0:00:00.079,0:00:01.539 OK. Hello, everyone. 0:00:02.572,0:00:04.030 It's a pleasure being here. 0:00:04.192,0:00:07.657 It was a really well-designed[br]presentation, so to say. 0:00:07.682,0:00:12.175 I hope ours will not look badly,[br]compared to that. 0:00:12.200,0:00:16.660 It will be hard to measure up[br]to a person that specializes in design. 0:00:19.084,0:00:21.632 OK, so hopefully everything works, yes? 0:00:21.657,0:00:24.123 We were just trying out[br]some remote-control software, 0:00:24.148,0:00:26.153 that's why I'm holding this device. 0:00:26.781,0:00:30.669 We would like to tell you a little bit[br]about the Black Sheep strategy. 0:00:31.851,0:00:33.857 We'll try to keep it very simple, 0:00:34.028,0:00:36.846 and we'll try to come up[br]with some practical cases, 0:00:36.871,0:00:38.444 to make it all a bit interesting. 0:00:38.469,0:00:43.619 And, of course, the black sheep[br]is really black here, actually. 0:00:43.644,0:00:45.337 (Laughter) 0:00:45.362,0:00:47.582 Yeah, it's so black[br]that you can hardly see it. 0:00:49.795,0:00:52.502 I hope that Zynga -- 0:00:52.527,0:00:54.900 That's a black sheep[br]that I found on the Internet. 0:00:54.925,0:00:57.308 It's from Farmville.[br]I hope they will not sue us. 0:00:57.333,0:00:58.965 I didn't ask them for permission. 0:00:59.286,0:01:00.835 There was not enough time for it. 0:01:00.860,0:01:03.830 So actually, with Michał,[br]we started following this strategy 0:01:03.855,0:01:05.917 unconsciously,[br]when we were in high school. 0:01:05.942,0:01:07.995 So, it was the Black Sheep strategy. 0:01:08.426,0:01:11.462 It didn't reflect well[br]on our grades, you know? 0:01:11.813,0:01:13.551 We were the black sheep of the class. 0:01:13.576,0:01:17.120 It was the two of us,[br]and we were apart from the herd. 0:01:17.466,0:01:20.348 So, let's... (Laughter) 0:01:20.373,0:01:23.175 Michał Kiciński:[br]What actually resulted was that I, 0:01:23.200,0:01:25.537 for example, didn't finish high school. 0:01:25.562,0:01:28.789 Marcin Iwiński: You did, in another way.[br]M.K.: In a sense, yes. 0:01:28.814,0:01:29.868 (Laughter) 0:01:29.893,0:01:31.843 M.I.: I did, but I had to[br]change the class. 0:01:31.868,0:01:35.548 So, it's not easy,[br]what we're going to tell you about. 0:01:36.020,0:01:38.329 So that's a flaw,[br]because you see it's very nice, 0:01:38.354,0:01:41.550 it's warm, it's cuddly, you feel safe. 0:01:42.885,0:01:45.940 Actually, we changed[br]the Farmville black sheep, 0:01:45.965,0:01:47.975 as they have only black sheep, into white. 0:01:48.000,0:01:50.670 So right now,[br]you'll see the black sheep... 0:01:50.695,0:01:52.429 (Laughter) 0:01:52.454,0:01:54.554 You just see the eyes of it. 0:01:55.504,0:01:57.932 You just see the eyes[br]of this little sheep. 0:01:58.122,0:02:01.539 But it means it's really not[br]a very cool place to be in, 0:02:01.564,0:02:02.703 at least on the slide. 0:02:03.282,0:02:04.986 So, how do we see that? 0:02:05.011,0:02:09.580 we really see that there are two[br]main problems with the herd. 0:02:11.780,0:02:14.367 Let's start with the first one. 0:02:15.213,0:02:17.961 Following the herd is easy,[br]it's very easy for everyone. 0:02:18.311,0:02:20.350 And what we really see, 0:02:20.375,0:02:22.468 as we are in business,[br]we are entrepreneurs, 0:02:22.986,0:02:25.086 it's all about delivering value. 