The Distributors Come Knocking

There are probably dozens of live-streaming platforms in Huaxia, and Danmu Network is just one of them. But its massive user base keeps it far ahead, developing much better than other platforms, with streamers enjoying great treatment and a higher standing than those elsewhere.

Meng Shu only had an account on Danmu Network, so he logged in there first.

Once he entered the live-streaming channel, well, he didn't even need to pick a category. On the homepage's "Recommended Streams" section, the first two were directly from Dark Forest.

Was the game's popularity already this hot?

Meng Shu blinked, shrugged, and casually clicked in.

He didn't use methods like surveys or face-to-face live interviews to gather feedback.

Because those two approaches easily attracted nitpicking criticism, or players trying to teach you how to make the game, and even cloud players lurking around to pontificate.

In short, it was a classic thankless task.

So compared to those methods, it was more effective for a developer to just watch the streams themselves.

Observing these people's firsthand experiences, their thoughts and opinions during gameplay, and so on.

Over two hours, watching dozens of streamers, Meng Shu collected some positive feedback for optimizing the game.

Things like too few resources, sealed doors and windows being too easy to break, the story being too obscure to understand, and a lack of quest guidance.

He noted all these issues, planning to optimize them when porting to the VR version.

The game Dark Forest had some differences from the original world.

During development, he had modified certain parts.

For example, the night event in the first area, "Withered Grassland." In the original game, it was basically a tutorial level, with mostly Wild Men and wild dogs showing up—nothing too difficult.

But under his modifications, all sorts of monsters and freaks could appear.

He had considered whether this change might drive players away, but then thought: if they couldn't even handle Dark Forest, then future heavyweights like Dead Space and Outlast might as well not be made at all.

So he adjusted the game's difficulty, starting it off at hard mode.

After sorting all that out, it was already 9:30.

Meng Shu opened the development engine that even a monkey could use, ready to continue working on the final chapter.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

The caller was an unknown number.

Meng Shu frowned, thought for a moment, and still pressed answer.

"Hello?"

The other end was silent for a couple of seconds, then a fairly businesslike female voice came through.

[Hello, this is Infinite Network Entertainment. We're a platform focused on game development, game operations, and game publishing. May I ask if you are Teacher Shuo Guang, the developer of Dark Forest?]

Meng Shu raised an eyebrow.

A game publisher coming to him?

Teacher Shuo Guang?

Really, no matter where you go, there's always this kind of honorific.

"That's me."

After getting a positive confirmation, the voice on the other end immediately replied.

[Hello, Teacher Shuo Guang. We understand that your work Dark Forest is currently on the Cyber Platform and hasn't been widely promoted domestically. Are you encountering any publishing difficulties?]

Before Meng Shu could respond, the businesswoman continued smoothly.

[We are a game development and publishing company with very high capability and standards. Most of our team members have worked at famous foreign game companies. You can verify our company qualifications and team composition online.]

[We have over 26 years of industry experience, having developed various original games and launched excellent works worldwide like Star Voyage, Underground War, Brave and Unrivaled, and Sharp Action. We've also published high-quality domestic games such as Legend of the Jianghu, Peak Basketball, and World of Gods. We wouldn't claim to be top-tier, but we can certainly call ourselves leaders.]

[We're contacting you because it seems you only have the Cyber Platform as a sales channel. We wanted to see if you need professional publishing services?]

Meng Shu couldn't help but sweat a little at the back of his head.

She sure could talk.

Clearly, she'd been trained.

He wasn't unfamiliar with publishers.

In the original world, the two martial arts games that had obtained publishing licenses were released domestically through publishing companies.

In both worlds, whether it's games, movies, music albums, or anything else, publishers are indispensable.

Because to a certain extent, publishers can greatly reduce the promotional work and costs for developers, saving time.

The relationship between the two is like that of an author and a publishing house, the difference being that a publishing house can not only publish books but also write its own.

So to some extent, authors still need to rely on publishing houses.

That's how it is with publishers and developers.

Production work is the developer's responsibility.

The publisher handles the early-stage operations and promotion, as well as the post-launch after-sales service.

For example, the review and submission process is also handled by the publisher.

Simply put, all the tedious and heavy tasks are taken care of by the publisher, leaving the developer to focus solely on creation and production, which greatly saves time for both parties and improves efficiency.

It just costs a bit of money.

A developer can have multiple publishers, releasing games in different countries and handling localization separately.

And a publisher can also invest in or sponsor multiple developers, earning profits from them.

Of course, a developer can also develop and publish on their own.

The prerequisite is that you've grown big and strong enough to handle all aspects of the business.

Otherwise, it's best to find a publisher.

Meng Shu's current situation doesn't allow for vertical integration.

