Meanwhile, at Penguin Company, in Tian Boxun's studio.
After the game he had made, "The Parable of Illidan," went live on the official gaming platform and received recommended placement from Penguin Games.
Tian Boxun had been constantly monitoring the data for "The Parable of Illidan" through the Pangu Editor Backend.
Thanks to the massive front-page promotion through Penguin's unrestricted channels, the game's downloads had kept climbing after its release.
"The Parable of Illidan" itself was sold under a buy-to-play model, priced at thirty yuan.
So it counted as a low-budget production.
At the current pace, it would soon earn back its development costs.
Soon, the data refreshed again.
More than three thousand copies had been sold in an hour, with most of those sales coming from Penguin's platform.
Only a dozen or so people had requested refunds.
Clearly, that was the effect of Penguin's massive front-page promotion.
"Hahaha, with these numbers, there's no way my game can lose. Wang Chuan, how are you supposed to beat me???"
Seeing the figures, Tian Boxun's lips curled into a smile.
On the official platform, players had to play for two hours before they could leave a review or rating.
But other gaming platforms did not have that restriction.
On Penguin Games, anyone who bought and downloaded the game could review and rate it.
Of the three thousand-plus sales so far, more than two hundred people had left reviews and ratings.
Its positive rating had reached eighty percent.
For any other game, that would have been a complete flop.
But for "The Parable of Illidan," it was still acceptable.
That was because many of those people had not come to play the game at all. They had specifically come to leave negative reviews.
It all stemmed from the earlier incident between Tian Boxun and Wang Chuan on social media, which had trended.
And in that matter, Tian Boxun had been in the wrong, while Wang Chuan had stood as both the righteous side and the underdog.
That made many people with a strong sense of justice dislike Tian Boxun, so they had deliberately come to undermine him.
Of course, Tian Boxun knew all that, but he did not care in the slightest. As long as he made money, that was enough.
Still, it definitely could not compare to "The Stanley Parable," which he had copied. That game had now reached over nine million downloads and maintained an astonishing ninety-nine percent positive rating.
But he was not bored out of his mind. Why would he even think about surpassing it?
As long as "The Parable of Illidan" made money, that was enough.
"Mm, at this rate, twenty-four-hour downloads should break twenty thousand."
Tian Boxun looked at the number on his calculator and nodded in satisfaction.
If nothing unexpected happened, the first week after a new game's release would be its hottest period.
Then in its first month, "The Parable of Illidan" should reach around five hundred thousand downloads.
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
Suddenly, a string of notification sounds came from the Backend.
Tian Boxun looked over curiously and found that his colleagues at Penguin were frantically @-mentioning him in the group chat.
"Brother Tian, how's the data for your 'The Parable of Illidan'? It looks pretty good on the platform!"
"Pretty good? It's way more than pretty good! I bet it can break ten million~~~"
"Huh? Then this is Old Tian's third game to break ten million, right? His future projects can get upgraded!! So jealous~~~"
"Damn, wouldn't that double his income? By the way, is Old Tian married? I have a younger sister who wants to meet him."
"Pfft, do you want her to meet him? You're obviously after his money, you shameless bastard!!"
"Pfft, what does your sister even count for? Brother Tian, I have an older sister. Want me to play matchmaker for you two?"
Watching the group chat go completely off-topic, Tian Boxun could not help feeling pleased with himself.
Hmph. Usually, every last one of you acts so aloof. Aren't you all sucking up to me now?
Though that was what he thought, Tian Boxun still sent a reply.
"The data is decent. As for upgrading future projects, I wouldn't dare say. That still depends on the leadership's decision."
While the others kept promoting their sisters and showering him with flattery, someone suddenly sent a message.
"Old Tian! Don't get careless. I remember you have some kind of competition with Wang Chuan, the developer of 'The Stanley Parable,' right?"
"Ah, no need to worry about Old Tian. Look, this is Wang Chuan's data. His new game uses a free-to-play model with in-app purchases, but what makes me laugh is that even though it's free, it only has a bit over twenty thousand downloads~~~"
Seeing the message, Tian Boxun wanted to laugh too, but he remained a little cautious.
He quickly found Wang Chuan's new game and opened it.
He had been so focused on "The Parable of Illidan" that he had forgotten about Wang Chuan's "Soul Knight."
After opening it and seeing Wang Chuan's numbers, Tian Boxun could not help freezing.
Not because they were high, but because they were low~~~
At the same time, he could not help laughing inwardly.
Free-to-play with in-app purchases—using the game to draw traffic, then charging for content—was a perfectly normal approach.
But this was only Wang Chuan's second game! And he was already trying free-to-play with in-app purchases???
Was that something a newcomer could pull off? Who used that model without already being a well-known developer?
"Wang Chuan, Wang Chuan, it seems I overestimated you. Did you think free-to-play with in-app purchases would bring in huge numbers of paying players? Do you really think success comes that easily???"
At that moment, Tian Boxun felt that Wang Chuan's first game had only succeeded by coincidence!
And in his view, Wang Chuan had gone with a free-to-play, in-app-purchase model.
Because Tian Boxun had Penguin Games backing him, and Wang Chuan's little company could not compete with him in distribution channels.
So Wang Chuan had used free access to lower the barrier for players, lure them into spending money, and create the illusion of success.
"Heh, even though I know you've already lost, I still respect you."
With that thought, Tian Boxun clicked into Wang Chuan's game.
At that moment, he felt like a true gentleman.
Strategically, he despised his enemy, but tactically, he still took his enemy seriously.
At Huangtu Game Company, in the little villa on the first floor.
The four members of the studio had agonizingly ended their vacation and rushed back.
It moved Wang Chuan quite a bit. He had thought they could not bear to leave him alone.
In reality, everyone was simply worried about "Soul Knight."
After all, the game had been born from all of their combined efforts.
"Boss, Tian Boxun's side has already released the news. 'The Parable of Illidan' reached more than three thousand downloads in one hour."
In the first-floor office area, Huang Shanshan stood behind Wang Chuan and spoke with a worried expression.
The others kept refreshing the Backend as well, their hearts filled with unease.
Before you continue