Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883
Page 29
‘Take a close look, this is the entertainment room! There’s even a resting area!’
‘Doesn’t the gigantic television look nice? Don’t the sofas feel comfortable?’
‘Why aren’t you guys reacting at all?!’
Zhou Muyan was bewildered.
But, it was normal for the group to be nonchalant.
For most of them, when they saw the so-called entertainment room and snacks area, they only had a single reaction.
‘This was it?’
‘You dare to call this small little bird cage that only has a small television and a single console an entertainment room?’
‘This snacks area only has a few packets of biscuits, some chips and there’s even a sign that says every single employee is only restricted to a limited amount. You guys dare to call this a snacks area?!’
‘After all that bragging, everything you have is inferior to what Tengda has!’
But of course, while the group could not say it out loud, they could not help but feel disappointed internally…
It was an outright disappointment!
So, this was the working environment in one of the top tier domestic gaming companies?
This was a far cry from how things were like in Tengda!
Even though the building looked good on the outside, it was pathetic within!
The group’s reaction was indifferent and cold.
Ma Yang recalled Pei Qian’s instructions and realized that this was the time for him to shine.
He must not let the situation turn even more awkward! He had to ask questions and provide feedback!
At that thought, he looked at the filled working area and asked casually, “Oh, isn’t it Saturday today? There are so many people doing overtime?”
Zhou Muyan was stumped
‘What kind of a rubbish question is that?’
‘All of our domestic gaming companies follows the 996 system! If not for the fact that it’s a working day today, do you think I’ll be able to entertain you guys in the office today?’
The question was so stupid that Zhou Muyan did not know how he should reply…
Huang Sibo responded immediately in an attempt to diffuse the situation, “Ah, it’s normal to do overtime for the sake of work.”
Ma Yang nodded. “That’s true. They can even get to earn overtime pay. Say, there are so many people doing overtime, I suppose the company spends a lot on overtime pay monthly?”
‘Overtime pay?’
Zhou Muyan continued to be stumped.
He was puzzled as to where this big faced man was from!
Why did it feel as though this person did not know anything about the industry from the way he spoke?
Which gaming company would have a bloody overtime pay? 996 was just the norm!
When they saw the unnatural expression on Zhou Muyan’s face, Huang Sibo and the rest understood right away.
However, Ma Yang had not realized what was going on yet and looked as though he was about to ask more questions.
Pei Qian pulled Ma Yang away immediately.
‘You shit! What’s up with the things that you’re asking!’
‘I told you to ask questions, not to burn bridges! Anymore and Zhou Muyan’s going to toss you out soon!’
‘We didn’t come all the way here to sow grudges with them!’
Ma Yang shrugged and could not understand why Pei Qian pulled him away.
‘What’s wrong with the questions I asked? Aren’t they normal?’
Thankfully, he was not stupid enough to continue asking as he merely went silent.
Zhou Muyan was extremely speechless but he was graceful enough to ignore that annoyance and he continued introducing Sun Strike Studios to the group.
However, the excitement of the group that had just witnessed the truth had died down as they looked as though they were humoring him.
Zhou Muyan was extremely bothered – shouldn’t they look excited and envious instead?
He was certain that the working environment of Sun Strike Studios was 90% better than all other domestic gaming companies!
It didn’t make sense for them to not be envious!
Xiao Lu looked at the working area and muttered subconsciously, “This working area is so squeezy…”
Chapter 52
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
‘Squeezy?’
‘Are you for real?!’
Zhou Muyan looked at his company’s working area – how was it squeezy? Wasn’t it the same for most companies out there?
Everyone had their own desk to work with like with any other companies! Not just that, because Sun Strike Studios had their own building, it was even more spacious than the other companies!
Calling this squeezy, these guys must be blind…
Huang Sibo understood that the issue didn’t lie with Sun Strike Studios – it was because it was way too spacious back in Tengda!
Which company would behave the same way as Tengda did? Even a real estate company wouldn’t do that!
However, because everyone had been working for so long in Tengda, they were long used to the working environment. As such, they felt dispirited looking at Sun Strike Studios’ working environment in contrast.
That had all of them losing complete interest. It was akin to a group of people who were used to staying in a villa by the sea listening to a salesperson brag about a luxurious three bedroom apartment instead…
Their dreams were all shattered!
All of them were initially excited about Sun Strike Studios but now, it just seemed meh!
The working area was cramped.
The computer specs were average and they did not even have dual monitors.
Just a few packets of snacks and that became a snacks area.
There was only a small television in the entertainment room – were they beggars?
Not just that, 996 was strictly enforced without any overtime pay!
Was this really a top tier domestic gaming company?
It was far inferior to Tengda!
That was the same feeling as someone bumping into their first love after being married for many years only to find out that the other party had gained a lot of weight and turned into an old hag.
They would then realize that their wife was actually much prettier in comparison!
