I will be stronger after the remake

Although Tang Ping and Ma Yiming claimed to follow their sister's wishes, Hu Ze knew perfectly well that without his two older brothers in the Public Security Section, she wouldn't have stayed.

If we continue to think ahead, Ma Yiming would switch jobs to the Public Security Department, which was also Tang Ping's strong suggestion.

He's practically my lucky charm!

Hu Ze patted Tang Ping on the shoulder and said, "I understand your sister's situation. I will do my best to appeal to the organization."

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you."

Tang Ping had no hope.

Chapter Sixty: The Endless Trending Topics

"I hereby announce the official release of 'The Invisible Guardian'!"

In front of everyone in the security department, Tang Ping pressed a key on the keyboard in front of the computer.

clap clap clap!

Everyone applauded sincerely, after all, they had all participated in the filming and received a share of the profits. For their own sake and for the sake of others, they all hoped that the game would be a great success.

Yu Shujiang blew a paper whistle with a "beep beep" sound, and Ma Feiyan even took out a few firecrackers, which released flying paper with "bang bang", maximizing the sense of ceremony within a limited area.

An hour later, Ma Yiming couldn't help but ask, "How many units were sold?"

"One hundred twenty thousand."

"Wow! It's only been an hour. If it continues to grow at this rate, no, even if the growth rate slows down, it will probably break a million today."

Tang Ping poured cold water on the idea, saying, "What are you thinking? Of these 120,000, 110,000 are players who added the game to their wishlists, meaning they already knew about the game and pre-ordered it. The remaining 10,000 are new players who were added naturally in the past hour."

"Only ten thousand..."

Ma Yiming was somewhat disappointed.

Ma Feiyan was very dissatisfied with the layman's reaction, saying, "Brother only plays mobile games and doesn't understand the single-player game market, so don't talk nonsense. Ten thousand new users per hour is already very good, which means that the game has no problem making up for its costs. Moreover, the Bilibili game UP I contacted have all posted updates, and the news is spreading. Sales will increase rapidly in a short period of time."

Of course, these gaming content creators all received advertising fees, but they were only charged a friendly price out of respect for Ma Feiyan.

With the help of Ma Feiyan, an industry insider, the selected service providers are all high-quality and cost-effective. She knows which game content creators have genuine fans and which have seriously inflated numbers.

This "watering" doesn't refer to buying fake followers, but rather to some content creators who, although they started by posting game videos, later shifted to the lifestyle section to expand their fanbase, collaborating with other content creators and hosting events similar to variety shows.

This results in them having a seemingly large number of fans, millions or even tens of millions, but the vast majority of them are not very interested in single-player games, making it very inefficient for them to advertise.

In contrast, some game content creators with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers focus on discovering fun indie games. When they encounter games that suit their tastes, they will even actively promote them without charging a fee. Their fans have a strong desire to buy after watching their videos, resulting in a high conversion rate.

It can be said that, through Ma Feiyan's screening, Tang Ping's 1.2 million yuan advertising fee could even achieve the effect of 3 million yuan - the remaining 800,000 yuan budget was used to advertise on other platforms and hire online trolls.

Tang Ping said, "Stop looking at it. Even if you keep staring at the computer screen, sales won't increase out of thin air. We've done everything we can. Now let's leave it to the market."

Everyone knew that what he said made a lot of sense, but they still couldn't bear to look away, and every minute of sales growth brought them joy.

Seeing this, Tang Ping stopped trying to persuade them. Anyway, the Public Security Section had nothing to do recently, so they might as well treat it as a team-building activity.

……

the next day.

Urged by everyone, Tang Ping opened the Steam backend data.

Within 24 hours of its release, "The Invisible Guardian" sold over 250,000 copies with a 96% positive review rate.

In the comments section, messages kept refreshing:

"This is the most amazing domestically produced game I've ever played!"

"Every choice drove me crazy with anxiety, but every outcome left me with a lasting impression."