After all, the company was just established, not even a single employee yet, and the game had just been released as an unfinished product with insufficient funds.

He was already swamped with development work—where would he find the confidence to take on publishing?

The promotion costs alone would be enough to drain him dry!

"What advantages do you have in publishing?"

Meng Shu lowered the back of his chair, lay down, propped his feet on the computer desk, and wore a calm expression.

[Teacher Shuo Guang, we have many advantages. One of them is our extensive promotion channels. All the video sites, classified information sites, self-media platforms, social platforms, search engines, etc., that you know of are our promotion channels. Moreover, we have signed agreements with these channel providers. Going through us, Infinite Network Entertainment, is much cheaper than if you approached them yourself, saving you a lot of costs.]

Pausing, the female business representative continued speaking.

[For example, if you promote your game on a danmu network, they might charge you 100,000, but if we handle it, it would only cost 50,000 to 60,000.]

Oh?

Meng Shu's eyes lit up.

That was indeed a good advantage.

But.

"Your company has over 20 years of industry experience. Surely that's not the only advantage, right?"

[Of course, Teacher Shuo Guang. The management highly appreciates your work and believes you have a promising future. That's why they specifically reminded me to offer you a new project support plan.]

A new project support plan?

Meng Shu raised an eyebrow and curled his lips slightly.

"What kind of support?"

A mature chuckle came from the other end of the line, followed by a response.

[If your 'Dark Forest' is published by us, then for your next work, Infinite Network Entertainment will provide a development fund to help you through the early stages, and then continue to have us publish it.]

Meng Shu smiled.

Support—nice choice of words.

In reality, it was just another way of saying investment.

And investment comes with risks.

"That sounds good, but will you interfere with game development?"

[Generally, no. Although we have professionals, we almost never interfere with the developer's work to avoid disrupting their rhythm. Only when the developer is at a loss and needs help will we arrange for personnel to step in, take over, and execute the work.]

Meng Shu nodded. This was normal, just like in his original world.

Some small studios only had a few people, and they would inevitably encounter technical difficulties during development.

In such cases, a capable publisher would help solve the problem.

But if the publisher couldn't solve it either, then you'd end up with works like "Ho Tu Lo Shu: The Books of Dragon."

"This kind of thing is very risky. Have you ever considered what happens if the game sells poorly, with low sales, and you can't recoup your costs?"

[Teacher Shuo Guang, we don't just publish your work alone. If we lose money on your project, we naturally have other areas to make up for it. That's how business works—there's no absolute profit, and risks are everywhere.]

[Besides, you've already succeeded, haven't you? Your 'Dark Forest,' even though it's still in the EA stage, has reached a peak in popularity and buzz. You've proven to the entire industry that horror games still have a market. I believe that besides us, other publishers will also seek you out. And we trust that your next work won't disappoint anyone.]

Mm, that flattery felt nice. Meng Shu admitted he enjoyed hearing such praise.

"You have your own gaming platform, right?"

[Yes, it's called IGame. There are only two platforms domestically, and we're one of them. Most domestic games are on it. As you know, the 30% cut from Cyber Platform makes it unbearable for some small developers, so our platform is their best option.]

Meng Shu nodded in understanding.

Although Cyber Platform was a global giant, its cut was high.

Some small studios put in time and effort to develop games, but if sales were poor, after the 30% cut, they couldn't even recoup their costs.

So they would settle for domestic gaming platforms.

"What's your cut?"

[5%.]

"How are the promotional costs across the entire network calculated?"

[We'll cover them. We'll place ads like videos and pop-ups on high-traffic sites.]

"Do you have console platform channels?"

[Of course, we're a full-platform channel. If your game is set to launch on consoles, we can handle that too.]

"After I hand the game over to you for publishing, does it need to be taken down from the Cyber Platform?"

The voice on the other end of the line paused for a moment, as if organizing its thoughts, before speaking a few seconds later.

[We'd prefer it taken down, of course, and sold on our platform. But considering you've already signed an agreement with the Cyber Platform agent, we won't interfere.]

Meng Shu nodded, understanding in his heart.

"Before you send me the contract, I need to tell you about my plans for the next game, to see if you're willing to accept it, so we don't waste each other's time."

[Alright, please go ahead.]

"Since you have a support program, I'll be straightforward. The next game is still a horror type. And, I plan to make it a VR game."

[]

There was a long silence on the line, then a surprised voice finally spoke.

[Teacher Shuo Guang, are you sure? You're an industry professional too, so you should know that VR games are simply not...]

"Of course."

Meng Shu rocked his chair, cutting off the female business representative's words, and smiled.

"I'm very sure, and I'm also very clear."

"Now it's up to you, whether you're willing or not."