A New Monetization Channel for Gaming Companies – Turning Characters Into Virtual Influencers

On every December 5th, many young Chinese people stayed up late waiting for midnight. Why? They are waiting for December 6th, the birthday of their favorite celebrity Nuan Nuan (暖暖).

At 0:00 on December 6th, Chinese gaming company Papergames (叠纸游戏) released Nuan Nuan’s new birthday song music video on Bilibili, and all of a sudden, many Danmu (a slang term from Bilibili, which mean bullet comments) fill the screen.

Nuan Nuan Isn’t Real

The catch? Nuan Nuan is not a real person, she is a virtual character created by Papergames. She just turned 19 (although it’s actually only been 8 years old since Papergames introduced her as a new character in a game. 

But she doesn’t live in the game anymore. Nuan Nuan became very popular among players and was spun off into a standalone virtual character. Over the past 8 years, she has become a singer, a stylist, an ambassador for fashion brands and a celebrity who is devoted to helping the public. Her dedicated followers love her and often endearingly call her their “daughter”.

Working With Brands

Just because she is virtual doesn’t mean she can’t work with brands. In September 2019, Nuan had her first endorsement working with LUX, a well-known hair care brand. It was well-supported by her fans – in the comment area of the announcement post for this collaboration many users were saying their daughter was excellent. 

Six months after the endorsement, Nuan had another one with clothing brand Urban Revivo. Following these, Nuan frequently appeared in many fashion magazines.

A New Monetization Channel For Gaming Companies? 

It is very smart for Papergames to create so many opportunities for Nuan Nuan. She is not a character in a game anymore, but a virtual person who updates her social media, who has birthday parties and who is willing to help others. 

Nuan’s IP has created many new monetization channels for Papergames.

In fact, not only games, other brands can also try to create their own IPs and use this IP to create closer connections with customers. That’s what Chinese cosmetics brand Perfect Diary has does with its “wanzi” character that consumers can engage with in all of Perfect Diary’s private WeChat groups. 

IP feels more appealing to the young generation of consumers than simply engaging with the brand. 

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