There are probably dozens of live broadcast platforms in China, and Danmaku.com is just one of them, but its huge number of users makes it far ahead, and its development is much better than other platforms. The anchors are also treated very well, and their gold content is also Higher than anchors on other platforms.
Meng Shu only had an account on Danmaku.com, so he immediately logged onto Danmaku.com.
After entering the live broadcast channel, my dear, there is no need to select categories. In the 'Recommended Live Broadcast' section on the homepage, the first two are directly the dark forest.
Is the game already so popular?
Meng Shu blinked, shrugged, and clicked in casually.
He did not collect opinions through questionnaires or live face-to-face interviews.
Because of these two forms, it is easy to receive nitpicking feedback, or players’ opinions on teaching you how to play games, or even cloud players hiding inside to give pointers.
It can be said that it is a typical thankless method.
Therefore, compared with these two forms, it is more effective for developers to watch the live broadcast.
Take a look at these people’s personal experiences, their thoughts and opinions during the game, etc.
After two hours of watching dozens of anchors, Meng Shu collected some positive feedback for optimizing the game.
For example, there are too few resources, sealed doors and windows are too easy to break, the plot is obscure and incomprehensible, there is no task guide, etc.
He memorized all these issues and prepared to optimize them when porting the VR version.
The game Dark Forest is somewhat different from the original world.
When he was developing it, he modified some places.
For example, the night event in the first area, 'Dry Grass', is considered a beginner's level in the original game. The people who come here are basically savages and wild dogs, and nothing is too difficult.
But under his modifications, all kinds of monsters and monsters may appear.
He also considered whether no one would play such a modification, but when he thought that if he couldn't handle "Dark Forest", he would simply stop making heavyweight games such as "Dead Space" and "Escape" in the future.
So he adjusted the difficulty of the game and started at the difficult level.
After sorting this out, it was already 9:30.
Meng Shu clicked on the development engine that any monkey could use, and prepared to continue the production of the final chapter.
At this moment, his cell phone suddenly rang.
The caller is an unknown number.
Meng Shu frowned, thought for a moment, and pressed connect.
"Hello?"
There was silence on the other side of the phone for two seconds, and then a more business-like female voice came.
[Hello, this is Infinite Entertainment. We are a platform focusing on game development, game operation, and game distribution. Are you Teacher Shuoguang, the developer of "Dark Forest"? ]
Meng Shu raised his eyebrows.
Is this a game publisher coming to your door?
Teacher Shuoguang...?
It's true that no matter where you go, you will have this kind of honorific.
"it's me."
After receiving a positive reply, the person on the phone immediately replied.
[Hello Teacher Shuoguang, we understand that your work "Dark Forest" is currently on the cyber platform and has not been widely promoted in China before. Have you encountered any distribution difficulties? ]
After finishing speaking, the female salesperson continued to talk before Meng Shu could answer.
[We are a game development and publishing company with very high capabilities and standards. Most of our team members have worked in famous foreign game companies. To this end, you can search our company qualifications and personnel composition online. ]
[We have more than 26 years of industry experience, developed various original games, and launched outstanding works such as "Star Voyage", "Underground War", "The Brave" and "Advanced Action" to the world. It has also released high-quality domestic games such as "Legend of Jianghu", "Peak Basketball" and "World of Gods". I can’t say that I am top-notch in the industry, but I can still call myself the leader. ]
[I am contacting you this time because it seems that you only have one distribution channel: Cyber Platform, so I would like to know if you need distribution by our professionals? ]
Meng Shu couldn't help but feel ashamed on the back of his head.
It's really eloquent...
It looks like he has been trained...
Meng Shu is no stranger to publishers.
It turns out that the two martial arts games that have received version numbers in the world were published domestically by publishing companies.
Both worlds, whether it's games, movies, albums, or anything else, are inseparable from publishing companies.
Because to a certain extent, publishers can greatly reduce the promotion work and costs of producers and save time.
The relationship between the two is the same as that between an author and a publishing house. The difference is that the publishing house can not only publish books, but also write books itself.
Therefore, to a certain extent, the author still needs to rely on the publisher.
Publishers and producers are like that.
The production work is the responsibility of the manufacturer.
The publisher is responsible for the early operation and promotion and the later after-sales processing.
For example, submission for review is also handled by the publisher.
To put it simply, all the chores are handled by the publisher, and the publisher only handles development and production, which greatly saves both parties time and improves efficiency.
Just need to spend some money.
A producer can have multiple distributors, distribute in multiple countries, and localize their products.
A publisher can also invest in or sponsor multiple producers and earn profits from them.
Of course, manufacturers can also develop and publish their own products.
The premise is that you have become bigger and stronger, to the point where you can take over all the business.
Otherwise, it would be best to just find a publisher.
