Even if I had ten bodies, it still wouldn't be enough.
"Seorim, please check computer number 7 for a mont. Hyeji, Yumi, both of you, organize the booth waiting queue. Ayoon, stop soliciting for a mont. Sit inside and take a break."
The booth was too crowded.
The explosive success was more than they had initially expected, but the manpower issue was still a painful reality.
Should I have spent a little more money to hire more staff, knowing it would be like this?
How did booth managent turn out to be more challenging than programming?
I don't even know how the day is passing.
The only fortunate thing is that ti always moves forward sohow.
"...You all worked hard."
The tireso G-STAR was already heading towards its end.
The last hour of the last day, and it was starting to beco less crowded.
Of course, there were still a few viewers who were trying to squeeze in every last minute, but there were no longer the sa long queues as before.
Seats were available now.
"Ugh, it's so hot in that costu..."
At this point, Jo Ayoon had returned to her original frog costu with a worn-out hat, as there was no need for further soliciting.
Perhaps the experience of these three days had boosted her confidence; now she could catch people's attention even without the fancy costu.
I, too, had taken off the wig I had been wearing throughout the event.
There were only a couple of spectators left at the booth, maybe one or two more would co before it was over.
"This should be considered a success, right?"
I nodded in response to Han Seorim's question.
"Much more than we initially anticipated."
There could be several factors at play, but Jo Ayoon's presence was undoubtedly the biggest contributor.
It was still surprising to think about it.
Who would have thought that the hastily put-together cosplay would be so effective?
If we look at the general flow of events:
First, people flocked to Blizzard's booth, but then they turned around.
Second, they noticed Collage monster Jo Ayoon.
Third, they were drawn in by her captivating presence.
Her flashy and intentionally low-quality costu ironically worked in our favour.
It also helped that our booth was conveniently located next to Blizzard's, making it easier to siphon off so of their crowd.
Additionally, the positive reviews posted on the community on the first night, followed by several other reviews and information about the ga, also played a significant role.
A good flow.
But it didn't end here.
"We need to keep this montum going."
The culmination of this marketing effort would be the release of the "demo version."
Once we were done here, we would return to Seoul and imdiately start finalizing the demo version.
We had already identified and fixed any minor bugs during the event.
Still, there was no sign of 3-ter Alice yet.
Good news just kept coming in.
Amidst all this, an announcent ca over the loudspeakers.
"The event closing ti is approaching."
I looked at my team mbers.
They all seed exhausted.
We had given it our all, so maybe it was ti to relax a bit.
"We have about a day or so of free ti, so how about we go sightseeing in Busan? What should we have for dinner?"
"at, let's have at."
Han Seorim's voice was half-dead as she spoke.
She had been occupied with booth managent from the second day onwards, dealing with quite a few people.
As for the form it took... should I even bother ntioning it?
Oh! You're SoerimSeorim, right? The director of Hellic?Yes? Uh, I am...You're really good at the ga design! Can we take a picture together?
Promoting on the community using Han Seorim's account had caused quite a stir.
We tried to handle it belatedly, but it didn't go well.
Hello. I'm Director Cheon Yeonho.Yes? Then, who is this...?The art director....The one who wrote the posts on the community...?The art director.Hmm...
We managed to move on from it, but I couldn't forget the icy stares from the viewers.
It beca even more disturbing when I thought about the "Hellic Director Controversy" that erged that evening.
It was fortunate that the issue was mostly buried without much of a fuss.
After all, I was wearing a woman's wig, which seed to amplify the controversy.
Thankfully, it was just a small issue that didn't blow up.
In any case,
Beep!
"The event has co to a close. For those who are still inside the venue..."
G-STAR had successfully concluded.
***
After finishing the cleanup, I left with my team mbers for Haeundae.
We spent about one night and two days sightseeing, and the team's response was "very positive."
It happened to beco the studio's first work trip, but since the employees consisted of four college students and one high school student, there was no need to be cautious.
Jo Ayoon was excited about her first visit to the beach but ended up tripping and falling into the sea, the enthusiastic duo scread as expected, and Han Seorim seed to have taken hundreds of photos.
"Again, again, again."
Being the photographer is tough.
The conclusion drawn while taking pictures of Han Seorim with the sea as the background during this unexpected workshop was that.
So, after the unexpected work trip and returning to Seoul.
After taking a break for about two days, we convened a eting.
"The demo version is being released tomorrow."
The release date was already widely spread on the community.
We had completed the final version with bug fixes and scheduled it for upload, so there wasn't much more to do.
Tension rose among the team mbers, especially Han Seorim, who was anxious.
"Will it go well? It seems difficult to attract users with just G-STAR..."
It's a reasonable assumption.
I didn't overlook that either.
The audience mobilized for this G-STAR was around 240,000, most of whom probably saw our booth next to Blizzard's, but not many of them actually played the ga during the event.
Even if we calculate it nurically:
There could be 16 people using 8 booths per hour, and we operated the booth for 8 hours a day for three days, so the actual number of people who played the ga would be around 512.
Even if all those people download the demo version, it's just 512 downloads.
Of course, reality is different from calculations.
There's word of mouth, people who got tired waiting in long queues and left without playing, and those who didn't attend G-STAR but heard about the demo version.
Taking all that into account, the estimated number of dostic downloads, including the community, would be between 10,000 and 30,000.
But...
"Selling the demo version is a long-term strategy. And didn't you forget? Our main custor base is not in Korea."
Rewind Studio has a unique position in the industry.
Despite being an indie developer that uses dostic talent, they perform even better in the international market. This ti was no different.
