March 13th, Sunday...
Pei Qian came to Otto Technologies again to supervise the battle! There might be no goddamn use in supervising the battle, but Pei Qian would feel better.
It was Sunday, but the sale of cell phones was of great importance so they had to work overtime. Of course, the overtime pay was definitely sufficient. There was a lot of pressure on Chang You. Boss Pei coming in person meant he attached great importance to the sales of OTTO E1. However, these stocks would definitely not be able to be sold out today!
The pre-orders just reached 5,000 units, and yet they had 9,000 units of stock.
Moreover, those who pre-ordered could pay the balance within two or three days so they would not rush to buy it. There was no reason for the others to rush in purchasing it either since those who were really interested had already pre-ordered.
In short, the sales volume of the cell phones today would definitely not be something good to look at. It would be very difficult for him to clean up when Boss Pei became angry then.
However, Chang You had no other way since things happened this way. He could only bite the bite and wait for the phone to go on sale.
At 10 in the morning, the cell phone started selling again!
The sales volume rose rapidly at the start but slowed down almost immediately. It was obvious that the momentum stopped. Pei Qian's mood was getting better as he watched the sales volume change.
Great, it was exactly the same as what he estimated, perhaps even better!
Many people would not be so eager to rush to buy after paying a deposit during pre-order. There were plenty of stocks this time so it was not as popular as the first two waves.
The sales volume reached 4,100 units after an hour, and it was increasing at a snail's crawl.
Pei Qian felt that it was about there. It would be difficult for the sales volume to exceed 5,000 units even if he took into account that there were another two hours to purchase.
He reached the goal of 4,000 units of remaining stock with ease! Chang You was very nervous when Boss Pei stood up.
He also knew that there was no point in watching the sales volume today any further.
Therefore, he hurriedly said, "Boss Pei, don't worry, I'll continue to keep an eye on the sales volume and think of other ways! I'll definitely solve the problem of the remaining stock!"
Chang You quickly showed his determination.
The corner of Pei Qian's mouth twitched. "Think of another way?"
Please, please don't!
The situation now is perfect! No one wants the cell phone anymore! Don't struggle, let them rest in the warehouse and become obsolete!
Can't you feel the pain of a lovely cell phone being marketed? No, you can't! You cannot only care about yourself!
Pei Qian shook his head. "Our strategy has no problem. Your top priority should not be on marketing. Your priority now should be on production!"
"Put all the money into production. I want to see 14,000 units of OTTO cell phones in the warehouse before next Wednesday!"
Chang You's lips parted slightly, unable to speak.
Stock up even more? It was not selling anymore! Yet, we are going to stock up 14,000 units? It would be great if they could sell the 4,000 stock on hand now. It would not be too late to stock up then! Pei Qian asked the dazed Chang You. "Can you do it?"
Chang You replied immediately, "Yes! No problem!"
...
Pei Qian felt much better as he returned to his residence. The pressure to make a loss in this cycle had been greatly reduced!
Pei Qian had discovered that the calculation of profit and loss by the system was rather simple and crude. It would only be the change in system funds.
The conversion of money into physical or virtual property would not be included in the statistics of the system funds. Only 10% of large real estate would be included.
Pei Qian even wanted to move all his excess funds from other places to stock up the OTTO cell phone.
He had, however, resisted the temptation. He knew very well that such an action had its risk, and it was a huge risk.
It would be like ROF Computer-Installation previously. If it suddenly became popular, the stocks would be all bought, and all money would be lost.
It was the same now. Pei Qian would have been hoarding them for nothing if these cell phones were sold for some inexplicable reason.
Therefore, he intended to wait and see. He wanted to ensure that the cell phones were absolutely safe before he continued stocking.
The first thing Pei Qian did when he returned to his residence was to open Gou Yan to check the box office of Flying Star Journey.
In first place, "Flying Star Journey" had 16.493 million yuan box office as of noon. In second place was "The Chaser" with a box office of 3.217 million yuan as of noon.
Tomorrow is Beautiful was in third place with a box office of 2.874 million yuan as of noon.
Three question marks floated above Pei Qian's head as his heart turned cold.
This situation did not seem right!
The box office of 'Flying Star Journey' should have been able to reach about 32 million yuan today, which would have been much higher
than yesterday. However, it still met the box office expectations of Gou Yan or actually missed slightly.
In other words, this film would only have a box officer of about 300 million yuan in China.
Gou Yan proved very strongly to Pei Qian that its estimates were very correct. However, it was now Pei Qian's turn to wonder.
Such a big production with such little popularity? If this box office performance was true, then the film would be making a huge loss. The global box office would make a loss of four to five billion US dollars!
"How envious! Sigh, forget it, it has nothing to do with me.
"I don't care how much loss you made, just help me push down the box office of Tomorrow is Beautiful!"
Pei Qian's expectation of Flying Star Journey naturally decreased, seeing how it fell short of expectation. He originally hoped that it could squeeze out all other films from the film schedule. However, it seemed impossible now.
He got angrier when he saw The Chaser. "What's wrong with you? Aren't you a large production? Why did your box office drop so much after three days of release?"
That was so disappointing!
He then took a look at Tomorrow is Beautiful. Its box office was better than yesterday and was rising against the trend! It was about to overtake The Chaser and get back to the second place.
Pei Qian was speechless.
"Something is wrong; something is definitely wrong!
"Even if Flying Star Journey is bad, it is still a blockbuster film from the United States on its second day of the box office. Why is the box office of Tomorrow is Beautiful rising? That is not possible at all!"
There must be something wrong since things went this way. Pei Qian hurriedly read the discussion on the various film and television forums, trying to seek out the truth!
Finally, Pei Qian found the answer in a film review of the Flying Star Journey.
'Flying Star Journey: Feeling of Damp Melon Seeds'
"I heard that 170 million US dollars was invested in this film. It is an adaptation of a famous novel and had a lot of stars. There was a series of foreign science fiction big IPs before it was released. I bought the tickets excitedly, and I have only one feeling after watching it. It just feels magical!
"It had been 100 years since the original work was born. I do not deny that the original work was really classic, but times have changed since science fiction 100 years ago. I don't deny that this film would be a classic if it was released 20 or 30 years ago. However, we're already in 2011, big brother! We've already watched Avatar last year. How can you show us this now?