0:02:25.298,0:02:27.702 With the herd, people just follow. 0:02:28.004,0:02:33.100 So whenever there is a certain solution,[br]they just follow, because... 0:02:33.837,0:02:36.637 They feel safe,[br]and that's the second thing. 0:02:37.467,0:02:40.070 M.K.: You can see that everywhere[br]on the market. 0:02:40.095,0:02:44.856 For example, Marcin has an iPad here, 0:02:45.036,0:02:48.326 and right now everyone is doing[br]pads on the market, right? 0:02:48.351,0:02:51.058 And it was very difficult[br]for the first company, 0:02:51.083,0:02:52.880 in this case Apple, 0:02:53.211,0:02:56.711 quite often being the black sheep,[br]in our opinion, 0:02:56.933,0:02:59.400 to invent this device. 0:02:59.425,0:03:03.847 But now, every hardware manufacturer[br]is doing some kind of pad. 0:03:04.026,0:03:09.127 So it's pretty easy to follow[br]the one who set the trend. 0:03:09.861,0:03:13.663 M.I.: Yeah, that's really funny,[br]because, I mean, 0:03:13.936,0:03:16.770 in our 15 years in business,[br]we talked to a lot of experts, 0:03:16.795,0:03:19.733 a lot of analysts, 0:03:20.032,0:03:22.770 a lot of, so to say, knowledgeable people. 0:03:22.795,0:03:24.248 But they just follow the trend. 0:03:24.273,0:03:26.208 So, in our opinion, they follow the herd. 0:03:27.439,0:03:29.839 When something is set in stone,[br]there is a standard, 0:03:29.864,0:03:32.968 industry standards,[br]a certain way of [doing] certain things, 0:03:32.993,0:03:34.898 the most convenient way[br]is just to follow. 0:03:35.212,0:03:37.859 Because it's easy, and you feel safe. 0:03:38.095,0:03:41.993 If you work in a big company,[br]if you don't cross the line, 0:03:42.018,0:03:44.378 you'll most probably not be fired,[br]you'll be safe. 0:03:44.403,0:03:46.924 Until the company[br]runs into some big trouble, 0:03:46.949,0:03:49.839 and then there's massive firing,[br]but that's another story. 0:03:50.043,0:03:55.281 M.K.: It's visible in very big companies,[br]where people are afraid to take decisions. 0:03:55.306,0:04:00.086 If they go the way[br]everyone else is going, they are safe. 0:04:00.111,0:04:01.516 Nobody can accuse them 0:04:01.644,0:04:03.869 that they're doing something[br]the wrong way, 0:04:03.894,0:04:06.694 because they are doing it[br]the way everybody else is doing it. 0:04:06.719,0:04:09.863 M.I.: So if you look at the herd,[br]it's a really nice place to be in. 0:04:09.888,0:04:11.230 It's warm and safe. 0:04:11.255,0:04:12.292 (Laughter) 0:04:12.839,0:04:18.962 And, you know, we wanted[br]to ask you this question: 0:04:18.987,0:04:20.695 "Do you dare to be different?" 0:04:21.086,0:04:24.773 We think that first of all,[br]it's a way of life, 0:04:25.338,0:04:27.522 and there is a big reward. 0:04:27.547,0:04:29.558 I mean, whatever you do,[br]it can be business, 0:04:29.583,0:04:32.246 it can be just, you know, things in life. 0:04:32.476,0:04:35.435 M.K.: Being in high school. M.I.: Yeah. 0:04:35.460,0:04:37.815 In high school, it's kind of cool,[br]people like you. 0:04:37.840,0:04:38.762 (Laughter) 0:04:38.763,0:04:40.254 Because you don't really care. 0:04:40.279,0:04:43.035 But actually, you do,[br]because you have to change the school, 0:04:43.060,0:04:44.729 but it gets all complicated, so... 0:04:46.021,0:04:50.042 So, as we are entrepreneurs, in business, 0:04:50.151,0:04:51.236 there is a big reward. 