owlsbooks Chapter 9: Daxia people don’t lie to Daxia people!
Chapter 9: Daxia people don’t lie to Daxia people!
Hospital ward.
It was a bright and sunny day, with not a cloud in the sky. The sunlight streamed through the curtains and onto the hospital bed, making it feel very comfortable. There was a faint smell of disinfectant in the ward.
After a night of treatment, Chen Nan's temperature finally came down and returned to normal.
Perhaps due to the effects of the medication, or perhaps due to the psychological impact of completing the game, Chen Nan slept very soundly that night.
After getting up, Chen Nan stretched and, without having time to admire the scenery outside the window, immediately opened his laptop.
He was worried about the game's release all night, so he kept it with him so he could check it today.
As the culmination of painstaking efforts over this period, the developers of "Three Kingdoms Kill" certainly deserve to contribute their valuable expertise.
Chen Nan turned on his computer with great interest, ready to log in and make the purchase.
While waiting, Chen Nan kept guessing what Lin Lang's price would be. He had left in too much of a hurry yesterday, and these things hadn't been discussed yet.
However, he speculated that it would be priced higher than the previous "Three Kingdoms Dress-Up Simulator".
The fun of "Three Kingdoms Kill" is much greater than that of a dress-up simulator, and this is his most satisfying work in a long time.
The costume simulator is already 69.9 yuan, so "Three Kingdoms Kill" must be going to break 100!
Even if it doesn't break 100, 99.9 yuan is fine too!
No matter how expensive the game is, he thinks it's worth it!
This is the culmination of everyone's hard work!
Just as Chen Nan was lost in his fantasy, the ward door suddenly opened.
Lin Lang and Shen Qi appeared at the door of the ward carrying breakfast.
"Oh, Miss Chen is back to normal!"
As Lin Lang spoke, he placed breakfast on the table next to the hospital bed, taking out steamed buns and soy milk.
"What brings you here!" Upon seeing the two, Chen Nan forgot all about buying games and put his computer aside.
"I just wanted to check on you and show the company's human touch." Lin Lang didn't stand on ceremony with Chen Nan and started eating the steamed bun.
He and Shen Qi had been busy at the company until now, without sleeping all night. After handling the follow-up work arrangements, they immediately came to visit Chen Nan.
"The game 'Three Kingdoms Kill' has officially launched. You should take good care of yourself these next few days!" Shen Qi handed the steamed buns and soy milk to Chen Nan and then began to sip them herself.
"Hey, I'm fine!" Chen Nan felt warm inside seeing the two of them, but he didn't forget his business.
"I just turned on my computer and you guys are here. By the way, how much is the game 'Three Kingdoms Kill' priced?"
Hearing Chen Nan's question, Lin Lang looked at Shen Qi beside him: "You didn't tell him?"
Shen Qi shook her head: "No, I'm afraid his heart can't take it."
Upon hearing this, a big question mark appeared above Chen Nan's head. How much money is it that they're worried about his heart not being able to handle?
"Just tell me, what's so unbearable about it? 100 or 200?"
Lin Lang and Shen Qi exchanged a glance and smiled silently.
"What's with those expressions? It can't be more than 200, can it? Lin Lang, you're really something! This is just a card game, while other big-budget games only cost 200-something!"
Chen Nan patted Lin Lang on the shoulder and burst out laughing.
He is a seasoned game enthusiast and has bought most of the games on the market.
Logically speaking, a price of around 150 should be within his acceptable range. If it exceeds that, there's a concern that players might not buy it because the price is too high.
Lin Lang didn't expose his fantasy, but pointed to the computer next to him: "Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
"You two are still keeping me in suspense," Chen Nan said, turning around and picking up the computer next to him.
"I'm going to find a nurse!" Seeing this, Shen Qi hurriedly went out to find a nurse just in case.
Lin Lang, however, remained calm and continued eating his breakfast.
Is it necessary to contact a nurse about this message?
Chen Nan entered the password, intending to reveal the answer, but the moment he saw the price, his smile froze, his brows furrowed, and his face darkened.
Price: Free
Free... Free!!!
Chen Nan's brain went blank for a moment, his eyes fixed on the game screen, unable to believe it for a long time!
I had considered many possible selling prices, but I never expected Lin Lang to sell this game for free!
A minute later, Chen Nan felt a surge of anger rush to his head, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.
No way! What is Lin Lang thinking?!
It allows us to showcase the games that everyone has worked so hard to create to others for free!
This isn't like those mini-games on websites!
At this moment, Shen Qi also walked in with a nurse. Upon seeing this scene, the nurse quickly stepped forward to check on the patient's condition.
"See, I told you we needed to find a nurse." Shen Qi shook her head; she had already anticipated this outcome.
"Cough cough! Cough cough!" Chen Nan coughed a few times to catch his breath.
It's nothing serious, I just choked on a piece of steamed bun, which caused my blood pressure to spike and my heart to race.
It's nothing serious~
After the nurse saw that everything was alright, she gave Chen Nan a few more instructions and then left.
"Lin Lang! What were you thinking! You've ruined everyone's hard work!" Chen Nan could no longer control his emotions and questioned loudly.
He never expected that Lin Lang would dare to release it for free!
"Do you know how much money our company owes right now? Do you know how much we've invested in this game?!"
Lin Lang: I know, of course I know. Banks send text messages all the time.