"The protagonist travels to a planet with two factions of aliens who look like humans, as well as savages with green skin and four hands. These savages have no modern weapons but have not been extinct. These two factions of aliens possessed high-tech weapons but were still interested in the protagonist who could just jump a little higher than the people on earth.
"Even the alien princess had a crush on the protagonist at first sight. Moreover, the film's interpretation of transmigration is quite inadequate. The conspiracy in the film is also pretty childish.
"Of course, I'm not criticizing the original author. It was a person who lived 100 years ago. However, the director should know that the film is out of date.
"Many people are comparing Flying Star Journey and Tomorrow is Beautiful. I might be suspected of being biased towards a domestic film, but I have to stay that while Tomorrow is Beautiful has its unreasonable points, its plot, worldly view, details, or take on sci-fi is much better than Flying Star Journey!"
"For example, Flying Star Journey can be seen as putting a lot of ingredients together and simmering them on fire. Everything was good, but the taste is bland."
"Tomorrow is Beautiful is using a lot of simple and common ingredients to make a delicacy that no one has ever tasted. The ingredients used are not complicated, but the taste is endless."
"Therefore, if there is someone who has not watched Tomorrow is Beautiful and feels that the Flying Star Journey is not very good, I suggest you can watch it. Of course, I have no comments if you want to watch it again."
Pei Qian seemed to have found the crux of the problem. He did not believe it at first so he searched the forums again. He utterly believed in it this time. Some people actually watched Tomorrow is Beautiful because of Flying Star Journey!
Many people who had not watched Tomorrow is Beautiful became curious and watched it when they heard people criticizing Flying Star Journey praise Tomorrow is Beautiful. Some also rewatched Tomorrow is Beautiful after.
However, the most unlucky was not the Flying Star Journey. Most of the stars were big names in the industry after all. There was investment of 170 million US dollars. Even if they could not break even, it could not be bullied by other movies.
It was actually The Chaser. Its schedule was squeezed even since the popularity of Flying Star Journey and Tomorrow is Beautiful were on the rise.
Pei Qian was looking forward to the release of Flying Star Journey for it to slap Tomorrow is Beautiful and relieve its burden.
Great, now Tomorrow is Beautiful's box office actually bucked the trend! Its box office might even increase now!
Pei Qian threw his cell phone aside and felt like all was lost. The overseas backup that he had been waiting for was incapable of fighting. They were f*cked from day one! Not only did they not push down Tomorrow is Beautiful's box office, but it even had the opposite effect instead.
He could not take it anymore!
Chapter 451 Boss Pei's True Intentions
In the evening...
Qiao Liang exited Be Quiet and stretched.
People had been heatedly discussing this game online over the past few days, but Qiao Liang had not taken part in the discussion. Instead, he quietly experienced the game. He knew very well that there was no point in debating with everyone else. Qiao Liang was always going to stand on Boss Pei's side.
It was not just because Qiao Liang was a friend of Boss Pei's, but also because he was a hardcore gamer to begin with.
Hardcore gamers sought complicated and exquisite experiences. Everything from the pre-game riddle to acquiring the rights to purchase the game to the eye-tracking game suited Qiao Liang to the tee.
It all boiled down to how one looked at the situation.
If one saw it as a barrier to turn gamers away, they would definitely feel uncomfortable. Yet, what if one took it as a free introductory game? Wouldn't it be different?
The Lonely Desert Road, Game Designer, and the eye-tracking game had all been free of charge. To Qiao Liang, this was already very commendable.
Qiao Liang knew that games were products of culture. Not everyone would like every game. It would be unreasonable for gamers to view manufacturers as good-hearted when they produced games to their liking but incorrigible when they produced games that they did not find enjoyable.
This was applicable to Be Quiet, too. Gamers had to fulfill prerequisites before obtaining the right to purchase the game. Objectively speaking, that could have turned many gamers away. However, there was nothing wrong with it in itself.
Tengda had never promised to allow all gamers to purchase their games under any circumstances and no matter what. Of course, there was no need for them to do so as well.
Game manufacturers and gamers had the right to choose one another. Players would choose not to play certain games developed by certain manufacturers. At the same time, manufacturers could choose to give up earning revenue from a portion of the public.
Both parties had to be willing to enter the transaction. Neither could be forced to buy or sell, and both had to be given equal power. Then, neither could blame the other for being unfair.
What's more, Boss Pei had always been a unique designer. He was not one to bend backward to fit the gamers' taste.
Thus, Qiao Liang always found himself supporting Boss Pei's decisions.
He was a game manufacturer, providing gamers with a top-quality game at an affordable price. He had even waived all costs for the previous two games. Yet, he was being scolded for setting prerequisites for gamers to fulfill before they could purchase the game?
That didn't make sense.
Still, even with that said, Qiao Liang was finding it difficult to explain certain aspects of the situation. Although it was the manufacturer's right to set pre-requisites for their customers, was it really necessary?
What benefit would this bring to the manufacturer?
That was the main question that Qiao Liang had. At that moment, he frowned. He was trying to figure out the answer to that question based on what he understood about Boss Pei.
"I feel like Boss Pei did not mean to tell customers 'I won't let you play this game'. Instead, it was more like 'if you can't even solve this simple riddle, you probably won't be able to enjoy this game, and so you shouldn't bother buying it at all'.
"That thought seems very familiar. Where have I seen it before?
"I know! It was in Repent and be Saved!"
All of a sudden, Qiao Liang realized that Repent and be Saved had been exactly the same!
The only difference was this: players were encouraged to refund Repent and be Saved, but they were tortured and altogether discouraged from even purchasing Be Quiet.
Boss Pei was simply persuading gamers to turn away earlier than in Repent and be Saved. He was doing it before gamers even purchased Be Quiet!
A realization dawned on Qiao Liang.
"That's right! Everything is coming together now!
"Boss Pei is doing something similar to what he did with Repent and be Saved! He's just using a slightly different method.
"A game is an interactive form of art. Simply put, game designers set the questions while gamers try to answer them. "There's one thing that hardcore gamers agree on: we have to lose some to gain some. We have to let go of the superficial and shallow desires of the mind, to learn deeper and more meaningful lessons!
"Take Repent and be Saved for example. We were made to endure torture and face setbacks in the beginning. We had to give up our desires for mindless violence and humble ourselves to hone our own skills.