0:04:51.261,0:04:53.737 Because if you don't take the risk, 0:04:53.762,0:04:57.726 if you don't try to come up with something[br]that really delivers the value -- 0:04:57.751,0:05:00.884 And what is important to stress here is, 0:05:00.909,0:05:03.634 you have to try to be different[br]for a reason. 0:05:03.659,0:05:06.172 We are not talking[br]about rebels without a cause. 0:05:06.331,0:05:09.477 The high school example[br]taught us a lesson, you know. 0:05:09.680,0:05:12.149 "We're just rebels and, um..." Yeah. 0:05:12.526,0:05:14.172 We were penalized for it. 0:05:14.197,0:05:16.050 It didn't really make [so much] sense. 0:05:16.075,0:05:17.674 But in business, it does. 0:05:17.699,0:05:19.894 It does if you have a cool idea. 0:05:19.919,0:05:21.907 You have to go against the herd, you guys. 0:05:21.932,0:05:26.871 You have to go against certain trends[br]which are set in stone, 0:05:26.896,0:05:28.863 and it's really hard[br]to break through them. 0:05:28.888,0:05:30.438 M.K.: So, it's important. 0:05:30.463,0:05:33.955 It's not "to be different[br]for the sake of being different," 0:05:33.980,0:05:35.205 just like that. 0:05:35.941,0:05:38.361 M.I.: So let's move to the next slide. 0:05:38.535,0:05:40.948 And that's actually a practical example. 0:05:40.973,0:05:43.111 "Black Sheep makes a computer game." 0:05:43.411,0:05:48.122 So on the left[br]we have the flock, or the herd. 0:05:48.147,0:05:50.582 On the right,[br]we have the very black sheep. 0:05:51.022,0:05:56.726 And that's the example[br]of the first game we've developed, 0:05:56.751,0:05:58.151 "The Witcher." 0:05:58.564,0:06:04.186 So at the time[br]when we started the process, 0:06:04.576,0:06:06.951 the main trend[br]was the gaming consoles, so... 0:06:07.419,0:06:09.803 Everybody who was talking to us[br]was saying, 0:06:09.828,0:06:14.279 "Hey, you have to make a console game,[br]or it will not make money. 0:06:14.304,0:06:17.568 You will go bust with the company." 0:06:17.696,0:06:19.217 Then, the second trend was: 0:06:19.242,0:06:22.340 "If you don't want to make a console game[br]you have to make an MMO." 0:06:22.365,0:06:25.141 A Massive Multiplayer Online game,[br]like World of Warcraft. 0:06:25.166,0:06:26.414 At a certain point in time, 0:06:27.060,0:06:30.434 almost everybody in the world[br]was doing World of Warcraft clones. 0:06:30.708,0:06:35.815 That's a very "flockish" approach,[br]I would say. 0:06:35.840,0:06:38.665 And there is no reward at the end. 0:06:38.969,0:06:41.133 A lot of these guys really went bust, 0:06:41.158,0:06:44.466 and that was happening during the crisis, 0:06:44.491,0:06:45.844 and a little bit afterwards. 0:06:46.315,0:06:49.811 M.K.: So when we started[br]the development of The Witcher, 0:06:49.836,0:06:54.139 somebody [calculated][br]that there were 200 projects, 0:06:54.164,0:06:56.866 MMO projects, started in the world. 0:06:56.891,0:06:59.038 So everyone was doing MMOs, 0:06:59.063,0:07:01.616 because analysts, consultants, 0:07:01.641,0:07:04.171 everyone was advising[br]that that's the future of gaming. 0:07:04.196,0:07:07.276 M.I.: I remember the reports[br]we were getting from big publishers, 0:07:07.301,0:07:08.862 and the reports were saying, like, 0:07:09.091,0:07:11.450 "Make a console MMO,[br]that would be the best. 0:07:11.841,0:07:13.966 It would really kick ass,[br]and you would rule." 0:07:14.187,0:07:16.458 "And make sure[br]that it appeals to everyone, 0:07:16.483,0:07:18.587 so then you have[br]all the market in the world, 0:07:18.612,0:07:20.325 and you will make a lot of money." 