"This is no longer a game, this is art! I didn't stop playing after I started, and I completed all the endings in 13 consecutive hours, reaching 92% of the exploration level. I basically mastered this game. To sum it up, this is the greatest and most profound work I have ever played."

"Firstly, the plot! The entire story is intricately linked..."

"Speaking of acting, I must mention that the voice actors were so skilled that I could actually feel their acting even from still images..."

"Secondly, let's talk about the visuals. There's not a single jarring moment throughout; it completely immerses you in the scene..."

"Then I really want to praise the music in this work. It was done with great care and fits the era and the plot. There are theme songs for the four main storylines, as well as background music for some behind-the-scenes footage and production, etc..."

"To conclude, this is a short, simple summary: it's an interactive game with a patriotic theme that allows you to experience firsthand the hardships faced by underground workers during that time. After watching it, you can truly understand how difficult things were back then..."

"I hope everyone can try this work. Let me repeat, it's not a game, it's art!"

Seeing the soaring sales and numerous effusive praises, even a novice like Ma Yiming knew the game was a success. Ma Feiyan and Yu Shujiang simply high-fived to celebrate.

Tang Ping looked at the 96% positive review rate with some doubt. In his previous life, this game did not have such a high positive review rate. He vaguely remembered that it was only around 80%.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in my mind as I was digging.

By the way, it has nothing to do with the game's quality; it's the development team's questionable actions that have attracted a lot of negative reviews.

The Invisible Guardian was first released on Steam, and Steam players waited a long time for it. However, the ending was released early on the WeGame platform, which made Steam players feel betrayed and gave it many negative reviews.

Unlike other games, The Invisible Guardian offers virtually no gameplay fun and focuses primarily on its storyline. The fact that others get to enjoy the game in advance, or even receive spoilers, is unacceptable to many Steam players, who collectively say that the development team's approach doesn't deserve its popularity.

Tang Ping naturally wouldn't make the same mistake, nor would he have the chance to. In his previous life, the production team filmed the game in two parts, while he filmed it all in one go. Apart from the demo, all the game content was uploaded to various platforms simultaneously.

Moreover, the original work's makeup and costumes have always been criticized. It is believed that the production team hired makeup artists from anti-Japanese war dramas to save money, giving a group of female characters from the Republican era heavy makeup, which made them look very out of place. Tang Ping learned from this lesson and did not cut corners in this regard.

It can be said that his creation, "The Invisible Guardian," is a perfect all-rounder in the field of live-action film and game, without any flaws.

This is the advantage of being a porter: because you know the answer in advance, you know how to leverage your strengths and correct your weaknesses.

Suddenly, Yuan Ji pointed and said, "Come and see this comment."

Everyone turned their heads and saw the following displayed on the screen:

"This game reminds me of my grandfather, who was also an underground worker. After playing the game with me, he said that every detail in it was so realistic that it reminded him of his own experiences when he was young."

Yuan Ji asked, "Do you think this is true?"

Tang Ping and Ma Feiyan exchanged glances. Tang Ping said, "It's most likely an online troll. It's too much of a coincidence. Besides, don't we know whether the details are true or not?"

Yu Shujiang said, "It's also possible that a player couldn't help but make up a backstory for themselves while playing the game. This kind of thing is quite common. Who hasn't bragged online or made up a non-existent relative or friend?"

"That's true, what a coincidence..."

There was a hint of regret in Yuan Ji's tone.

At this point, Director Hu interjected, "Even if it's fake, we can assume it's real. Sometimes, propaganda requires a certain amount of artistic embellishment."

Tang Ping understood and asked, "Does the director have an idea?"

Director Hu kept everyone in suspense, saying, "There is a little, but there's no rush. I'm not familiar with single-player games. Can you estimate how many copies the game will ultimately sell?"

