Game content creators, in essence, bring numerous advantages to a video game. They craft tutorials, share experiences through videos and live streams about the game, thereby increasing its visibility and appeal. It appears Amazing Seasun Games, developers of “Snowbreak: Containment Zone“, recognize this value as they frequently promote their Content Creator (CC) program online to draw applicants. The program offers “substantial” in-game perks, potential promotional aid, and possibilities for direct collaboration – attractive propositions indeed. Previously, when Snowbreak’s CC program was well-organized, these benefits might have been valid. However, recent adjustments have diminished rewards and highlighted pre-existing issues, making the actual experience far less appealing than advertised.

What Makes a Good CC Program?

To grasp the shortcomings of Snowbreak’s Content Creator (CC) program, it’s crucial to initially determine what constitutes a successful CC program. Content creators and the developers of the content they cover have distinct yet complementary objectives, forming a mutually beneficial relationship. Content creators aim for assistance in content production and career advancement as content creators, while developers seek product or brand promotion. The strengths that CCs offer are clear, and developers should facilitate this through two key methods within their CC program:

1. Providing support for the creation of content, enabling content creators to produce high-quality work.
2. Helping content creators advance their careers by offering promotional opportunities for their personal brand or channel.

• Distribution of in-game rewards to assist CCs in accessing in-game content to produce content with. For example: in-game currency and battlepasses
• Assistance in the promotion of content. For example: content showcases and contests.

Absolutely, there are different strategies that a thriving Customer Care (CC) program could employ to motivate and compensate its members, and I’ve outlined some key strategies here. However, it’s unfortunate to note that the Snowbreak CC program falls short when it comes to offering adequate assistance in these critical areas.

Reduction of Rewards

Previously, the CC program allocated incentives through a tiered structure. This system meant that creators were compensated according to the merit and caliber of their work as it was evaluated during the review process.

To add to that, every CC member was granted access to the top-tier premium battlepass, offering a total of 680 Digicash and 4 exclusive operational banner tickets along with additional prizes.

However, prior to the v2.6 Blossoms in Ruins patch, a change to rewards structure was announced:

Under the revised setup, the majority of Content Creators (CCs) would experience significantly reduced rewards, regardless of their follower base. This new system, which ties rewards directly to follower count, disproportionately affects smaller CCs (approximately 70% of participants in the program have fewer than 5,000 followers), as it further diminishes the potential rewards they can receive. In the previous system, a small CC had a chance to excel through hard work and perhaps a bit of luck, potentially climbing up the ranks. However, under this new scheme, their efforts would primarily determine their rewards bracket, ensuring a minimal payout regardless of their diligence.

To clarify, the premium battlepass was no longer given as a standard prize but reserved exclusively for the top 10 Content Creators (CCs) in both video and live stream categories. This means that more than half of all CCs did not receive a battlepass reward.

As a gamer, I’m utterly puzzled by this system that seems to spit on the smaller Content Creators (CCs) while rewarding the larger ones. Instead of doling out more rewards, it actually lessens them for the bigger CCs. It’s hard to fathom how someone could approve such a move, knowing it wouldn’t sit well. And boy, was that true! The moment the changes were announced, CCs reacted swiftly and passionately, making it crystal clear they weren’t happy with these updates. Yet, these changes were implemented, with just a promise of potential future adjustments. Quite frustrating, isn’t it?

A Second Try

After applying the v2.7 Abyssal Dawn update, another adjustment was introduced, this time with a fresh system entirely dependent on the evaluation of submission performance:

Under the new reward system, Content Creators (CC) can earn a maximum of 1,440 Digicash, 4 special banner tickets for operations, and 3 special weapon banner tickets, along with a premium battlepass. On paper, this appears to be an improvement, but it falls short when compared to the rewards available under the previous system for top-performing CCs. The majority of these high-value rewards remain out of reach for CCs with smaller followings, which is the majority of participants. In reality, CCs who used to get up to 50 pulls under the old rewards system are now only getting 5, and many others are receiving even fewer rewards. This indicates that the new reward system is still a step back from the previous one.