0:07:20.350,0:07:21.941 So what we did... 0:07:22.365,0:07:23.973 We did a PC game. 0:07:23.998,0:07:25.309 A dying platform. 0:07:25.574,0:07:28.067 So PC computers versus consoles, I mean, 0:07:28.092,0:07:29.715 the retail having its problems. 0:07:30.124,0:07:32.778 We do not have time to elaborate,[br]but yeah, it was tough. 0:07:32.803,0:07:37.777 It was almost like that sentence. 0:07:37.802,0:07:39.242 And then, we did single-player, 0:07:39.267,0:07:40.847 because we wanted to tell a story, 0:07:40.848,0:07:43.514 the story of an iconic hero, 0:07:43.535,0:07:45.327 Geralt, the monster slayer. 0:07:45.543,0:07:48.339 And then, we designed it[br]for a specific audience, 0:07:48.364,0:07:49.540 a mature audience. 0:07:49.565,0:07:51.924 So, the whole story 0:07:51.949,0:07:55.940 was written in a way[br]that a mature audience would enjoy, 0:07:55.965,0:07:59.299 and would find it witty,[br]would find it intelligent. 0:07:59.598,0:08:02.272 I don't want to say that other games[br]are not intelligent, 0:08:02.297,0:08:04.442 but if you're making a game[br]designed for all, 0:08:04.467,0:08:07.490 which is getting an R rating[br]or 12 rating in the US, 0:08:07.515,0:08:10.513 I mean, it has to be pretty flat[br]in many places, 0:08:10.538,0:08:13.508 or you'll not get this rating,[br]so it won't appeal to this group. 0:08:13.826,0:08:16.364 M.K.: And one of the hardest parts[br]of making this game 0:08:16.389,0:08:18.272 was not actually making the game itself, 0:08:18.297,0:08:20.989 it was to sell this game to a publisher. 0:08:21.014,0:08:23.280 Because we were approaching[br]different companies, 0:08:23.305,0:08:24.880 and they were asking us questions. 0:08:24.905,0:08:28.671 It was a standard set,[br]from all the publishers. 0:08:28.912,0:08:30.613 "What about the multiplayer mode?" 0:08:30.638,0:08:33.179 And we were like,[br]"We are telling the story, you know. 0:08:33.205,0:08:35.097 It doesn't fit in this kind of game. 0:08:35.123,0:08:37.410 So, we decided to make it single-player." 0:08:37.436,0:08:40.731 And people looked at us like,[br]are we crazy or something? 0:08:40.885,0:08:44.318 And the other question was,[br]"Do you plan it for consoles?" 0:08:44.343,0:08:46.646 "No, we would like to focus on the PC." 0:08:46.671,0:08:49.119 And then, it was end of story, basically. 0:08:49.144,0:08:52.418 M.I.: We were coming with a story[br]based on Andrzej Sapkowski's books. 0:08:52.443,0:08:53.722 It's defined. 0:08:53.894,0:08:55.801 It makes sense, it's a believable world, 0:08:55.826,0:08:57.907 millions of people[br]read the book, and so on. 0:08:57.932,0:08:59.629 We didn't come up with it. 0:08:59.654,0:09:01.261 And they were asking us: 0:09:01.448,0:09:03.613 "Could the main protagonist be a female? 0:09:03.638,0:09:05.633 Maybe a dwarf? How about that?" (Laughter) 0:09:05.658,0:09:09.001 And we said, "Yeah, maybe we could[br]tweak it a little bit, 0:09:09.026,0:09:11.220 so let's talk another time." 0:09:11.488,0:09:14.609 But really, people come up[br]with these kinds of ideas, 0:09:14.634,0:09:19.196 because it comes out[br]of a certain market service. 