A romance video game called Love and Producer raked in $32m last month, and players across China are making in-app purchases to pursue 4 virtual heartthrobs.
Launched in December, the game already has 2m daily active users, most of whom are young women. It’s a breakout success in a traditionally neglected gaming demographic — and female-focused gaming company Pape Games is pulling out all the stops to win over players’ hearts.
So what’s the big deal?
The game is essentially a “virtual romance novel,” wherein the player stars as a successful female TV producer tasked with reviving a hit show — all while courting 4 hunky dudes.
There’s Li Zeyan (the high-powered CEO with a heart of gold), Bai Qi, (the rugged police officer), Xu Mo (the sensitive genius scientist), and Zhou Qiluo (the fun-loving pop star). They can also stop time and fly on the wind. So there’s that.
Players embark on quests to take the men out on dates while running their production company — and of course, spending money expedites the process.
Women gamers are real, and lucrative
In China, the number of female gamers is growing (and spending) fast.
Case in point: 54% of players on Tencent’s most profitable mobile game, Honour of Kings, are women. That’s the largest proportion of female players on a “battle” game, and it’s clearly paying off.
Analysts point to women being more active on plot-based video games with more character development… which explains the poetically thoughtful biographies of the “4 hunky dudes.”