"Only then were we able to grow through the game and experience a joy that no other game could bring to us. "That is what it means to lose some to gain some. It was delayed gratification. If the game had not been so difficult, we would not have experienced the true joy that came with growth.
"It's the same with Be Quiet. It's also a game where gamers have to lose some to gain some. First, we had to give up time and suppress our own desires to play the game, to think carefully about the riddle. Only then would we be able to experience the fun of the game itself.
"As for why different methods were used for both games...
"It's obvious. Repent and be Saved is a standalone game. Others' gaming experience would not be affected by one's own gameplay. Be Quiet, on the other hand, is an online game.
"If a gamer—who has never played such games-entered this game, they would completely ruin the game for everyone else.
"Boss Pei had to ensure that everyone had the right attitude and the same level of intellect and that most people would enjoy the game without having their experience ruined by teammates who could not adapt to the gameplay. That meant he had to 'train' the gamers..."
Qiao Liang became increasingly sure that he had understood Boss Pei's true intentions! The logic was simple. However, he still needed to find the right material in the game to persuade everyone else.
What's more, it still seemed a bit too early to reveal all of these things.
On one hand, he had not completely gotten the hang of the complicated gameplay in Be Quiet. Without good footage or a good plan, the video would turn out very dry. On the other hand, the debate that everyone was having over the game had not yet hit its peak.
After some consideration, Qiao Liang decided to keep playing the game to gather more material.
Next week, he would upload a new video into Products of the Gods. In the video, he would talk about Be Quiet, the online horror game that had taken an unusual path. He would also explain the deeper meaning behind the ARG that Boss Pei had designed as part of his publicity strategy! Qiao Liang believed that the video would solve many questions and misunderstandings that gamers might have had about Boss Pei!
March 14th, Monday...
Chang You paced around his office, feeling anxious. The button on the details page of OTTO E1 on Otto Technologies' official website had changed from 'reserve' to 'purchase'. People did not have to fight for cell phones anymore. That seemed like a good thing, but it was not to Chang You.
That was because it meant sales had plateaued!
They had poured all of their revenue into manufacturing new cell phones. One could say that Otto Technologies was penniless now. Other companies would not have been able to do the same for sure.
Chang You knew very well that Otto Technologies had a strong pillar of support that it could count on. It could only afford to manufacture so many stocks because Boss Pei was funding the company.
That was exactly why Chang You felt bad towards Boss Pei. How were they going to sell more than ten thousand cell phones?!
Yet, Boss Pei had instructed Chang You time and again to just make sure there were enough stocks and not to bother about anything else. He could neither think about making sales nor lowering the cell phones' prices.
As a result of sitting around, Chang You became more anxious.
He did not even dare to check the comments on the website. He knew that people had been calling him 'Big Mouth Chang' before. Now that he had betrayed Boss Pei's trust, he was finding it even more difficult to deal with the mockery and criticism.
As Chang You continued to pace around the room, his cell phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Hu Xianbin.
Chang You's eyes lit up. He accepted the call at once.
"Boss Chang, the mobile version of GOG will be officially released tomorrow. We talked about collaborating before, right? I'm just reminding you of this," said Hu Xianbin through the phone.
Chang You became overjoyed. "Alright, no problem! i'll tell them to carry out the plan that we had!"
Hu Xianbin spoke again. "I just spoke to Director Lin of Shang Yang Games. They had been busy developing Be Quiet before and had not had time to spare. However, they should be done with the promotional event for Bloody Battle Song by now. You can call her to ask if they can update the game at the same time tomorrow."
Chang You quickly said, "Alright, alright! I'll ask them now!"
After hanging up, Chang You called Lin Wan to confirm that Shang Yang Games had prepared Bloody Battle Song's promotional event for Otto Technologies' cell phone. Then, Chang You felt much more relaxed. He also felt very moved.
Tengda was truly one big, warm family!
What was Tengda's main selling point? At the end of the day, it was its games! The games business was obviously the lifeline of Tengda Corporation. It was also the foundation for all the other businesses.
Chang You knew very well that, to Boss Pei, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Upwind Logistics, and Otto Technologies... were incurring losses. The games businesses were the only ones not incurring losses!
After learning that Tengda Games was going to create a special high-frame-rate mode for their newest game, GOG, just for Otto Technologies; Chang You felt like he had eaten calming medicine.
He immediately instructed his subordinates to prepare to upload all of their publicity materials!
For example, they were uploading a huge banner on the details page for Otto E1. It would say: 'The official cell phone for Tengda's newest game, the Glory of Gods. With the especially improved depth and a high-frame-rate mode, the cell phone brings to you a never-before-felt immersive gaming experience!
All the publicity material had been prepared in advance, but Chang You could not use them earlier. He could not release the news because GOG had not been completed.
However, they could finally use the material now!
In fact, GOG's client was still being developed and tested. However, before going overseas, Li Yada had already decided that the mobile version was going to be released first.
The mobile version and client version were not yet integrated. Since the former had less content, it could be released a week earlier.
At the same time, releasing the mobile version first meant GOG could avoid fighting in the client-side game industry for now, where IOI still had the upper hand.
Chang You had been hoping for Lin Wan to create a mobile version of Be Quiet, but Lin Wan had said that there simply wasn't enough time. What's more, it would be extremely difficult to adapt Be Quiet's gameplay for cell phones. Thus, they had shelved the idea.
Chang You had even hoped to move other successful games like Ocean Stronghold onto cell phones. However, all of those hopes had been dashed because neither Tengda Games nor Shang Yang Games could spare the manpower.
Still, he was not anxious. In any case, they were all Tengda's games. Whether they were moved to mobile sooner or later, Otto Technologies would still benefit.
For now, being able to provide a special, improved version and a high-frame-rate mode for Bloody Battle Song and GOG was good enough.
Due to a couple of historical problems, many whales were still hiding in Bloody Battle Song. Their purchasing power was just being suppressed because it was difficult to find avenues in the game to spend money. If they ran advertisements for OTTO E1 in the game, some players would be interested for sure!
Once everything was settled, Chang You stopped panicking.
He was beginning to understand why Boss Pei had emphasized to him not to worry about sales or lowering prices but to focus on stocking up instead:
Soon, Otto Technologies' sales would go through the roof!
Chapter 452 Boss Pei is Very Strict
March 15th, Tuesday...
