Chapter 59: Outlast Sales
On live streaming platforms, video platforms, and major gaming communities, Outlast's popularity continues to rise. Even some media outlets have reviewed and rated Outlast. Media outlets have consistently given it scores close to 8.5, while players have averaged a combined score of around 9.1.
This is the lowest score of the three games currently developed by Nebula Games. Of course, Mirror is not included in this list. But in terms of popularity, Outlast stands out among the other two.
Undertale is credited with launching the metagame genre, practically a pioneer. Its immense popularity is understandable. To the Moon attracted a lot of attention thanks to its sci-fi expedition campaign.
Furthermore, Alex's online debate about both games also attracted a lot of attention. Setting aside these factors, Outlast is, in fact, the most talked-about and fastest-growing of the three. Of course, Mirror is excluded. After all, the combat prowess of players is always uncertain.
Compared to Outlast's popularity, sales figures are a topic of debate among many game designers. Only Alex knows Outlast's actual sales figures, but third-party data is available. According to this data, Outlast, which has been online for a week, has sold approximately 250,000 units. Judging solely by sales figures, this is a significant number.
Before Outlast, the horror game with the highest weekly sales was an old IP, with 120,000 units sold. Of course, that game cost a considerable $29.80. Furthermore, it had the support of fans and nostalgia for the series. But the key is Outlast's enormous popularity, considered one of the most sensational horror games in recent years. However, its low sales figures sparked a wide debate among industry designers.
"Alex, what a shame this time! Outlast is so popular, but sales are so low."
"Yeah, it can't compare to games like Undertale and To the Moon."
"It's inevitable. The horror game market is too small."
"I don't understand why Alex decided to create Outlast."
"Yeah, I don't understand why Alex decided to venture into the horror genre."
"Yeah, creating horror games is really thankless. I thought Alex would continue working on games like To the Moon and Undertale."
"I guess he wanted to try his luck with a high-budget game, but the competition in traditional RPGs is too fierce, so he had to choose the horror genre."
In a video game industry forum, a group of designers published a discussion about Alex and Outlast. Just as they were commenting on it, a piece of information hit them like a thorn in the throat:
"With 250,000 weekly sales and a price of $13, Outlast has completely recouped its development costs! And, based on current popularity and player reviews, shouldn't Outlast have no problem selling a million copies? If so, it seems this game could easily exceed $20 million in revenue for Nebula Games!"
The designers who were still discussing the topic fell silent. 'Where did this person come from? Does he even have common sense?'
Being game designers, how could they ignore that Outlast was a successful horror game? They simply wanted to show off, to prove that Alex and Nebula Games were mediocre. 'Who is he? So clueless?'
In Nebula Games' office, Alex leaned back on the sofa, put down his phone, and looked at the interface with regret. The special item he had obtained before had confirmed its effectiveness. The 6 million points mentioned referred to the converted value, not the original. Of course, even so, 6 million points in fifty consecutive draws was still a considerable amount.
Unfortunately, once the card conversion points reached their upper limit, the accumulation rate immediately slowed down. It was even a little slower than in To the Moon.
After offering 6 million points for conversion, they still haven't even gotten a ten-round draw, and that's with the continuous offers from To the Moon and Undertale. That's why Alex only managed a sixty-round draw. It wasn't impressive!
Alex reflected on this and came to a conclusion: he was exploiting the market too aggressively. While the fear factor was impressive, it still depended on players' willingness to play. And now? A large number of players who bought the game have been issued refunds, while many others have simply entered the asylum and then left. How can this really generate fear? Ultimately, Outlast is too scary.
"What a mistake!" Alex exclaimed, unable to help but sigh.
At first, he thought that relying on Outlast and the [Fear Converter] would give him, if not a windfall, at least a fortune. But seeing the current trajectory, it seems it's a bit exaggerated!
Forget it, let's get all those points out first. Getting up from his chair, Alex went to the bathroom before returning. He first drew the curtains, then turned off the computer monitor. A lottery draw still needs some ritualistic sense.
As the points drained, a golden light shone before Alex. After a moment, when all his points had been exhausted, Alex fell silent. What bad luck! After fifty consecutive draws, no special items like the [Fear Converter] dropped, but a good number of [Memory Capsules] did. As for skill books, only two rare ones dropped: one for Level Design and one for Numerical Design.
He had clearly washed his hands in the bathroom. His final haul: 17 for original art, 11 for Level Design, 9 for Numerical and System Planning, 3 for Story Interaction, 3 for Music and Sound Effects, and 4 for Camera Application. The rest were all [Memory Capsules].
Alex stored the [Memory Capsules] in his inventory for when he needed them later during the development of a new game. After all, Alex has used them quite a bit, and it must be said that the effect is really good. As for the remaining skill books, they all need to be used. Anyway, they don't generate interest if kept; otherwise, they can be saved.
"But now I have to consider a new direction." Alex leaned back in his chair, thinking in his heart. As for money, Outlast also reaped many rewards. Although the available capital for now is not much, it is sufficient. On the contrary, it is about the company's future planning, as well as the time and operation of new projects and platforms.
Alex thought in his heart while checking the latest news from the video game industry on his mobile phone.
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