stjorthotic Chapter 213 : Double the Ads! (2)
Chapter 213 : Double the Ads! (2)
Double the Ads! (2)
The GAT, Grand Auto Thief series had become wildly popular even before the era of virtual reality, dominating both console and PC gaming markets.
It was also regarded as the quintessential game representative of open-world and freedom in gameplay. That didn't mean each series' protagonist and story were lacking, either.
Thanks to that, whenever a new title was released, it would win numerous Game of the Year, gOTY, awards from various media outlets.
"I'm pretty sure it was on the recommended games list, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was."
It had also been included on the list of content that Choi Byeonghun had planned in the early days. However, for Lee Gyeongbok, that game had a low priority.
"But, that's because you decided to play Bark."
"GAT's UI doesn't disappear, right? For my first game, I wanted to really enjoy being in virtual reality."
No matter how much one maxed out the immersion settings of the capsule version of GAT, the UI would not disappear.
Since the setting was the modern era and the characters in the game committed all sorts of crimes, the 'game' needed to constantly remind the player of its nature.
"Well, if you recommended it, then it must be a good game, which means the developer must be solid, too."
At Lee Gyeongbok's response, Choi Byeonghun wrinkled his nose slightly.
"Rock'n'Roll Games... it's kind of complicated."
"Complicated? How?"
"Not in a bad way, but they're a love-hate developer for gamers. They just make games too well. Like, true masterpieces."
Lee Gyeongbok blinked at that answer. Wasn't it a good thing if a developer made great games?
At that moment, Jo Daehan quietly inserted himself into the conversation.
"Boss, do you know when the capsule version of GAT came out?"
"Has it been that long?"
"Oh, it's been a really long time. It was released alongside the very first generation capsule, you know."
At that, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes grew wide. Park Juho, who was next to him, nodded.
"I didn't know much about it either, so I did some research. GAT's popularity has kept rising. Thanks to that, rock'n'Roll Games never made a sequel."
"Honestly, there's no need to make a sequel. Just minor updates keep sales increasing, and now they sell in-game currency, too. That means even people who already bought it spend more money."
Choi Byeonghun added. Only then did Lee Gyeongbok realize why making a game 'too well' could be an issue.
"In that situation, long-time fans would actually end up dissatisfied."
Nodding in agreement, Lee Gyeongbok soon looked puzzled.
"But then, what does a company like that have to gain from collaborating with GGG? There shouldn't be any reason for them to need extra publicity, right?"
"Oh... come to think of it, you're right."
"A game like GAT is truly world-class."
They all shared the same question at his words. As expected, all eyes turned to Park Juho.
"The proposal says the details are confidential, so there's not much information. Though, an unusual point is that the confidentiality was requested by Rock'n'Roll Games, not GGG."
He enlarged the relevant item on the proposal. Just as he said.
"Does that mean Rock'n'Roll Games prepared something they want to keep secret?"
"Oh, that's right! GGG wouldn't mind revealing it, but Rock'n'Roll Games prevented it."
At the other two's reactions, Lee Gyeongbok gave a faint smile.
If it were just a solo proposal from GGG, he'd have taken it lightly, but Rock'n'Roll Games's involvement piqued his curiosity.
'At any rate, I don't have a bad feeling about this.'
His divine energy remained quiet.
If he'd felt even a hint of unease, he'd have taken a closer look with a divination, but there was no cause for that.
"Well then, let's at least hear them out."
Lee Gyeongbok smiled.
He figured that meeting the people involved in person would tell him more.
* * *
On the day of the scheduled meeting, at the GGG headquarters.
Lee Gyeongbok entered the conference room with a bright smile.
"Hello, I'm the streamer, Purple."
"Oh, welcome! Wow, it's really been a while since I last saw you!"
The GGG marketing manager greeted him with enthusiasm and a genuinely warm smile.
"Yes, it has. How have you been?"
"I've been fine. Oh, I really enjoyed CrazySmurf! Congratulations on your win!"
"Ahaha, thank you."
With the manager acting so familiar, Lee Gyeongbok laughed bashfully, then turned his gaze to the side.
It wasn't just the marketing manager attending the meeting.
"I also enjoyed watching you. As the rumors said, you really are remarkable."
A man in a neat suit, who seemed a bit more at ease than the manager.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Michael Kim, head of the Korea branch of Rock'n'Roll Games."
