The days passed one by one.
After completing the final CG illustration and editing the corresponding audio and subtitles,
Chen Xu looked at the generated game source files on his computer and broke into an excited smile. "It's done!"
"So, do we need to find a game publisher now?" Ruan Ningxue, sitting beside him, was a little excited too.
After all, this was a project she had spent a whole month working on.
Well, even though she had not received a single cent in wages from Chen Xu.
"No." Hearing Ruan Ningxue's question, Chen Xu shook his head lightly.
"Huh?" Ruan Ningxue was somewhat surprised.
Although she did not know much about games, she knew that Chen Xu now counted as an independent game developer.
Just like drawing comics or making movies, shouldn't he be looking for a publisher or film distributor?
"Games are a little different. Also, this game won't be released through domestic platforms, but through the overseas Official Game Platform."
"You can connect directly from within the country too..."
"There's no helping it. It's like selling doujin works—we mostly use overseas platforms as well. Magic Mirror is a full-fledged 18R game, and this kind of subject matter is rather awkward." Chen Xu explained it to Ruan Ningxue.
"Then why are you still making this kind of game?"
Ruan Ningxue was puzzled. By that logic, it felt as though the game would die before it even launched.
Although if that really happened, it would mean Chen Xu could become her assistant afterward.
But honestly, after spending the past month with Chen Xu, Ruan Ningxue's thoughts had changed somewhat from before.
She had developed a much better impression of Chen Xu, and she had also gained a basic understanding of the game industry. It seemed pretty interesting.
Besides, she had put her own heart and effort into this project. To be honest, she really hoped it would succeed.
"You have to eat one bite at a time. I've made plenty of preparations for Magic Mirror's follow-up plans. Just wait for my good news, Senior. I'll definitely give you a huge red envelope then!" Chen Xu smiled faintly.
"All right, then I'll wait and see." Looking at Chen Xu's confident expression, Ruan Ningxue nodded along despite the doubts in her heart.
In a residential complex somewhere in Magic City.
A woman wearing a white shirt and jeans lounged in Ruan Ningxue's home.
"Xiaoxue, are you really not considering coming to help me? Your art skills combined with my game design abilities would definitely let us make a name for ourselves in the gaming industry!"
Looking at the eager Yang Xin in front of her, Ruan Ningxue set her juice down on the coffee table. At that moment, she felt as though she could understand how Chen Xu had felt.
"Xin Jie, it's not that I want to discourage you, but you've developed three games already, haven't you? Weren't all of them money losers?" Ruan Ningxue rolled her eyes.
She had not known much about games before, but after working with Chen Xu on a game for a month,
she had learned a little about them, even though her job was not much different from drawing doujin works before—she was still just drawing.
Then she discovered that Yang Xin, who had once boasted so extravagantly to her, had not made back her investment on a single game.
"The next one will definitely be a hit! As long as Xiaoxue comes to help me!" Yang Xin said confidently.
"Come on. Didn't Uncle Yang make an agreement with you that once your startup funds ran out, he wouldn't invest any more? So, Xin Jie, you..." Sitting on the sofa, Ruan Ningxue looked skeptically at Yang Xin's confident face.
"Ahem. By the way, Xiaoxue, how is that game your junior is making? Has he found a publisher? Do you want me to introduce one for him?" Yang Xin gave a light cough and changed the subject.
"There's no need. Chen Xu said he'll release it directly on the Official Game Platform and won't look for a game publisher." Thinking of what Chen Xu had told her earlier, Ruan Ningxue shook her head.
"No publisher? That's a huge disadvantage. Without promotional resources from a third-party platform, he'll have to rely entirely on the Official Game Platform's new release recommendations. Unless the quality is exceptional, it'll be hard for it to stand out." Yang Xin spoke with the air of someone experienced.
"Um, Xin Jie, Chen Xu said the game apparently won't get new release placement either, and he's uploading it to the overseas version of the platform." Ruan Ningxue recalled some of what Chen Xu had said yesterday.
"No new release placement? An overseas platform? An 18R game!? No wonder he asked you, Xiaoxue. But your junior is being far too naive. Purely erotic games are very hard to make popular." Yang Xin, who knew a fair bit about the gaming industry, immediately understood the game's type after hearing Ruan Ningxue's words.
Even bloody or violent games generally received new release recommendations on the Official Game Platform as long as they were not too excessive.
But if it was not released on the domestic platform, was instead put on the overseas platform, and did not receive new release placement,
then it was basically an 18R game.
"Really? Chen Xu should have his own plans, right? And Magic Mirror isn't just a pure 18R game. It has fairly substantial story content too." Remembering Chen Xu's assured expression, Ruan Ningxue spoke with some uncertainty.
"What do you mean, I wouldn't understand? You said your junior's artistic ability is not inferior to yours, right? He brought you in because he wants to use the art as a selling point. But games can't succeed on art alone. And as for content? What kind of content can an 18R game possibly have?"
"This is the judgment of a professional game developer! On top of that, there's no new release placement and no third-party publisher. Unless he runs a large-scale advertising campaign himself, it may very well fail to make even a ripple." Yang Xin boldly rendered her verdict.
"Then, Xin Jie, do you think that game can sell more than fifty thousand copies?" Ruan Ningxue asked, looking at Yang Xin's confident face.
"Impossible!"
Although she had not yet seen the game Ruan Ningxue had participated in,
Yang Xin still confidently handed down its death sentence.
Based on the information she had, it was a low-budget indie game with no publisher, an 18R game made by only two people, and the other party seemed to have previously been a comic artist who had only done outsourced work for some games.
There had always been plenty of potential users for 18R games.
After all, who wasn't a lecher?
But competition in this category was also enormous.
So how could such a combination possibly make a successful game?
She had already developed three failed games herself. She knew better than anyone how difficult this industry was.
"While fifty thousand is impossible, 18R games are usually priced rather cheaply. And with your artistic level, Ningxue, it'll get a very high boost. If the quality isn't bad, maybe ten thousand sales are worth hoping for. At the very least, it shouldn't lose money."
"From a risk perspective, 18R games really are among the safer options." Yang Xin looked at Ruan Ningxue and offered a little reassurance.
"This is the judgment of a professional game developer!" After thinking it over, Yang Xin added another sentence.
"I see." Ruan Ningxue, who still only had a vague understanding of the gaming industry, looked somewhat worried.
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