Chapter 909: The Pop-Up Book Project
At the reception room of Thunderbolt Interactive’s new headquarters, Zhou Jiangping leisurely sipped tea while chatting with Chen Mo.
“Still, Boss Chen, you’ve got it easy. I’m so envious. Unlike me, busy as a dog every single day, I only get a moment of leisure when I drop by your place.”
Chen Mo smiled. “You’re joking, Boss Zhou. Right now, you’re shaking up the domestic tech industry. In the near future, you might very well turn Lehui into a world-class smart hardware manufacturer. If you said you wanted to quit now, I bet the relevant government departments would come knocking to have a chat with you, wouldn’t they?”
Zhou Jiangping set down his teacup. “That’s impossible. If Zhou Jiangping quits, there’ll still be a Li Jiangping or a Wang Jiangping. But you, Boss Chen—if you stopped making games, I reckon the leaders at the Game Committee would be jumping out of their skin, right?”
Chen Mo smiled. “I’m different from you, Boss Zhou. You’re genuinely busy, but I’m quite idle. Making games is the greatest joy in life for me. Retiring is out of the question. I think... if I really did retire, I might become a game streamer. I feel I have a talent for that.”
Zhou Jiangping chuckled. “Alright, if Boss Chen becomes a streamer, I’ll be the first to show up and cheer you on. By the way, the main reason I came today is to discuss a collaboration on a pop-up book project.”
“Pop-up books? You mean those children’s books?” Chen Mo asked.
Zhou Jiangping nodded. He lightly swiped his right hand over the Matrix glasses he was wearing, and the relevant information was directly projected onto the screen in front of them. It was a document file that detailed the profile of the company producing these pop-up books, along with some existing samples.
Zhou Jiangping explained, “Here’s the thing: the Switch Pro has been selling like hotcakes recently, and a large portion of the buyers are minors—kids. Many parents are now giving the Switch as a gift to their children, and this trend is steadily growing.”
Chen Mo picked up his own Matrix glasses from the side and put them on. Various related data began appearing on the screen. Sure enough, as Zhou Jiangping had said, the number of players activating parental controls on the Switch was rising rapidly, indicating that a significant batch of Switches had become gifts from parents to their children.
Of course, most of these open-minded parents were abroad, and they were a minority in terms of proportion. In the parallel world, parents’ attitudes were more progressive, and the Switch was relatively child-friendly as a gaming console. The Thunderbolt Game Platform had a large number of designers specifically developing educational and puzzle games for kids to play. So, for wealthy parents, giving a Switch as a gift to their child was a great idea.
Parents didn’t have to worry about their kids getting addicted either, because the Switch had a parental control mode that allowed them to manage the content and playtime. Plus, parents could enjoy the games on the Switch themselves.
Thus, the Switch was gradually becoming a true “family console.” A range of all-ages games was pushing it toward those slightly more marginal player groups.
Zhou Jiangping continued introducing the pop-up book collaboration project.
“The Switch has performed remarkably in the children’s market. A book publisher specializing in children’s books approached me, hoping to collaborate on pop-up books linked to the Switch. I thought about it and felt there was some potential here. So, I figured that since we’re collaborating, we’d naturally need to involve you to get the game IP licenses.”
“Imagine this: if we release pop-up books related to *The Legend of Zelda*, *Dark Souls*, *A Way Out*, and *Super Mario* as freebies bundled with the Switch, or sold as merchandise, it could be a great promotional tactic. Players’ enthusiasm for such peripheral products is generally very high.”
Chen Mo nodded. “Yeah, that’s a decent idea.”
So-called pop-up books, also known as movable books, pop-up books, or toy books, are a special category in children’s literary publications. When closed, they look like ordinary books from the outside. But when opened or flipped through, these pop-up books break free from the flat page’s limitations, creating a three-dimensional space that allows children to better appreciate and understand the content.
The themes of pop-up books are diverse. For example, educational books that introduce children to the world might feature the shapes and structures of unique global landmarks. When kids turn to that page, a three-dimensional opera house, sailing ship, or castle pops up, offering far more expressive power than flat images.
Popular major IPs naturally form an inseparable bond with pop-up books. For any theme kids love, as long as a pop-up book is released, sales are rarely a concern. Even adults who are fans of the IP often buy a physical copy to keep as a collectible.
Zhou Jiangping lightly swiped his finger across the screen in front of him, revealing more details about the pop-up book collaboration.
“According to the initial plan, the first batch of pop-up books will focus on a few all-ages popular games on the Switch. The content will mainly feature game world introductions and original short stories. There will also be some deluxe hardcover editions with extended stories, but those will be priced much higher. The first edition will be produced in small quantities, and whether to continue production will depend on sales.”
“Part of the first batch of physical books will be bundled with the Switch for sale, while the other part will be sold as merchandise to regular pop-up book customers. Of course, specifics like book content selection, pricing strategy, and design details still need further discussion. Many decisions will require your final say, Boss Chen.”
“I’m just here today to give you a heads-up and discuss whether this collaboration project is feasible. The rest can be considered later. Lehui will likely set up a dedicated team to liaise with the book publisher, and you’ll probably need to assign someone to coordinate, selecting the themes and content for this batch of pop-up books.”
Zhou Jiangping briefly outlined some ideas for the pop-up books. The book publisher had even produced a preliminary draft, which, though simple, looked quite good visually.
Chen Mo finished reviewing the entire document, paused for a moment, and then said, “That’s it?”
Zhou Jiangping was taken aback. “What do you mean, ‘that’s it’?”
Chen Mo spread his hands. “This is way too simple. Besides borrowing the game IP, what else does this book have to do with the Switch? You could sell them as two completely unrelated products.”
Zhou Jiangping looked confused. “Boss Chen, they are two completely unrelated products. That’s why it’s called a collaboration.”
Chen Mo nodded. “Alright, that makes sense too. How about this: the pop-up book project is okay, and we can collaborate. But it shouldn’t be bundled with the Switch for sale. Not that many people will buy it.”
Zhou Jiangping: “Uh...”
Chen Mo added, “I’ve got a better idea.”