Penguin

Biodata

Background / History

Penguin is one of Dragon Country's “Three Factories,” the dominant game companies in the domestic industry. It operates across mobile, PC, and holographic games, while its channels are regarded among the country's top three. 11 26

Its industry reputation is closely tied to rapid imitation and acquisition: once it identifies a promising product, it seeks either to acquire it or produce a competing version quickly. 26 After The Stanley Parable began gaining traction, Penguin developed and promoted the meta-game The Parable of Illidan, apparently recognizing the original's potential before it had fully become popular. 26

Penguin supported producer Tian Boxun's public clash with Wang Chuan only up to the point that it could be converted into a market contest. Ding Ke reprimanded Tian for damaging Penguin's image, then directed him to launch The Parable of Illidan against Soul Knight and defeat Wang Chuan through performance data. 30

Business Practices & Resources

• Large-scale promotion — Penguin advertises through its own channels as well as livestreaming sites, short-video platforms, forums, websites, and major media outlets. 35 94
• Competitive release timing — It coordinated The Parable of Illidan's promotion and release around Soul Knight to exploit public interest in Tian Boxun and Wang Chuan's rivalry. 30 35
• Market research — Before responding to League of Legends, Ding Ke sent ten people into Huangtu Game's experience stores and assembled more than ten hours of video, plus written and image records covering the game's systems and match experience. 228
• Talent acquisition and poaching — Penguin repeatedly sought to recruit, invest in, or acquire Wang Chuan's company, even offering profit-sharing without management control; later, it attempted to poach the producer of Outlast. 130 311 314
• Platform control — Through its channel alliance, Penguin adopted exclusive game terms, changed recommendation rules, shared resources with its partners, and held an independent-game competition to strengthen its distribution position. 293 299

Games and Projects

Conflict with Huangtu Game

Penguin's first major confrontation with Huangtu Game began when The Parable of Illidan was promoted through the popularity of The Stanley Parable. Wang Chuan recognized that Penguin was deliberately keeping the dispute within manageable limits, intending to convert the attention into interest from The Stanley Parable's fans. 27

With Ding Ke's approval, Penguin gave The Parable of Illidan a broad promotional push. The game topped online popularity charts during its pre-launch period, while Soul Knight ranked third; media coverage nevertheless bundled both games together, indirectly increasing awareness of Wang Chuan's release. 35 Despite Penguin's advantages, Soul Knight ultimately reached fifteen million downloads and approximately thirty million yuan in first-month revenue. 51

When League of Legends emerged, Penguin treated Wang Chuan as a serious industry threat rather than an ordinary competitor. Ding Ke had Tian Boxun, Lin Yao, and Lu Hui study the game's simplified controls, new-player guidance, hero design, and team-oriented structure. 228 240 Penguin's answer was Heroic Ballads, a MOBA that further reduced mechanical burdens such as last-hitting and item purchasing. 244 252

After Huangtu Game announced its own platform, Penguin joined Net Entertainment and Baili in a channel alliance intended to defend the three companies' distribution interests. 293 Penguin later attempted to undermine Huangtu Game's breakthrough with Outlast by poaching its producer, but Wang Chuan had already acquired MJ Game Company, preventing the move from succeeding. 311 314

Penguin subsequently shifted into direct genre competition, launching Demon God Fantasy as a Western-fantasy ARPG after Dark Souls, then joining Net Entertainment and Baili to develop the FPS project Gun God in response to Huangtu Game's growing influence. 354 402

Relationships

• Ding Ke — Penguin's game-department head and a principal strategist in its conflicts with Huangtu Game; he supervises Tian Boxun, evaluates competitors, and directs major responses. 30 51 228
• Tian Boxun — Producer cultivated by Penguin; led The Parable of Illidan, produced Three Kingdoms: Farmer Takes Charge, and participated in Penguin's analysis of League of Legends. 30 94 228
• Lin Yao — Member of Penguin's MOBA analysis team; identified League of Legends' accessibility and casual-player appeal. 240 241
• Lu Hui — Member of Penguin's MOBA analysis team; worked with Tian Boxun and Lin Yao to evaluate League of Legends and develop Penguin's response. 228 240
• Net Entertainment — Fellow member of the Three Factories and Penguin's partner in the channel alliance and Gun God project. 11 293 402
• Baili — Fellow member of the Three Factories and Penguin's partner in the channel alliance and Gun God project. 11 293 402
• Wang Chuan / Huangtu Game — Major rival. Penguin repeatedly counters Wang Chuan's releases, platform expansion, and genre innovations through promotion, imitation, alliances, and recruitment efforts. 26 293 311 402