Many guilds would want to boost their numbers. That meant players would likely have more than one account!
The ‘Chosen One’ system selected players based on chance. This meant that the more accounts one had, the higher their chances would be of being selected by the system.
Then, rich players could buy strength potions using their alternate accounts. After all, they did not cost much.
With that many players, a game could generate profits no matter how low its paywall was! A realization dawned on Pei Qian. “This game must be making a huge profit, right?”
Lin Wan quickly became modest. “It won’t make too much money. Wang Xiaobin did his calculations. According to the rate at which players are joining the game, we would make four to five million yuan a month at most. It would probably not surpass Ocean Stronghold.”
Pei Qian paused. “Four to five million yuan?!”
How could it earn that much?!
Pei Qian knew very well that this amount would not sound ridiculous for the mobile games industry in the future. However, the mobile games market was just not that big now!
What’s more, Bloody Battle Song had very low paywalls. Even if it had many players and a good reputation, it seemed unlikely to be able to earn that much.
Lin Wan smiled subtly. “Shenhua’s games platform is splitting the profit with us 10-90. We’re taking 90%.” Pei Qian, “…”
He felt a blood clot in his throat and nearly coughed it up.
They were just waiting!
It was no wonder they could earn that much money. The application store was only taking 10% of their revenue. What the h*ll, what difference is there between that and not taking any money at all?!
Is this the result of using one’s network?
Is this how a biological daughter would be treated?
It’s terrifying…
Lin Wan still felt sorry. “Actually, we could have earned much more.
“I can only say that game was too kindly made. The paywall is too low. If we stuck to Bloody Battle Song’s old, scamming top-up system; we might earn more than ten million yuan a month.
“But don’t worry, Boss Pei. We don’t plan to do that.
“We’re keeping Tengda’s vision in mind. We want to be number one in terms of reputation!
“This way, Bloody Battle Song: The Powerful Version will live a long life. We will not be phased out in three or four months like ordinary web-based games. Our game should be able to maintain this level of income for the next one or two years. In fact, it might generate even more!”
Pei Qian began to feel unwell.
It was ridiculous enough that the game would earn four or five million yuan a month!
Indeed, it could not compare to web-based games with more paywalls. After all, the ballers in those web-based games would top up tens of thousands of yuan at will. One baller alone was akin to millions of ordinary players.
However, it was terrifying that they would be able to earn that much from ordinary players alone!
Ocean Stronghold had many players; that meant the company spent a lot of money on bandwidth and server fees each month.
However, having that many players also meant that the game was vastly popular and would live a long life!
Bloody Battle Song was a war game. That meant there were high levels of interaction, which would breed loyalty in players.
Other war games had loyal players as well, who would stick with the game for a long time. However, the problem was that ballers would compete by making purchases in the game. If the system failed to control this, the game’s war system could collapse. Thus, most web-based games ended up losing a lot of ordinary players after three or four months. They would have no choice but to struggle for survival by creating new servers.
Bloody Battle Song was a different story. It would be impossible for the war system to break down. The ‘Chosen One’ system would control the amount of power each side had. Also, ordinary players would be given the chance to experience playing like ballers. This would increase their loyalty to the game, thereby increasing the game’s lifespan!
When he heard Lin Wan say the game ‘should be able to maintain this level of income for the next one or two years’, Pei Qian felt like the world’s most evil curse was being put on him. At once, he felt nauseous.
This is not a money tree—it’s a massive burden!
What’s more, it was the kind that Pei Qian would not be able to shake off!
It was like riding a tiger-Boss Pei just could not get off. If he maintained the status quo, the game would continue to earn a stable income for a long time. The game’s lifespan might shorten if he added more purchase options to ruin its reputation. However, in the short-term, ballers would vengefully buy as much as they could. The consequences would be dire.
Pei Qian was speechless; he had no idea what to say. As he watched the people around him stuff their faces, Pei Qian’s heart began to hurt.
You wastrels! Stop eating!
Spit everything back out! I was still thinking about rewarding you earlier, and this is how you’re repaying me?!
Pei Qian finally knew why everyone looked so relaxed, natural, and stress-free.
It was because the game was generating profit! It was doing well in terms of both reputation and income. Why would they be stressed?
Pei Qian quietly handed the cell phone back to Lin Wan. As he looked at her, his expression was complex.
It’s finished.
This woman will not go back to inherit her family business.
Pei Qian could only imagine how much more confident Lin Wan felt now that the mobile version of Bloody Battle Song had achieved such success.
Lin Wan realized that Boss Pei was looking at her with a complicated expression, and she could not help but smile subtly.
Boss Pei looks so pleased. Is he feeling happy for me?
Indeed, I have worked on many projects in Sun Strike Studios and Tengda. Finally, I’ve grown into an outstanding designer, who can take charge of a project and resolve problems on her own!