As a gamer, I’ve got to say, this new update didn’t disappoint! It came packed with some sweet bonuses: up to 100k Silverbucks, 10 large stamina refills, and 300 Opal Vouchers. Sounds great, right? Well, for the majority of us seasoned players with well-established accounts and a hoard of these materials, it’s more like finding pocket change. The question that arises is, why are these resources still being doled out through the premium battlepass when they’re already offered in abundance there? It seems odd that these resources wouldn’t be rewarded to all players if that was the intention. I guess they’ve been weeding out inactive accounts (or so they say), so it’s not like we’re freeloading here.

Many Content Creators (CCs) utilize these rewards as a means to obtain characters and weapons, which they then use to create guides, reviews, and other gaming-related content. This is particularly significant in Snowbreak, where the time-limited farming of Manifestations encourages pulling a character on day one. Decreasing rewards can hinder a CC’s ability to generate content, leading to a decrease in both the volume and quality of content produced about the game.

Reduction in Support

It appears that supporting Content Creators (CCs) who generate content for your game could be a mutually beneficial move: the CC gains increased visibility for their content, while the developer enjoys a larger player base, more engagement, and a more vibrant community. Therefore, Seasun’s decision to scale back their support for CCs is certainly intriguing.

Essentially, it’s important to note that they weren’t doing a lot to start with. Snowbreak does run a Twitch drop campaign for each patch, but this is just a basic requirement for a well-functioning Community Contributor (CC) program, not something remarkable. As far as I know, Seasun has only actively promoted a CC through their program once – a single tweet when Nonpon was highlighted on the front page of Twitch. However, it’s worth mentioning that this achievement was entirely due to Nonpon’s own efforts, not any help from Seasun. In fact, it seems like Seasun is trying to capitalize on the success of one of their CCs by associating themselves with it.

As CC rewards were being scaled back, I noticed an interesting change on the Snowbreak Discord server – they took down the channels where CC creators used to share their content and promote their streams. Instead, these spaces seem to have been repurposed for user interaction with MEE6, a bot that lets you earn, spend, and gamble virtual currency, which appears to hold no value beyond these two channels. Frankly, I find this shift quite eloquent – it’s clear as day what’s happening here.

Additionally, together with the elimination of community channels for public broadcasting, there was also the deletion of a private channel that allowed Community Coordinators (CCs) to communicate directly with our Community Manager about any concerns or game-related problems they encountered. This channel proved quite useful for CCs, including myself, as I’ve utilized it several times in the past to report bugs within the game.

It seems as though, when they eliminated these communication channels, it gives off an appearance of indifference or disregard towards feedback. It suggests that they no longer value our input and have neglected to invest minimal effort in preserving the channels for cross-promotion of their content.

Salt in the Wound

As a devoted enthusiast, I must admit that the official communications about these alterations haven’t been particularly enlightening. Following the elimination of CC media channels, an announcement suggested we simply share our creations on public media platforms instead. However, it also offered cash rewards for creators who persist in producing top-notch work, while promising to offer content guidance to help us enhance our work quality over time.

Following several weeks of criticism on the CC discussion forums about the recent modifications and numerous CC members expressing their intention to leave the program, a last-minute statement was issued seemingly aimed at managing potential fallout:

The rules and rewards structure for the ‘Abyssal Dawn’ creator program is almost finalized for upcoming creator programs. It’s unfortunate if anyone decides to leave the creator program in the future. We appreciate your past contributions to Snowbreak and hope you have a successful creative journey ahead! (Note: If you’ve made up your mind, please let me know through a private message instead of announcing it in the chat channel.)

For those who continue to collaborate with Snowbreak, we truly value your partnership. As mentioned earlier, we plan to engage our creators through various reward events or cash incentives over time to foster a lasting relationship. I am confident that with the growing popularity of Snowbreak, your channel and video performance will also experience positive effects from this association. Once again, thank you for your consistent support!

The announcement concluded by providing a link for the ongoing public fanworks competition, implying (as I’ve been informed in private conversations with other Seasun team members) that those dissatisfied with reduced rewards could find additional compensation through such contests. Interestingly, the prizes offered for these fan creations surpassed what was available in the CC program itself.

This announcement appears to express gratitude towards those Creative Contributors (CCs) who are still part of the program, but at the same time encourages them to participate in a public competition for rewards they previously received from the CC program. This seems rather insensitive and disrespectful. Additionally, it states that Snowbreak will receive more visibility in the future, yet simultaneously eliminates opportunities for CCs to showcase their content – this is contradictory. To top it off, it asks CCs not to publicly express their dissatisfaction, which seems unrealistic and out of touch with the situation. It’s hard not to think that this statement was composed by someone in a corporate setting and passed down for the CC manager to post, as it seems highly unlikely that anyone genuinely managing the CC program would believe such a message without question.

