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When it came to setting the price at 78 yuan for Neon Blade: Echoes of Lumen, I initially believed it was a fair and reasonable decision. Most large-scale original titles in the market—whether new releases or remastered classics—usually hover around the 100 yuan range. For reference, a major installment in the same genre launched at 128 yuan, before later stabilizing at 98 yuan. Using that pricing logic, I made my judgment.
However, I failed to fully consider the gap between a completed commercial product and what was actually presented within the story.
The issue was not neglect, but a misjudgment of production structure. Northstar Games operates with far fewer trial-and-error costs. Their development process is focused, disciplined, and efficient. They do not wander blindly during research and development, and their funding is consistently invested in places that matter. Every resource is used with clear intent.
Because of this, I came to believe that selling the game at 78 yuan would still generate strong profits, possibly even significant ones. What I overlooked was how the market and the wider industry would perceive such pricing.
Lowering prices benefits players—but it places pressure on competitors. While it may look consumer-friendly on the surface, it can unintentionally intensify competition within the domestic game industry, making survival harder for smaller studios that do not have the same financial resilience.
This was my mistake.
And it is one I will consciously avoid in the future.
I sincerely thank every reader who pointed this out and offered thoughtful reminders. Your feedback mattered.
As a result, a small but necessary adjustment was made: the price has been increased by ten yuan.
Going forward, I will take market balance, industry health, and long-term sustainability into account when making similar decisions.
Another point worth clarifying is this:
Neon Blade: Echoes of Lumen was never intended to rely solely on game sales for profitability.
What I planned from the beginning—and mentioned briefly in earlier notes—was a broader commercial ecosystem. This includes film and television adaptation rights, as well as merchandise and derivative content. These elements were always part of the long-term vision.
So yes, a profit model did exist.
I simply failed to explain it clearly enough.
That failure lies with me alone.
It reflects a limitation in my current ability, and it is something I must continue to improve. I hope you will keep watching as I grow.
Even though, within the story, I later managed to recover Northstar Games' profits through multiple channels and resolve market-level challenges, there is something important I must admit:
No matter how many explanations or additional settings are added later, if the story does not land properly at the beginning, all future fixes will only feel like excuses.
That truth matters.
I genuinely hope this moment does not disappoint you.
Thank you—for your patience, your criticism, and your trust.
Thanks!!!
And on a completely unrelated note—
the optical modem lost internet access.
So today's writing was done using mobile data…
which is painfully expensive.
Sob. Sob.
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