At 3 PM...
Pei Qian slept quite well the night before. He only woke up at noon. He went to the office after having lunch. The first thing that he did was to check on Be Quiet's sales. The public's reaction to the game was still lukewarm. Some people were discussing the gameplay online, but not many people were paying attention. Most were still talking about the challenging prerequisite. The game had a rating of 8.5 on TPDb's website. It was not low, but it was not high either.
That was because the gameplay itself was complicated, and there were very few gamers. Thus, not a single person had truly figured out the gameplay. Naturally, the game's reputation could not pick up.
As for 'Top Student, Come Quick', Pei Qian had not heard about the project in a while. It looked like everything was going well. He glanced at the calendar. This week would be critical
That was because the results of all of his projects would be released this week. He was going to find out whether he would end up with profits or losses! After doing his calculations for various projects, Pei Qian suddenly realized that he had been forgetting something He wondered how the research and development of GOG had progressed. Speaking of which, the research and development of GOG was taking much longer than Pei Qian had expected.
His intention had been to create a game that would meekly compete with IOI. As IOI dominated the market, his own investment in GOG would be made ducks and drakes of. That would have put him a step closer to his goal. However, the research and development of GOG had been too slow. Until now, the game had not been officially released. Still, Pei Qian did not think too much about it because the environment at Tengda Games was quite tough...
On one hand, the chief planner of the project-Li Yada-had gone on holiday together with one of the core members of the team, Bao Xu. The project team had lost its backbone. On the other hand, Tang Yishu was seated in the office. The project became filled with bugs. Fixing bugs alone had driven the entire project team crazy. At that thought, Pei Qian could not help but sympathize with Tengda Games' situation. "Should I ask them how they are and offer some comfort?
"After all, the games department has been performing well recently. They've kicked the bad habit of working overtime, and have performed well in several Zero Overtime Competitions. "What's more, they've significantly eased my burdens by slowing down the entire research and development process." Pei Qian stood up, prepared to leave the office and walk around upstairs. To him, it would be best if every project could be completed in the week before settlement. That would ensure that they would only be available for sale for a week and only generate a week's worth of revenue. However, the problem was that it would be very difficult to control something like project timelines. In developing a game or working on other projects alike, it was common to run into problems and delays. In fact, completing a project on time was uncommon.
Pei Qian had to allow for some buffer time for the various projects and set their end dates for two to three weeks before settlement. Only then could he avoid having incomplete projects and delaying settlement.
However, that would give rise to new problems. What if his projects finished on time or even earlier?
Pei Qian would not be able to do anything about it. He could only bear with the pain and release the projects earlier. After all, they were already complete. He could not possibly insist on delaying their release without any good reason. Be Quiet was an example of a game that had finished too early. That was why Pei Qian had to create a prerequisite challenge to make up for it. At the moment, it looked like he had successfully salvaged the situation. On the other hand, GOG was slower. It was progressing closer to what Pei Qian had expected in the beginning Soon, Pei Qian arrived at Tengda Games. As he walked in, he felt confused. There was no one he knew in the games department! It was too bad. Tengda Games had been too successful. Every game was a hit. The old employees who had performed well and left a deep impression in Pei Qian's mind had all been sent away. Even the turnover rate for an important role like chief planner was high.
Between Huang Sibo and Lu Mingliang, one was at Fei Huang Workspace and the other was at Upwind Logistics. Now, both Li Yada and Bao Xu were overseas as well. Pei Qian did not know who to look for at that moment.
Several old employees looked familiar, but Pei Qian could not remember any of their names. He felt awkward. Still, it was a good thing that everyone recognized Boss Pei. Once he walked in, three employees—who had been discussing something-quickly went forward to receive him. Those three were Hu Xianbin, Min Jingchao, and Zhang Nan; who were Tengda Games' stand-in chief planner, systems designer, and skins designer respectively. In other words, they were the three people whom Li Yada had handed her job over to before leaving "Boss Pei! What's brought you here? I am Hu Xianbin, the stand-in chief planner for Tengda Games. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Hu Xianbin and his two companions introduced themselves one by one. Pei Qian tried hard to recall their names and faces and did a quick search in his memory bank. Er... these faces are relatively new... Had Li Yada found three newbies to take over her job? It was no wonder that GOG was progressing so slowly. Still, this was a good thing to Boss Pei! If this Hu Xianbin could match Boss Pei's expectations, Pei Qian would not mind allowing Li Yada to retire early. Er... retiring at 25 years old? Would the System allow that?
Pei Qian smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'm just walking around. How's GOG's research and development going? Has it been smooth? Can people start playing it at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe next week?"
Hu Xianbin quickly answered, "We originally planned to release GOG's client next Monday. There are still many bugs in the game, and we've been trying to repair them. That's why progress has been very slow." Pei Qian was very happy with this timeline. Still smiling, he said, "That's not slow at all! The timing is just right. "As the saying goes, a slow artisan produces skilled work. If you fix more bugs during research and development, fewer bugs would appear once the game is released. "Wait, did you just say GOG's client?"
Pei Qian sharply noticed a problem with Hu Xianbin's choice of words. GOG was a client-side game. Why did he have to emphasize that?
Hu Xianbin smiled. "That's right, Boss Pei. The mobile game has already been released today." One could almost see three question marks above Pei Qian's head. "???
"Mobile game? What mobile game?" Stunned, Hu Xianbin replied, "The mobile version of GOG." Pei Qian, "..." What was going on? Was this deja vu? Pei Qian immediately recalled when he was informed about the release of Bloody Battle Song's mobile version. At the time, he had been feasting with Shang Yang Games' employees at Ming Yun Private Kitchen. The news had arrived like a sudden rain cloud on a sunny day, turning him to stone. The situation now was similar. Pei Qian's brain could hardly process the information. He only reacted a moment later. At once, he asked, "How's it doing now?" Hu Xianbin proudly answered, "Please see for yourself, Boss Pei!" The three of them parted to allow Boss Pei to see the screen that they had been looking at. It showed GOG's real-time data. All the numbers seemed to be increasing rapidly: the number of downloads, the number of active players, the number of top-ups, and the like! Pei Qian's leg turned weak. He quickly sat down. Then, he moved his chair closer to the screen to study the figures closely. It was true. All the numbers were going through the roof!
