Chapter 35: The Game Is a Hit!
As soon as the data came out, major gaming media outlets were stunned. Many of them probably hadn’t slept well the night before. Why? Because they were busy rewriting their drafts!
First-day sales of one thousand, five thousand, ten thousand, and then twenty thousand—these were completely different orders of magnitude, so the content of the articles naturally couldn’t be the same either.
Originally, these media outlets had estimated first-day sales between eight thousand and ten thousand. They thought *Plants vs. Zombies* was just a casual puzzle game, inherently niche, and that the high sales in the first few hours were due to hype on Weibo. They expected sales to drop off quickly afterward.
But the subsequent data slapped those people’s faces red and swollen!
Not only did sales not drop, they kept rising, breaking twenty thousand in twenty-four hours!
These people had a feeling they were about to witness history.
At 12 o’clock, as soon as the twenty-four-hour data for *Plants vs. Zombies* came out, these gaming media outlets rushed to publish their articles.
“Today’s Biggest Dark Horse: Plants vs. Zombies!”
“First-Day Downloads Break Twenty Thousand, Dominating the New Game Chart!”
“Player Reviews: Completely Unstoppable!”
“Industry Insiders Predict: Highly Likely to Top the New Game Chart! Awesome, I feel like you’re probably raking in a ton of money this time. Hurry up, I’m waiting for you to make a pay-to-win game for me,” Zhao Zihao said.
Chen Mo laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget you.”
Lin Mao also called to congratulate him. “Nice one, Chen Mo! I thought this game of yours would be a hit—it had blockbuster potential—but I never imagined it would blow up like this! Awesome, freaking awesome!”
Chen Mo said, “Your game’s not bad either, you know. It’s practically second on the new game chart now.”
Lin Mao replied, “Pfft, how can it compare to *Plants vs. Zombies*? I’ve been playing it a lot these past couple of days, and it’s really impressive in every way. The main thing is how replayable it is! I think this game is going to spark a mini-boom in puzzle games.”
Chen Mo said, “Let it boom. My next game won’t be a puzzle game anyway.”
Lin Mao was stunned. “Huh? What are you thinking? This game is about to blow up huge, and you’re not going to strike while the iron’s hot with a *Plants vs. Zombies 2*?”
Chen Mo said, “You’re the one who’s ‘2.’ I’m not planning to make a puzzle game for the next one.”
Lin Mao was confused. “Why not? It’s profitable, it builds a good reputation, and you’re good at it. Why wouldn’t you do it?”
Chen Mo said, “It’s a bit hard to explain, but honestly, I don’t have much faith in this genre. Anyway, let’s not talk too much. Let’s grab a meal together another day.”
……
It wasn’t just Lin Mao who thought puzzle games were about to take off; other gaming media outlets felt the same way.
*Plants vs. Zombies* was a hit. How big of a hit was hard to say, but based on current trends, it was highly likely to top the entire puzzle game chart and even influence the paid game rankings.
Moreover, the game’s rating had stayed around 9.3. There were definitely some competitors giving it low scores, but it didn’t matter—the rating never dropped below 9, showing just how popular this game was!
Very few players applied for refunds!
The official app store allowed refunds, as long as the playtime was short and the reason was valid. But *Plants vs. Zombies* players rarely requested refunds, indicating they truly appreciated the game and planned to keep playing it long-term!
In the eyes of major gaming media and game designers, Chen Mo’s first game could be described as steady, precise, and ruthless. It was a massive success and was bound to spark a trend.
Puzzle games had always been a popular genre, but few had ever reached their full potential. Puzzle games naturally appealed to a broad user base, suitable for all ages, so if one became a hit, it was an explosive hit—there was never any worry about player numbers.
Plus, puzzle games didn’t have a high barrier to entry. Even C-level or D-level game designers could handle them. The only requirement was creativity.
None of the game designers in this world thought they lacked creative ability.
So, some designers and gaming media outlets were gauging the direction of the wind.
Would *Plants vs. Zombies* become a spark that ignited the entire puzzle game market?
Was the golden age of puzzle games arriving?
Everything would only become clear after seeing the game’s subsequent data.
But what no one knew was that the game’s designer, Chen Mo, had no intention of continuing to develop puzzle games.
At least not for now.
Genius remembers this site’s address in one second: