Steal the enemy's base at the start and build a technological empire.

Chapter 230 Starry Sky Internal Meeting

2 PM, Xingchen Technology conference room.

Lingyun, Eric, Carly, Tom, and Lisa sat in a circle.

Lisa is the newly joined head of platform developer relations, primarily responsible for the promotion and management of the Starry Night Games platform.

Lisa has just finished a conference call with three independent developers and is reporting back:

"...To date, we have received 47 new game submissions through the developer backend. Of these, 35 are from independent developers/small teams, 10 from medium-sized companies, and 2 from large companies (we are still in the initial contact stage). Common issues are concentrated on: review standards, revenue sharing settlement cycles, and technical support response times."

"The review standards must be clear," Ling Yun said. "We need to develop a public review guideline that lists clear technical, content, and legal requirements. Revenue sharing will be settled monthly, with payment due by the 15th of the following month. For technical support, we will establish a developer forum and a dedicated support channel to ensure a response within 48 hours."

Lisa listened and took notes.

Tom then reported on the current game data: "Plants vs. Zombies has been downloaded 520,000 times in 14 hours since its launch, with 83,000 currently online. Total recharge amount has exceeded $30,000, and the paid user rate is stable at 6.5%. The average user playtime is 42 minutes. Level progress analysis shows that 70% of players are stuck between levels 5 and 10, which is exactly the in-app purchase trigger point we designed."

"What feedback have the players given?" Lingyun asked.

"The feedback is mostly positive, with forum and platform ratings around 4.7 out of 5. Negative feedback focuses on 'not enough gold coins' and 'why is there only a Star System?' In addition, we have detected some players researching 'gold coin farming' loopholes, such as repeatedly replaying the first level. The technical department is evaluating whether to adjust the gold coin output."

"No need to make any adjustments for now," Ling Yun said. "We can leave a way out for free players, but we can add some side quests to earn coins, or introduce a 'monthly card'—where players can log in every day to receive a fixed amount of coins, thus increasing user retention."

"The monthly card is great," Carly said. "It could be designed as $4.99 per month, with 200 coins awarded for logging in every day for 30 days. That's a total of 6000 coins, which is more cost-effective than paying directly and can cultivate a habit of paying and logging in."

"This idea is good; let's add it to the next version's plan." Ling Yun turned to Eric, "Are there any issues with platform stability?"

"Stability is good. When the peak number of online users exceeds 100,000, the server load is below 75%, and database read and write operations are normal. The only issue is download bandwidth. This morning, several CDN nodes in North America experienced brief congestion, but the expansion was completed this afternoon."

"Okay." Ling Yun looked at everyone. "Today is just the beginning. Plants vs. Zombies' mission is to validate the free model, attract users, and demonstrate the platform's capabilities. Judging from the data, the mission has been completed very well. Next step:"

He held up his finger:

"First, quickly follow up with developers and put high-quality games that have applied for listing on the platform as soon as possible to enrich the platform's content. Lisa will be in charge."

"Second, prepare for the platform's first version update, adding features such as 'Wishlist,' 'User Reviews,' and 'Game Time Statistics,' which Eric will be in charge of."

"Third, plan the next self-developed game project. Tom, your team should take a week off, then start brainstorming for the new project. I need to see three proposals."

"Fourth, hardware integration. Could StarShield USB drive users receive some exclusive rewards or discounts in Plants vs. Zombies? Carly, discuss the feasibility with the hardware team."

Fifth, in-depth data analysis. Study the behavioral paths of paying users, find the best conversion points, and optimize in-app purchase design.

Everyone nodded and took notes.

After the meeting, Lingyun stayed in the conference room, opened his laptop, and logged into the platform's backend.

He stared at the constantly fluctuating download count: 532,891.

I then opened the developer application list and flipped through it page by page. The game types were diverse: action, puzzle, role-playing, simulation... Although most of them were still rough indie games, the sheer number indicated a trend.

He turned off the background app and walked to the window.

In Silicon Valley, the afternoon sun shines through the glass, casting long shadows on the floor.

Free-to-play games, in-app purchases, platform commission, developer ecosystem...

He knew this model would succeed twenty years before this era. But seeing it actually emerge at this point in time, in this way, is a different feeling.

He knew what would happen next: more developers would flock in, platform competition would intensify, Microsoft would retaliate, and Apple would eventually enter the fray (although it hasn't ventured into PC gaming yet)...

But at this moment, standing at the starting line, he felt that everything was just beginning.

The phone rang. It was Mike Morhaime.

"Mr. Ling, I just saw your data, it's really impressive." Mike's voice was tinged with laughter. "Several small teams within Blizzard have asked if we could package some older casual games (like Lost Vikings) and try a free-to-play + in-app purchase model on your platform?"

"Of course you're welcome," Ling Yun said. "Let their manager contact Lisa directly and discuss the specific details."

"Okay. Also... the Windows version of StarCraft is being released next month. Although we have an agreement, I still want to ask if it's possible for the StarCraft Games platform to... release the Windows version simultaneously?"

Ling Yun paused for two seconds: "Technically, it's possible, but it would damage the 'Star System Exclusive' positioning. Besides, Microsoft will also be launching its own gaming platform."

"I understand, I was just asking." Mike paused. "You guys fought a brilliant battle today. The industry is watching."

"Thank you. The future of the Starry Sky Games platform will be even brighter. We'll be responsible for delivering your games to customers and maintaining a positive gaming environment."

Ling Yun hung up the phone, rubbed his temples, and figured the cheat software issue was definitely Microsoft's doing. Only Microsoft would have the motive to make cheat software if it weren't for profit. With the launch of the Starry Sky gaming platform and Microsoft yet to make a move, Ling Yun guessed Microsoft would also launch a gaming platform to compete with Starry Sky. Unless Microsoft was stupid, they would see the potential of a gaming platform.