What shocked Pei Qian the most was that the mobile version of GOG had not only been released on the official platform but also on other channels such as Shenhua's application store. Pei Qian asked, "How long did you all have to negotiate the partnership with these other platforms?"
Hu Xianbin shook his head. "We didn't have to. They approached us."
Pei Qian's mind was filled with question marks. With some brief explanation from Hu Xianbin, Pei Qian immediately understood. Tengda's reputation was extremely good, and GOG'S mobile version was well-made. The team had not needed to request to work with other platforms or beg other platforms to put GOG on their shelves. In fact, the other platforms had approached Tengda Games of their own accord!
Tengda had created standalone games and online games, and each one of those games had been a huge hit. Ocean Stronghold and Bloody Battle Song were examples of Tengda's successful online games. Of course, other platforms would have no problem collaborating with GOG.
Many platforms even offered to give Tengda a higher share of the revenue and profit, just so that they could sell GOG.
On top of that, GOG itself looked very attractive as a game! At the moment, Gods Rising, 101, and GOG had the upper hand in the client-side game market. IOI did not have a local server, and gamers in China had to use accelerators to connect to foreign servers before they could play. On the other hand, GOG was still being tested and had not been released yet. Thus, the competition among those three games was still unclear. It was difficult to tell which game would emerge as the winner.
However, neither Gods Rising nor IOI looked like they had any plans to enter the mobile game industry. Thus, GOG was the sole competitor and an extremely attractive one at that!
Of course, no one dared to guarantee that the gameplay was appropriate for a mobile game. Still, many gaming platforms and channels obviously saw a lot of promise in this move. Many of them wanted to invest huge amounts of resources to try it out. That was because they stood to earn a lot of profit if it turned out to be successful!For those two reasons, Hu Xianbin and the others had not had to approach channels or engage in publicity. They had only needed to leak some information before the gaming platforms approached them of their own accord, offering favorable terms. There had been no need for them to worry about publicity; they had received everything while sitting back!
Extremely excited, Hu Xianbin said, "Big Sister Li had not told us how to work with other platforms before she left. I was a little worried at first, and I was even thinking about asking her about it online over the next few days.
"Now, I know I was obviously thinking too much!
"Boss Pei, I can only say that you've set an excellent foundation for Tengda. All the gaming channels are fighting to put our game on their shelves. That's what a good reputation can do for you!" Pei Qian was momentarily speechless. What has this got to do with me?!
He looked at all the figures on the screen, not knowing what to say. A huge threat had surfaced. He had to think of a solution! Pei Qian could not sit still any longer. He quietly got up, planning to return to his office to surf the net and check how gamers were reacting to the mobile version of GOG. The situation would still be salvageable if people were dissing the game! When he saw Boss Pei stand up, Hu Xianbin quickly asked, "Boss Pei, do you need us to do anything else?"
Pei Qian was speechless. "No."
Seeing Boss Pei's back view, Hu Xianbin felt slightly disappointed.
The figures look very good. Why didn't Boss Pei praise us at all? Ai, Boss Pei is very strict! I can't become too proud. I have to work hard to gain validation from Boss Pei one day! Hu Xianbin, who had been getting arrogant after seeing the results of GOG's mobile game, quickly regained his composure and continued working hard on GOG's client.
Chapter 453 Sorry, Boss Pei, You have to Wait for a while
Pei Qian returned to his office and quickly switched his computer on to check the comments section of Glory of Gods. Seeing the game's rating had chilled Pei Qian to the core. The mobile version of GOG had a rating of 9.1 on the official platform! Pei Qian looked through the other channels for mobile games as well. All the ratings hovered around 9.0! What's more, from the lively comments sections, Pei Qian could tell that gamers were very happy with the game!
Just browsing through a few of the comments made Pei Qian feel even more nervous. "Tengda has created a mobile version of GOG so soon? Holy sh*t, what a pleasant surprise! I can play games with my friends on mobile now!" "I thought it was only going to be half-done, but it's pretty much complete! The game's operations and interface have been greatly optimized for the controls available to gamers playing on mobile. What's more, there wasn't a single bug the entire time that I was playing. Of course, I had to leave a positive review!" "I was wondering whether Gods Rising, 101, or GOG's client would emerge victorious... Who knew that Tengda would be so shrewd? They released GOG's mobile game and refused to compete with the other two!"
"GOG's gameplay is good. It has simple operations and a fast pace, making it an appropriate mobile game. I can only say that the designer of this game is very clear-headed. He knows where his strengths are. I had to give him five stars!" "Tengda has mastered a mature game model and has even achieved a further breakthrough. It is indeed a first-tier local game developer. It really gives meaning to the saying 'speed defines the winner in the world of kung fu'!" "I'm leaving this positive review because I could log into the game using my Tengda Games account, and all of my data would be integrated with the client. What's more, I can finally buy skins! I'm going to get the epic skins for the Coin-Scattering Hedgehog!" Pei Qian scrolled down indignantly. Yet, even after scrolling two or three more pages, he could not find a single negative review! He felt slightly light-headed.
Still, on further thought, this did not seem strange.
The mobile version of GOG had appeared at a very special time. If it had been released after IOI had dominated the client-side game market for several years, it would be very awkward. If it looked too different from IOI and gamers had already gotten used to IOI's gameplay, they would not be able to adapt to GOG's gameplay. If it looked too similar to IOI, it would become popular. However, gamers would diss it for being an imitation.
Yet, several games were still competing in the client-side game market. IOI had only dominated the games market overseas. Although it was popular in the country, it had not yet become dominant.
The mobile version of GOG was released against such a backdrop. On one hand, gamers could enjoy the mobile experience without having to download the game's client. On the other hand, the game stood out in terms of the characters' packaging, the gameplay, and other aspects so that gamers did not think that it was an imitation of IOI.
After all, many saw IOI as an imitation of Gods Rising. Comparatively, GOG was more different from IOI than IOI was from Gods Rising... Although Pei Qian had told the team to copy Gods Rising in the beginning, GOG had been altered according to feedback from He Desheng, Bao Xu, and the gamers at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. Now, GOG was a completely different game. Apart from the fact that all the games had three separate lanes, they were quite different. Furthermore, the mobile game was stable and without bugs, could be integrated with the client-side game, and could be accessed using one's Tengda Games account. New players only had one feeling: amazement!