Meng Shu's current situation does not allow him to integrate.
After all, the company had just been established, it didn’t even have a single employee, the game had just been released, it was still a semi-finished product, and there was not enough money.
If you are too busy with development work, how can you have the confidence to do publishing work?
The cost of promotion is enough for him to drink a pot!
“Are there any advantages to your distribution?”
Meng Shu put down the back of his chair and lay down, knocking his feet on the computer table with a calm expression.
[Teacher Shuoguang, we have many advantages, one of which is our many promotion channels. All the video networks, classified information networks, self-media networks, social platforms, search engines, etc. that you know now are our promotion channels. Moreover, we have signed an agreement with the channel provider, and our unlimited online entertainment will come forward, which is much cheaper than finding the channel yourself, and can save a lot of costs. ]
After a pause, the female salesperson continued to speak.
[For example, if you promote a game on Danmaku.com, they charge you 100,000, but if you let us go, they will only charge 50,000 to 60,000. ]
oh?
Meng Shu's eyes lit up.
This is a good advantage.
but...
"Your company has more than 20 years of industry qualifications. This is not the only advantage, right?"
[Of course, Teacher Shuoguang. The company's management appreciates your work very much and thinks you have a bright future, so they specially reminded me to provide you with a new work support plan. ]
New work support program?
Meng Shu raised his eyebrows and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"What kind of support method?"
There was a mature smile on the other end of the phone, and then he spoke.
[If your "Dark Forest" is published by us, then for your next work, Infinite Online Entertainment will support a development fund to allow you to spend the early stage, and then continue to be published by us. ]
Meng Shu suddenly smiled.
Support is a good word to use.
In fact, it is just another term for investing.
Investment is risky.
"That's a good thing, so will you get involved in game development?"
[Normally no, although we have professional staff, we will rarely interfere with the developer's work to avoid disrupting the rhythm. Only when the developer is at a loss and needs help will we arrange for someone to arrive, take over and perform the work. ]
Meng Shu nodded, this kind of thing is normal, and it was the same in the original world.
Some small studios with only a few people will definitely encounter technical difficulties during the development process.
In this case, powerful publishers will help solve it.
But if the publisher can't solve it, then there will be works like "The Legend of Heluo Heroes".
"This kind of thing is very risky. Have you ever thought about what if the game does not sell well and the sales volume is very poor and the money cannot be recovered?"
[Teacher Shuoguang, we don’t just publish your works. If we lose money with you, we will naturally make up for it with profits elsewhere. This is how business is done, there is no absolute pure profit, there are risks everywhere. ]
[And you have succeeded, haven't you? Your "Dark Forest" is still in the EA stage, but its popularity and popularity have reached a peak. You have told the entire industry with facts that there is still a market for horror games. I believe that except for us In addition, other publishers will also come to you. We also believe that your next work will not disappoint everyone. ]
Yes, it was very comfortable to lick. Meng Shu said that he liked hearing such compliments.
"You have your own gaming platform, right?"
[Yes, it’s called IGame. There are only two platforms in China, and we are one of them. Most domestic games are on it. You also understand that the 30% commission on cyber platforms is simply unaffordable for some small developers, so our platform is the best place for them. ]
Meng Shu nodded to express his understanding.
Although the cyber platform is a global platform, its commissions are very high.
Some small companies spend time and effort developing games, but if they don't sell well and take 30% of the money, they basically won't even get their money back.
Therefore, we will settle for the second best and choose the domestic game platform.
"What's your commission?"
[5%]
"How to calculate the promotion costs for the entire network?"
[We are responsible for this. We will choose websites with more traffic to place advertisements such as videos and pop-ups. ]
"Do you have any hosting platform channels?"
[Of course, we are an all-platform channel. If your game is ready to be released on console platforms, we can do that too. ]
"After the game is handed over to you for distribution, do the cyber platform games need to be removed from the shelves?"
The person on the phone pondered for a while, as if he was organizing his words, and then spoke after a few seconds.
[Of course we hope to remove it from the shelves and sell it on our platform. However, considering that you have signed an agreement with the cyber platform agent, we will not interfere. ]
Meng Shu nodded, already understanding in his heart.
"Before you send me the contract, I have to tell you about my plans for the next game to see if you are willing to accept it, so as not to waste both parties' time."
[Okay, please tell me. ]
"Since you have a support plan, I will make it clear. The next game will still be in the horror genre. Moreover, I plan to make it a VR game."
[…]
There was silence on the other side of the phone, and it took a while before someone made a sound in surprise.
[Teacher Shuoguang...are you sure...? If you are also an industry professional, then you should know that VR games are not currently available at all...]
"certainly."
Meng Shu shook his chair, interrupted the saleswoman's words, and smiled.
"I'm sure, and I know it very well."
"Now it's up to you whether you want to or not."
