After screening and negotiations, two streamers finally reached a cooperation agreement with Tianba Game Studio.
The quotes from both streamers were reasonable, and their fan engagement and loyalty were good. They would livestream [Cold Window Study Simulator] for over five hours in the coming week.
Each streamer would get an average of fifty thousand yuan.
This money wasn't paid in full upfront but began with a deposit. After meeting the promo targets, which means completing the five-hour streaming task, the rest would be settled.
The money spent must show results.
Under Chen Ba's urging, these two streamers didn't delay and quickly dove into [Cold Window Study Simulator] during their live broadcast that night, coming up with some random reasons.
Let's just say…
To reach such a large fan base, and being game streamers, almost every one of them has their own unique skill, making their shows exceptionally entertaining.
For instance, one female streamer falls into the "hot-headed" player category, often getting frustrated by incompetent teammates, banging on the table, which viewers love to see, and then they edit the footage into videos.
Obviously, her initial outburst was unintentional.
But later, she discovered that the audience loved seeing her lose her cool, and she quickly capitalized on this, turning it into her show's highlight and slowly building a massive, loyal fan base.
The other male streamer has a unique style. He loves fooling around but plays games seriously and enjoys immersing himself in the storyline.
Each has their style, and the live stream viewing experience was excellent.
Plus, Cold Window Study Simulator itself is a game that performs well in live streaming, so under the promotion of these two, the download numbers welcomed yet another peak.
"Woohoo!"
Chen Ba and Yang Dong kept watch on the streaming room and the backend data, respectively.
Noticing the game's purchase and download numbers rapidly increasing with the effortful "performance" of the two streamers, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Could be thousands, right?"
Yang Dong mentioned uncertainly: "As long as our game can increase sales by 10,000 copies, it feels like pure profit."
"You can see a bit now, but after tonight, it's hard to say."
Chen Ba shook his head.
A famous streamer brings a noticeable increase in game sales on the first day of their live stream.
But as time goes on, it's harder to discern which part of the sales growth is due to the streamer and which part is natural growth.
So, their metric for success in this promo is simple: just look at the sales growth from tonight to tomorrow night over 24 hours.
If within these 24 hours, sales growth exceeds 10,000 copies, given the game's pricing, they'll have recouped the promo expenses and made a small profit.
More than 10,000 copies?
Then it's a big win!
The two streamers have their own main games, so it's impossible for them to keep playing [Cold Window Study Simulator].
So once they've streamed for an hour, today's promotion task is considered complete.
During that one hour of stream time, the two streamers attracted over 2,000 new players to [Cold Window Study Simulator].
The number isn't overly impressive.
But this is normal, as many viewers are still watching the live stream and haven't thought about buying the game to experience it firsthand.
Once they finish streaming, and the viewers have nothing else to do, they might remember [Cold Window Study Simulator] and out of curiosity take a look, then decide based on their mood whether to purchase and play.
Moreover, both of these streamers have dedicated recording and clipping creators, also known as "recording guys." Once the recorded clips are released, the influence will continue to spread.
So, sales growth will definitely have another wave, but how much is unknown...
"Dong, you should go to sleep first."
Seeing it was too late, Chen Ba was too embarrassed to have Yang Dong stay up with him, so he let him sleep in the next room.
That's right!
Since Yang Dong isn't a native of Jiangning, and Chen Ba's rented studio is spacious enough, with a four-bedroom, two-living room, kitchen, and two-bath setup, they could spare two rooms to use as dorms, so he moved in to live with Chen Ba.
Living and working together isn't something hard to understand for many startup game studios.
Zhang Xiaojun, being a girl and a local of Jiangning, doesn't live here.
In normal circumstances.
For a studio like Tianba Game, a few guys squeezing in together, two per room, would leave enough space for office work and game development.
"It's still early, I can't sleep even if I want to," Yang Dong shook his head.
"Then should we chat?"
Taking out two cans of soda from the fridge and handing one to Yang Dong, Chen Ba smiled and asked, "You're from Zhonghai, why come to a second-tier city like Jiangning for university and work?"
"How should I put it..."
After sipping some soda, Yang Dong said with a somewhat complicated expression: "If I say it was for love, would you laugh at me?"
"Not at all!"
Hearing the word 'love,' Chen Ba seemed touched, sighing: "At our age, still being single, who doesn't have a bumpy love history?"
"You too..."
Yang Dong glanced at Chen Ba curiously, then asked, "I forgot to ask, where are you originally from?"
"Bozhou! It's far away, right?"
Chen Ba smiled, as if something had sparked his memory, and said, "Our place can't compare to an international metropolis like Zhonghai. It's surrounded by mountains..."
"I've heard of it, but I've never been there."
"If I get the chance, I'd love to visit your hometown. I've heard the mountains and rivers are really beautiful!"
"Of course, they are. Since leaving, I haven't seen a place more beautiful than my hometown."
Speaking of his hometown, Chen Ba said with both pride and helplessness, "But no matter how beautiful it is, it can't keep people there. With someone like me, what else can I do besides farming if I go back?"
"That's true!"
Yang Dong nodded and then pursued, "Did you, like me, choose Jiangning University for a girl?"
"Something like that."
Without confirming or denying, Chen Ba hedged, "Before going to college, I never left the city. The outside world was too unfamiliar to me."
It didn't matter where he went to college.
As long as he got into college, he would be one of only two in the village, second only to the village head's eldest son.
It just so happened that at that time, there was a girl who moved him and she said she wanted to go to Jiangning University, so he filled in Jiangning University without thinking.
"And then?"
Listening to the story with great interest, Yang Dong, full of curiosity, forgot to drink his soda and asked, "Did you get together later?"
"No, she repeated a year."
It was like a cold joke. The anticipation on Yang Dong's face immediately turned to speechless when Chen Ba said this.
"That's... absurd."
Yang Dong found it hard to judge others' experiences, so he summed it up with the word "absurd."
He also shared his own story.
It turns out he had a girlfriend back in high school. They agreed to go to college together and did end up in the same university.
But most campus romances end in a mess.
Yang Dong was no exception, but he could never let go of that person in his heart, so after graduation he stayed in Jiangning to be closer to her.
"Damn, you're a... cough cough!"
Chen Ba almost spoke his mind, but held back the last word and then advised, "Is it really necessary? If you can't let go, why break up in the first place?"
"Who understands matters of the heart?"
Yang Dong said with a sense of loss, "I tried to let her go, but I found it impossible. Maybe that's what they call an obsession!"
Truly, a tangled mess!
Others' relationship experiences aren't his to judge, but Chen Ba did feel that Yang Dong loved too humbly.
But if that's what he wanted, who was he to say otherwise? He could only wish him success in his desires!
They clinked their soda bottles, and after discussing their "rough" love histories, Chen Ba felt the topic was too heavy, so he switched topics.
"I'm planning to continue making simulation games for the new game. Dong, what do you think?"
"You're the boss, it's up to you."
Yang Dong had no opinion; he had a proper stance, doing whatever Chen Ba said.
However, he did have a question.
"Still the style of Cold Window Study Simulator, going for a storyline that tugs at the heartstrings?"
"Pretty much!"
Chen Ba admitted, "The new game plan is essentially a sequel to Cold Window Study Simulator, only this time it's Living Under Someone's Roof."
"Living Under Someone's Roof Simulator?"
Thinking of the name, Yang Dong's expression became bewildered.
What is this about?
First, it's Cold Window Study. Next, it's Living Under Someone's Roof. Don't you want the protagonist to have any good? Are you really going down this path of bittersweet to the end?
"Cough cough, it's called a unique style."
"Every game studio has its expertise and themes. Our Tianba Game Studio is all about pushing this bittersweet style to the extreme; it might actually carve out a niche."
Thinking in this way, it actually made sense!
Although Chen Ba's reasoning wasn't strong, Yang Dong thought about it and found it made sense.
For a startup game studio, the most feared thing is being all over the place, trying to do everything but doing nothing well, without a fixed player fanbase.
Chen Ba chose the bittersweet route, which, although odd, could accumulate a dedicated fanbase if every game under its belt sold as well as Cold Window Study Simulator.
With a fixed player fanbase, the studio would establish itself in the gaming world and make a name for itself.
Future ventures into new types of games wouldn't be as difficult as it was at the start.
So this path is feasible!