They had never imagined being able to play such a complicated, high-quality game on their cell phones! The feedback for the mobile version of Bloody Battle Song had been pretty good. However, that was nothing compared to GOG. Of course, as more and more gamers joined the game and it became more and more popular, its ratings would fall below 9.0. However, the mobile version of GOG was still being celebrated and welcomed by many for now! Obviously, many people could already hardly wait to buy skins. Tengda was going to receive another sum of revenue... Pei Qian quickly downloaded the mobile version of GOG into his own cell phone and then opened it to take a look. After playing one match, Pei Qian felt even worse. He had tried the incomplete version of GOG on his computer before. However, he had not been very cautious at the time because GOG had not been complete. At that time, GOG had only been better than IOI in terms of certain game mechanisms like being able to set the paths for various characters. However, it had been worse off in terms of things like balance, heroes, and other details in the game. That was why Pei Qian had been satisfied that the client-side game would not be better than IOI and that he would incur losses for sure. Yet, everything was different now that a mobile version had been released! That was because mobile games had small screens and gamers had lower expectations. Even if GOG'S details were not as good, gamers would be extra forgiving. Perhaps they would not even mind! Furthermore, GOG's better mechanisms looked even more outstanding now that the game was on mobile, and the operations had been optimized. Gamers would only have to play one round to realize that GOG's mobile game was more exciting, faster-paced, and easier to grasp. Naturally, they would only have praises for it!
Of course, many gamers would also find it difficult to adapt to mobile operations. Some would find that many things had to be cut off in the mobile game as opposed to the client-side game. As a result, they would feel disdain.
However, that would be when GOG's other merit would look outstanding: the integration between the client-side game and mobile game! Gamers could play the game on the client or on their mobile. What's more, players would be matched according to the device that they were using, to ensure fairness and balance in competition.
All in all, the mobile version of GOG looked to be doing very well. One could even say it was perfect! It was only lacking time. As time progressed, the game's content would become richer. Naturally, things would only improve. Of course, it could also be overtaken by other mobile games in the future. Pei Qian looked at the game's market and realized that it looked a lot like Ocean Stronghold's market. However, there was no 888-yuan product for sale in GOG.
There were twenty-odd heroes in GOG. Each one had a classic skin and a brave skin. Apart from that, some heroes also have epic skins and legendary skins. However, not every hero had those. That was probably because creating legendary skins for all the heroes would require too much effort. In terms of pricing... Players would get all the heroes free of charge, but there was a proficiency system in place. Once trained to a certain point, players could use the heroes to fight other players. Otherwise, they could only use the heroes to play against the computer. The brave skins would only be given to players once they have maxed out their proficiency. The model and splash art would be completely different, and there would be some additional unique effects. Epic skins were sold for 18 yuan. The models and effects would be completely different, and there would be more particle effects. There would also be a few additional voice-overs. Legendary skins were sold for 45 yuan. The models would look exquisite, and there would be unique animations, voice-overs, and special effects. Gamers would find them worth every cent, for sure.
Apart from those, there would also be limited edition skins, which gamers could obtain through various methods. For example, they would have to play the game for a set amount of time or compete for a certain number of times.
In that way, it was similar to Ocean Stronghold. The skins would not change the heroes' stats; they would just make the heroes look cooler.
However, there were no other purchase options.
After looking at the prices, Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief.
It's alright, it's alright. I can accept those prices. The Tengda spirit was still proving effective!
Pei Qian thought that the pricing strategy alone could prevent him from earning too much from the game!
The market had obviously been modeled after Ocean Stronghold's successful market. A lot of the rewards could be earned if gamers just spent more time in the game. Moreover, the most expensive skin only cost 45 yuan. The game was very good-hearted indeed. "It's a good thing that the prices have not been set too high. GOG shouldn't have too many players in the beginning. That means any revenue generated should be within an acceptable range..." Pei Qian could not help but play another round. Once he was done, he bought Modest's Dan Dao Hui skin.
"Ai, all things aside, this rotten game is really quite fun..."
This was the first time Pei Qian was playing a game like that on his mobile ever since he traveled back.
Although he had played Gods Rising before, he had only done so on the computer. To a lightweight player like Pei Qian, the mobile version of GOG was much more user-friendly.
After two rounds, Pei Qian suddenly realized that turning the game into a mobile game was not necessarily a bad thing. Although it was more burdensome for him and it would generate more revenue, this world would now have MOBA games on mobile. He would also have his own unique skin.
Having one more fun thing to do was not a bad thing! As he explored the game, Pei Qian noticed an advanced option in a noticeable location on the settings page. "Eh? High-frame-rate mode?"
Without thinking too much, Pei Qian clicked the option. Obviously, a high-frame-rate mode would prove more effective in competitive games like GOG. Although it would consume more battery and heat up one's cell phone, it would be worth it as long as it improved one's gaming experience. Yet, after clicking on it, Pei Qian realized that the option was gray. A notification window popped up instead. "The high-frame-rate mode would only be available if your cell phone's screen has a high refresh rate. The Otto E1 cell phone is recommended for a better gaming experience."
The notification window only remained for a short while before it disappeared.
Pei Qian, "..." He quietly clicked the button again, so that he could study the words closely. Then, he smacked his head.
"Holy sh*t!"
At Otto Technologies... Chang You was observing the orders on the platform as he watched a video uploaded by a cell phone reviewer not long ago. The figures had been increasing at a very slow rate earlier. However, ever since GOG was released in the morning, the figures started increasing rapidly again!
As more orders came in, more Otto cell phones were distributed from the warehouse. Although most of the orders were still from Lincheng and Jingzhou, there were still some from Shanghai, Beijing, and other cities!
At that moment, the video that Chang You was watching was a detailed review of Otto E1.
"Everyone has been debating about this cell phone recently. Some say that it was very kindly made, some say that it's a product with an IQ tax that relies completely on hunger marketing. "To provide a complete review, our review team remained in Jingzhou after the news conference, just to experience the full benefits of buying this cell phone. During that process, I realized that this cell phone is a hidden treasure. It brings everyone new surprises at every turn! "This cell phone increases your standard of living in various aspects, from your daily activities to your work and entertainment. It's more than worth eight thousand yuan!
"I'll start with Fish-Catching Internet Cafe first..."
The review team held their Otto Ei's in their hands throughout the video. They had experienced nearly every single benefit that the cell phone had to offer and had recorded the entire experience! There were a few benefits that they could not experience such as dining at the nameless restaurant. Since time had been tight, they could not make a reservation. At the end of the review, they thoroughly compared the difference between playing GOG in high-frame-rate mode on their Otto E1 and playing GOG on a regular cell phone.
Obviously, they had done this in a hurry before they uploaded the video.By the time Chang You watched this video, it had already become viral. The number of views was going through the roof!
Although some reviewers had published reviews of the cell phone earlier, all of them had only covered the hardware. They had only introduced regular parts like the high refresh rate of the cell phone's screen, the dual stereo speakers, and the like. That was because they had followed the same procedure as applied to any other cell phone. To experience all the benefits that the cell phone had to offer, one had to remain in Jingzhou for a while. However, most reviewers did not have the patience to do so.
On the other hand, this team of reviewers had remained in Jingzhou after the news conference to experience those benefits. They had only completed filming, editing, and uploading their review today! After GOG was released and once the meticulously-created video was uploaded, it immediately became viral! Before this, many people already knew that the cell phone came with various benefits. However, they had not seemed attractive because people could not visualize them. Yet, after seeing the video, many people could hardly hold themselves back. What's more, the cell phone could run on high-frame-rate mode. Coupled with the newly released GOG, it was perfect!
What's more, it was not a simple gaming machine. It was also a cell phone with high specifications and long endurance and a portable Tengda membership card!
The first batch of users had affirmed that the cell phone only made use of mature technology. What's more, the manufacturing was reliable, and quality control was commendable. Even if there were minor problems with one cell phone, customers could immediately swap it for a new one, thus dealing with any problems once and for all. This caused many people to have a renewed urge to purchase the cell phone. Now, all the stocks that Chang You had rushed to manufacture were being put to good use! From the morning, the number of orders kept increasing and the number of stocks kept decreasing. What's more, it looked like sales were speeding up! Just as Chang You was getting excited, his cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Boss Pei, he picked up at once. "Hello? Boss Pei?"
At the other end of the line, Boss Pei sounded low in spirits. "Send a cell phone over to me. I want to try GOG's high-frame-rate mode."
Chang You glanced at his screen and then hesitantly answered, "I'm sorry, Boss Pei. It looks like you have to wait for a while.
"The cell phones... have just sold out."
Chapter 454 Start Scattering Coins
"Sold out?
"We had over ten thousand cell phones. We've sold them all?
"In a single day?" At that moment, Pei Qian was finding it difficult to accept reality. He had thought that the stocks would last two or three days at least and that he would be able to reserve one for himself by calling Chang You directly.
However, he was still too late! Chang You quickly explained himself. "I'm sorry Boss Pei, I did not think about this either. It's my fault!
"Other cell phone manufacturers would manufacture hundreds of thousands of pieces. Even newer cell phone manufacturers would prepare thirty to fifty thousand pieces. We only manufactured 14 thousand pieces, and yet they managed to last us an entire day. That's not bad!" Pei Qian was speechless. "That's not bad?! That's not what you said two days ago! You kept saying that all of these stocks would just take up space in our warehouses!"
Chang You quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Boss Pei. I was short-sighted. It looks like you were right to tell me to stock up as quickly as possible. Ten thousand cell phones were too little!" Pei Qian, "..." F*ck you! It's not the time to show off! According to Chang You, GOG had been released at 8 AM this morning. The official games platform, Shenhua's application store, and various other channels had given the game a good recommendation spot. Thus, the game became extremely popular since it had been released! The reviewing team had already completed the main bulk of their review. However, when they saw that GOG's mobile game had been released, they had decided to test it out. Then, they attached the footage to the back of what they had already prepared. After a lot of rushing, they finally managed to upload their video onto Aili Island at noon.
As the video became increasingly popular and as GOG and Bloody Battle Song's mobile versions kept recommending Otto E1, the cell phone's sales volume naturally increased. At last, it peaked an hour ago, and all the stocks that Chang You had worked so hard to manufacture were finally sold out! All in all, the situation was completely different now. Although Pei Qian had already expected the sales volume to peak after the release of GOG's mobile game, he had not expected it to happen so soon.
Hearing no response from Boss Pei, Chang You quickly said, "Rest assured, Boss Pei! I already told the manufacturer to keep manufacturing cell phones. Once the new stocks arrive, I'll send one over to you!"
Pei Qian, "...Alright." Pei Qian hung up reluctantly and then leaned back in his seat, falling into deep thought. Still, he regained his composure quickly. "How can I be defeated by such a small problem?! I have to hang in there, in case things have not become completely hopeless!" At that moment, Pei Qian felt like he had been renewed with encouragement. "According to what I understand about the System's character-each time it closes a door while I wasn't looking, it sneakily opens a window where I haven't been paying attention. The more I earn, the more avenues the System would provide for me to spend money.
"Thus, I have to find a new avenue to get rid of all of this money!
"A threat can be transformed into an opportunity. It's just like when ROF Computer-Installation became popular; I could use 1024 Digital Day to spend as much money as I could.
"Although this would create more problems for the next cycle, I can always start more loss-incurring businesses at the start of the next cycle. That'll give me more ways to get rid of money... "That's right! I'll do that!" The success of GOG and the cell phone threatened to give Pei Qian a lot more funds. If Pei Qian sat back and did nothing about it, he was bound to end up with profits during the settlement. However, Pei Qian refused to give up. He believed that there was still something he could do!
"The real challenge has begun. If I want to lose money, I have to reduce inflow and increase outflow.
"Reducing inflow means minimizing the profits generated by GOG and the cell phone in the short-term. At the very least, this should last until after settlement.
"I can create a 'delayed payment' function in GOG. Gamers can pay one-tenth of the price for all the skins in the game, which would last them a month. "That way, I can get rid of ninety percent of GOG's revenue... wait, that won't do. People might start buying the skins with a vengeance. Perhaps only eighty percent of the revenue would be done away with after all. "Players can decide not to pay the remaining price for the skins if they don't like it. It'll be like they had spent one-tenth of the price to rent the skins for a month. If they like it, they can pay the remaining price at the end of that month.
"We might end up making more sales in the end, but at least the revenue would only be earned after this settlement.
