Game Director from Hell

Chapter 39: Trailer (2)

The reaction to the trailer was explosive.

No, explosive was an understatement.

『(Game)zZoneHunter: Wow, this is insane! LOL

(Game)WaitingForHelix2: Aaaah! When is it coming?!

(Game)FlowerHeeCherryLips: ????

(Game)LordOfBloodshed: Why is the warden coming out there? LOL

(Game)S2PoppinS2: Is there any more lore revealed? I got chills down my spine at the end. T_T

(Game)LoveSpaceWars: It's not as good as the Space Wars cinematic, lol.

(Game)ClearWithoutT: They just dropped a trailer without any release news? Are they crazy?』

The fire crackled.

This was the second event after the Hellic 1 Easter egg reward incident that had taken over the Rewind community.

It was the same in both Korea and North America.

The appearance of the Warden was that shocking.

Well, even though earlier the warden was a pixel character, now it was as if a clone of a player had appeared.

There was no way you couldn't recognize it.

The cheers grew louder when they saw the warden implemented in 3D graphics.

Of course, it didn't end there.

As with any group of gamers, there were those who began analysing the trailer.

With rising expectations and unquenched thirst, they used the clues provided to speculate about the game's content.

『(Game)WaitingForHellic2: Why did the Warden appear? Is it an ally to the protagonist?

(Game)ClearWithoutT: Isn't it the final boss?

(Game)FlowerHeeCherryLips: Oh, a final boss does make sense, doesn't it?

(Game)SweetBlueElf39: Corruption... sounds good. ^^

(Game)zZoneHunter: Is the previous protagonist the final boss? LOL』

Opinions began to converge in one direction.

And that's when 'S2PoppinS2,' who had posted interpretations of the previous installment on the community, once again wrote a lengthy analysis.

『(Game)S2PoppinS2: This is my subjective trailer analysis. ^^

It seems that the trailer reveals that the previous installment and Hellic 2 share the same world.

That's how a series should be! It got me thinking, so I fired up Hellic 1 after a long time!

I briefly checked the script and played the Hellic 2 demo afterward, and I saw some connections.

To cut to the chase, I believe the warden is the final boss.

Here's the evidence:

First, the warden appears as someone who interrogates the prisoners of Hell. Sometimes, he even exterminates prisoners who resist. (The official background of Hellic 1 was about the warden suppressing a prisoner uprising, after all ^^)

Second, in the Hellic 2 demo, when it starts, the butterfly speaks to Alice. It says, "[You've landed here for the sin of being born]." Then it continues, "[You shouldn't stay here. Let's get out]." At the point where they've already declared an escape from Hell, the warden and Alice are likely to be in opposite factions, right?

Third, it's about the butterfly. I'm not sure about the butterfly's identity, but it's probably a spirit guiding Alice. It's likely the most minimal defence mechanism created by the world of Hell to protect a child! The purity of a young soul is a common theme in many religions, after all!

In this way, you can see that the butterfly and the warden are opposing forces in Hell! From Studio Rewind's perspective, this allows them to gradually expand the world, factions, and more in Hellic!

To sum it up, it seems like the final battle will be between Alice and the warden, leading to a conflict among the factions in Hell.

Next is Alice's identity.

Since we'll be playing as her character and she's at the centre of the story, it wouldn't make sense if we didn't know who Alice is, right?

The clues were in the demo, the Hell of Heretics, and the three additional chapters shown in the trailer.

The heretics' (paradise), the illusions occurring in the distorted world(drugs), the emaciated giant with a full stomach (hunger), and the humans with a mountain goat head pierced through its body (sacrifice).

You can categorize them into four major themes.

If you connect all these dots, you can deduce that Alice probably played the role of a baby deity promoted by a cult.

In the Western world, she'd be akin to the Second Coming of Jesus』

Alice's sin is the sin of being born.

In other words, just being born against one's will has made her a symbol of some religion, leading countless people to destruction, so doesn't it suit her?

So, the theme that runs through the game could be this.

If the previous installment was a game that questioned about the sin of not valuing oneself, this time it could be about whether one can be held accountable for a sin committed without one's will! It can also serve as criticism of cults!

Analysis ends here!

I hope the game comes out soon! If my analysis is incorrect, I will come back with a different analysis later ^^!"

Neatly organized, the post quickly gained popularity in the community.

The reactions were also positive.

[Comments]

Hellic2Waiting: This is insane...

Lord of Blood in Bangbae-dong: Oh, are they expanding the hell factions in this way and planning a faction war format for the game?

