Chapter 34: Honkai Impact 3rd Questioned by the Entire Internet!
"Is it a mule or a horse? Won't we know once it's pulled out for a walk?"
"It's just one PV, and you guys are already reaching a climax? How hilarious."
"And how do you know their actual gameplay is no good? It's only the debut PV; what's with the constant doom-posting?"
Similar online flame wars were everywhere, across every livestream chat. After all, the reveal of Honkai Impact 3rd had brought a massive shock to the entire industry. With such high levels of hype, it was only natural for controversy to follow. The internet was a mixed bag, and only those involved knew if someone was fanning the flames from behind the scenes.
However, this was exactly what Theresa was worried about. She hadn't lived all these years for nothing; don't truly believe her "clueless sweetie" persona. Whether she was actually a fool or just "Theresa-stupid" was something only she knew.
In reality, "PV fraud" was not uncommon in the gaming world. There had been a notorious incident where a production team spent their entire budget on a high-end CGI trailer. The exquisite quality had every player shouting how "awesome" it was, desperate to play it as soon as possible. Consequently, the game sold a staggering number of copies upon release.
Yet, when players eagerly entered the game to experience it, the crude graphics and eyesore character models hit them like a heavy sledgehammer to the head. The most ridiculous part was that the game studio declared bankruptcy and restructuring the very next day, taking a huge sum of player money to open a completely different studio. Such malicious tactics were truly appalling!
Now, Honkai Impact 3rd was undoubtedly stacked with numerous debuffs. A "Next-Generation Large-Scale 3D Action Beautiful Girl Mobile Game"—the title itself was intimidating enough.
"If it's really as amazing as they boast, why is it a free-to-play game? Hehe, I bet there's something fishy going on!"
"But you can't put it that way. Game studios aren't stupid. The cost of hiring Eden alone must be astronomical, right?"
"True. If they didn't have confidence in the game, why would they hire Eden to compose the music?"
"Could it be that the company CEO awakened a system and can become the richest person by losing money? Don't be ridiculous!"
As the online public opinion continued to ferment and news about Honkai 3rd climbed the trending searches, Theresa gradually realized that her niece was truly doing something earth-shattering.
"With Kiana's ability, how did she cause such a sensation?" Theresa felt confused. She knew her niece's temperament all too well. While she wasn't trying to belittle her—okay, she was belittling her—Theresa knew exactly how much Kiana was worth.
If she had known from the start that Siegfried would let Kiana go out and manage a company, she would have been the first to stand up and object. After all, the Kaslana family was vast and wealthy; what was wrong with Kiana being a "salted fish"? Wasn't Bianca there? If the Kaslanas couldn't support Kiana, she could let her "Auntie" raise her! It wasn't like they were short on money!
The more Theresa thought about it, the stranger it seemed. When things are too good to be true, there's usually a catch. Could it be that Kiana had a hidden expert guiding her? If that were true, it would be a good thing, but now Theresa was worried—could her silly niece be getting scammed?
Watching the public opinion continue to boil over, Theresa felt that it might truly be necessary to visit miHoYo personally in the near future.
"I'm flying! This time I'm really going to fly!"
Kiana Kaslana was currently opening champagne at home. The sheer volume of online vitriol and doubt only reinforced her inner conviction—the ending for this game would be no better than a total bomb!
With the release of the first PV, Honkai Impact 3rd was officially scheduled for launch next Friday at 8:00 PM.
"3D action mobile games are a dead end to begin with. Now the entire gaming world is doubting Honkai 3rd; the denunciations and skepticism are endless! To others, these insults are wicked curses, but to me!!"
"This is the perfect opportunity to make a massive fortune!"
At this moment, Kiana was immersed in a beautiful fantasy of the near future. In the blueprint she had drawn, Honkai 3rd was being attacked by the masses, using a suicidal free-to-play in-app purchase system... isn't that just begging people to play for free?
To be honest, the quality of the finished internal build of Honkai 3rd was so good that even the industry veteran Bronya was shocked. Kiana, no matter how silly, could see that the game's quality was definitely not an issue.
But so what if the game wasn't a disaster? Kiana Kaslana was a high-society Nordic lady with "Great Wisdom"; she had predicted this long ago! So what if people were attracted to it? So what if the game quality passed the test?
The "free-to-play" aspect was the primary culprit that would crush miHoYo! Since the game can be played for free, why would anyone give you money? Do they really think these players are idiots? Even Kiana understood such a simple truth!
Taking a step back, even if someone did spend money, the development cost of Honkai 3rd was no small figure! Could they break even? Break even my foot! Plus, miHoYo now had to maintain such a massive production team to support the Honkai 3rd project... money was flowing out like water every single day!
How could a tiny free-to-play game fill such a massive hole?
"I think Bronya has also been swept away by the hype, actually agreeing to such a 'flop-on-sight' proposal..." Thinking of how cooperative Bronya had been during production, Kiana shook her head. Poor Bronya, she was completely outmaneuvered by my brilliant wit!
"Su Mu, oh Su Mu, you truly are my money tree, my God of Wealth, my darling little baby! I really want to give you a big kiss!"
Kiana's mouth began to water as she imagined the day the ten-fold rebate would hit her account.
"No, no, I can't let it show too much! Otherwise, the secret might get out!"
At the entrance, Sirin, dressed in her school uniform, watched her second sister squirming on the sofa like a bug. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
"Su Mu? I've been hearing Second Sister mention that name a lot lately..." A look of confusion crossed Sirin's face. She had never seen Kiana act this way before. "Could Second Sister be... in love?"
Although such an idea seemed absurd to Sirin, she felt it would be best to discuss this matter with her Auntie. After all, no matter how dumb she was, she was still her second sister... if she were to be tricked by some strange man, that would be terrible.
END OF CHAPTER
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium