The scariest thing is that a brilliant architect isn't incapable of creating a game with phenomenal word-of-mouth.
He's handling everything with ease and confidence! He gets praise when he wants it, and money when he wants it!
Are they gods?
The person in charge has prepared a small notebook and a fountain pen, and has decided that next time Mingyan signs his name, the signature will be hung on the wall and framed, so that it can also absorb some of his ethereal aura.
At this moment, Mingyan glanced at the funds in the "Dragon Slayer Sword" studio's account and was already quite satisfied.
The total population of the Chaoyang Alliance far exceeds that of Blue Star back then, and the per capita wealth is naturally also greater.
This 500 million is just the beginning of the journey. The residual popularity of "The Heaven-Defying Technique" will probably reach its peak in about a year and then slowly dissipate.
This kind of phenomenal, fast-moving consumer game is, in essence, a commodity, and is far from reaching a normal and healthy lifespan for a game.
Minecraft can endure for a long time; it may still have a certain lifespan ten years from now.
But "The Heaven-Defying Technique" is impossible; it will probably be completely dead in two years—Mingyan didn't even bother to create content above level 100.
Therefore, its only function is to bring Mingyan a sum of "hot money".
Mingyan set aside a portion of the Dragon Slayer Sword Studio's funds to advertise and drive traffic to "Against the Heavens" every month, maintaining its current money-making ability.
The remaining 200 million yuan in cash was immediately injected into Blue Star Studio's account under the guise of personal investment.
As a MOBA game, the timing of League of Legends' rise to prominence is difficult to predict. It must accumulate strength gradually and then suddenly take off at a certain opportune moment.
However, it is clear that the betting agreement between Mingyan and Varian is only for two years, and there are still more than five months left.
Moreover, he himself doesn't have the time to spend on the same game all the time.
Mingyan has decided to use this money to personally create a new trend!
At the end of September, League of Legends was officially launched on the IPP platform.
Alongside the main game, a large-scale online league called "Sixth Star Province Legendary League Professional Competition" was also launched.
All teams are eligible to participate in the open qualifiers in early November, and the 16 qualified teams will compete in a best-of-three (BO3) elimination tournament online.
The team that wins the championship trophy will receive a prize of 30 million yuan.
Meanwhile, the online league will be broadcast live in its entirety through the IPP live streaming platform, allowing all players to enter the live stream with a single click.
All live stream viewers can participate in in-game and out-of-game lucky draws and prize draws.
20% of the profits from peripheral activities will be directly injected into the prize pool, providing winning viewers with unlimited accumulative prizes!
This will be the first professional competition for League of Legends, and BlueStar Studios is currently far from having the capacity to host a tournament spanning the entire league.
However, this match in the Sixth Star Province will surely go down in history, because Mingyan personally opened the door to a new era.
Let me put it this way.
Previous game marketing strategies: Achieve the best promotional results with reasonable costs.
Mingyan's marketing strategy: Throw money! Throw money! Throw money! You're not allowed to step into the door of Blue Star Studio until we've spent this 100 million!
Chapter 25 The Legend Begins
In the 21st century, regional and global leagues similar to competitive games are held annually.
League funding typically comes from contractors. Once the game achieves a certain level of popularity, it may even be possible to fund the league through a bidding process.
Of course, League of Legends is still a new game. Not only is the name new, but the theme is also something that StarCraft players have never heard of.
Mingyan didn't have time to beg and plead to find a contractor, so he decided to pay for it himself and do it!
This is the first season (S1) of League of Legends.
The event was held entirely online, utilizing a large server rented from IPP, allowing 10,000 people to play online simultaneously, with an expandable pool of live viewers.
However, game commentary is a big problem.
Mingyan first poached several commentators from other games with high salaries, and also invited two popular streamers with similar commentary styles.
All six of them were diligently studying the game content of "League of Legends".
After all, it's the first season, so the commentators' understanding level is just so-so, and Mingyan doesn't have any good solutions.
At most, he'll personally go up as a special guest during the finals.
The three commentators are a common setup in the national finals of the Jia League.
Generally speaking: one person is responsible for setting the scene, one person with more expertise explains team battles, and the third special guest is used to generate buzz.
Incidentally, commentators are paid based on the number of matches played.
In the 21st century, a match can last from 1 to 6 hours, and the commentators have to sit there the whole time without letting the conversation go cold... They get paid about 1,000 yuan.
It is truly heartbreaking to hear and tearful to see.
Fortunately, in the Chaoyang League, thanks to the existence of the top-tier league, commentators are now highly sought after, with income levels comparable to top streamers.
...
Autumn arrived quickly, and the local temperature began to drop.
League of Legends has been online for nearly a month and has topped various free game charts due to its aggressive spending tactics, which clearly indicate that the game has plenty of money.