As a gamer, let me reiterate my point: Seasun’s assurances about special incentives for Content Creators (CC) in their program have not materialized in my experience. I haven’t witnessed any CC gaining the promised “promotional support,” “opportunities for direct collaboration,” or received “cash incentives” or “content guidance.” The only instance that somewhat fits is technical, but it doesn’t align with the expectations set by Seasun.

So overall, you could say that they aren’t exactly handling things well.

My Personal Experiences

In my role as a key figure behind the scenes at snowbreak.gg, I’ve been fortunate enough to contribute significantly to its content. This status has granted me unique advantages, such as a monthly 3,000 Digicash stipend for site maintenance and occasional merchandise perks.

Additionally, you might have observed that within the CC reward system, there wasn’t a specific category for written content, which is my primary field. To circumvent this issue, I was granted special authorization to submit my articles and guides under the “fanart” category. At one point in time, this unique exception was withdrawn, and the monthly Digicash “bonus” that I used to receive transformed into the standard reward for the written content I submitted (I only learned about this yesterday while gathering information for this article). However, both this change and the decent number of views my Neural Sim run videos received on YouTube kept me among the more generously compensated CC members.

Approximately two months ago, someone from Seasun who wasn’t the CC program manager approached me and asked me to sign an NDA while managing two channels in their official Discord server as a condition for receiving my Digicash “bonus.” I refused because it seemed unreasonable to ask me to do additional moderation work for the same payment (in fake video game currency) that I was already getting. The demand for an NDA raised concerns, since nothing I currently do would require one. I don’t receive insider information, and I doubt I ever will. It seems like the purpose of the NDA could only be to suppress any content I create that they might not approve of. While they claimed this was company policy, I can’t see why it would apply to me.

For example, this article.

Even though I declined those conditions, I’ve been receiving the bonus payments since last month, but it remains to be seen if this continues in the future. I doubt this article will spark much excitement among them regarding this situation.

If I’m already quite comfortable in life, why share my thoughts? I won’t gain much personally, but I could potentially lose a lot. However, since I have a platform, I feel it’s my responsibility to use it for the betterment of others. This includes sharing insights, news updates, and addressing issues that require attention. The reason being, while I enjoy certain privileges, others in the CC program don’t, and they lack the audience and influence to make their voices heard effectively.

But Why Make These Changes?

To put it simply, I’m not sure about the reasons behind the global side of the game being excluded from CN-side beta content. It might be due to disregard for the global aspect, ineptitude, or even deliberate hindrance, but without concrete proof, it remains speculative. What I can confidently assert is that it’s unlikely that Seasun is doing this to save costs, or at least, I sincerely hope so.

Starting from version 2.5, all Content Creators (CCs) have access to the rankings and rewards distribution using the old reward system. Analyzing this data shows that even under the most unfavorable conditions, the total value of all CC rewards given out was less than $3,400 USD in real-world money. Leaving aside the question of whether it’s ethical to profit from content creators you claim to support, one may wonder if Seasun is being tight-fisted or if Snowbreak is experiencing financial difficulties so severe that they rely on potentially small income from CCs making personal purchases to bridge the gap between their former and current CC reward systems.

Regardless, it doesn’t cost anything to leave Discord channels open for CCs to share content, and yet, it seems significant that Seasun took the effort to remove them. Admittedly, this might seem like an insignificant issue, but precisely because of its smallness, it stands out that they made the effort to do so.

In many other games, Content Creators (CCs) have their own Creative Programs, often providing more attractive rewards and unique benefits. For instance, Hoyoverse games such as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero offer beta server access to CCs, enabling them to preview new characters and content early, and create guides and reviews before the official release. However, it’s not just big-name games that excel at managing a Content Creator program. A good example is Crystal of Atlan.

Even though it’s merely been a month since its worldwide launch and has earned approximately the same income as Snowbreak, it’s remarkable that it now hosts guides created by content creators directly within the game!

Even though Crystal of Atlan may not be well-known to many people, the fact remains that they make an effort to support their creators effectively. This raises the question: Why can’t Snowbreak follow suit and do the same for its content creators?

