, if she can fundamentally give Old Gu an irresistible reason for a low price, then her chance of getting a rebate will greatly increase.
On one hand, taking down Illusion Engine to invest more costs, on the other hand, reducing game prices to create higher rebate possibilities.
Killing two birds with one stone.
Opportunity knocks but once.
That's the reason.
"....So I believe, to completely end Illusion Engine's fantasy of a comeback, and also to create a better environment for our public relations operations,"
Shen Miaomiao concluded:
"This work we're launching this time can appropriately make some adjustments in price, after all, this isn't our flagship product either,"
"What do you think, Old Gu?"
I say the Chairman is brilliant!!!
Gu Sheng couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up.
Great idea.
Although doing this is somewhat despicable.
Clearly the previous Left 4 Dead MOD already left Endless Dark Tide half-paralyzed.
Now it's even better, directly using the latest gaming industry technology to create a completely comparable game.
With this, forget giving Konik a month, even if you give him another hundred months, as long as Konik stubbornly clings to his $80 per copy pricing, Endless Dark Tide will never have a chance to recover.
And not just that!
In the future, even if Konik comes to his senses, realizes the pricing is too high and wants to run promotions or discounts.
He'll still have to check Golden Wind's mood first.
You know, even with a 20% discount, an $80 game still costs $64.
"That is to say, if we're willing to sacrifice profit to sabotage, setting the price around $40,"
Gu Sheng pondered:
"Even if Konik offers a 50% discount, it would only just match our game's launch price,"
"Besides, he can run specials, we can run specials too..."
The discount doesn't need to be too high, just keep it the same as Endless Dark Tide.
You offer 20% off, I offer 20% off. You offer 50% off, I offer 50% off.
Let's see who lasts.
Anyway, you know best how much your project cost.
As the sole flagship product, from development to promotion, it cost at least eight or nine hundred million if not a full billion.
And our comparable work itself isn't a flagship product, pure development costs at most less than two hundred million.
If you can bear it, I can bear it even more.
This can work!
Although theoretically, Gu Sheng has always been somewhat against selling works at low prices and engaging in price wars with peers.
But at this time, the situation is special.
To ensure the new technology can be applied to the flagship title escorting Yiyou X3, there's no need to be so rigid, some flexibility is appropriate.
Thinking of this!
Gu Sheng nodded in agreement:
"Chairman is brilliant! Then may I ask, regarding the specific implementation details and game planning for this work of ours, do you have any instructions or suggestions?"
"Suggest..."
Hearing this, Shen Miaomiao couldn't help but get stuck.
What the hell instructions and suggestions do I have!
I'm only responsible for taking down Illusion Engine, so my 2.7 billion can be put to good use,
As for how to make the game, how to design the gameplay, how to do the overall planning, how would I know!
"..."
Shen Miaomiao shrugged, grinning awkwardly:
"Isn't that where President Gu needs to put in more effort..."
Seeing this!
Gu Sheng couldn't help but nod with satisfaction, closed his notebook and stood up:
"Hmph, then why aren't you getting up from that seat! Are you waiting for me to invite you?"
"Ah! Ah ah ah! Alright! Alright President Gu, please sit, please please—"
Roles reversed!
This time it was Shen Miaomiao's turn to awkwardly get up from the boss's chair and yield the seat to Gu Sheng.
"Ah—"
Comfortably back in his throne, Gu Sheng crossed his legs, pointing at Shen Miaomiao:
"What are you standing there dazed for, don't you know to pour me some water?"
"Oh oh oh! Sorry President Gu,"
Shen Miaomiao hurriedly refilled Gu Sheng's water, anxious and fearful:
"You look too handsome today, I was momentarily mesmerized, please forgive me."
"Hey—"
Gu Sheng beckoned:
"Now is work time, you can look all you want after work is done, be good."
As he spoke, he even took Shen Miaomiao's small hand and gave it a gentle pull, as Shen Miaomiao leaned down, delivering a light, fleeting kiss.
Chu Qingzhou, who witnessed everything: ……
Speechless.
What can I even say?
If I must speak my mind.
Then I can only say I can't work this damn job for another day.
Really.
Tired.
Let the stray dog rest too.
Please.
......
One month later!
Friday!
8 PM!
On the Twitch platform, in pew's livestream—
"Noooooooo—Jaaaaaaaack—!"
With pew's utterly fake 'agonized cry', his good buddy Jacksep was engulfed by the endless tide of monsters,
While pew alone boarded the small escape pod, leaving this mysterious spaceship filled with alien creatures.
"You—son—of—a—bitch—!"
At the same time, the engulfed jack also raged in his rage, emitting the sound of impudent fury:
"Who the hell told you to close the hatch door early—!"
That's right!
The game the two were currently streaming was precisely the hottest "player-made map" in Golden Wind's classic old game Left 4 Dead now—[Alien Dark Tide].
This map is too popular now.
It's itself the perfect lower-tier substitute for the $80 Endless Dark Tide, playable for just half a dollar.
Plus, this MOD's compatibility is simply insane; from release to now nearly two months, not a single player has reported any MOD it couldn't be compatible with.
Originally exquisite production quality, combined with the support of countless other MODs, the current [Alien Dark Tide] simply crushes the original Endless Dark Tide, exceptionally popular.
"Hahahaha sorry sorry, really wasn't intentional, I really accidentally pressed the wrong button to close the door..."
In the livestream, pew explained his recent teammate-screwing behavior, indicating sorry but daring to do it again next time.
However!
Just as the two were engaging in their "friendly exchange" of flowery language!
Suddenly, an email notification from the motion-sensing pod popped up—
[You have a new email, please check]
"What the fuck?"
The suddenly appearing notification made pew freeze.
Yiyou X2, or practically all motion-sensing pods globally, have communication functions.
Whether making voice or video calls, sending chat messages, or receiving or sending emails, all can be done.
And when voice/video calls or chat/emails come in, the motion-sensing pod will also alert the user, similar to pop-up reminders on PC.
But the problem is—
I remember I turned off email notifications, didn't I?
For a moment, pew even doubted himself.
After all, he's a streamer; for these higher-privacy notification types, he usually sets them to silent,
So why did this email suddenly pop up today?
With an attitude of confusion, pew curiously clicked open that email notification.
—rustle—
With the slight sound of an envelope being torn open, an email appeared before all the viewers—
[Subject: The Truth Needs to Be Revealed]
[Sender: MilesUpsher@Dreyfusmail.com]
[I don't know where this email will be sent, you might not know me either]
[Let's keep it short, I'm about to be sent 1400 meters underground by the ?Warden?]
[......]