At his words, Park Juho's eyes twitched.
'Another branch director, just like with Cap Company?'
During the Demon Must Cry contract, a branch director had also shown up. Park Juho suppressed his surprise and managed a faint smile.
'So this guy's at the level where he gets to meet with branch directors now, huh.'
Lee Gyeongbok's increased value started to really sink in. This would now be the standard; as his manager, there was no room to be elated or disappointed over every little thing.
"I wanted to meet you at least once, so I'm glad this opportunity has come. I've heard people say you were the key player in Demerc's success."
"Demerc?"
Lee Gyeongbok blinked at the branch director's words. He hadn't expected that at all.
"Oh, I'm friends with Frank, the Cap Company branch director. The game industry is small, you know? Especially for Korea branch directors of overseas game companies like us, we all know each other."
"That's right. I doubt there's a single developer with a Korean branch who doesn't know Purple."
The marketing manager chimed in with a gentle interjection.
"Wow... amazing."
Someone let out an audible gasp.
But it was neither Lee Gyeongbok nor Park Juho.
"Ah, I'm sorry!"
Jo Daehan quickly closed his mouth, flustered.
"Oh, you probably haven't met this side before, but you know my manager, right?"
Lee Gyeongbok chuckled as he lightly patted Jo Daehan's shoulder.
"This is our new hire. He's our global communications officer. Since Rock'n'Roll Games was also attending, I brought him along."
Even if not immediately, there might come a time he'd need to bring Jo Daehan as an interpreter for a meeting.
That's why he brought Jo Daehan this time—for him to gain some experience.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jo Daehan!"
Jo Daehan bowed energetically and spoke up.
'Don't let yourself get discouraged!'
The job title Lee Gyeongbok used for the introduction was Park Juho's idea. For just such external meetings, he'd come up with an outward-facing title so Jo Daehan wouldn't lose his confidence.
Since his actual duties were similar, it wasn't far off the mark.
"Wow, your Korean is really good. Nice to meet you."
"Well, since Purple is world-famous these days, it's only natural he'd need to pay attention to global communication."
Neither of them seemed to find the accompanying employee strange at all.
After quick greetings, everyone took their seats.
"Thank you again for visiting us. First, let me show you the detailed proposal."
It was pleasant to network, but ultimately, business came first.
When the manager waved his hand, a holographic proposal appeared before the three of them.
"As you saw in the email, this proposal is different from the last one."
He cleared his throat and looked serious as he spoke.
"This time, the game being advertised isn't the capsule version of Gunner Ground."
He immediately pointed out what was different from the previous proposal.
"The mobile version, gunner Ground Showdown, has officially launched. You remember playing it at V-STAR, right?"
The mobile version had launched while Lee Gyeongbok was participating in the CrazySmurf tournament.
At the manager's question, he smiled brightly.
"Ah, of course. It was one of the more enjoyable games I played at the game show. They even created obstacles using AR technology, and I got a limited skin as a prize back then."
At his answer, the manager beamed in satisfaction, happy that Lee Gyeongbok remembered.
"Yes, that's it! The Cowboy skin! This time, befitting the name 'Showdown,' we're planning to shoot the promotional video with a western setting."
"Oh? Is it going to be like those scenes where you draw your pistols at the same time for a showdown?"
"Exactly! The kind of scene you immediately think of in a western. Of course, it won't be a live-action shoot—the scenes will be created with the capsule version Gunner Ground engine. In effect, we're advertising both the mobile and capsule versions."
As Lee Gyeongbok showed interest, the marketing manager became more enthusiastic in his explanation.
Meanwhile, Park Juho skimmed the proposal, then lightly raised his hand for attention.
"According to the proposal, is it correct that you only require video shooting, not actual gameplay?"
Lee Gyeongbok seemed puzzled at the sudden question, but soon figured out what he meant.
'Just for recording, but the advertisement fee is 40 million won?'
The amount specified in the proposal was quite large for a simple promotional shoot.
'This kind of fee is for channels with at least 2 million subscribers, isn't it?'
Based on his experience, Lee Gyeongbok had a general sense of advertising standards. But usually, those required actual gameplay and a Q-tube upload.
'It is strange, for sure.'
The offer was bigger even though he wasn't expected to actually play the game, so it made sense to confirm.
The manager nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, that's right. You only need to film the advertisement video."
