Chapter 273: Chapter 178: Will Working Overtime Get Me Fired? (Second Update)_2

The wealth that had been accumulated before was all used to purchase the Kuafu Spaceship, bringing new vitality to the once quiet “Squirrel Spaceship,” boosting its sales once more.

“Dark Builder,” “Squirrel Spaceship,” and “Space Navigator” — these three games produced an astoundingly effective cross-promotion effect. Although they are different types of games, and one even has a distinct style, under a shared universe, the games promoted each other and saw their sales soar terrifyingly.

On Bilibili, the well-executed cross-promotion became an excellent case study for operations management, and the previously low-key promotion of “Space Navigator” turned into a strategy for people to constantly analyze.

Some people started analyzing from the perspective of topic selection, pondering why Fang Cheng chose to develop “Dark Builder” first.

Others approached from the angle of ground marketing strategies, analyzing the reasons for using “Squirrel Spaceship” to bridge the games.

Some expressed that using making money as the main method in “Space Navigator” was a “premeditated” gift. The money players had saved up before became more than just a number; it turned into a key to unlock even greater treasures.

Seeing these reports, Qiu Yu, who was working on a proposal at home, also became curious about the details and then fell into contemplation.

By his side, Alan, wearing white bunny pajamas, was drinking Qingdao beer and watching the news of his home country when he sighed, “This news has even spread to Gaul.”

“Gaul knows about it too?” Qiu Yu asked in surprise, “I thought the Gauls didn’t care about this kind of thing?”

“Some people still care. After all, Fang Cheng Studio’s games aren’t very well-known in Gaul, but there are some die-hard fans. Their games have great gameplay, and gameplay is universal.”

“That’s true. What are they saying over in Gaul?”

“Let me try to translate it for you.”

After taking a sip of beer, Alan said, “A brilliant cross-promotion, an unimaginable world-building architecture. When they first played ‘Dark Builder,’ Fang Cheng must have already thought about how to expand this universe and where to plant Easter eggs.”

“Our game developers should take note, games should be about fun, not political correctness.”

“I really like Mukuai, but it seems they don’t like me. When I played ‘Medic,’ I wasn’t greeted by Mukuai but by an NPC from the game. It feels like racial discrimination.”

At this point, Alan added, “I didn’t encounter Mukuai either, is that a bug?”

“You’re using my account, that’s the Mukuai. What are you looking at me for?”

“In Gaul, employing child labor like this would get you thrown in jail.”

“…But this is just a game.”

“Even in games, it’s not okay. Recently, there have been more and more restrictions in games. Last time, there was a game that got death threats from LGBT organizations just because they only offered two genders instead of one hundred three.”

“That’s why your recent games aren’t fun.”

Alan frowned and thought about it, feeling that Qiu Yu was right.

Then he read many more comments. The Gauls’ signature exaggeration and romanticism were on full display, leaving Qiu Yu feeling that their flattery was anything but repetitive.

But it can’t be denied, hearing people from other countries praise your nation’s creators is kind of thrilling.

After finishing, Alan said with a mischievous smile, “So, choosing to compete with such people, do you feel the pressure?”

“There’s pressure, but it’s fine,” said Qiu Yu, stretching his fingers, “Fang Cheng Studio is known for realism and large-scale games, with diverse gameplay and a complete and detailed universe as a foundation. Plus, their programming is top-notch. They must have their own engine and the ability to continuously recycle various materials, which is why they can produce games that are both fast and high-quality.”

“What about you? What advantages do you think you have?” Alan asked.

“Repeatability.”

“Well…”

Repeatability in gaming isn’t a bad design; in fact, many designers intentionally make games replayable, using the same gameplay to extend game time while still keeping it enjoyable.

Difficulty spikes, numerical enhancements, feedback at critical junctures, and negative feedback from monster strength are all important considerations for repetitive design.

“Diablo 2” is a prime example of a repetitive game, also known as a grind game. The advancement at each step can lead to a qualitative change through quantitative increases in the gaming experience.

Having honed related skills in the casual gaming department at Tianyi, Qiu Yu’s designs also capitalized on repeatability, creating a unique signature style.

While letting Alan continue to work on music for him, Qiu Yu kept reading reports about Fang Cheng Studio.

“`

As he watched, he thought, no matter how he considered it, he felt that the other party was outrageously strong, daring to use such a method for promotion.

However, upon rethinking, he believed that this promotional effect must have been a fluke.

The recent popularity of Wang Say Games was an opportunity; the shared world view of the three games was a catalyst, while the coincidentally discovered Easter eggs ignited everything, leading to a rapid explosion of public opinion under various coincidences, even making it known overseas.

The other party was simply making games as they pleased, and even without this incident, the quality of the games alone was enough to make them the talk of the industry.

And it was precisely this that allowed Qiu Yu to sense the terror within.

This indicated that Fang Cheng Studio, even if they made games casually, each game contained a high degree of topicality. This effortless sense of topicality would grow as the number of games increased.

After cultivating players’ habits, every time a new game was released, players would subconsciously search for Easter eggs, seeking connections to previous games, thus creating a synergistic effect for their own games.

“Fang Cheng Studio, indeed extraordinary.”

After sighing with emotion, Qiu Yu found his hands beginning to tremble.

It wasn’t out of fear, but excitement.

The other party’s interlinked methods did not intimidate him; instead, they gave him some new insights. He would start pondering how to add new highlights to his games, allowing them to self-propagate after release.

Moving his sore fingers, Qiu Yu continued to type on the keyboard.

Amidst the outside world’s praise, Fang Cheng was in his own studio, looking at the screen with confusion.

[A tremendously surprising way of interlinking.]

[From best-sellers to hot items, he used only three games.]

[What does Fang Cheng Studio’s break into the mainstream indicate?]

[How did Fang Cheng Studio respond to the news of the open gaming community?]

He read each one and Fang Cheng had a question:

Are they talking about me?

In these media articles, he seemed to have become a game genius, a marketing wizard, almost omniscient in game production and promotion.

Arriving at the studio this morning, his colleagues looked at him with admiration; the new colleague Lin Nan couldn’t say a word, just a face full of worship.

Wang Xiaoying, the operations manager, excitedly pulled him aside, expressing that she had never thought that in-game methods could be used for marketing, asserting that games truly need to speak through their gameplay.

Surrounded by praise, Fang Cheng was bewildered.

Staring at Dustfire, which others couldn’t see, he found its colors becoming even more chaotic, with players’ desire for money serving as a stepping stone for other desires, showing him how unpredictable player thoughts could be.

However, after some thought, he felt that it wasn’t over yet, that there was still a chance to turn things around.

Players were now having different thoughts due to the Shadows’ invasion, but as long as he could get the players to repel the Shadows and restore peace to the world, they would certainly shift their attention back to making money, thereby purifying Dustfire once again.

Embracing this idea, he reorganized his thoughts, then said to the planners, “Huang Ping, prepare for the update! We need to link Dark Builder together now.”

“I’ve been waiting for this!” Huang Ping immediately jumped up and said, “I guessed you would think this way over the weekend, boss, so I’ve already prepared a proposal in advance.”

“Go home now and don’t come in tomorrow.”

“Understood. Xiao Douzi, the proposal is yours now. Lin Nan, you work on it with Xiao Douzi; I’m heading home.”

Watching Huang Ping leave the studio, Lin Nan’s eyes widened, his mouth agape, his body trembling.

No wonder Xu Qingling discourages working overtime.

In here, does working overtime mean getting fired?

“`