Pei Qian remained silent for two more seconds, still not knowing what to say. He could only down the glass of red wine in his hand. He had only one thought now: to get plastered!
When he saw this, Ye Zhizhou thought that Boss Pei was drinking to celebrate. He quickly tipped his head back and downed his glass as well.
“Boss Pei, cheers!”
“Come, everyone! Raise your glasses! We will make merry tonight until we’re drunk!”
Chapter 267 - May It Become the Example for Other Web-Based Games to Learn From!
On the top floor of Ming Yun Private Kitchen…
The red wine had gone to his head. The light-headedness coupled with the gentle night breeze made Pei Qian feel slightly hazier.
He retrieved his cell phone and downloaded Shenhua’s application store. Once again, he confirmed that Bloody Battle Song’s mobile version was now first place on the chart.
Alright, everything that had happened earlier was real.
Pei Qian heaved a long sigh.
How upsetting…
When he heard the grievous news, he felt like gray clouds had suddenly blocked the sun from his life. All of a sudden, he was at a loss as to what to do.
The good thing was that he was already used to this feeling
After all, it was not the first or second time that everything was going awry. He had learned enough from his past.
Oh, no. To put it more accurately, he had learned how to adjust his own mood after things went awry. “It’s alright to earn four or five million yuan more each month. We’re still some time away from settlement. We can still create more Upwind Courier stations. I can still take it.”
It was September 20th. Settlement would be on October 31st. There was still more than a month to go.
He could not have unannounced products a week before settlement. In other words, he had to release all new products before October 24th. He could still spend m
ore money.
Take Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and Upwind Logistics for example.
He could rent available spaces and begin operations before October 24th, so that settlement would not be affected.
“I have to say that this group of people at Shang Yang Games caught me unprepared. However, on the bright side, they are quite efficient. If they only completed the mobile version of Bloody Battle Song next month, my hands would really be tied.
“At least I have a chance to make up for their wrongs now. As long as I can think of ways to spend the money, everything will be fine!”
Pei Qian was not quite reacting well in the face of an emergency; he had just been prepared in advance.
After all, things had gone awry many times before. He had to remember the lessons learned.
Ever since this week began, Pei Qian had been doubly prepared. The game incurring losses was the best-case scenario. If that did not happen, Pei Qian still had a trump card. The only businesses that Boss Pei could trust were Zhongdian Chinese Network, Fish-Catching Take-Out, Upwind Logistics, and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. Among these, Pei Qian did not dare to touch Zhongdian Chinese Network.
It was true that he could burn money exceptionally quickly by working on online literature. For example, he could pour tens of millions of yuan into buying gods of online literature over from Infinite Chinese Network. Alternatively, he could also spend the same amount of money buying tens of ordinary writers.
However, the risks were too high!
What if Zhongdian Chinese Network ended up becoming popular? Wouldn’t he be shooting himself in the foot?
Content was the most important thing in the online literature market. Good content would bring in more readers, more readers would lead to more subscriptions, and higher subscription fees would invite more authors.
All of these formed a virtuous cycle.
Pei Qian wanted to leave this option out because it was too unpredictable. He could easily be setting up hidden threats for his future self.
Fish-Catching Take-Out was not bad. It was still incurring losses, but it was still depending on Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
If Pei Qian made it independent from Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, he would have to rent a place to act as a kitchen and a disinfecting location. That would be too troublesome.
What’s more, while Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was incurring losses, it was not incurring that much loss. Dei Qian would not be able to spend enough money on this business.
After considering it for a long while, he finally decided that he would be able to spend more money at a much faster rate in physical businesses like Upwind Logistics and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
Pei Qian was slightly disappointed with Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. However, he would be able to increase spending on Fish-Catching Take-Out and test waters with Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 2.0.
He would make adjustments to save Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s loss-incurring model. For all he knew, he would be able to save things from going off the path.
Upwind Logistics was the most dependable to Pei Qian.
However, compared to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Upwind Courier stations required less money to operate. Pei Qian had to pay for rent, renovations, computers, and the like in order to open a new Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branch. All of these would add up to at least three million yuan. On the other hand, he would only need about thirty thousand yuan to set up an Upwind Courier station.
That meant he had to open a hundred Upwind Courier stations in order to match up to opening a new Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branch. The rate at which he could spend money was different for each of those businesses.
Although he could set up an unlimited number of Upwind Courier stations, he had to select a location for each one. It was a lot of work to find a location, sign a contract, and interview staff.
It would be manageable if he was only looking to open one or two Upwind Courier stations, but if he was looking at a hundred, even Lu Mingliang and the others would not be able to handle the workload.
Thus, Pei Qian prepared two plans at the same time. He would open both a new Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branch and more Upwind Courier stations. This would allow him to spend as much money as he could.