Indeed, Boss Pei was the best boss in the world, no exceptions!
They should stop thinking about nonsense and spend their lives dedicating it to Boss Pei!
…
Zhou Muyan was starting to feel awkward after his bragging. It was mainly because the other side looked as though they were humoring him such that he lost all mood to continue bragging.
“Let’s continue then. I’ve arranged for a sharing session of our success stories. Everyone, this way please.”
Everyone arrived at a large conference room within Sun Strike Studios.
Their schedule for the day was planned between Assistant Xin and Sun Strike Studios employees and that included a sharing session between the companies.
Assistant Xin had planned it based on a normal company’s exchange schedule. After all, it wouldn’t be nice for them to leave after just seeing the company since they came such a far distance.
Since it was an exchange for learning, they would definitely have to share their success stories to make the trip worthwhile.
Because there were a total of 20 odd employees from Tengda’s side, Sun Strike Studios arranged for the same number of people to join in the sharing and both parties had assigned people to go on stage for the sharing.
The first person to speak was Sun Xi who had welcomed them earlier on – he was one of the core designers of a large scale MMORPG made by Sun Strike Studios.
Sun Xi started off by expressing his welcome to Boss Pei and the rest for their long journey visit which was met with much applause, livening the mood.
Thereafter, he introduced his success experience in taking charge of
the MMORPG.
Pei Qian took out a small notebook and listened intently while nodding his head and scribbling notes.
Before long, a tortoise was born.
Not long after, there was a rat added, a duck…
He understood nothing!
It was mainly because Pei Qian was seated in the front row and could not afford to fall asleep.
In truth, Sun Xi did not share anything particularly abstract and Huang Sibo and the rest understood it completely. However, there were a lot of technical terms and English abbreviations. Through Sun Xi’s expression and motions, Pei Qian could tell that it was a really impressive game but the deeper details eluded him completely.
Before long, Sun Xi was done and the drowsy Pei Qian was reinvigorated as he led the applause.
Next up was Tengda’s side.
Since the other side had shared their success story, it was only natural that Tengda had to respond in kind.
Huang Sibo was the one who was sent up to explain Ghost General’s success. Ocean Stronghold was not completed yet and no one could be sure if it would be a hit, therefore it was unsuitable to share about it.
Strictly speaking, Pei Qian should have been the one to share it since he was the one who had created Ghost General solely.
However, that suggestion was rejected by Pei Qian decisively. Firstly, he did not want to get on stage. Secondly, he did not even really know why in the world Ghost General had succeeded…
Therefore, when Assistant Xin told Pei Qian about this part of the exchange, he dumped the task to Huang Sibo swiftly for the latter to share and be done with it.
When Huang Sibo went on stage, the place roared with applause.
“First, let me clarify that I did not take part in the production of Ghost General. The game was created entirely by Boss Pei singlehandedly. However, during the time which I’ve joined Tengda, I’ve taken the effort to research Ghost General as well. I believe I do have some understanding of it and have a slight grasp of Boss Pei’s design ideals.”
“Boss Pei, if I make any mistakes during my explanation, please feel free to correct me.”
“In my opinion, there are three factors contributing to Ghost General’s success.”
“First, the perfectionist attitude towards the game’s quality and the daring art style!”
“From what I know, Boss Pei spent more than half of the investment money into the purchase of art resources. Not just that, he took the leap of faith by employing a newbie artist! The moment the epic ink art style of Ghost General was pushed out, it was met with critical acclaim by the gamers. All of that is thanks to Boss Pei’s farsightedness and exceptional taste of beauty.”
“Boss Pei not only made Ghost General a success, he did it for Ruan Guangjian’s unique art style as well. It was a win-win situation…”
“Secondly, the kindly priced in-game purchases.”
“The maximum amount of money one can spend on Ghost General is 40 yuan. Compared to mobile card games like Qute Three Kingdoms which is money grubby, the fair playstyle gained the admiration and respect of gamers out there. At the same time, the strategy of earning through low margins and high quantity allowed the game to be a sellout while gaining reputable word of mouth…”
“Thirdly, the special marketing methods!”
“Because all of the money was invested into the game’s development, Ghost General was faced with a situation where it had no money available for marketing! Boss Pei thought out of the box and marketed it through Weibo, causing the game to turn hot within the artist circle before spreading further into the gaming scene, achieving an exceptional outreach effect…”
“I believe that the marketing strategy can even be repeatedly studied as a classic case study!”
Huang Sibo had prepared for this thoroughly and was confident.
He had never once asked Pei Qian the behind the scenes work of Ghost General. Instead, he researched everything on his own through online reviews and Ruan Guangjian’s Weibo et cetera before trying to combine them with Boss Pei’s character and thought process.
That was how he had managed to roughly make out the entire thing.
While he was explaining, he would look in Pei Qian’s direction from time to time.
‘Boss Pei is smiling while nodding his head!’