Despite appearing frugal, Seasun apparently has a substantial budget at their disposal. This is evident in their recent activities, such as hiring prominent figures from the gacha industry like Tectone, Stix, and Braxophone for sponsored livestreams and YouTube videos. This is an exception to my previous statement about no direct collaboration opportunities being offered. It’s important to note that Stix, though not a regular Snowbreak content producer, is still part of the CC program. I hold no grudge against these creators for accepting such offers, and I encourage them to seize any financial opportunities.

However, it’s hard not to question Seasun’s intentions when they reduce CC rewards while investing heavily in influencer marketing. For instance, Tectone is reportedly paid one dollar per viewer per hour during sponsored streams, making his average stream of 5,500 viewers quite an expensive endeavor. This spending pattern suggests that Seasun values established personalities more for advertising purposes rather than genuinely supporting their CC program.

This dynamic leaves CCs in the program feeling undervalued and unappreciated, which is understandable given their current treatment. Under these circumstances, it’s natural to question the sincerity of Seasun’s commitment to their CC program.

It’s accurate to say that Seasun isn’t required to offer any incentives or aid to content creators who produce Snowbreak content, and that these creators aren’t guaranteed special treatment. However, it’s also important to note that content creators aren’t obligated to work for Seasun either. They have the freedom to focus on another game if they prefer. The question then arises: why should they invest their time, energy, and sometimes money creating content for a game that doesn’t seem to value their efforts when they could instead work on a game that treats them better and provides more rewards? This shift in policy seems to be driving many content creators away from the CC program. I can only assume that this trend will continue.

Regarding the CC program, there’s been one outstanding aspect that has remained consistent – the dedicated staff overseeing daily operations. I’ve collaborated with four different managers and one additional staff member within this program, and each individual demonstrated exceptional competence, professionalism, and a delightful demeanor. They truly grasped the essence of a top-tier CC program and frequently stood up for our interests. Although the current manager didn’t openly express it, their private sentiments hinted that they weren’t in favor of the changes implemented. I suspect that these modifications, coupled with the unsuccessful damage control efforts, may stem from interference by corporate executives higher up the management chain, disregarding the insights and concerns of those who have hands-on experience. To sum it up, this is merely my personal opinion.

History Doesn’t Repeat, But it Sure Does Rhyme

It’s important to note that the Snowbreak content creator program hasn’t been free from systematic problems in the past. In fact, it faced several difficulties last year too.

• The CC media kit, which CCs relied on to have access to splash arts and other resources to produce content with, was not being updated. This reached the point that I ended up personally enlisting the help of a dataminer so I could produce my own media kit to provide to other CCs.
• CC rewards were not being distributed remotely on time, with one set of rewards being distributed so late that the premium battlepass reward (this was when all CCs got premium battlepasses, after all) was only days from being already expired. This led to multiple CCs paying out-of-pocket to upgrade their battlepasses, which should have been a program reward.
• It was difficult to contact anyone managing the CC program, because there was nobody assigned to managing it – our best point of contact was the Mechabreak CC program manager going above and beyond to also help out on the Snowbreak side in their free time.

Issues pertaining to these matters were brought up as far back as January of the previous year, but no action was taken for a full six months. As a result, Nonpon and I decided to bring these concerns to light. A week following a public statement and pledge to improve, changes began to be implemented, at which point I penned down the positive transformations and expressed my approval of the revamped CC program.

Due to circumstances I believe you can understand, I’m regrettably unable to continue supporting this endorsement. To those considering applying for the Snowbreak CC program at present, here’s a candid warning: if you’re not already a prominent and prolific content creator, your contributions may go unappreciated, and you might find that the support advertised in recruitment materials is not forthcoming. I suggest channeling your skills towards a project that truly values and rewards your hard work. Unfortunately, Snowbreak: Containment Zone, as it stands now, does not seem to be that kind of game.

Initially, the challenges encountered with the CC program were more about overall malfunction rather than deliberately sabotaging a system that was working efficiently. However, it seemed we were sailing smoothly and no changes were necessary. Regrettably, it seems that barely a year after pledging to improve their relationship with CCs, they’ve either forgotten or disregarded the lessons learned. Just like before, when Snowbreak’s CC program faced problems, it appears meaningful improvement will only occur if we shine a light on the situation once more.

Read More

2025-06-16 23:02