"Overseas community reactions have been checked. They are sowhat aware of the demo version, and, most importantly, we have a solid international promotional thod, right?"
Jas Han said that.
He's a ga strear who has beco an unbeatable figure in the industry, and he continues to solidify his position.
Han Seorim quickly realized it too.
"The person who first cleared the Easter egg?"
"Yes, I already asked in advance, so it shouldn't be too disappointing."
Expectations are definitely higher for the overseas market.
Unlike Korea, where the online market dominates, there's a thicker custor base in the packaged market by default.
Even aside from that, the market trend was like that.
"Overseas gars are starting to pay attention to indie gas. The AAA-grade market is stagnating."
Of course, it's a temporary trend.
Red Dead Redemption ca out the next year in 2010. One of the masterpieces of those who went crazy for open-world gas.
And 2011 was even better. Outstanding titles poured out, including Portal 2 and The Elder Scrolls V.
There are many other great titles in the lineup, so the overall market growth will be explosive.
But if you ask, "Are the custors satisfied with that?" the answer is a firm "NO."
Packaged gars inherently don't stick to one ga for long.
Because packaged gas have a destination called "clear."
No matter how much you chew on it, you can see the end in a month or two.
So you can't spend a whole year with just a few masterpieces.
In other words, there's a need for small-volu gas that can be enjoyed in between the release of AAA-grade gas.
"The trend is good. The sales of our previous ga, Hellic, are picking up faster than expected. We need to distribute Hellic 2's demo version at this timing."
There are two aims.
"First, we need to attract previous overseas users. Second, we need to boost the sales of the previous ga through the demo version. It's about mutually complentary growth. It's possible now because the current trend is in our favour."
Han Seorim's anxiety seed to have eased a bit.
The other team mbers still looked bewildered.
After all, it's their first experience with a demo version release, so it's natural to be confused.
I drew a line.
"Don't be too nervous. There's no need to worry too much. Just be aware of how our company's schedule is flowing. So, let's end this discussion here."
Marketing is sothing the CEO should take care of.
Developers shouldn't bear that burden.
"Now, from this point on, you should focus on one thing. It's related to Chapter 2..."
The eting continued for another hour or so.
***
The day of the demo release arrived.
Imdiate sales figures couldn't be calculated; all we could do was monitor community responses, evaluate feedback, and check for any possible bugs.
And, of course, coordinate future plans.
"So far, everything looks good. The initial clear evaluations are positive."
That ans the visuals, sound, and basic ga systems were well-received without causing any resistance to existing players and new players.
It's a good sign.
"The first impression of the ga wasn't bad."
"So, the focus now is on marketing."
The question is how to make the ga more well-known.
Marketing is all about strategy.
Understanding the trend is the top priority, and finding the right position within it is the second priority.
As ntioned in the previous eting, the trend is good.
Especially the overseas market is showing strong interest in Hellic 2, and Jas Han's broadcast is generating a significant response in the international community, to the extent that it's being stread live.
Particularly, the overseas market will sail smoothly without needing anything extra.
So, what we need to focus on is the dostic market.
"Everything is fine for now, but... considering the future, we need to secure more dostic custors."
Fundantally, we are a Korean ga company, and our presence in the dostic market is crucial.
Leaving aside various reasons, especially in terms of recruiting talent, it's essential.
Increasing the developnt workforce is a gradual task.
I'm responsible for that, but unless we move the company abroad, it's most ideal to recruit lower-level talent dostically.
That's the point.
What's most important for the people in this industry is their "career."
Regardless of academic background or practical skills, developers, due to the high turnover rate in the industry, people want to work for a company that positively impacts their future career.
In other words, Rewind Studio needs to beco an appealing choice for them.
It ans gaining a bit more recognition.
So, what should we do to establish a foothold in the dostic market?
If you think about it, the answer cos quickly.
"The timing is perfect."
2009, the first decade of the 21st century is about to end.
The upcoming 2010 will be a turbulent year.
Among other things, there's one change that will positively affect Rewind Studio next year.
"Next year, Steam will open its Korean local server."
Nothing else but the removal of the entry barrier for Steam.
If accessibility to the platform improves, it will naturally affect sales figures.
It's the perfect timing to expand the dostic custor base.
I took out sothing from my wallet.
What I took out was the business card I received at this year's G-STAR.
[Jin Sungilbo Ga Departnt Reporter - Jin Woohyung
Tel. 010-XXXX-XXXX]
-Hello! Are you the director of Hellic?
It was a chance encounter.
No, it was probably an intentional eting from their side.
The journalist extended his business card, requesting an interview, probably because the success of the previous ga had left an impression on the ga departnt's dia.
Tis are changing.
The best way to expand our presence in the dostic market is nothing other than publishing articles.
If we leak information about Steam's Korean local server in the article, it would be great. Talking about our upcoming project, schedule, and behind-the-scenes would be fine too.
"Should I contact him now?"
As I was thinking, I received a new ssage.
"Sun, Sunbae!"
Han Seorim's voice sounded excited.
Startled, I turned around, and Han Seorim was pointing at her monitor, speaking rapidly.
"It's out! It's out!"
"What's going on?"
"3 ters! 3 ter Alice!!!"
I rushed to Han Seorim's desk.
Finally, I checked the monitor, and my body stiffened.
What Han Seorim was looking at was a post on the community.
It had already received a lot of recomndations and was sure to beco a main post.
『(Ga) TWithoutTurbidity: ?
(3 ters Alice looking down at a god - screenshot)
???』
The feared incident had occurred.
"Alice..."
Why did she beco so giant again...
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