‘Indeed, I’ve guessed correctly!’
Huang Sibo felt extremely proud. Even though he did not take part in the development of Ghost General, the fact that he was able to understand Boss Pei’s thought process at the time was something rather impressive. That meant that he was catching up to the pace of Boss Pei!
While Pei Qian was nodding his head, he was lamenting in his heart.
‘What a brilliant speech. He’s talking about things that I didn’t even know existed in my head back then.’
Below the stage, Sun Xi, Zhou Muyan and the other employees of Sun Strike Studios were listening intently while taking notes as well.
Zhou Muyan could not help but lament that this was indeed a young talent!
Even though this Boss Pei was young, he had guts!
To throw all of his investment money into development without saving a single cent for marketing, to have the balls to employ a newbie artist with a brand new art style so that they could reinvent the current state of mobile card games…
This was not something that any mere designer could do!
This was a ballsy man! Wasn’t he afraid of losing all of his investment!
Indeed, there’s a high chance that this man was a rich second-generation heir. There’s no other way he would dare to take on such a risk while being indifferent about it…
Was this what they meant by different mental states? The legendary act of being able to take everything light as the wind…?
Zhou Muyan was filling in the plot by himself and his impression of Pei Qian improved once more.
Before long, Huang Sibo was done with his speech and the audience burst out with applause!
Pei Qian felt a number of sincere, respectful gazes turned at him.
Those were gazes of admiration towards a genius!
Chapter 53
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhou Muyan was up next.
This was the final segment of the sharing session where Zhou Muyan would give them a simple introduction to the FPS game that they were creating!
Assistant Xin had worked to ensure that this was the most critical segment of the schedule.
Even though this was said to be a sharing session, the difference between Sun Strike Studios and Tengda was clear as day and it was obvious who was learning from the other.
Since Sun Strike Studios was creating a FPS game and Ocean Stronghold was also a FPS game, Tengda would stand to benefit by learning from Sun Strike Studios’ advanced knowledge in terms of FPS games!
Huang Sibo and the others were listening intently as well, hoping to gain some insights from Zhou Muyan so that they could improve on Ocean Stronghold when they returned.
Zhou Muyan was suave and confident.
“The game that we’re working on right now is a FPS called Bullet Hole and our aim is to surpass Counter Strike!”
“The most important aspect of FPS games is the hand sensitivity portion. Most players of FPS games are veterans and we’ve done our research. Most players of Counter Strike enjoy spending a long time practicing their shooting and aim. In fact, they would spend days trying to convert it into muscle memory!”
“For those gamers, every slight detail would serve as a deciding factor for whether or not they would choose to play a game!”
“Therefore, in terms of the hand sensitivity aspect, I can assure you guys that Bullet Hole is at least 90% similar to that of Counter Strike’s! This is an extremely difficult goal to hit for any domestic FPS games but we did it!”
“At the same time, we’ve been putting in a lot of work for the art design. Be it in terms of the guns or outfits, we’ve adhered to the or
iginal image of overseas special forces. In fact, we’ve even hired military specialists to check through our work so that any army enthusiast gamers would not find any issues with it.”
“Not just that, we intend to migrate our successful paywall model from our MMORPG into Bullet Hole using a model where the game is free to play but the equipment would require money. It will be a unicorn in the FPS genre for making money!”
After hearing Zhou Muyan’s explanation, Huang Sibo’s expression changed slightly.
‘This is bad!’
‘Ocean Stronghold is screwed!’
‘Our thought process for Ocean Stronghold is completely opposite with Bullet Hole!’
‘Bullet Hole focuses on the experience of veteran gamers and follows the hand sensitivity aspect of Counter Strike to its fullest! Not just that, it’s even replicating the guns and outfits with military specialists giving advice!’
‘Even though both of our games charge through equipment, Bullet Hole has the advantage through their experience of their MMORPG’s payment model! Ocean Stronghold has nothing at all!’
‘What would that imply?’
‘It meant that the veteran gamers of Counter Strike would find Bullet Hole much more enticing!’
‘Even though Counter Strike is still extremely popular, it’s already an old game and it’s not considered an online game. Most companies creating FPS games these days are trying to make a pure online game so that they can bring over the fans of Counter Strike.’
‘But the answer is obvious. If a Counter Strike gamer sees Bullet Hole and Ocean Stronghold at the same time, they’d definitely pick Bullet Hole!’
‘With these two games clashing, wouldn’t Ocean Stronghold be doomed from the start?’
Huang Sibo was getting unnerved; the more he heard, the more he felt that Ocean Stronghold was going to fail!
What should they do?
He looked at Pei Qian unconsciously.
However, not only did Boss Pei look unworried, the smile on his face was even getting wider!
Why was that?
Huang Sibo was perplexed as to why Boss Pei would be delighted after knowing that Bullet Hole and Ocean Stronghold differed so much.
Could it be…
Suddenly, Huang Sibo realized.