Chapter 209
MMORPGs have a notorious reputation in Korea. The reason is the monetization model.
Spend money to win.
At first glance, that might sound reasonable, but to Western gamers, it was not.
Why on earth would you put elements that interfere with gameplay behind a paywall? they argued.
What’s so great about buying victory with money?
Well, the MMORPG side also has something to say.
Can’t we skip some time with money? You can reach the same place without spending money anyway.
Look here.
Someone who runs two computers a day and plays for thirty hours, surpassing twenty-four hours, can enjoy endgame content without spending a single cent, can’t they?
Of course, the worst of these kinds of games—the ones those older guys play—are beyond discussion from the start.
Anyway.
MMORPGs that maintained events and a line for the minimum free-to-play users were definitely problematic, but still maintained their popularity.
The problem is that game companies continued doing this even as they transitioned into the capsule era.
‘So-called grinding, or hunting, was originally just repeatedly pressing keyboard keys, but with the capsule transition, it became tedious and complicated.’
Therefore, many light users who don’t spend money dropped out, and the vicious cycle of revenue decline leading to investment decline began.
Creating the dream RPG with the highest degree of freedom is still out of reach, so now only the solid core supporters of RPGs remain.
He naturally expected the streamer standing before him would point this out.
Unlike other streamers who already enjoy RPGs (according to the report Im Gang-san reviewed, Ha Yun-ho and Rumi were already users who spent tens of millions of won, so there was no need to recruit them), it was common sense that the general public perception was poor.
So he answered confidently.
Our game is not like that.
“Um……. Cash shop?”
But the other party seemed not to have even considered that.
Im Gang-san thought it would have been better if such a thing was what bothered him.
“No. Please, go ahead.”
“Yes, okay.”
Seo Jun nodded.
Then he took a brief sip of his drink and conveyed his thoughts.
“Ultimately, if others don’t watch that content much, I think I’ll lose more, no matter how much advertising money I receive.”
“That makes sense. Given the nature of the period.”
“Yes. Do I need to prepare a lot?”
“No. Since it’s the first raid, if you use the events well, you’ll quickly reach the required specs.”
If you just meet the minimum specs, a first clear might be impossible.
Im Gang-san swallowed the latter words.
“But it’ll still consume a lot of time.”
“Since typical ads end in a day. I fully understand, Streamer-nim.”
“So I don’t think this will work under these terms.”
“Hmm……. What we want is the raid. It’ll be a festival for the biggest RPG fans, and to gather a lot of interest, we’ll recruit others besides you, so why wouldn’t it work?”
Seo Jun knows.
Of course, he hopes it’ll go well, and the company will move accordingly.
But there’s no guarantee that’ll happen.
It’s not a game with guaranteed popularity like For the Hyeop, and hasn’t it already nearly failed and rebooted?
And above all.
“Actually, it’s a problem if I just don’t mesh with the game. There’d be no way for it to be fun on stream.”
“You’d know that after just trying it once, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes. But you asked to meet today.”
“Ah…….”
Damn CEO Lee.
Pushed by CEO Lee’s urging, Im Gang-san let out a hollow laugh.
“Then shall we talk after you try playing later? There will be a user event when Rios ends.”
Im Gang-san knew why CEO Lee was in a hurry, but since they had already offered the highest sum in the industry, he calculated there was no burden in waiting until after the victory.
“That would be better.”
Seo Jun chuckled, and Im Gang-san, thinking that if it was about buttering up beforehand, even ending today like this wasn’t bad, was about to get up from his seat.
Then Seo Jun spoke.
“But you see, I have a personality that is extremely lacking in patience when it comes to these games.”
“Pardon?”
“You’d know if you looked me up.”
Im Gang-san nodded.
And waited for what he’d say next.
“So I’d like to propose this. I don’t want to put an ad marker on while doing a first clear race anyway. Just lower the amount and give me a one-off ad, not when the raid updates, but during an event.”
“As I said, what we want is……”
“Ah, if the game isn’t fun anyway, I won’t take the ad at all. If it’s fun, I’ll do it on my own, up to the first clear. I won’t be able to stand it.”
“So you’re telling me to just give you a one-off ad with a reduced amount?”
“Yes.”
Then could I just not give you the ad at all? Since you’ll do it anyway if it’s fun?
Seeing through that thought from Im Gang-san, Seo Jun added.
“For your information, without an ad, I simply won’t do it. The concurrent players are lower than For the Hyeop. And it’s an RPG too.”
That’s true. Im Gang-san acknowledged.
But there would be another reason.
If they hadn’t made the offer, Seo Jun might have naturally played and participated in their game.
But now that they’ve made this ad offer like this, if they withdraw it, he’d be offended and wouldn’t do it, no?
Right now, the one in the superior position is that streamer.
“Understood. Then how much are you cutting the advertising fee?”
“Half.”
Seo Jun smiled brightly.
“30 million won?”
“No. I’d like to keep the victory option as is at 20 million won.”
If he wins, he should receive as much as a major corporation, Seo Jun thought.
There would be that much impact. If he wins.
“Hmm……. That is…….”
Seo Jun asked with a faint smile.
“Surely the game isn’t to the point where I’d play it once and quit……”
At those words, the answer came quickly.
A hint of confidence in a game he himself had directed was visible.
“Let’s do that. A base of 20 million won, plus a 20 million won option if you win Rios. Once you try it, you’ll be aiming for it right away.”
“Nice.”
After that.