Fanatic Disciple Kim Gapsoo: If there's a faction war, it would be fun! Oh, by the way, I'm looking for guild members for Aion!!!

ClearWithoutT: Come on, please stop talking;;;

PlumLips of Lovely Hee: It's really interesting. It seems like this is the right direction, isn't it?

I Love Space Wars: Religion and corruption? They really nailed it, huh?

ZHanSoo: Wow, if the story is like this, I'm really curious!

Helic2Waiting: Seriously; I usually skip the story, but this time, I want to see it.

Detective with a Big Sword: Ah!!! Please release it this year!!! I have to go to the military next year!!!

National Paladins Association: Ew, smells like anchoviesㅋ"

Understanding through analysis led to immersion.

The community almost accepted "S2BobbyS2's" analysis as gospel, and some story already revealed in the demo version became new evidence in support of it.

But that wasn't the end.

(Chat) Lord of Blood in Bangbae-dong: Bobby's analysis post even spread to the North American community.

The analysis post had made its way to the North American community.

The reactions from the North American side were not significantly different from those in Korea.

Overwhelmingly positive, the revealed information clearly depicted Alice's identity as a religious symbol, and the appearance of the Warden directly exposed the central theme of the game.

And it didn't stop there. The character Butterfly, who had received comments like "What is this guy doing?" started to solidify as "another force of hell" with the appearance of the Warden.

The expansion of the game world in earnest and the formation of narrative depth were taking place.

All the elements that hardcore gamers desired were being incorporated into Hellic.

As a result, anticipation reached its peak one day.

(Promotion): We've opened Studio Rewind's official SNS! Please get updates on releases and events here!

A link to an SNS account appeared on the community.

The 2010s were the era of social networks, and Studio Rewind was moving faster than anyone else.

***

"On Game," a massive game magazine located in Manhattan, USA.

In the current era, there would be no media company with as much influence in the market as them. The editor-in-chief had invited a distinguished guest.

With a slightly awkward request.

"So, you want me to put in a word for this place called Studio Rewind? You want me to review their game?"

"That's right."

The editor-in-chief calmly observed the middle-aged man before him.

With disheveled blond hair, a red nose, a savage beard, and a visible alcohol addiction.

Anyone who saw him would undoubtedly think he was an alcoholic.

If you didn't know his name and his influence in the gaming industry, you'd certainly make that judgment.

The man's name was Aldred Russo.

He was not a game reviewer.

He was a director.

Not just any director, but a veteran director who had released five indispensable games in the history of video games.

The editor-in-chief felt a chill running down his spine but swallowed it.

Business and personal feelings had to be separated.

"So, that's why you are asking me. Have you seen the game trailer? No, have you tried the demo version?"

"Yes, I have tried it."

Well, how could they not touch such a hot game in the community?

Aldred responded to the editor's question.

"I wanted to get a closed beta key for that game. In fact, I participated in the bug reporting event, but didn't luck out?"

He had a nonchalant smile on his face.

Only wrinkles of laughter were missing.

The editor finally understood his intention.

"Did you come all the way here because you want to play the game before everyone else?"

In any case, there are no such guys as Aldred.

He can't just ignore it.

It's a deal that shouldn't be missed.

"...The next release is still three years away."

His new releases always make waves in the industry.

If he were to get a scoop, it would be a scoop that had never been seen before.

Aldred responded with a slightly wrinkled expression to the hidden meaning in his words.

"If there's something coming, there's something going."

The contract was established.

"I'll handle the contact."

Aldred smiled brightly at the editor's words.

It was a smile like a boy holding a toy.

Handshakes were exchanged.

And now, let's add the story of the yet-to-be-unfolded events.

Aldred Russo, the head of Studio Valhalla.

He will create the unprecedented masterpiece, "Lost Kingdom," that will leave a lasting legacy in the game industry ten years from now.

***

"Things have turned out like this," Han Seorim said in disappointment.

The reason she scratched her cheek with a puzzled expression was one: she was the one who argued that they had to hide the identity of the Warden in the trailer.

"Why doesn't anyone notice this? Isn't the butterfly identity pretty obvious?"

"What do you mean by obvious?"

Its like saying that a frog forgets its past, but it's a perfect fit for the present situation.

"You didn't even have a clue about Butterfly's identity until I told you."

"Well, um..."

"It's a matter of information. There's a big difference between knowing and not knowing."

From the beginning, I directed the information in that direction, so the result is natural.

The trailer's concept was like that.

What needed to be revealed was the wall the user had to overcome, the chapters and the boss.

The intention of revealing the warden was noise marketing.

The reality is that it's still difficult to record stable initial sales with just the studio's name value.

At the marketing stage, more radical strategies need to be used, and along with that, more users from the previous work, which enjoyed significant success, need to be attracted.

Of course, it's good to hide the warden's identity.

It can emphasize the dramatic reversal of the boss battle even more.

But if you weigh the benefits and actual popularity index of that reversal, the latter overwhelmingly outweighs the former.

We suffered a loss.

But it's a loss that brought in that much profit.

Above all, wasn't the most important information in the game well preserved?

"And the warden isn't the main focus of the game."

"Huh?"

"I've hidden it properly. In the first place, this game's narrative is completed with Butterfly's identity. Without knowing that, a perfect analysis of the game is impossible."

On the other hand, if you know Butterfly's identity, all elements of the game are revealed at once.

"It's not Alice who participates in the final boss battle, but Butterfly. That's all you need to hide well."

It builds anticipation.

And it shows more than expected.

As a producer, I've completed all the settings I can in the production process.

There's no need to say more about that.

"But, Yeonho."

Suddenly, Myungkyu asked.

"That setting looks interesting. Do you have any plans to add other factions besides the Warden in Hell?"

He's talking about community speculation.

This part is a bit vague to talk about.

"There's something more, but it's not something I can group as a faction."

"Huh?"

"Metaphorically, Hell is like a forest. The Warden is a tree in the forest, Butterfly is a squirrel, and the elements to be used in the next work are flowers. They're grouped by elements."

Just as you don't say 'the faction of trees' or 'the faction of flowers' because they look different in the forest.

It should be known to everyone that they coexist harmoniously without opposition.

Hell is the same.

Many things that belong to 'Hell' in different areas do their own work without much connection or conflict.

"There was one conflict, though..."

Well, that was more of an event caused by external factors, namely the involvement of prisoners, than a conflict between elements.

Well, that's something to think about when making content for another game.

"Anyway, that's as far as it goes."

I refreshed my attention.

"Let's get to work on what's at hand."

Now it's January and 2011.

The development of the prototype is almost complete, and the schedule for the actual development has started to be shared.

Except for the debugging schedule, there are no details in the schedule until the release.

Jo Ayoon's sound only has the ending part left now.

Most of the debugging is Myungkyuu's responsibility.

I'll help, but there's another task that's just as important as debugging.

"Release marketing."

As the CEO, I have to think about selling the game.

I can't afford to fail.

What I had on the monitor was Facebook, the SNS leading 2011.

Studio Rewind's official account is here.

The first post is a trailer video, and the second post is the results of the recent bug reporting event.

Among them, my attention was focused on the results of the bug reporting event.

"Nine people."

Three in Korea, three in North America, and three global.

What's been revealed is just that, and there's one more thing.

"A critic."

The reason a critic suddenly got involved is nothing special.

The request came from their side first.

They said, someone quite prominent in the industry is interested in the closed beta of this game and asked if they could handle the review.

They didn't tell me who the critic was.

But the reason I allowed it was because that magazine is famous enough for me to know.

I have no confidence in receiving criticism.

As they had requested from that side, they would probably be quite favorable to our game.

So the critic's praise would be quite meaningful help for me.

"It's still an era where critic reviews have a positive impact on metrics."

Of course, there are still complaints, but the credibility of those reviews is much higher than when I was living.

It's a means worth considering, so let's leave it aside and go back to the bug reporting event.

While scanning the list, the mouse wheel stopped.

The names listed were James Han and 'T Without T' from the Korean community. They stood out because they had found the most bugs in the most bizarre ways.

As I was quietly reading the posts, Han Seorim spoke up.

"Oh, by the way, they said the Alice figure prototype will be ready next week."

"Yeah."

"...What are you thinking about? Your response seemed lifeless."

"Just thinking."

I'm thinking about marketing.

Tap, tap.

I absentmindedly tapped the mouse while staring at James Han's name intently.

The marketing plan ultimately revolves around using this guy.

"2011."

That's when it opens.

The internet game broadcasting platform, Twitch.

This year, a formidable fortress was established before the rise of the video streaming site with a red icon.

In other words, it's time to give the "homework."

Homework, which refers to outsourcing game play.

It's time to start that.

I immediately sent an email.

[Long time no see.]

And the response came back.

[Give me the closed beta access!!!]

I couldn't help but smile.

James Han, was well-raised. There's no one better than him....better than ten advertising agencies.