At Penguin Games Company, Tian Boxun's studio.
"It's time. Get ready to start the warm-up campaign!!!"
Ever since Tian Boxun learned that "Soul Knight" was about to launch, he had been keeping a close eye on information online.
He had waited until now before deciding to begin the pre-launch promotion.
Although Tian Boxun did not think much of Wang Chuan, it was always better to be safe.
There were many advantages to starting the warm-up campaign at this time.
After all, he and Wang Chuan had clashed online before, so they were already figures who came with their own traffic.
With the two of them promoting and launching at the same time,
that traffic would become even greater!!
That would make "The Parable of Illidan" even more popular.
Just like a famous saying from his previous life: when the first and second place fought, the third place died!
Why??
Because of fame!
Although the first and second place were fighting, they were also spreading their own fame through that fight.
What about the third place?
Sure, you did not join the fight, and your funds and foundation remained strong.
But you had no fame at all. If you did not die, who would?
These days, even the finest wine feared being hidden down a remote alley!!
The same principle applied to the gaming industry.
The only difference was that in gaming, when the first and second place fought, it was not just the third place that died in the end.
One more had to die too!!
Simply put, if "The Parable of Illidan" and "Soul Knight" fought,
whoever lost would have to die alongside the third place.
The remaining market share, fame, and players would all be devoured by the winner.
Of course, Tian Boxun was not worried about that in the slightest.
The concept of Meta Game was wildly popular in the market right now, and following the market would never be a losing move.
If Wang Chuan, the person who had created Meta Game, continued developing a sequel,
Tian Boxun might have worried for a while. But now, there was no need~~~
In Tian Boxun's eyes, Wang Chuan had some real ability, since he had developed "The Stanley Parable" and introduced the concept of Meta Game.
But he should never have abandoned Meta Game and switched to another type of game.
"Ah, young people are still young. A little success and they get carried away~~~"
Tian Boxun could not help sighing at the thought.
He had already been ninety percent certain of victory. Now, with Penguin's promotional campaign added in,
he was unquestionably on the winning side.
Although "The Parable of Illidan" was not considered a heavyweight title within Penguin,
with Manager Ding looking after it, the promotional resources it received were still far beyond what Wang Chuan's tiny company could match.
With a flying dragon right in your face, how could I possibly lose?
Not long after the warm-up campaign for "Soul Knight" began, Penguin followed suit and started its own campaign.
Wang Chuan's funds were limited, so every cent had to be spent where it mattered most.
The promotion focused on keywords, and advertisements were placed specifically on gaming forums.
Compared to Wang Chuan's modest approach, Penguin's campaign was far more lavish.
In addition to promotion through Penguin's own channels, it cast a wide net across livestreaming sites, short-video apps, forums, and more.
As a result, "The Parable of Illidan" firmly claimed the number one spot in online popularity, while "Soul Knight" could only settle for third place.
"Boss, look at this! Penguin has gone way too far! And this is supposed to be one of the Three Factories? Pah, pah, pah!!"
In the villa's office area, Huang Shanshan sprang to her feet indignantly.
The screen in front of her displayed Penguin's promotional material.
"Yeah, Penguin is utterly shameless!!"
"Exactly, Penguin is absolutely disgraceful!!"
Liu Qiang and Zhou Wei exchanged a glance, then stood up together and spoke in unison.
"Alright, alright. Is this really necessary? Isn't it just playing some games?"
Wang Chuan was immediately left speechless by the scene.
After all, they had not been like this before.
Back then, whenever he suggested playing games, they would all eagerly agree.
But now, they either changed the subject or played dead~~~
"Ahem, ahem. Yes, yes, Manager Wang, you're right."
Liu Qiang hurriedly nodded and admitted his mistake.
Mm, as long as they did not have to play games together, anything was fine.
Even overtime—uh, anything except overtime was fine!
It was not really their fault. Wang Chuan's skills were simply... unbelievable.
After playing a few rounds with him, they had nearly quit gaming altogether.
No, no, they could not carry him!!
"But Manager Wang, Shanshan is right. Online, the popularity of our 'Soul Knight' is nowhere near Penguin's 'The Parable of Illidan'!!"
Zhao Jing suddenly remembered something. She put away her smile and spoke with a worried expression.
"Haha, that's nothing. Penguin is one of the Three Factories, after all. If we surpassed them in popularity, would they have any pride left?"
"Besides, we should thank Penguin. They are helping promote us from the side. Mm, I suddenly really want to see Tian Boxun's expression."
While everyone else was worried to some degree, Wang Chuan remained completely calm.
It was perfectly normal for their promotion to be inferior to theirs.
Compared to Penguin's scale, Huangtu Game Company was simply far too small.
Besides, if his promotional capabilities could rival Penguin's, why would he even make "Soul Knight"?
Wouldn't it be better to charge ahead with a AAA blockbuster?
And the current situation was actually fairly optimistic.
Because of the conflict between Wang Chuan and Tian Boxun, when the media published news stories in order to draw more attention,
they would always put "The Parable of Illidan" alongside "Soul Knight," and Tian Boxun alongside Wang Chuan.
After all, compared to the games themselves, people preferred watching developers tear into each other.
Moreover, neither Tian Boxun nor Wang Chuan responded to or clarified any of those reports.
That led even more media outlets to jump in, subtly pointing out the competitive relationship between the two in their articles.
They used it to gain traffic and attention.
The reposts from a large number of media outlets naturally brought enormous popularity.
Because the two games were being promoted as a package, whenever the popularity of "The Parable of Illidan" rose,
"Soul Knight" refused to be outdone.
The two climbed together.
In Penguin's studio, bang, bang, bang—another cup was thrown to the floor.
Just as Wang Chuan had predicted, Tian Boxun looked terrible.
As he watched the media coverage, he suddenly felt as though he had lifted a stone only to smash his own foot.
The media's overt and subtle interpretations of the conversation between him and Wang Chuan on social media
made Tian Boxun deeply dissatisfied.
"Hmph, riding the hype, are you? Bundling your promotion with mine, are you? Just wait and see how you die!!!"
Before you continue