0:09:19.621,0:09:22.867 M.K.: This female character[br]is kind of a company story, 0:09:22.892,0:09:26.359 it's told from person to person, 0:09:26.384,0:09:28.564 because that was what actually happened. 0:09:28.589,0:09:31.205 One of the representatives[br]came from the second meeting, 0:09:31.230,0:09:34.030 and told us[br]that they had done the research, 0:09:34.324,0:09:37.142 and gamers would love[br]to play a female character. 0:09:37.284,0:09:40.382 And could we change the witcher Geralt[br]from Sapkowski's books 0:09:40.407,0:09:41.564 into an elvish woman? 0:09:41.925,0:09:45.282 Because that was something that gamers[br]supposedly expected. (Laughter) 0:09:45.307,0:09:47.532 M.I.: We are already running 10 minutes, 0:09:47.557,0:09:50.165 and we are halfway there,[br]so let's end here. 0:09:50.370,0:09:51.741 So what's the result? 0:09:51.766,0:09:53.337 Just very briefly. 0:09:53.362,0:09:55.211 So the flock was saying: 0:09:55.236,0:09:57.857 "Working in a dying genre,[br]on a dying platform." 0:09:57.882,0:09:59.992 That's pretty much the verdict. 0:10:00.179,0:10:02.235 And we sold 1.5 million units worldwide, 0:10:02.260,0:10:04.016 and received over 100 awards. 0:10:04.041,0:10:05.645 Why? Because... 0:10:05.670,0:10:08.670 (Applause) 0:10:12.753,0:10:16.557 Simply because the game was different,[br]it was appealing to a certain audience, 0:10:17.094,0:10:18.703 We delivered what we wanted to, 0:10:18.728,0:10:22.226 and not some mass-market "blah-blah" pulp, 0:10:22.251,0:10:23.976 which we really hate, by the way. 0:10:24.001,0:10:26.278 Oh and by the way, the game was good, too. 0:10:26.303,0:10:28.121 That's kind of important. 0:10:28.146,0:10:29.786 M.K.: That's important too, yeah. 0:10:30.358,0:10:35.026 So the next example is:[br]"Black Sheep does digital distribution." 0:10:35.051,0:10:36.852 So, direct delivery of games. 0:10:36.995,0:10:39.274 We are gamers,[br]we're running a gaming company. 0:10:39.464,0:10:43.352 And again, you have the flock, 0:10:43.775,0:10:47.646 and you have the very black sheep,[br]on the right. 0:10:47.671,0:10:51.590 And what was the flock doing and saying? 0:10:51.615,0:10:53.512 So, "only new games." 0:10:53.537,0:10:55.202 Digital distribution is, basically, 0:10:55.227,0:10:58.088 the concept of downloading the game[br]directly to your computer, 0:10:58.113,0:10:59.953 and playing it, in one way or another, 0:10:59.978,0:11:04.451 without the necessity of going to a store[br]and buying the game. 0:11:04.576,0:11:07.185 So basically, Video on Demand,[br]but in the gaming world. 0:11:07.609,0:11:09.088 So, only new games. 0:11:09.400,0:11:12.378 High price points,[br]because new games are expensive, 0:11:12.403,0:11:14.041 so that's the best market. 0:11:14.260,0:11:15.596 If it's a high price point, 0:11:15.621,0:11:17.611 and you have a certain share[br]of the revenue, 0:11:17.612,0:11:19.387 you'll obviously get higher revenue. 0:11:19.512,0:11:21.112 The region restriction. 0:11:21.137,0:11:25.051 The platforms were usually originated[br]in western Europe and the US, 0:11:25.076,0:11:28.268 and quite often you were not able,[br]being a Polish customer, 0:11:28.385,0:11:30.276 Thai customer, Russian customer, 0:11:30.526,0:11:33.644 whatever that was, really,[br]outside the US and Western Europe, 0:11:33.669,0:11:37.408 you weren't able to buy the games because[br]there wasn't a license for the region. 