Tang Ping thought for a moment and said, "Generally speaking, the first-day sales of single-player games will account for 10% to 20% of the total sales. The specific percentage depends on the marketing efforts and the game's reputation. We did a good job in marketing, but the game has no IP support and the developer has no reputation. For now, we can estimate it at 15%, which means that the final sales will be about 1.6 million."

Sales were higher than in the previous life. After all, the game quality was better, the promotion was more effective, and there were no shady practices that caused collective resentment among players. It was reasonable for the performance to be better, and it would be surprising if it were worse.

At this moment, Yu Shujiang added, "Not only that, the data from the mobile app is also out, 530,000 on the first day."

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the number. Tang Ping was the most surprised, and when she stood up, she knocked over her chair: "How much?"

"530,000, that's not surprising, is it? I've already said it before, young people nowadays prefer using mobile phones to computers, especially for non-hardcore games. Mobile sales are usually 1.2 to 2.5 times that of PC sales. Other games may be laggy due to optimization issues, or players may find it difficult to get used to the change from buttons to touchscreens. But 'Invisible Guardian' is just a simple video game, so it doesn't have these problems. It's normal for it to sell twice as many copies."

Yu Shujiang blinked, with an expression that seemed perfectly natural.

Tang Ping suddenly remembered something. The 140 million he remembered was only the sales volume on the PC version. As a hardcore single-player gamer, he had never paid attention to the sales volume on the mobile version. Now it seems that the mobile version is the real culprit!

By the way, the original "Invisible Guardian" was first released on PC. After seeing its success, it was ported to mobile with the funds available. During this period, some players inevitably gave up on buying it after watching walkthrough videos online.

This time, however, he released it simultaneously on multiple platforms, and theoretically, mobile sales would only be higher than in his previous life.

Hu Ze said, "I don't understand what you're saying, but judging from your reactions, this game must have been a huge success, right?"

Tang Ping is full of confidence: "If nothing unexpected happens, the number one selling domestic single-player game this year will be 'Invisible Guardian'."

The so-called "accident" naturally refers to a certain black monkey, who is an outsider and cannot be compared.

Hu Ze clapped his hands and said, "That's great. It has achievements, a good reputation, and it's in line with the mainstream ideology. I'll get some official media to promote it, and it can go up again."

Yuan Ji joked, "Oh, I didn't know you had connections in the propaganda department, Director?"

Hu Ze frankly said, "I don't know anyone in the propaganda department, but I know friends in their circles. Once I'm in this position, no matter which unit I ask for help from, I can always find someone to put in a good word for me. Moreover, the official media is always happy to add icing on the cake, so I don't even need to use personal connections. But if it's about helping someone in need, it won't work. Not only do I need strong connections, but my background also needs to be even stronger."

After saying that, he went back to his office to make phone calls to maintain relationships.

Tang Ping optimistically said to the others, "It seems that all we need to do now is wait for good news."

Ma Yiming quickly reminded him, "Don't give me poison."

Yuan Ji chimed in, "Opening champagne at halftime is no good. Let's quickly say a few bad things to offset it."

Tang Ping was speechless: "Pragmatic milk is even more unacceptable."

……

As it turns out, Tangping doesn't have the "poisonous milk" characteristic, and good news keeps coming one after another.

First, the hashtag "#Zhao Yeman stars in 'The Invisible Guardian'" trended on social media.

As a second-tier celebrity with millions of fans, even if there's a lot of hype surrounding her, Zhao Yeman's participation still increased the sales of "The Invisible Guardian" by more than 200,000 copies.

If converted to movie ticketing terms, it would be equivalent to a box office guarantee of ten million. Hmm... no wonder the fan economy can't support movie box office revenue.

In addition, many people are very curious as to why Zhao Yeman would condescend to participate in the production of a game with a cost of only a few million, which is even more outrageous than a celebrity becoming an internet celebrity.

Although Zhao Yeman made the right choice in terms of results, and her fan base is growing rapidly in recent days, she does not have the ability to predict the future. How could she have known that the game would be a great success before she even participated in the performance?

Many people began searching for clues and quickly identified Tang Ping as the suspect.