"For the cell phones... most of the profit comes from the other departments. Once Otto Technologies takes care of cash flow, it can transfer those profits to the other departments, which can then take charge of spending them all...
"There's strength in numbers after all.
"At the end of the day, I'll give strict orders to all businesses to spend all the profits before the end of the month-not to leave a single cent untouched. Of course, they can only burn the money and not develop any new products. "Then, there's increasing outflow.
"There are still slightly over two weeks to settlement. In other words, I have another week before I have to complete all my projects. Time is tight. It'll be too late to ask Chang You to invest a huge sum into research and development now.
"Still, spending the money on rewards would still work!
"First of all, GOG could spend more money on expanding the game's cloud server and bandwidth. That would give gamers a better online experience and minimize the risks of lagging. It's reasonable spending, isn't it? "On top of that, I can think of more ways to spend money on the cell phone. We could rent a cloud server for users to make use of free of charge. That could add storage space for photos or videos that they can upload onto Otto's cloud. "For cell phones that are damaged due to no human fault, not only would we provide a free exchange, but we could also provide monetary compensation... "Lastly, we can set up a reward system in GOG. The first prize would be a hundred thousand yuan, the second to tenth prize would be fifty thousand yuan, 11th to 50th would be thirty thousand yuan, and 51st to 200th would be ten thousand yuan. "That would add up to 3.25 million yuan each time... that's not enough. "I'll give something to those who proudly place 201st to 500th as well. If I give them a thousand yuan each, it'll only add up to three hundred thousand yuan... no, I'll give them five thousand yuan each. That'll add up to 1.5 million yuan.
"Altogether, that would be 4.75 million yuan at one go.
"Yes... that's almost as much as I can donate to charity.
"This could potentially aggravate the problem we have with performers, but it doesn't matter. Whether we distribute prizes or not, we would face the same problem. We can deal with these performers using some other method. "Oh, that's right! Players on the two devices are matched separately. That means we have to distribute two sets of prizes to double the happiness! The total sum has to be multiplied by two!
"However, there's another problem. I have to distribute this sum of money before March 31st, or I would not make it in time for settlement.
"How about this? Each year could count as a competition season. It's now the Year 2011; that's Season One. To spend the money before the end of the month, I could split each competition season into four stages. "The Spring Competition would last from January 1st to March 31st. The Summer Competition would last from April 1st to June 30th. The Autumn Competition would last from July 1st to September 30th. The Winter Competition would last from October 1st to December 31st. "At least, that would be so for normal players. I'll have to make time for the world championships for professional players... pui, pui, pui! Why would this game be a part of the world championships?! "The dates do not exactly coincide with the seasons, but I have no other choice if I want to make it in time for settlement. I'll see how things go. The players should get used to it in time. "The last three days of each stage would be used to calculate points, collate the data, and distribute the prizes. All prizes must be paid out before the last day. "That way, I would be able to spend close to forty million yuan each year. I should be able to spend almost all the revenue that GOG would generate... "I'll just be making GOG more popular and intensifying the competition at the top. That'll give GOG a clear advantage over the other games. "It's reasonable, right?" Pei Qian tested his plan out and made sure that the System did not give him any warnings. Obviously, it was allowed.
He decided to do just that!
Pei Qian glanced at the calendar. Settlement was set for March 31st. He had to spend the money before that. In other words, at midnight on March 29th, the rankings on GOG would be locked in. It would be easier to deal with the mobile game. There were still two weeks to March 29th; players would still have time to fight it out with one another. However, GOG's client would only be released next Monday. That meant players would only have one week to fight for the prizes. The player that could make it to the first place in one week would get a hundred thousand yuan. Those who could make it to the 500th place would get five thousand yuan, at the very least. That was five thousand yuan for a week's worth of work. Essentially, they would be paid seven hundred yuan per day. How exciting! Based on the original plan, they should only get to earn that sum after working hard for three months. However, the circumstances were special; time was too tight.
It was too bad. Boss Pei was too anxious, and so the masses could benefit.
Still, the people who would win the prizes in the end would surely be gaming talents. After settling all of those matters, Pei Qian finally relaxed.
Indeed, the brain was like a sponge when it came to thinking of ways to spend money; one had to squeeze as hard as they could to come up with something. Many problems in this world could be solved by scattering coins or scattering more coins. Until now, Pei Qian was not sure if he would be able to get rid of all the money. However, at least... he would be able to get rid of a good part of it. He could mindlessly invest the remaining sum into Thriller Hostel. Provided that Thriller Hostel would be completed before the end of the next cycle, Pei Qian could always invest millions or tens of millions of yuan into it.
Once he made sure that there were no other problems, Pei Qian tasked Assistant Xin with informing the other departments.
Since the games department still had many things to tend to, Pei Qian organized the plan and sent it to Hu Xianbin alone.
Hu Xianbin was no longer keeping an eye on GOG's mobile game. Instead, he had moved on to finish up work on GOG's client. If possible, he wanted to release it one or two days earlier. Nevertheless, Hu Xianbin continued to worry about things outside of work.
The mobile version of GOG is a huge success, and yet Boss Pei did not praise me!
It was no big deal, but Hu Xianbin continued to feel upset. He was still worrying about this when he received a document via the chat software from Tengda's headquarters.
What's more, it was from Boss Pei himself!
After recovering from the initial shock, Hu Xianbin quickly downloaded it. "This... this is..."
The document contained a detailed follow-up publicity plan for GOG. It included expansion of the server, delayed payment for skins, competition stages, prizes, and the like. Once he finished reading the document, Hu Xianbin fell into deep thought. So that was why! It was no wonder that Boss Pei did not praise me; there were still many holes in the project! This follow-up publicity plan plugged those holes perfectly!
They would spend money on increasing the bandwidth of the server to prevent the game from lagging after becoming so popular. They would introduce delayed payment functions to promote the skins and cultivate vain customers' habit of spending money.
They would introduce competition seasons and prizes to create an excellent competition ground within GOG, so that it would be more exciting for high-end players, more popular among the public, and more competitive for all. Hu Xianbin immediately felt guilty. He had wronged Boss Pei!
Boss Pei had not praised him because he had not done well enough. There was still a lot of room for improvement! Moreover, Boss Pei had just solved all of those problems on behalf of Hu Xianbin, hadn't he?
Ai, I'm really not fulfilling my duties! I have to work harder; I can't afford to let Boss Pei down!