For instance, Generation Entertainment's platform has tens of millions of active users, with peak concurrent users reaching over two million. These players log into any Generation Entertainment game via the platform, where they naturally see other games recommended on the platform.
Many players exclusively play Generation Entertainment games, rarely hesitating to purchase games or premium services.
Alex Parker currently has a player base, but it's much smaller. Most players don't pay attention to his next game, nor will they buy or play a game just because it's an "Alex Parker production."
Alex knows that focusing solely on development is possible, but it will always be limited by channels. Eventually, he will need to create a gaming platform to integrate all his games.
Moreover, many games require a large user base to function properly.
Now, Alex has two key tasks: one is to develop the "Thunder Game Platform" and let all players with Thunder Game Pass accounts know about it, and to attract players from other platforms.
Similar to how Blizzard developed Battle.net and Tencent developed TGP and WeChat Games, consolidating existing player resources will facilitate the promotion of new games and interactions between games.
However, for Alex, simply launching a Thunder Game Platform is not enough. With only three games—Flappy Bird, Plants vs. Zombies, and I Am MT—the platform looks too thin.
Alex could collaborate with other game companies to add more games to the Thunder Game Platform, enriching the library.
But Alex doesn't think highly of those games, and those companies probably don't think much of his new platform either. Even if they discuss it, the result will likely be a disagreement.
Alex plans to release two new games to bolster the game library and further expand his player base.
He opens a document and writes the title: Thunder Chess Design Outline.
In the domestic market, what type of game has the most users?
Card games? RPGs? Shooters?
None of them.
The most users are in chess and card games.
In his previous life, Tencent Chess had an astounding user base of over 240 million. On average, 1 in 5 Chinese people were users of chess and card games.
Alex aims to develop a chess game to attract as many players as possible through the Generation Entertainment recommendation slot and the inherent characteristics of chess games, paving the way for Thunder Game Pass to gain the largest number of users, which will set the stage for his flagship product.
This was something Alex planned early on, and it maximizes the use of the recommendation slot he won in the bet.
However, Alex is still considering how to design the chess game specifically.
Chess games cover a broad range, including poker, mahjong, bridge, chess, Go... Alex can't do all of them; it would be unrealistic and unprofitable. He needs to pick and choose.
Also, this world already has chess games. Both Generation Entertainment and Fantasy Game Platform have their own chess games with a significant player base.
Alex is now thinking about how to differentiate his game, as it would be impossible to attract players from these two major companies otherwise.
Over the past few days, Alex has downloaded and researched all the chess games on the market.
Games like poker and mahjong, which were highly popular in his previous life, are also prevalent here. While Alex can optimize interface and specific rules, these are just optimizations and won't be enough to lure players from other chess games.
He needs something distinctly different.
Even within chess games, different types have significant variations. For example, poker and mahjong are generally popular across all ages, resulting in a large user base. Chess and Go might have many players but don't generate much revenue. Bridge has an even smaller player base.
If Alex wants to make a chess game and attract more players, poker and mahjong are inevitable, so he must include these two.
But Alex also knows that other game companies aren't stupid. Those who have developed chess games have included poker and mahjong, integrating classic local variations. Games like poker with wild cards and blood flow mahjong are already available.
Alex's potential optimizations fall into three areas: a comprehensive set of guides and assistance for beginners, including tutorials, daily tasks, welfare tasks, and daily allowances. These are areas where other games either haven't done well or haven't done at all, and Alex can optimize here.
The second area is competition mode. The existing chess games in this world mainly consist of game lobbies with very few competition arenas. Implementing a competition mode could be a good gimmick.
The third area is the store items and VIP system. Although this world has some premium services, they're relatively limited. If optimized, Alex could introduce VIP emojis, avatars, outfits, and even point exchanges for real goods.
However, these still aren't enough—not nearly enough.
A beginner system can only lower the cost of acquiring players and slightly increase player retention. The store and VIP system can only slightly increase revenue. The competition mode offers some differentiation but isn't decisive. Chess game players tend to be quite loyal. For instance, some players have millions of chips on the Generation platform. Why would they switch to Alex's game? He can't transfer their chips over.
To overcome this loyalty, Alex needs a breakthrough, something other chess games don't have.
Alex began looking for game modes that existed in his previous life but not in this world.
Poker? Trick-taking games? Blackjack? Bidding games?...
He didn't find any clear breakthroughs. Popular game modes were overdone, and niche modes had too few players to expand the player base effectively.
Alex was frustrated. Why do the chess games in both worlds have to be so similar?
He kept searching, confident he'd find a difference.
Standard Mahjong? Sichuan Mahjong? National Standard Mahjong?...
Still nothing!
Alex felt something odd. He had a nagging feeling there was a type of chess game from his previous life that didn't exist in this world.
What was it?