Chapter 9: Corporate Conspiracies
To become a leading company in the game industry, both CA and Rubysoft have their own set of methods.
Take CA's family history, for example.
The game industry, though often resistant to innovation, occasionally produces brilliant game designers who create standout games. When these games gain popularity, they quickly catch CA's attention. CA tends to invest heavily in these developers, euphemistically calling it "support for game development and production."
As CA injects more and more funds, they gradually acquire ownership of the game project. Once CA fully owns the game, the original developers receive substantial rewards and often become key figures in CA's game projects. The lure of a lucrative buyout fee and a high-ranking position as a top game manufacturer is a combination few game designers can resist.
In addition to this method of slowly boiling frogs, CA has other tricks, like the one they planned to use on "Pokemon":
First, they smear the game to reduce its market share, making the developers buckle under public pressure. Then, they buy the game at a low price, skipping the capital injection support step and uprooting the competition entirely. These tactics might seem unscrupulous, but to Alex, CA's CEO, they are the most rational business methods to maximize company profits. Fairness? There's no profit in fairness.
"Mr. Alex, 'Pokemon' has a very high positive rating. It took us a while to gather some negative comments," Chris reported smugly. "This game is excellent. If we acquire it and integrate its core gameplay into 'The Collection of Cute Pets,' I'm confident we'll make hundreds of millions for the company!"
Chris, the project leader of "The Collection of Cute Pets," was not just thinking about eliminating "Pokemon" but also about leveraging it to boost their own game's revenue.
"I'll review the good and bad reviews first," Alex said, unfazed. "As long as we can tarnish 'Pokemon's' reputation..."
Among the collected reviews, the praise highlighted how "Pokemon" provided a genuinely engaging experience, full of gameplay, fun, and satisfaction. Despite the fewer negative reviews, Alex found some useful points.
"Tell the PR department to find Su at this point," Alex instructed, pointing to a keyword he favored. "Buy some more V bloggers and paidtubers, preferably influential ones in the gaming field, to start a negative campaign."
Using influencers to discredit competitors and suppress smaller companies was CA's specialty.
"Understood, Mr. Alex," Chris replied, his eyes gleaming. "Our year-end report for 'The Collection of Cute Pets' will shine the brightest among all CA games!"
After leaving Alex's office, Chris immediately contacted CA's PR department and several major game bloggers they had cultivated. As a leading company, many top bloggers were essentially CA's paid tools for manipulating public opinion.
The next morning, as office workers started their day, a familiar word appeared on the V blog hot search list: "Pokemon!"
Initially, people assumed it was another promotional blog for Pokemon. But a closer look revealed the full title: "Exploring the Ultimate Hoax of 'Pokemon'!"
The top V blog content was a long article by the famous gamenwz:
"Recently, 'Pokemon Red/Green' has become an internet sensation. With 80,000 downloads and a $9 price tag, it seemed promising. As a seasoned gamer, I downloaded it too, and the experience was decent. However, when I reached Mt. Moon, I wasted a lot of time trying to get past the map. Searching online, I found many players stuck at different levels."
He posted screenshots of his game and his PC to prove he was genuinely playing.
"But when I reached Mt. Moon, I wasted a lot of time trying to get past the map. Searching online, I found many players stuck at different levels."
He posted screenshots of his game and his PC to prove he was genuinely playing.
"Take the simplest example. Streamer Diana of Paidtube got stuck at Viridian Forest for a long time..."
He attached several screenshots from search engines:
"Why can't I get out of Mt. Moon?"
"Team Rocket is too hard to beat!"
"Chose Charmander? The second Gym is impossible!"
"A tree blocks the third gym entrance. How do you play this?"
All these posts complained about the difficulty levels in "Pokemon," summing it up in one word: Hard! Without any available game strategies, these plot difficulties frustrated players who had never encountered such challenges before.
"It's true that 'Pokemon' gained popularity due to its plot design, but these designs are too difficult, leading us to suspect this game can't be completed!"
He continued: "I have a bold guess... 'Pokemon' is currently just a preview version. Once players are hooked and realize they can't finish it, the developers will release a full version at a much higher price!"
The message was clear: "Pokemon Red/Green" is a half-finished game meant to attract players with a low price and then upsell them later.
"If this is true, then GameChanger is scamming us!"
"Selling unfinished games to fool us? Do they think we're stupid and rich?"
"Are they selling semi-finished products and planning a full version later? Selling the same game twice?!"
"I demand an explanation from GameChanger!"
CA's strategic move began to stir up the internet.
"Semi-finished product? Can't finish the game? Is there a full version?"
Indra, the creator of "Pokemon," woke up to these accusations and laughed. Players blaming him for not clearing levels because the game was too hard? Amused, he posted on his official V-blog account:
"At 8 PM tonight, I will stream a complete playthrough of 'Pokemon' in one hour!"
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I am thinking of changing the plot after Chapter 14. Mostly, I believe the game system should be more developed, focusing on game mechanics rather than the comics/anime/movie elements of the original. I might give it a try.
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