The two finalized the adjustments, stood up, and shook hands.
40 million won.
A representative ad rate for a top streamer.
Not bad, but it could have been 60 million won.
If he played casually for a while, then at the last raid, threw together a party like doing homework, raided, and failed, he’d earn an extra 20 million won.
Knowing this, Im Gang-san asked him one last thing.
“Why did you do that?”
And instead of giving a reason like reducing the ad period to lessen the burden and secure autonomy, Seo Jun answered like this.
“If there’s a streamer broadcasting homework content among my first clear party members, it’d look shabby, wouldn’t it? Isn’t RPG about romance?”
Im Gang-san laughed heartily.
It would look shabby.
“Do you think you can do a first clear?”
“I have to. Starting with the Rios victory. 120 million won is on the line.”
Im Gang-san discovered in Seo Jun’s eyes something similar to his own confidence in the game, and smiled as well.
“I’ll be rooting for you too. Starting with the tournament win.”
* * *
[Whoa! Today Jipaljikkon scrim undefeated!]
==
Is it okay for the form to be rising like this?
Keril is a god! Today’s shotcalling was insane!
The teammates following along were insane too!
==
-Yeokbae is a god! Yeokbae is a god! Yeokbae is a god! Yeokbae is a god!
-Keril is really something else
-During yesterday’s group stage match, when Keril gave orders and the ops team reviewed it with Jipaljikkon’s permission, it gave me chills
└lol for real it matched perfectly
└Dokkaebi beat that too, so they’re really no joke either.
└Yeah, that’s true. So when Pado pushed forward, that was legendary
[Aren’t they the first team to choose macro play in Rios?]
==
The team that was ignored as the weakest choosing the hardest path and winning? This is straight out of a movie
==
-Why is macro the hardest path, idiot
└It is the hardest. Originally it’s just funneling the ace
└But since that ace is a support, for that team, macro is the easiest path ㅅㄱ
└Yeah that’s true ㄷㄷ
-They’re not the first team to choose macro either ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Yeah. But still, that team?]
==
Today too, carrot ^^ I’m coming inㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
==
-What are you doing, Jin Seo-jun!
-These guys are just comediansㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Today I enjoyed the show (from the whole Binbugyeokcha squad)
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Still, the broadcast is the most fun. Streamers messing around together
└For real. And they got 2 wins, right?
[The reason Binbugyeokcha can’t keep up]
==
Eric? Top ADC?
Luck and shallow tactics won’t work anymore.
Keril, the master of this league, will see through it all
==
-Unlike Spoon or Beast, Keril is a true strategist
└Talking back to the Korean University guy
└Just Korea University-do ㅎㅎ Just because you’re from Korea University, does it help with employment? These days, doing crypto or being a streamer or pro gamer makes more money
└That bastard is a streamer
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seems like a concept-obsessed weirdo
[The Yeokbae-obsessed bastards are so excited]
==
No matter how much I think, I can’t ever imagine beating Jipaljikkon, but you’re already setting up hope circuits after that?
==
-Fandom war on
-We Spoon squad all support Jipaljikkon
-Beast squad too
└Calling ourselves Beast squad... maybe you’re not a Bull fan?
└Malicious trollㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Pado sneaking into the scrim is hereㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
==
Pado guy is so funny ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Got knocked out and now you’re showing up in scrims ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
==
-Ah ㅋㅋ If you’re eliminated, come on the broadcasts of the surviving teams and liven up the show
-Got to do the clown act
Having skimmed through the numerous related posts from the past two days, Seo Jun turned his gaze toward the camera.
“Um, did you guys post there too?”
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㄴ
-Please refrain from leading questions
-No way, to a battlefield like that ㅋㅋ
Battlefield. An appropriate metaphor.
“They’ll keep fighting until the finals end, right?”
As long as the ultimate winner hasn’t been decided.
-Of course
-Upsets happen!!
-Ah ㅋㅋ Who knows what’ll happen
“But posts about Strength vs. Strategy keep popping up. I can’t resist that. I’ll fight with brains too. Carry-type heroes like Kael, Eric? I won’t play them.”
-This kind of upset happens lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Host, do you even know what split is?
-We’re screwed! Binbugyeokcha shareholders on high alert!
-No, who knows. After pulling this
-After pulling this?
-If Eric isn’t banned, they’ll grab him and beat them up ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-For real, it’s a bluff ㅋㅋ
[Viewer Count – 45,000]
They were waiting for the semifinals starting at 7 o’clock.
The semifinals are single-elimination matches.
A total of three matches will be held today.
Two semifinal matches, one match for 3rd/4th place.
And tomorrow is the finals. Best of three.
“By the way, this person cursed at us, then placed a voodoo bet saying we’d definitely win, and so on. They write an incredible amount—do they have too much time?”
-For real, I see that nickname a lot
-Must be a time billionaire
-At this rate, I’ll memorize the nickname
-tyghbd looks like they just mashed the keyboard?
-Account creation date is 2 days agoㅋㅋㅋㅋ Could it be the empty-wallet guy who dumped points in?
-Ah ㅋㅋ They said Joam should lose too
“Hey, no way it’s that second-place person? The heavy mental giant?”
-For real ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Must be just a common troll
-Multiple personalities cheering then cursing is common in our industry ㅋㅋㅋ
-But honestly, if I lost everything, I’d turn dark too
-Wailing and then immediately turning darkㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Soon, 7 o’clock arrived.
[Hello, everyone!]