"You're so good at recouping your costs? You've done right by us!"
Faced with Chen Nan's questioning, Lin Lang picked at his ear; he had expected this situation to happen.
But now that the game has been released, the price can't be changed.
"So that's why you rushed me out last night. You were waiting for me here, weren't you? Shen Qi listens to everything you say, so you kicked me out, huh!"
Chen Nan felt he had guessed everything correctly, and the fire in his heart burned brighter and brighter as his eyes darted back and forth between Lin Lang and Shen Qi.
"I didn't kick you out," Lin Lang corrected, yet still dissatisfied. "Chen Nan, after all these years of relationship, is this how you see me?"
Chen Nan looked at the serious-looking man in front of him and felt utterly absurd: "Feelings? Then tell me why you didn't tell me about the pricing!"
Lin Lang leaned back in his chair: "Chen Nan, let me ask you, what kind of game is this?"
"It's just a card game!" Chen Nan said coldly.
Lin Lang nodded: "To be precise, it's a multiplayer interactive competitive game, so what's the key point? It's multiplayer! It's the players! Without players, nothing else matters!"
"If the game is priced at several hundred dollars, yes, you can make a quick buck, but have you ever thought about who would spend a lot of money to buy a game from a small studio?"
Especially the studio behind "Three Kingdoms Dress-Up Simulator"!
"But it can't be free! We can't even recoup our costs." Chen Nan's momentum weakened a bit, but he was still relentless.
The three of them had already staked their entire fortune on the last game, hoping to earn it back with this one, but Lin Lang secretly logged in for free.
And he's still the legal representative of the company!
Chen Nan is breaking down, he's really about to break down!
"The problem you mentioned has never been a problem for me. As long as the number of users reaches a certain level, I am the rule setter."
The net cast out for free doesn't bring back fish, it brings back bargaining power! With so many users, I refuse to believe no one will be interested. With this, I won't beg for cooperation; cooperation will beg for me!
Lin Lang patiently outlined a future plan for Chen Nan; "As long as we work together, what problem can't we solve? What are you afraid of?"
Chen Nan looked directly at the man he had known for five years: "I'm afraid the company will go bankrupt, I'll keep a criminal record!"
Lin Lang: "..."
Lin Lang stood up, sat down next to him, and spoke about future plans: "After all, this is a board game; have you considered offline implementation?"
"Releasing physical cards, rare cards, imagine a player accidentally pulling out a valuable card during a match—wouldn't that be satisfying? Plus, they can collect them and auction them off. Wouldn't that be tempting?"
Chen Nan thought for a while and nodded. He hadn't considered this point before, as his focus had always been on online channels.
Seeing this, Lin Lang raised his stakes again: "Besides, the game can only be sold once, but skins can be sold for a lifetime!"
"How could I not think about making money? I'm doing this purely out of love! You've played other games before, and skins and items are where the real money is!"
Without affecting game balance, imagine pulling out a rare skin with cool kill effects while playing with friends—wouldn't players love that feeling of showing off in front of others?
After hearing this, Chen Nan had no further thoughts of rebuttal.
He is also a skin enthusiast and has bought many skins in games, so he knows their value.
Seeing that Chen Nan had regained his composure, Lin Lang picked up the laptop next to him and showed him the number of users.
"My God, more than 8000 people!"
Chen Nan stared at the screen in disbelief. It had only been online for a few hours, and there were already so many users!
At this moment, he completely dispelled his previous thoughts and believed Lin Lang's proposed plan.
If this pace continues, the potential of this game is unimaginable!
"It seems you were right," Chen Nan quickly changed his mind and said sincerely.
Lin Lang laughed when he saw this. He had figured out the kid's personality. He was focused on everything he did and always moved in his own direction.
But as long as you can persuade him and accurately point out his problems, his transformation will be immediate and rarely seen in cooperation.
Lin Lang patted him on the shoulder: "This is nothing. I've already had Shen Qi contact game streamers to promote it. That'll be the real test!"
In this day and age, game promotion inevitably involves game streamers, who have a fan base and can attract them as long as the game is interesting.
This is a huge amount of traffic. Some games were lukewarm when they were first released, and some even went on to shut down.
But thanks to just one live stream by a streamer, the game's popularity skyrocketed!
The creators didn't expect such an effect!
"A game streamer! Is it Su Keke or Zita? Both of them are top streamers on the DH platform's game module, with tens of millions of fans!" Chen Nan asked curiously.
"Um...you know our current situation. Just find a game streamer with some popularity, that should be enough. You have to trust 'Three Kingdoms Kill'!"
Lin Lang shattered his illusions. A top streamer with tens of millions of fans? Has he considered that the company's funds are cleaner than Shen Qi's face?
It would cost hundreds of thousands to hire them!
Chen Nan scratched his head awkwardly. He had been a little carried away by his emotions. A small live streamer would be fine as long as he could promote the show.
After resolving these matters, Lin Lang and Shen Qi went back to rest, while Chen Nan needed to stay at the hospital for another day.
At this moment, Chen Nan stayed on the DH live streaming platform, partly waiting for the streamer to start broadcasting, and partly commenting in various game live streaming rooms.
Hey streamer, you should definitely try out "Three Kingdoms Kill"! It's so much fun!
【Daxia people don’t lie to Daxia people! 】