0:11:37.433,0:11:41.125 M.K.: It works pretty similar[br]to what we know from iTunes. 0:11:41.150,0:11:42.719 You cannot buy many things. 0:11:42.744,0:11:44.047 M.I.: Or it doesn't work. 0:11:44.072,0:11:47.166 M.K.: Yeah, you cannot buy many things[br]which US customers can buy. 0:11:47.191,0:11:49.060 M.I.: And different region pricing. 0:11:49.085,0:11:51.715 So, in the US, the game was 50 dollars, 0:11:51.740,0:11:54.189 in Europe it was 50 euros. Kind of unfair. 0:11:54.214,0:11:56.241 Of course,[br]depending on the period of time. 0:11:56.372,0:11:59.244 And the last thing,[br]which is very important, DRM protection. 0:11:59.346,0:12:01.248 So you'd download a game, 0:12:01.273,0:12:03.985 and it's protected,[br]you have to be online to play it, 0:12:04.010,0:12:05.455 even though it's single-player. 0:12:05.480,0:12:08.134 It just makes your life[br]really difficult and cumbersome. 0:12:08.159,0:12:10.884 If you're traveling with a laptop,[br]you cannot play the game. 0:12:10.985,0:12:13.085 And what did we come up with? 0:12:13.976,0:12:15.188 PC classics. 0:12:15.213,0:12:16.404 Why? A few reasons. 0:12:16.429,0:12:18.277 Because we found it a perfect niche, 0:12:18.302,0:12:20.894 we had experience in it[br]in our Eastern-European markets, 0:12:20.919,0:12:23.338 in our retail, brick-and-mortar activity. 0:12:23.810,0:12:27.212 And also, the big battle of the big guys[br]was happening in the new games. 0:12:27.237,0:12:31.213 So why enter there and you know,[br]fight with the big guys. 0:12:31.238,0:12:33.034 Then, we introduced lower price points. 0:12:33.059,0:12:35.940 So 5 to 10 dollars, pretty much. 0:12:36.384,0:12:40.147 No restrictions, and one price for all. 0:12:40.172,0:12:41.554 "All different customers," 0:12:41.579,0:12:43.467 I lost that in this presentation. 0:12:45.302,0:12:47.288 So, no regional restrictions. 0:12:47.313,0:12:51.036 Actually, I was very proud[br]that we had some customers from Cambodia. 0:12:51.523,0:12:54.737 We are still looking[br]for some customers from Somalia. 0:12:54.762,0:12:57.377 I think, you know, in a few years[br]we'll get one or two. 0:12:59.186,0:13:00.993 And 100% DRM-free. 0:13:01.018,0:13:03.391 So you download it,[br]and have a feeling of ownership. 0:13:03.416,0:13:06.099 Although it's a license,[br]it's a real feeling of ownership. 0:13:06.124,0:13:07.844 You own the game, you can back it up, 0:13:07.869,0:13:10.235 you can install in on your notebook. 0:13:10.260,0:13:11.751 M.K.: This is quite important, 0:13:11.776,0:13:16.118 because most companies are afraid[br]to give the file to the end customer, 0:13:16.143,0:13:19.534 because they imagine that the customer[br]will start copying it endlessly, 0:13:19.559,0:13:22.292 and broadcasting it on the Internet. 0:13:22.317,0:13:26.140 M.I.: "The customer will steal it."[br](Laughter) 0:13:26.165,0:13:29.821 And they can go at any time[br]to the torrent sites, 0:13:30.010,0:13:33.369 and download any of the new games[br]totally for free. 0:13:33.478,0:13:36.830 And quite often,[br]because these pirated games are cracked, 0:13:36.855,0:13:40.099 so they have no protection,[br]the functionality for the user is better. 0:13:40.124,0:13:42.224 So this is a really sick concept. 0:13:43.816,0:13:45.636 And what is the result? 