Chapter 13
Enson GT Headquarters, 6th floor, Mobile Game Development Team conference room.
This usually peaceful place was now filled with palpable tension.
The reason? The Closed Beta Test period had arrived.
Closed Beta Test.
Commonly known as CBT, it's when selected consumers conduct a private beta test.
It's a sensitive time for developers, as it's the first stage where the product is evaluated by actual consumers.
Our team was no exception to this reality.
"Myung-hoon, you've finished reviewing the QA fixes, right? Have you checked the server status and client file condition?"
"I told you, it's all done. We've triple-checked the QA bug list, everything's passed. AWS confirmation is complete, and the client files are fine. Just calm down."
"S-sorry. I'm a bit frazzled right now. Anyway, good work. Oh, and Yu-mi."
"Ah, yes?"
"The press release for the closed beta and contacting the beta test winners—it's all done, right?"
"Yes! All winners were notified yesterday, and the press release was distributed two hours ago."
"Good job. When the closed beta starts, begin monitoring SNS and community sites first. If there's anything unusual, report it immediately. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"We're almost at the finish line, so everyone hang in there a bit longer. Yu-mi, stay behind for a moment."
With that, everyone left, leaving just Yu-mi and me in the conference room.
"Yu-mi."
"Yes?"
"What happened with the monetization model discussion in the business team?"
Yu-mi answered with a slightly troubled expression.
"Well, there's a bit of a split in the business team..."
"Split?"
"Yes... About half think we should stick with the monetization model in your proposal, trusting your judgment. The other half thinks it's too radical, even considering the circumstances..."
"What was the Business Division Head's opinion?"
"The Division Head was in favor of leaving it to you, Director. Other executives were against it."
"I see..."
Yu-mi's words gave me a headache.
Gacha.
In other words, a monetization structure centered around drawing characters was a new approach, so I expected some resistance...
"Anyway, the CBT is more urgent right now, so I'll talk to the CEO about this after the CBT ends."
"Okay... Oh, and SFLAG contacted us. They said they had something to discuss with you about official merchandise..."
"Is that so? Tell them I'll contact them this afternoon, then go back to work."
"Ah, yes. Oh, and Director."
"Yes?"
"Please have these and keep your strength up. Ye-rin and Chae-young were also really worried about you."
As Yu-mi left the conference room, she handed me a box full of energy drinks.
Did I look that exhausted?
Sitting alone in the conference room, I couldn't help but sigh.
Nerve-wracking beta test periods were routine, but no matter how many times I went through them, I never got used to it.
Being evaluated by others is inherently stressful, after all.
"Please, let this one pass without any major issues..."
***
While Ho-jin was sighing in the conference room, there was another group consumed by anger.
It was the users of Korean subculture community sites.
No matter how good the PV or how attractive the illustrations, you can't enjoy a game until it's actually released.
Enson GT's unfair decision to open the Japanese server first led to an outpouring of anger from users on community sites, and Kim Jae-hyun, lamenting in front of his monitor, was one of them.
[Username: ㅇㅇ]
[Title: How does it make sense to only open the Japanese server first?]
Even if our country is a wasteland for weeb subculture, how can they only open the Japanese server? lol
And even if they open the Japanese server first, shouldn't a Korean game company set aside some beta tester spots for Koreans?
This is some next-level reverse discrimination, for real
[Comments][Most Viewed]
-For real lololol
-I applied with 4 different phone numbers and still got rejected
-They said they picked 300 people, how many applied? lol
-I get angry but then I see the illustrations or PV and my anger subsides
-Do they think they're a Japanese company or something? lololol
"That's right. Why would a Korean game company open their game in Japan first?"
If a Japanese company had done this, he might not have felt as wronged.
This kind of operation was the default for Japanese companies.
After all, weren't Japanese game companies the poster child for Galapagos operations, region-locking to prevent people from other countries from playing?
But Enson GT was a Korean company.
It felt like giving away a feast from our own house to the neighbors while we were starving.
