Chapter 12: Since Everyone Has Won Big, Who Exactly Is Losing?
To put it simply, Pardofelis blew up.
While Pardo's store-vlog streams and videos with Can had already helped her amass a decent following, she was far from being a "big shot" in the streaming world, let alone reaching top-tier status.
However.
Because of the game Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, Pardofelis became famous in a particularly strange, almost unbelievable way. Many viewers flocked to her channel, but they weren't there for her store-vlogs, nor were they there to see how cute Can was.
They came to see exactly how many times Pardo would have a mental breakdown because of this game called Getting Over It.
[Has the streamer not given up yet? That's some incredible perseverance!]
[Came here for the fame. The streamer is too cute! So, when exactly is she going to snap? I can't wait!]
[Good luck, streamer!]
[System Prompt: "Is Pardo Red-Hot Today" has donated Treasure Map X100!]
["Pardo Red-Hot Today" sent a Super Chat: Streamer, can you perform that? That "GAIA!" I want to see you turn into light!]
High-level executives of the streaming platform looked at Pardofelis's abnormal data. Initially, they thought a major "sugar daddy" benefactor had logged on, but when they rushed into Pardo's stream to check, they were left dumbfounded.
No way.
You have millions of people in a livestream staring at a beautiful girl playing a "special" game about a canned man climbing a mountain with a hammer? Doesn't this game look crudely made at first glance? Is it really that good?
"Pardo, Pardo, don't be angry; if you get sick from rage, no one can replace you! Stay calm, focus! Win!"
In the stream, Pardo stared fixedly at the screen. It was obvious she was extremely tense, occasionally muttering strange phrases to encourage herself.
"This time for sure! Absolutely no problem! If I don't get past Orange Mountain this time, I, Pardofelis, will eat my computer today!"
Ten minutes later, one executive watched as Pardo made a single mistake that sent her right back to the start. Watching her clutch her head and wail in agony, he couldn't help but burst into laughter!
"No way? How can a streamer have this much comedic value?"
[When is the streamer eating the computer?]
[Will she add spicy sauce to it?]
[Does the streamer prefer eating a 4080 Ti or a 7800 XT?]
[Streamer, I have a ZOWIE monitor. I'll mail it to you to eat right now—send me your address in a private message!]
[Brother upstairs, I can hear your abacus clicking all the way from Arc City!]
Seeing Pardofelis's frantic state, the number of comments grew like wildfire. Honestly, they truly hadn't realized that watching a cute girl get tortured by a high-difficulty game and wail in despair could be this entertaining!
Combined with Pardo's natural personality—as a lively and extroverted vlogger, her eloquence was top-notch, and her videos were always humorous—her performance skills were incredibly strong. Consequently, her constant cycle of setting "flags" and having them immediately backfire maxed out the entertainment value!
The popularity of Pardofelis's livestream skyrocketed, alarming more than just the platform. Of course, Bronya was also watching the stream in Su Mu's office.
"This... what is going on..."
While Bronya knew that livestream popularity numbers could be inflated, Pardo's explosive growth, accompanied by a continuous stream of various gifts, didn't look fake at all. Could it be that just by playing Su Mu's Getting Over It, Pardo's popularity had surged dozens of times over in a single night?
It was simply absurd...
Bronya naturally understood the streaming industry, and she knew exactly what this kind of popularity meant for a streamer of Pardo's size! From the gifts in this single stream alone, Pardo would be making a fortune!
"Why are these people going crazy with gifts the moment they enter? Is it because your game is just that good?"
Bronya looked at Su Mu with a bewildered expression. She expected him to look shocked as well, but he remained remarkably calm.
Su Mu shrugged. "It's not 'my' game; it's 'our' game, isn't it?"
Bronya was stunned, her face flushing slightly. She had previously been the one most adamantly opposed to releasing Su Mu's game, fearing it would ruin miHoYo's future. Yet, she hadn't expected Su Mu to care so little, even calling it "our" game.
"But you completed this game entirely on your own."
"But didn't Bronya also trial-play it, give suggestions, and help submit it for review?" Su Mu smiled. "Kiana also ran around looking for promotion and distribution. Everyone contributed to this game; it's not the result of just one person's work."
Bronya blinked, not expecting Su Mu to say such things. This made her gain even more respect for him; it seemed Su Mu didn't care about the past at all. This man was truly magnanimous.
If Su Mu could hear what Bronya was thinking, he would likely be confused. From his perspective, Bronya hadn't actually done anything wrong. If he were in her shoes, he would also find it ridiculous for Kiana to hire an inexperienced fresh graduate as a Game Director. Bronya had her opinions, but she kept things professional and hadn't used her position to settle personal scores.
Su Mu had no reason to resent her. On the contrary, the presence of the "Big Duck" gave him hope for miHoYo, as he truly didn't think the company would have a bright future solely in Kiana's hands...
"As for your question about why the popularity surged..." Su Mu laughed. "It's not just because our game is good; it's because the streamer Kiana found has incredible comedic timing."
Su Mu wasn't lying. Although Getting Over It was a "Streamer-oriented" game where the audience took pleasure in watching the host break down, not everyone could pull off that level of entertainment. The explosive growth of Pardo's stream was partly because nobody had seen this kind of "torture-style" breakdown stream before, and partly because of Pardo's own inherent skills.
Furthermore, Su Mu checked the backend and discovered that sales of Getting Over It were also increasing at a staggering rate. In a very short amount of time, it had climbed onto the HOMU Game Platform's bestseller list and was steadily rising in rank!
"Pardo gains popularity, the viewers gain entertainment, and our game Getting Over It becomes a hit. It's killing three birds with one stone!"
Seeing the rising sales figures, Su Mu was naturally happy. Because from this wave, they were all winning big!
So, since everyone was winning big, who exactly was losing everything?
END OF CHAPTER