0:13:48.368,0:13:51.226 M.K.: So GOG, because that's our platform, 0:13:51.251,0:13:52.650 started two years ago. 0:13:53.027,0:13:56.875 So that's actually the youngest[br]digital distribution platform 0:13:57.000,0:13:59.680 of the top digital distribution platforms[br]right now, 0:13:59.705,0:14:00.984 working in the world. 0:14:01.174,0:14:05.611 We showed here the 5 biggest[br]digital distribution platforms. 0:14:05.878,0:14:07.962 The first one, the biggest,[br]is Steampowered. 0:14:07.987,0:14:11.031 They were the first on the market,[br]and they are the leader. 0:14:11.190,0:14:12.724 M.I.: That's the pioneer premium. 0:14:12.749,0:14:15.987 So if you are different, and a pioneer,[br]you'll really rock the world. 0:14:16.394,0:14:19.087 M.K.: And the other ones[br]are the followers. 0:14:19.112,0:14:21.980 And our GOG is the blue one. 0:14:22.005,0:14:24.791 Just recently, a few weeks ago, 0:14:25.715,0:14:28.245 we came to the position[br]of number one, as you can see. 0:14:28.689,0:14:30.463 And what is important -- 0:14:30.488,0:14:33.431 For example,[br]the one that we overcome here, 0:14:33.456,0:14:36.581 the yellow one, it's Direct2Drive. 0:14:36.698,0:14:38.483 That's the platform which is connected 0:14:38.508,0:14:44.200 with one of the biggest gaming magazines,[br]websites, in the world. 0:14:44.225,0:14:46.174 So they have very big leverage 0:14:46.199,0:14:49.177 from the fact that they are connected[br]with the online magazine. 0:14:49.202,0:14:51.961 M.I.: [It says] "15 minutes" there,[br]it sounds kind of scary. 0:14:51.986,0:14:53.867 We still have 25 slides more to go, so... 0:14:53.892,0:14:54.944 (Laughter) 0:14:54.969,0:14:56.204 Give us a moment. 0:14:56.583,0:14:57.997 Black Sheep makes PR. 0:14:58.022,0:15:02.049 And that's about the platform,[br]about what we did recently. 0:15:02.074,0:15:08.478 So, a lot of people we were talking to[br]about signing deals for our platform 0:15:08.503,0:15:10.324 were asking about our marketing spend. 0:15:10.349,0:15:12.550 And we'd say,[br]"We don't spend on marketing." 0:15:12.695,0:15:14.937 And they were like, "Hm, kind of strange. 0:15:14.962,0:15:17.897 Because everybody spends on marketing,[br]and it really works." 0:15:17.922,0:15:19.677 But we have a different approach. 0:15:19.702,0:15:22.963 We really think that PR builds more value. 0:15:22.988,0:15:25.035 This is the way we've handled The Witcher, 0:15:25.060,0:15:27.042 and the same way we approached GOG. 0:15:27.521,0:15:28.606 So, what we did... 0:15:28.974,0:15:30.839 We planned a big relaunch, 0:15:30.864,0:15:32.354 getting out of beta, 0:15:32.379,0:15:36.114 because the site ran in beta[br]for two years. 0:15:36.875,0:15:39.885 We planned to announce the new version,[br]come up with new features. 0:15:39.910,0:15:42.470 We signed really exceptional content,[br]great RPG games, 0:15:42.495,0:15:46.718 and wanted to use this opportunity[br]to boost the traffic 0:15:46.743,0:15:48.665 and get more customers going. 0:15:48.965,0:15:52.127 So what we did was,[br]we decided to shut the site down. 0:15:52.370,0:15:55.541 I mean, some of you are probably dealing[br]with Internet business. 0:15:55.566,0:15:57.718 If there is no site, it's kind of scary, 0:15:57.743,0:16:00.649 because that's your only connection[br]to the end customer. 