As for locations and staff, Pei Qian did not have many requirements. His only requirement was that all the shops had to be opened before October 24th.
As long as he could spend all the money and not affect settlement, he would have succeeded.
At that thought, Pei Qian called Zhang Yuan and Lu Mingliang. Time was of the essence. The plan demanded immediate action, and he could not wait for even a second longer.
Standing at the head of the stairs to the top floor, Ye Zhizhou carefully stuck his head out and looked around.
“Boss Pei is so busy.
“He’s still making work calls now.”
Ye Zhizhou could not help but feel guilty.
Although they had successfully shared Boss Pei’s burden with the mobile version of Bloody Battle Song this time, Tengda had way too many businesses still. The thought of himself eating while Boss Pei was working made Ye Zhizhou feel embarrassed.
However, on second thought, Boss Pei must always have been this hardworking. Otherwise, Tengda would not have become so successful.
Ye Zhizhou was just about to leave silently when Pei Qian hung up. He turned around and met Ye Zhizhou’s gaze.
Ye Zhizhou cleared his throat and said, “Boss Pei, everyone noticed that you were missing for a long time. We thought you were feeling unwell because you drank too much, and so I came up here to take a look.
“I didn’t expect to find you still working since it’s already so late.”
Pei Qian’s anger had already dissipated, but when he heard Ye Zhizhou’s words, he felt his blood begin to boil once again.
Why do you think I have to work at such a time?!
If you hadn’t made a mess of everything all of a sudden, why the h*ll would I need to arrange for Zhang Yuan and Lu Mingliang to spend more money now?!
You stabbed me in the back, and you’re still trying to rub salt in my wounds? Ridiculous!
Pei Qian was furious.
However, he could only keep these thoughts in his heart. He could not say them out loud.
Ye Zhizhou noticed that Pei Qian looked unwell. Thus, he asked in a concerned tone, “Boss Pei, are you alright?”
Pei Qian forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I just met with some trouble at work.”
Ye Zhizhou quickly nodded. “Yes, I understand. How can Boss Pei be defeated by small problems?”
Pei Qian was momentarily speechless.
He wanted to say something but quickly stopped himself.
There was no point.
Trying to explain things to Ye Zhizhou would be like a chicken trying to speak to a duck. No one could empathize with Pei Qian’s sorrow.
Pei Qian could only suffer in silence. Was it true that he was destined to be misunderstood?
Forget it; calm down.
It’s not worth getting angry over something like that. I should go back and eat good food.
Pei Qian had been so angry that he had lost his appetite. Now that his anger had dissipated, he was feeling hungry again. He walked back to his own seat, his heart heavy with sorrow. He was prepared to turn his sorrow into appetite and fill his stomach.
He had just sat down and deshelled a huge lobster when Lin Wan ran towards him excitedly.
“Boss Pei, look! The official platform is recommending our game, too! They’re even doing that on their home page!”
“Pfft!”
Pei Qian had just taken a sip of red wine, but now he was spitting it all out. What the hell?!
The official platform was recommending even a game like Bloody Battle Song? Are you kidding me?
Pei Qian was completely confused. How can that be?!
The official platform had a clear direction for making recommendations! Ordinary profit-driv
en games could get a recommendation spot in the corner of the official games platform at most.
Only top-notch games that the official platform deemed had a healthy direction, were valuable, and would benefit the game industry could take up the recommendation spots on the homepage.
Game Designer was an example of such games.
However, Bloody Battle Song was a traditional web-based game. It was a war game that involved a lot of violence. How could it be validated by the official platform? How could it make it to the official platform’s home page?
Could they be doing this on account of Tengda?
That was impossible. The game was not Tengda Games’s-it was Shang Yang Games’
How could it receive such treatment?
Pei Qian was completely perplexed. He held onto the lobster, not knowing how to respond.
After a long time, he asked, “So… What did they say about the game?”.
Lin Wan could not stop smiling. She read, “As a traditional web-based game, Bloody Battle Song has contributed important innovations in terms of gameplay. “By replacing the original top-up system with the ‘Chosen One’ system, this game changed the root of web-based game models, which typically encourage burning money and buying revenge. As a result, all players are able to enjoy the game calmly and peacefully. This game has served to greatly improve web-based gamers’ values.
“For a long time, web-based games have been blindly imposing paywalls. These games left a bad taste in many players’ mouths and were headed down an unhealthy path.
“Bloody Battle Song’s exceptional game design, bold innovations, and top-notch quality have completely changed this impression in traditional web-based gamers. While keeping the fun elements of classic web-based games, the developers tweaked web-based gamers’ bad spending habits. This move has greatly encouraged improvement in this industry.
“The most precious thing is Bloody Battle Song was once an ordinary game. Yet, the designers did not give the game up. They paid attention to detail and constantly made improvements to the game in order to inject new life into it.
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