Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 386: Operations, Quite Magical, Huh?

"Oh, so many people like playing games?" Ma Lu exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, it seems this collaboration could actually be worth considering. It’s not that I don’t want everyone to enjoy the Atonement Cake, it’s just that the ingredients are extremely rare. I import them from abroad and truly can’t produce that large a quantity in the short term."

"So how many can Boss Ma provide for the collaboration?" Baldy asked.

This was the question that everyone was most concerned about.

Ma Lu thought for a moment, "How about this, I’ll put up 50 portions for the collaboration."

"The previous 10 million stays the same, plus another 5 million for a total of 100 portions," Baldy then threw out a number that made everyone’s heart race.

"Alright, I’ll scrape together what I can," Ma Lu hesitated, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

"You can’t take the remaining 40 portions from the customer appreciation event for the collaboration!" Boss Hu reminded from the side.

"Mm, I will find another way."

Hearing this, everyone finally relaxed, then the restaurant erupted into cheers and high-fives, as if they had just won a fierce battle.

Ma Lu glanced at Baldy beside him, catching a hint of doubt flickering through his eyes.

Amazing, isn’t it, humans?

When Ma Lu had just explained his plan to Baldy, intending to use the Lotus Leaf Charcoal Cake to attract traffic to Red Ridge, Baldy didn’t understand why it had to be so complicated. Why not just announce he would provide 100 portions for the collaboration? After all, the outcome would be the same.

But Ma Lu told him that doing so would definitely lead to an uproar from angry customers.

Because the 100 portions of Lotus Leaf Charcoal Cake that could have been bought directly were being used for the collaboration, requiring more procedures and a lot of time and effort to purchase, the customers surely wouldn’t be happy, and they would also start complaining about the game.

Now, after such a tug of war, and with Baldy splashing out a generous 15 million for the co-branding fee, securing an extra 100 portions of the Lotus Leaf Charcoal Cake for everyone, things were different. The Red Ridge Project Team and the diners were now on the same side.

Ma Lu had already made it clear that only 60 portions of the Lotus Leaf Charcoal Cake would be sold during the customer appreciation event’s three days. With Boss Hu’s godly assist, shouting out a price ten times higher, Ma Lu still firmly refused to sell more, which also made everyone accept the fact that there were only 60 portions available.

In the end, most people suffer not from scarcity but from inequality.

Universe Infinite Canteen has always operated with limited supplies, allowing people to line up according to their abilities. The customer appreciation event was no different, except in even shorter supply. Besides, when Baldy offered a high co-branding fee and Ma Lu rejected it, it proved that he was indeed a man of principles and respectability.

In the end, he changed his mind after seeing the high enthusiasm for the game and reluctantly added another 100 portions while clarifying the rarity of the ingredients, so no one could fault him.

On the contrary, after this incident, many people’s perceptions of him changed.

And the diners, after a satisfying and intense struggle, were content with securing the 100 portions of Lotus Leaf Charcoal Cake they were entitled to, even feeling a sense of joy as if they had made a profit.

It was truly a win-win-win situation.

How about it, operator, isn’t it magical!

After two weeks of in-depth experience with "Red Ridge," Ma Lu found the game’s fundamentals were actually not bad. Although some of the number settings were crap, there were also quite a few highlights. The issues were more about the project team’s operations.

Baldy and his group of straightforward subordinates were fine with fighting enemies in the Abyss, but when it came to matching wits with players, it was out of their professional wheelhouse, and they weren’t sharp enough for it.

Moreover, game operations these days are hellishly difficult, and current game producers and planners are unfailingly innovative, one after another.

No matter the type of game, they all eventually turn into a PVP contest between the designers and the players, who just couldn’t adapt to the current version anymore.

Fortunately, operational issues are not beyond salvation. Moreover, even if they couldn’t be fixed, it would be Baldy, the producer, and his team who would be criticized, not Ma Lu, the special consultant.

Thus, Ma Lu confidently made drastic adjustments to the project team’s original operational plan.

However, the immediate priority was still to attract new players. Without players, all the adjustments would be meaningless.

Purchasing traffic is certainly the most straightforward method, but Red Ridge is not one of those lightweight casual games that you can play with just a click to download or even by just opening a webpage; it requires the marketing department to deliver the game physically.

Moreover, players attracted by these kinds of small advertisements are usually those who just want to relax and enjoy themselves for a moment and are less likely to endure the hardships of Red Ridge, which would probably result in a dismal conversion rate.

Of course, the cost is still the most crucial point.

By contrast, leveraging the free flow of customers from Universe Infinite Canteen undoubtedly held more advantages.

In fact, restaurants are naturally traffic entry points, but ordinary small restaurants don’t have as many customers as Universe Infinite Canteen. If they could convert even a tenth of these customers into players, then Red Ridge wouldn’t have to worry about its initial development.

But as easy as it sounds, it was not simple to execute.

This was also the reason why Ma Lu and Baldy had to put on a joint act.

Ma Lu even went the whole nine yards with the act, taking Baldy to the back door for further business negotiations and returning about fifteen minutes later.

He discovered that including Boss Hu, all the customers who had finished their meals hadn’t left. Instead, they were waiting at the entrance for the results of the collaboration.

Ma Lu didn’t waste any words and immediately announced the upcoming collaborative plan.

As the first collaboration between the two parties, the event was not complicated.

Firstly, Red Ridge game advertisements would be put up in the restaurant, and all customers dining at Universe Infinite Canteen could get a free copy of the Red Ridge game disc, available for XBOX, PS5, or PC.

The production team would also introduce a special in-game item called Pie Coupon Fragment. This item could be obtained by completing tasks or defeating Wild Monsters, and collecting 99 fragments would allow for the combination of a complete Pie Coupon.

Snap a photo of the QR code on the back of the Pie Coupon, and you could come to the store to purchase an Atonement Cake.

No sooner had Ma Lu announced the details of the collaboration than people started gathering around Baldy asking for the game discs.

Boss Hu took a disc as well but didn’t leave; instead, he said to the others,

"Friends, I’ve created a gaming group. Anyone interested can join. We can go on raids together, exchange strategy insights, or just chat in there."

"Moreover, if anyone is willing to part with their Pie Coupon or Pie Coupon Fragments, I’m willing to make an offer that will surely satisfy all."

Hearing this, quite a few people took out their phones and joined the group.

Additionally, some well-off customers who were particularly interested in Lotus Leaf Charcoal Cake followed Boss Hu’s lead and established several player groups.

Some were even eager to start discussing the game in the groups right away. However, Red Ridge was a publicly released game with very little information available online, making it seem quite mysterious.

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This piqued the interest of many people.