There was no way around it; among all the actors in the show, only Tang Ping and Zhao Yeman were artists from Youxing Entertainment Company, making them too obviously suspicious—the culprits were practically written all over their faces.

As a result, the hashtag "#Zhao Yeman suspected of playing games for love#" trended on social media the next day.

Then, due to suspicion of misinterpretation, the entry was quickly taken down and replaced with "#Zhao Yeman's participation in game production was actually for him#".

Tang Ping even made a special phone call to Zhao Yeman, not to explain, but because they both knew there was no affair between them.

However, he had to make the call out of both reason and emotion, even if the two sides only chatted casually on the phone and did not discuss the trending topic at all.

The significance of this phone call was that he proved to Zhao Yeman that he was not a person lacking emotional intelligence and was worthy of cooperation.

I thought that was about it, and all that was left was for Director Hu to use his influence. But just one day later, the fire spread directly to Tang Ping.

"By the way, am I the only one who noticed that the male lead, producer, and screenwriter of 'The Invisible Guardian' are all the same person?"

"Can any crew member come forward and explain whether the male lead's skin is genuinely that good, or if he's wearing an undetectable no-makeup makeup look? If it's the former, please tell us what skincare products he used. If it's the latter, please introduce the makeup artist. I have a big-budget drama and would like to ask for help from an expert."

"This guy is not only handsome, but also incredibly talented? Did God give him a cheat code? I suspect he was born with a VIP membership, unlocking a double buff of 'good looks + talent'. How are us ordinary people supposed to survive? I suggest thoroughly investigating his life code; there's definitely a bug!"

"I saw the trending topic yesterday and thought it was some newcomer trying to ride on Sister Yeman's popularity. I searched for the game video online and saw that they were a perfect match. I'm totally shipping them. I agree to this marriage. I'll also send them a copy of the game as a gift."

This development was not unexpected for Tang Ping. He did all this to make himself famous, but the effect seemed to be better than he had imagined.

Another day passed, and Director Hu's "face-saving fruit" finally took effect.

The provincial newspaper published an article praising the game, saying, "The Invisible Guardian vividly recreates the glorious years of the revolutionary era with its innovative interactive narrative. It is a model of edutainment and is expected to win the title of the best game of the year. This proves that contemporary young people do not dislike the main theme, but rather they dislike the dull and boring main theme."

Zhejiang Province has always supported the gaming industry and is very open-minded in this regard. It has even introduced policies to support the e-sports industry, so people in the industry are not surprised.

However, for the general public, it is still quite novel for official print media to seriously endorse a game, and the player community feels a sense of renewed hope, with many expressing their opinions and making related terms a trending topic.

Another day passed, and the related trending topics were no longer found in the top ten online searches.

Just when everyone thought the popularity of "The Invisible Guardian" was about to decline, something even bigger happened.

The People's Day event is over!

Although the article wasn't written specifically for "The Invisible Guardian," but rather mentioned in passing within a comprehensive evaluation of the domestic game industry, the hashtag "#TheLightOfDomesticGames#" immediately surged to the top of the trending searches.

(Note: Long chapters will be updated separately. Also, for reference, "The Invisible Guardian" sold 140 million copies on PC and 270 million copies on mobile.)

Chapter Sixty-One: Promotion Imminent

"Director, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect you to be able to get in touch with the People's Daily. If I have offended you in the past, please don't take it to heart."

Yuan Ji held a copy of the People's Daily newspaper in his hand and sincerely apologized to Hu Ze.

Hu Ze snorted: "There are no ifs. You've offended me in countless ways. If I really had that kind of power, why would I tolerate you offending me!"

Yuan Ji suddenly realized: "That's very convincing! Now I believe you are innocent."

“I’d rather I wasn’t so innocent,” Hu Ze said, but then realized something was wrong and his face darkened. “How is having connections with the People’s Daily a crime? What kind of logic is that? You’ve led me astray.”