PixelPioneers: The Birth of a Gaming Empire

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When John conducted the concept design for "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim" multiplayer mode, the newly launched "Shadow Legend" successfully sold over 2 million copies online at the standard AAA price, which can be considered a significant achievement.

Although "Shadow Legend" is not particularly well-received in terms of word of mouth, the media rating from Starry Sky gave it 8 points. However, among player comments, which are more controlled by the users, "Shadow Legend" only scored 7 points, a relatively low score.

For a AAA-level game, as long as the quality remains acceptable, a large marketing campaign can generate significant buzz, making sales relatively easy. After all, many players belong to the follow-up series, they are not necessarily playing the games, but they are popular topics.

For example, if a certain game is very popular at a given time, players tend to choose to play that game. They also discuss gameplay elements on major social platforms or groups, sometimes creating related memes or memes. When the game's popularity wanes, these titles often remain in players' libraries, rarely being played again. Many games are only played for ten hours or less.

Today, "Shadow Legend" has experienced a series of waves of popularity, coupled with Gemtech's marketing efforts, making it at least the hottest game of this period. Its quality is not groundbreaking, but nor is it disappointing. It is reasonable to expect sales to eventually exceed 4 million, which is not an overly difficult target.

[ ===== ]

In Gemtech's office, upon reviewing the evaluations and sales figures of "Shadow Legend", Duncan couldn't help but sigh in relief, a smile spreading across his face. The game has been successful. Although it isn't as grand as he initially envisioned, the media ratings are promising, and at least for Gemtech and himself, the game has met expectations.

"It would be better if players could criticize me a little less," Duncan muttered, feeling a bit down as he observed players online discussing "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim" more than "Shadow Legend".

According to his initial expectations, after the game's release, his reputation among players would soar, establishing him as a well-known game producer. Why do so many developers rely on the Big Three distribution companies? Mainly because of their distribution channels. Unless you are among the top game producers, how else do players discover your games? The success of the first game, like John's, is a miracle in the industry.

Conversely, well-known developers no longer need to go it alone. Once they reach the top of their companies, as long as they continue to succeed, they are protected, even the CEO and major shareholders won't offend them, since they are the company's cash cows.

The only thing that dissatisfies him is the promotion of "Shadow Legend", which always references "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim", also arranged by Gemtech. "Skyrim" is set to be released soon, and its competitors are the three major companies: Moondustries and Essence, with their titles "Fantasy" and "Sword of the King". One of these must contend with "Skyrim".

As for the rumored new blockbuster from the other side, there has been no news so far, so there's little to worry about. With such a short time before the release, it's too late to launch a counterattack. Therefore, "Skyrim" will only face games from Moondustries and Essence.

Both games are ARPGs with similar themes: "Fantasy" blends Eastern and Western mythologies, while "Sword of the King" is a medieval-themed war game.

The competition among these three titles hinges on game quality and marketing efforts. For most players, launching three AAA titles simultaneously means most will pick only one.

In Moondustries and Essence's studios, the heads of their respective marketing departments and game developers are watching the online publicity of these three games with serious expressions.

"Sword of the King" is expected to be the ultimate winner. "Skyrim" and "Fantasy" are unlikely to beat it. In the Essence studio, the lead producer of "Sword of the King", Shinozaki, is very confident.

Meanwhile, in Moondustries' "Fantasy" studio, the main team is discussing their next marketing strategy with the department head.

[ ===== ]

At PixelPioneers Studio, Koch, who came to discuss the next installment of "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim", was stunned by John and Armani's proposal.

Cough! Overwhelmed by surprise, Koch choked on his saliva and coughed several times. Then he looked at John and Armani with an incredulous expression.

"Mr. John, are you serious?! How can this be done?" Koch said, standing up, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Don't get too excited. This is still under discussion, and I believe our proposal is very valuable for reference. Also, look at how "Resident Evil Resistance" now has more than twice the monthly flow of the second-place game," Armani replied with a smile.

Hearing Armani's words, Koch was silent for a few seconds. The game he thought of was Gemtech's "Sword and Magic". Although it seemed reasonable and valid, Koch felt a tingling sensation when considering John and Armani's conditions.

"Well, I need to follow up and ask for instructions. This isn't something I can decide alone," Koch said bitterly.

"Of course, there's still enough time," John nodded with a smile.

After a commercial break, Koch left John's meeting room with a wry smile. He knew he couldn't oppose John's position as the person in charge of "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim". Thinking about John's suggestion, Koch felt a toothache. How should he report this?