0:16:01.647,0:16:05.272 We shut it down, we posted[br]a really lame-looking screen, 0:16:05.498,0:16:09.009 saying that, you know,[br]there were too many challenges, 0:16:09.034,0:16:12.237 and a certain era had ended,[br]and blah-blah-blah. 0:16:12.556,0:16:15.799 We thought it was very straight-forward, 0:16:16.081,0:16:17.937 a true hint for the people: 0:16:17.962,0:16:20.462 "Hey, it's a game, you know, we'll reopen! 0:16:20.651,0:16:21.940 We're just having fun here." 0:16:22.151,0:16:24.479 A lot of people didn't get it this way. 0:16:24.627,0:16:27.166 We had to say a big sorry afterwards. 0:16:27.374,0:16:31.269 But one thing happened[br]in the social-media driven world, 0:16:31.294,0:16:36.649 and the mass-market[br]TV and Internet stations. 0:16:37.066,0:16:41.646 We were covered in every single[br]biggest gaming place in the world 0:16:41.671,0:16:42.999 as a top story. 0:16:43.024,0:16:44.436 "GOG went bankrupt." 0:16:44.931,0:16:46.468 "Why did they close?" 0:16:46.700,0:16:48.603 And you know, all the different theories. 0:16:48.628,0:16:49.993 We really loved that. 0:16:52.063,0:16:54.353 Of course, we were really scared[br]at the same time. 0:16:54.354,0:16:55.539 (Laughter) 0:16:55.540,0:16:57.227 Changing our diapers, so to say. 0:16:57.602,0:17:01.466 So, we thought we planted[br]some hints on the shutdown page. 0:17:01.491,0:17:03.868 Some people thought we didn't. 0:17:04.387,0:17:07.748 We were, of course,[br]trying to manage it somehow, 0:17:08.473,0:17:11.247 and we were posting hints[br]via Twitter and Facebook. 0:17:11.532,0:17:14.019 And then on the second day of the closure 0:17:14.044,0:17:16.630 we posted a trailer,[br]which was already showing something. 0:17:16.655,0:17:18.655 "It's a glimpse,[br]there is something coming." 0:17:18.680,0:17:20.284 Some people still didn't get that. 0:17:20.309,0:17:27.618 And then we hosted[br]a very unusual PR conference. 0:17:27.644,0:17:28.782 (Laughter) 0:17:29.329,0:17:30.009 (Applause) 0:17:35.482,0:17:39.075 So, we told everybody that on Wednesday, 0:17:39.100,0:17:41.184 we'd host an unusual PR conference. 0:17:42.056,0:17:44.447 That the management would have[br]an official statement. 0:17:44.472,0:17:47.030 "Management," "official statement,"[br]I like these words. 0:17:47.055,0:17:50.005 And so, we appeared --[br]I'm the guy on the left, actually -- 0:17:50.514,0:17:53.448 dressed as monks,[br]and we asked people for redemption. 0:17:53.473,0:17:55.559 We also had a couple of videos about that. 0:17:55.767,0:17:57.611 We have to be going, so... 0:17:57.830,0:17:59.156 M.K.: Just a short note. 0:17:59.181,0:18:00.351 For the press conference, 0:18:00.376,0:18:04.121 we had more than 600 journalists[br]from all over the world, 0:18:04.146,0:18:05.726 checking what's going on with GOG. 0:18:05.729,0:18:07.820 So, a huge number of journalists. 0:18:07.845,0:18:11.239 M.I.: So, as you see,[br]it was only the 23rd, 0:18:11.264,0:18:14.270 so we peaked,[br]and the final message to deliver: 0:18:14.858,0:18:16.509 Guys, dare to be different. 0:18:16.855,0:18:18.430 We believe there is a lot of value 0:18:18.455,0:18:20.828 and there is a lot of great things[br]to come up with. 0:18:20.853,0:18:23.064 So, we're begging you,[br]dare to be different. 0:18:23.634,0:18:24.610 Thank you. 0:18:24.635,0:18:27.635 (Applause) 0:18:27.781,0:18:29.357 Paul Klipp: Thank you very much. 0:18:29.382,0:18:31.755 (Applause)