"Brothers, after my thorough testing, this all-general lineup is simply unbeatable in real combat!"
"When I lead my legion through every area of the neighborhood, everyone treats me with utmost respect!"
"My army is invincible! My journey is towards the stars and the sea!"
"My troops are raring to go, my cavalry is already in formation!"
"It's a pity this game can only be experienced in the neighborhood!"
"Otherwise, with my strength, I feel I could conquer the entire Xinghai collective and carve out a vast territory for my puppies!"
"I want to conquer!!!"
Underneath this post, players were laughing uncontrollably, yet they also empathized with the poster's plight.
[Hahaha! The all-general lineup is killing me. It's clearly the Mad Dog Legion!]
["About How I Became a Dog Emperor for Ten Bucks"]
[The blogger's empire is full of martial virtue! The entire court is filled with those who slipped through the cracks of the rabies vaccine!]
[The poster is a genius! 2 Mandate Value points for a stray dog with explosive combat power!]
[By the end, I was truly defenseless. Who understands the pain of having strength but being unable to wield it!]
Players were wildly venting their emotions in this post.
This emotion was very peculiar.
It was different from the disgust felt when playing those trashy reskin games that made you want to curse.
This was a deep attraction to the game's outstanding core mechanics, a thrilling immersion that was abruptly cut off at its peak, leaving a thirst!
The comment section had turned into a large-scale demand for updates.
[Developers, don't play dead, I know you can see this.]
[When is the full version coming out?]
[I've never felt so stifled in my life! Clearly, I have the Imperial Jade Seal in my pocket, clearly, my connections in the neighborhood are sky-high! But I can only experience this little bit of content!]
[If this game is fully developed, it really has a chance to become a hit, don't play dead! Strike while the iron is hot!]
[Is this a violation of human rights? Just started playing and there's no follow-up!]
Such a phenomenon hadn't appeared in the gaming world for a long time.
A mere ten-dollar indie game demo had managed to hook a group of players into a frenzy!
...
Meanwhile.
At Xingcheng High-tech Entrepreneurship Park.
Inside the Zhaoxi Games Studio.
A group of people was intently watching the developer backend of the Deep Blue Platform.
On the computer screen, the backend data of the Deep Blue Platform was continuously updating.
[Current sales: 9821]
[Current sales: 9849]
[Current sales: 9876]
"Units, tens, hundreds, thousands... nearly ten thousand copies?!"
Sheng Tinglan gasped,
"Ten thousand copies? At ten bucks each... isn't that a whole hundred thousand?!"
At this point, Sheng Tinglan paused herself.
A hundred thousand.
This number might just be a drop in the bucket for those big gaming companies' regular promotional expenses!
It might not even cover the cost of hiring a top streamer for a half-hour trial.
But for Zhaoxi Games, what is this?
This is their first hope of profit!
After all the struggles, the company finally has a decent work!
Although, this hundred thousand is just the platform's gross revenue.
They still have to deduct the platform's share, various costs, and it doesn't mean immediate cash flow.
But no matter how much is deducted, it's still money!
At least it shows that players currently recognize them!
The market is buying it!
Players are hyped!
This game has great potential!
In front of the computer, Ma Shangfei grabbed the mouse, refreshing the backend comment section repeatedly, unable to suppress his grin.
"President Jiang, it's a hit! Our game is really a hit!"
"Look at this comment section, it's all demands for updates!"
"And this rating, although many people gave it one star, look closely at what they're complaining about!"
Ma Shangfei opened a few negative reviews and displayed them directly.
[One star, can't give more! The game is fun, the mechanics are interesting, ten bucks isn't expensive, but why did the developers stop at the most crucial moment? I just conquered the neighborhood, my cavalry hasn't even set out, and the empire is gone?]
[First, a scolding, kick me when the full version is out.]
After reading, Ma Shangfei was completely stunned.
"Look!"
"Is this a one-star review?"
"This is clearly love!"
"President Jiang."
"The opportunity is here."
"Really, the opportunity is here!"
"This kind of hype is rare."
"At this moment, we can't hesitate, we must follow up immediately!"
Ma Shangfei grew more excited as he spoke,
"President Jiang! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"Call it 'I Found the Imperial Jade Seal 2: Battle for the Central Plains'!"
"Let's make it big! Release a full version priced at forty-eight, or even ninety-eight! As long as we launch before the hype dies down!"
"I dare to bet, we can directly sell a hundred thousand copies! No, five hundred thousand! Even a million!"
In the office, everyone's breathing quickened a bit.
It must be said.
Ma Shangfei's grand vision was very tempting.
They had already tasted the sweetness.
A ten-dollar demo sold nearly ten thousand copies.
This shows that players are willing to pay for this fresh concept.
If they strike while the iron is hot and release a sequel or DLC, even if it's still ten or twenty bucks, as long as the quality holds, there will definitely be people willing to continue buying.
It can even be said clearly, this is already the most stable path for Zhaoxi Games to turn things around.
However, just after Ma Shangfei finished speaking, two voices of rejection immediately came from the office.
"Not good!"
"Impossible!"
Two distinctly different voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Ma Shangfei's smile froze instantly, then he looked towards Sheng Tinglan and Jiang Bo, who had spoken.
"No... but... why?!"
"Sister Sheng! President Jiang! This is our best chance to rise and become strong! Players are begging us to release it! The money is right there, why not take it?!"
Sheng Tinglan sighed.
She looked at the ever-increasing sales in the backend, then at the forum full of demands for updates, and finally shook her head gently.
"Because we really don't have the money right now!"
"Old Ma, you usually focus on coding, so you might not have a concept of finances."
"Take this game's revenue, even if there's a hundred thousand on the books, after deducting the Deep Blue Platform's 30% share, that's seventy thousand. Then deduct corporate income tax and other miscellaneous taxes, the liquid funds we can use are at most a little over fifty thousand."
"Fifty thousand. How could we possibly make a game immediately!"
"What we should do now is first observe the subsequent sales curve, and if sales continue to grow, then consider the next step."
Ma Shangfei opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
Yes, no money!
That one reason is enough!
He knew Sheng Tinglan was right, he was just too excited.
As a project developer, who wouldn't be fired up seeing their game being crazily demanded by players?
But he was still a bit unwilling, looking to Jiang Bo for help.
"President Jiang... Sister Sheng is indeed right. We don't have enough money, but with the game's current hype, we can totally use this data to attract investment!"
"Bring in capital, and the money problem is solved, right?"