C90: Buyouts

On the day we launched JellyMan and Three Kingdoms on the Neon game platform, thousands of players started downloading.

Among them, Three Kingdoms is free, and gamers always think, "Why not play it? It's free!" Although JellyMan is a paid game with a buyout system, its cute cartoon style, and highly entertaining gameplay have many players eagerly awaiting.

One more crucial point: During the exhibition, JellyMan can be played for free—though only for one day—but hey, that's still free!

So, we encouraged players to download it and give it a try. If it's fun, they will buy it! Based on experience with Overcooked, we offer discounts on our own platform, which could be the case. We've also hinted that JellyMan might support the mod feature in future updates.

The Mod feature on the Neon platform hasn't made waves like it did on the Steam platform, mainly because it requires the participation of both players and developers. But for those who've enjoyed it on overcooked before, there's definitely a sense of anticipation building for them.

Currently, Overcooked still peaks at around 10,000 simultaneous players on Neon, largely thanks to this feature.

Soon, the first-day download after launch for JellyMan and Three Kingdoms were out in the race Three Kingdoms surpassed 100K downloads, while JellyMan reached 200K. These numbers shocked many in the industry.

What is more impressive is that we achieved these numbers through the Neon platform alone! Bringing thousands of users to our platform is no small feat, even if one expect user stickiness to decline a bit.

Compared to giants like NetDragon and Tenghua, with millions of players in their official game stores, we can't quite compare. As an independent platform attracting so many users, we see this as a massive achievement.

Judging by the current data, the potential for JellyMan and Three Kingdoms is far from exhausted—it's still growing. Now, it's a matter of how far we can take it.

Naturally, the success of these two games sparked a lot of discussion among game designers. While many are amazed and optimistic, others are less enthused.

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"Isn't it too early to say JellyMan and Three Kingdoms will be successful?" someone asks.

"Bro it might have sold a 100k copies in a day, no game of yours crossed 20k copies in a single day."

"Sure, they're popular now, but Three Kingdoms is free and relies on in-app purchases for profit. JellyMan was only free for a day. We still don't know the actual sales figures."

"Success depends on two key factors: the retention rate and the payment data. It's too soon to call it a hit."

"If even one of those metrics isn't strong, these games could flop."

But their view didn't dominate the conversation. We know there will always be people rooting for failure, feeling more satisfaction from someone else's downfall than their own success.

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As for players, they have a completely different mentality. They simply find these games fresh and fun.

With JellyMan and Three Kingdoms both trending, many live-streaming platforms quickly jumped on board to broadcast these games. However, we decided to implement rolling bans on Three Kingdoms, adding a little twist to the excitement.

As a player, it's clear that Three Kingdoms and JellyMan each have a unique appeal. Since they're completely different genres, it's hard to say which is better. However, from the perspective of streamers and video creators, there's a noticeable difference.

JellyMan simply has a better viewing effect compared to Three Kingdoms, That's why live streams and videos of JellyMan dominate major platforms.

As players, streamers, and creators, they all noticed one thing: JellyMan is a lot more fun to play. Yes, there are moments where the game raises your blood pressure. For example, some players will go out of their way to block others right before the finish line, eliminating them. Suddenly, a playful jelly bean turns into a ruthless gatekeeper.

But unlike Overcooked, where frustration often leads to arguments, JellyMan tends to bring more consensus, despite the blood-pressure-raising moments. The sense of euphoria is on a completely different level. It's the only game of its kind, that gives such a refreshing experience, filling the internet with laughter and joy.

On community forums, players mostly post about finding others to team up with, as the game makes a strong first impression for being so entertaining.

Meanwhile, though Three Kingdoms seems overshadowed by JellyMan in terms of sheer popularity, its community is bustling with strategy discussions. The game's depth keeps players engaged with posts analyzing card effects or generals' skills, which are highly popular.

There's also plenty of funny posts. Even though the game just launched on the Neon platform, players have already started sharing iconic moments.

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"I'm starting to think it's because I didn't buy the Three Kingdoms skins! Why can't my Zhen Ji get the black cards, and why does my Da Qiao never get any squares?"

"That's nothing! I, Zhuge, electrocuted myself after stargazing. Who's got worse luck than me?"

"Oh, come on! At least your generals can still trigger skills. I had Sun Shangxiang on the field with four girls and didn't draw a single weapon card the whole game. I was stuck playing with a whiteboard!"

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Whether you're playing Three Kingdoms or JellyMan, the conversations online are full of joy. Players are having a blast.

Under Chen Xu's official blog, many players even apologized, admitting they wrongly blamed him. The warrior of love truly lived up to that title. Despite both games having their own moments of frustration, they're mostly cheerful and fun.

Some players even joked that if Jelly Bean Man had been released on Valentine's Day, it would have been the perfect gift.