Those Enson GT bastards.
In fact, he was quite a famous illustrator in the subculture scene.
That's why he had planned to complete a commemorative illustration for today's Closed Beta Test...
But feeling betrayed, he had left it unfinished and abandoned.
Still, it'd be a waste to leave what I've drawn so far... Maybe I'll finish it after all...
Kim Jae-hyun wasn't the only one who picked up his tablet pen again with tears in his eyes.
On this day, thanks to the tearful completions of numerous artists, the number of Girls Memorial fanart hit a new record high.
***
8 hours into the CBT.
Normally, this would be the time to go home, shower, and enjoy some freedom, but today was different.
It was about time for reactions from users who had sampled enough of the content to form opinions.
That's why I had planned to send the other team members home and monitor alone, but...
"...Why did you come back after I sent you home?"
At my question, the two looked at each other awkwardly before Senior Chae-young spoke first.
"Well... We thought you might be lonely working overtime alone...?"
"You came back because you were worried about me? Even you, Senior Chae-young?"
Faced with my skeptical gaze, Senior Chae-young cried out indignantly.
"H-hey, I can worry about my junior too! Just what kind of image of me do you have in your head..."
"Put your hand on your heart and think about it."
Leaving Senior Chae-young grumbling at my cold response, I turned to Seol.
"Seol, you weren't dragged along by Senior Chae-young, were you?"
Seol shook her head and said,
"N-no... I also thought the D-Director might be lonely monitoring alone..."
Seeing Seol's serious expression that seemed genuinely sincere, I couldn't say anything more.
They had given up their after-work time for me...
"Anyway... thanks. Have you both eaten dinner?"
"Yes... I ate with Senior Chae-young."
"I ate with Seol."
Nodding at their responses, I set up laptops at their desks.
"Alright, I'll monitor the community sites. Senior, please take care of the portal sites, and Seol, I'll leave SNS to you."
"O-okay...!"
"We just need to monitor?"
"Monitor and separately note any reviews with high view counts or likes, or negative reviews. We'll need to provide feedback on the negative ones later."
"Okay~"
With that, Seol and Chae-young settled into comfortable positions and started monitoring.
As the two focused on monitoring, I logged into the community sites, and the atmosphere was very different from what I had imagined.
To be honest, I had steeled myself because it's impossible for a game to receive praise from the CBT stage...
But the community atmosphere was more peaceful than expected.
Of course, there were some negative evaluations, but most were posts with positive predictions.
Here are a few examples:
[General] What's this Limit Break system they're talking about? ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
[General] They say the character acquisition method is gacha? It's not free, right?
[Guide] Girls Memorial Strategy Guide 1: Analysis of Party Positions and Attribute Effects
[General] I was disappointed when I heard it was SD, but it looks pretty good in motion.
[General] Looks like not all of the school is revealed in the story.
[General] The OST is addictive as hell. It keeps playing in my head.
Contrary to my expectations, the overwhelmingly positive reactions allowed me to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
We made it...
I glanced at the two beside me.
Judging by their expressions, it seemed the reactions weren't much different on their ends.
"How are the reactions on your side?"
"Ah... The reactions seem really good..."
"No negative responses?"
"There are some... Most are disappointed that the game uses SD graphics... Other than that, some are unhappy that gacha is the only way to get characters..."
"That's good enough. For now, compile the negative reviews separately for feedback purposes."
"Okay...!"
"Senior Chae-young, how about your end?"
"Not much coming from the portal sites. There's some chatter in subculture-themed cafes, but nothing really worth noting."
"Really? The portal sites have high traffic, so that's a bit disappointing."
"But isn't this level of interest and positive evaluation at the CBT stage pretty good?"
"It's not just good, it's a huge hit."
Chae-young stretched with a satisfied expression at those words.
"Ugh... It's almost 11 PM. Should we order some late-night snacks? What do you two think, Ho-jin and Seol?"
"I'm in."
"I-I'd like that too...!"