'Inner dialogue/thoughts'
"Normal dialogue"
"Online Comments/Twitch comments/Narrator"
[Reading description of games]
[System]
(Word Count: 810)
~ With Alex ~
While players and the gaming community as a whole buzzed with excitement over "Battlefield", Alex took off his VR equipment and returned to his computer. Although he had played Battlefield in his previous life, he could confirm that the VR experience in this world made the game even more immersive and impactful.
He had decided not to release the full game immediately. While the single-player campaign was well received and liked by the community, the core of Battlefield was in its Multiplayer mode, which required a robust server infrastructure. The system-provided server could only handle 10,000 players, and purchasing additional capacity would be costly.
Although he had only just launched the game, there were already nearly 12,000,000 VR players in the country alone. He had no doubt that many of these players would end up purchasing the full game on release. Priced at $89, although it isn't cheap, it certainly isn't an exorbitant amount for those who could afford VR equipment. The key point was that the game was a one-time purchase with no additional hidden fees.
Despite the potential profit from a free-to-play model with microtransactions, Alex did not want to turn his game into a cash grab. Games designed to milk every last dollar from players often become about maximizing revenue than providing a fun experience.
He still remembered the greed of major gaming companies from his world, such as Electronic Arts. Unsurprisingly, that company is operated in the same manner here in this world as it was in his previous world.
'Games like these are meant to bring joy and excitement, not to be tools of greed.' Alex wanted "Battlefield" to be a game that players genuinely enjoyed without feeling exploited. He despised games that manipulated players into spending more and more money, turning the game into a monster of desire controlled by a capitalist society.
Instead, he believed in the one-time-purchase model. Good games could still make money without resorting to exploitative tactics. After a moment, Alex opened the backend of the official game store to check on the pre-order sales. What he saw had shocked him.
'178,151 copies sold?! And it's only been a couple of hours since the Prologue campaign was uploaded, yet almost 180,000 players had pre-ordered the full game already!' Alex thought. The Prologue Campaign had clearly captivated the players within the community. He then moved on to check on the comment and review section, as well as the community forums that sprung up.
"Epic Games, are you reading this? TAKE MY MONEY! I EVEN BOUGHT TEN COPIES TO GIFT MY FRIENDS! JUST HURRY UP AND RELEASE THE GAME ALREADY!"
"It's only been a few hours, BUT I AM TIRED OF WAITING! FULL VERSION WHEN?!"
"I can't wait for the full version! That Prologue was so amazing! 5 stars for the game!"
"FUCK! This cliffhanger is absolutely killing me! Does Edward come out alive?! I have to know, developer, TELL ME! DON'T MAKE ME GIVE YOU 1 STAR FOR THIS!"
"I'M CALLING MOM IF YOU DON'T RELEASE THE GAME NOW!"
"Ahem, as a Professional Karen, you need to tell your manager that I would like to have a word with him. NOW!"
"I am curious about the Multiplayer mode. Can we drive tanks in it? How about planes?"
"That Zeppelin airship was so badass. Imagine being able to fly it AND blow it up in multiplayer! IMAGINE USING A ZEPPELIN TO BLOW UP ANOTHER ZEPPELIN!"
"Will there be epic battle scenes in Multiplayer like there were in the campaign? People tend to forget but Single-Player Campaigns tend to be story-driven, while Multiplayer modes aren't."
There were thousands of reviews and comments regarding the game, but the general consensus on the rating of the game was overwhelmingly positive. If the game were not still in pre-order, Alex was sure that "Battlefield" would have an incredible rating score by the critics and gamers alike.
"So, the streamers helped to boost the game's popularity and awareness huh." Alex muttered.
While he was confidant in the quality of the game, he would not deny that he was initially nervous since there had been no early-stage publicity. The game's initial exposure on the official store's platform had been quickly overshadowed by the releases of other new games.
He had initially expected for the game to gain traction and awareness through word-of-mouth over a few days, but the live-streaming community had accelerated this process. The popularity spread rapidly as the viewers saw their favourite streamers playing the game, sparking immediate interest and sales.
As Alex marvelled at this new development, he also prepared the budget for purchasing additional servers, as the entire gaming industry continued to buzz over the blockbuster hit "Battlefield".
- End of Chapter 11 -