At his confirmation, Park Juho's gaze grew sharper. Sensing this, the manager gave a chuckle.
"I suppose I should explain this. In fact, considering Purple's current profile, the fee isn't unreasonable."
He turned his gaze toward Lee Gyeongbok.
"I checked again this morning, and your subscriber count is about 1.6 million, isn't it? When I wrote the initial proposal, before CrazySmurf began, I recall it was around 1.1 million."
By now, the Q-tube channel had about 1.6 million subscribers, but the treatment given was on par with a 2-million-subscriber Q-tuber.
The discrepancy explained Park Juho's wariness.
"Purple's value has continually risen, and every time a new content is released, your numbers soar. And I also think of advertisements as content."
"That's one way to look at it."
"Yes, that's why we're giving you the treatment of a 2-million-subscriber Q-tuber. Once this promotional broadcast takes place, you'll likely see another surge. Would it make sense for us to undervalue the model for our game?"
The manager smiled as he spoke, but Park Juho's expression remained unchanged.
"Thank you for the compliment, but we'd like a more 'practical' explanation."
Park Juho didn't lose sight of the point regardless of the flattering words.
'Corporations don't operate at a loss.'
Business is a matter of logic, not emotion. The manager's explanation sounded nice, but didn't address the company's benefit.
"Every time we meet, I'm impressed by how meticulous you are, manager."
The manager chuckled and continued in a carefully measured voice.
"From a more business-oriented perspective, we can cite diversification of the advertisement's target audience."
"Target audience?"
"Yes. We can't be certain, but with the CrazySmurf tournament, your international viewership has likely increased. You were mentioned at MCK, and the official channel even broadcast the tournament."
Lee Gyeongbok nodded.
Throughout CrazySmurf, a large influx of subscribers had arrived. Many were from overseas, not just Korea.
"So you're saying this isn't just a domestic ad, but also works internationally."
The manager smiled at Park Juho's deduction.
"That's correct. It's a secondary factor, but not something to be ignored. And didn't you also receive prize money from the tournament? Ten million won per member—Purple himself also has new income. That's another reason we offered a higher fee."
Those without much financial freedom are more easily swayed by smaller sums; conversely, wealthier people require a larger sum to take action.
"For all these numerous reasons, I believe this is a reasonable offer."
The manager finished confidently.
'So it's not just the boss who's impressive.'
Jo Daehan swallowed nervously, his eyes moving. For someone who'd only modeled part-time before, this was a new world.
Park Juho glanced at Lee Gyeongbok, who gave a thin smile, as the final decision maker. Seeing that, he nodded as well.
"All right. Thank you for the detailed explanation."
"Haha, not at all. I actually appreciate that you point out the mutual benefit for both parties."
The manager chuckled and then slid the proposal aside.
While Lee Gyeongbok looked puzzled—
"Well, I should be clear to avoid any misunderstanding."
The branch director, who'd been silent up to that point, finally spoke.
"We planned the collaboration with GGG, but what we're proposing to Purple is a separate matter. We're not asking you to just shoot a promotional video."
Nothing discussed so far had anything to do with Rock'n'Roll Games. Though the event would be co-hosted by both companies, contracts would be made individually.
'Oh, that's right? Now that I think about it, nothing so far had anything to do with GAT.'
Jo Daehan was nodding vacantly before his eyes widened in realization.
'... Wait a minute.'
A thought suddenly flashed through his head.
'The concept is different?'
GAT is set in the modern era. But the Showdown, cowboy themes they'd just discussed didn't fit. The marketing manager specifically said the theme was "Western."
'A Western theme? Don't tell me!?'
As he startled himself with this realization, the branch director brought up the proposal he'd prepared.
"Gasp."
Jo Daehan let out a breathless gasp as he saw the game logo on the proposal.
Fortunately, no one else noticed.
"When you think of Westerns, our company also has a title to be proud of."
The branch director, full of pride, pointed at the logo.
[Royal Desperate Revenge]
What Rock'n'Roll Games had prepared was not the already-popular GAT series.
"Royal Desperate Revenge. Overseas, it's known as RDR; domestically, we call it 'Roderi' as an abbreviation."
"Roderi?"
"Yes, and a new capsule version is about to be released."
The branch director looked directly at Lee Gyeongbok and smiled.
"We'd like to ask you to play this game, Purple."
He was being invited to the era of the Wild West.