Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Caught Off Guard
Mason was also closely monitoring "Thunder Poker," and he was starting to panic. The first day's download numbers had shocked him.
Especially with Alex Parker's first series of strategic moves, Mason realized he had underestimated him.
Mason, being a poker game developer himself, saw that the daily active users on Generation Entertainment's own poker games had dropped by over a hundred thousand on the day of "Thunder Poker's" launch. This was no small number.
Clearly, a significant portion of those players had flocked to "Thunder Poker" either out of curiosity or for the prizes.
Feeling the threat, Mason immediately sought instructions from Natalie Hughes.
...
In the office, Natalie Hughes' expression was grim.
"You said this game wouldn't cause a significant loss of our users. Now what's happening? Hmm? On the first day, our poker games' daily active users dropped by over a hundred thousand. Is this what you call no significant loss?"
Mason wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Ms. Hughes, please let me explain."
"This Alex Parker had planned this all along, but the game installation package he submitted showed no flaws, so I overlooked it."
"He had already decided to use tournaments and prize incentives for promotion. When I saw the installation package, I thought the 'tournament mode' was just a gameplay innovation. I didn't realize he would make a big deal out of it, hence the misjudgment."
Natalie Hughes was silent for a moment before asking, "Is there any way to salvage this? Specifically, for Generation Poker. We can also give away gaming cabins, ten times more than he does! We need to keep our players."
Mason replied, "Ms. Hughes, it's not that simple. We can give away prizes, but we don't have a tournament mode!"
Natalie Hughes frowned. "If we don't have tournaments, use a lottery system. As long as players' online time or the number of games played reaches a certain amount, they get a chance to enter the draw. This should increase daily active users, right?"
Mason said, "Ms. Hughes, there's a difference. If it's a lottery, most players will feel they won't win, so their enthusiasm will be low. We have millions of users. Even if we give away ten or thirty gaming cabins weekly, the odds of winning are still in the tens of thousands to one."
"Moreover, winning through a lottery doesn't generate much excitement. Most players will just idle online to qualify, which won't significantly boost daily active users."
"Alex's tournament mode, despite offering fewer prizes—just three gaming cabins a week—creates an illusion for all players. It makes them believe that if they have the skill, they can surely win a prize."
Natalie Hughes asked, "How long to develop our own tournament mode? Can it be done in a week?"
Mason replied, "I've already arranged for the team to work on it urgently, but the rules for tournament tables are quite complex, making up about 30% of the overall game development. Including testing and fine-tuning, it will take about two weeks."
Natalie Hughes' face darkened. "Two weeks? Too long. I don't care if you have to work through the night or use adrenaline shots. Get it done in one week. Meanwhile, implement the lottery system. Daily draws for gaming cabins, phones, computers, gift cards—whatever we can give away to keep the daily active users stable!"
Mason hurriedly nodded. "Yes, Ms. Hughes, I'll arrange it immediately."
...
Generation Entertainment responded quickly. On the second day of "Thunder Poker's" launch, "Generation Poker" began a lottery event. Players could earn draw chances by maintaining a certain amount of login time and game count daily, with prizes ranging from gift cards to VR gaming cabins.
Facing Alex Parker's aggressive tactics, Generation Entertainment had no choice but to respond. They weren't foolish enough to be caught off guard, but using a lottery system was far from an ingenious solution.
Without a tournament mode, "Generation Poker" had to make do with what it had.
As a result, the daily active users of "Generation Poker" indeed stabilized and even slightly increased. However, most of these returning players were just idling online, hoping for a lucky draw, rather than seriously playing.
In contrast, many players were having a blast with "Thunder Poker," especially "Thunder Poker." This new type of poker quickly garnered a loyal following, with more players delving into the strategies behind the game.
Many players realized that in "Thunder Poker," skilled players had significantly higher win rates compared to Landlord and Mahjong. As long as they remained disciplined and folded bad hands appropriately, they could consistently profit.
Of course, some players didn't enjoy this style of play, finding it too stifling as it required constant calm and controlled betting. Otherwise, they could lose everything quickly.
However, this did not dampen the overall enthusiasm for "Thunder Poker." Even those who didn't enjoy "Thunder Poker" could switch to Landlord or Mahjong.
Soon, player reviews for "Thunder Poker" began pouring in.
"The newbie guide is very detailed. Some details are better handled than in other poker games."
"Feels very generous. Lots of free beans daily and three bankruptcy allowances, perfect for a player like me."
"You call yourself a gambling king for losing a few thousand beans daily? You're more like a gambling dog."
"I didn't realize there were so many experts out there. I thought I was pretty good, but I can't even break into the top 100 in points..."
"Don't stop me. The VR gaming cabin is mine for sure!"
"Although my skills aren't there yet, next week's championship is definitely mine!"
"I've decided to switch to Thunder Poker because they give away a lot of free beans..."
...
By Sunday, "Thunder Poker" had reached over 1.5 million players. This growth rate was even faster than "I Am MT."
Of course, most of these players were free players. The revenue from "Thunder Poker" couldn't even touch the toes of "I Am MT." However, the sheer increase in active players alone was enough to shock industry insiders.
Undoubtedly, "Thunder Poker" had become a hit. Even some PC and mobile game streamers switched from "Generation Landlord" to "Thunder Landlord" during their live broadcasts.
Some poker streamers even used "live streaming to win a gaming cabin" as a gimmick to broadcast their tournament play, attracting tens of thousands of viewers.
The hype had been thoroughly built, and the tournament mode, combined with the unique gameplay of "Thunder Poker," began to spread from the poker enthusiast community to a broader audience.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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