Chapter 1706: Chapter 1142: Divine Enthronement Is it a technical issue? The largest game company in the world is located in Shen Zhou. So here comes the question. Overseas 3A masterpieces are flourishing, countless in number, why then, with the largest game market in the world, can’t we produce even one big title? The answer is actually quite simple, you just need to think a little. It’s not a technical issue, so what else could it be? It can only be the cost. High cost, high quality, large scale, that’s the 3A standard, and high cost is at the forefront. The world’s largest game company certainly isn’t short of money, but having money and being willing to spend it are two different things. If you can get the job done for ten bucks, why spend hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands? Isn’t easy money appealing? If the industry leader sets a precedent of not striving for progress, the atmosphere of the entire industry is predictable, and once the whole industry chooses to lie flat, a serious problem arises. No one can easily stand up again, even if they want to, the rest will do everything in their power to stop you and bring you down. If you stand up, what happens to them? How do they continue lying down to earn money? “Was this project initially approved by Luo Peng?” Jiang Chen asked with a smile. Zhang Guangyi nodded without surprise, “Yes, when we first came up with the idea, I communicated with President Luo. President Luo said nothing, just let me go ahead and do it.” Luo Peng’s criticism of domestic games is actually more about his frustration with their lack of progress. Zhang Guangyi, on the other hand, is purely a gaming enthusiast, having entered Tianci Capital since starting out, not having been assimilated by the whole industry, and still maintaining his original passion for this career. A gamer and a game producer, both hope domestic games can advance and improve, finding mutual agreement. As for the initial cost issue. Someone will foot the bill. “‘Divine Enthronement’, right?” “What is the estimated cost?” The gamer and the game designer’s concepts aligned, resonated, but it’s up to him who doesn’t play games much to pay the bills. Seems a bit unfair, but if it can inject a shot of adrenaline into the moribund game industry, Jiang Chen wouldn’t mind. Not liking to play games aside, Jiang Chen is aware of the vastness of the current game market; the hugely successful virtual dating game is a typical example, and it’s just a mobile game. We’re long past the era of seeing games as terrible monsters; everyone’s thoughts towards games have gradually become objective, growing more inclusive. Games aren’t indulgence and depravity, but a form of entertainment and relaxation in the midst of a weary life. Actually, Jiang Chen truly doesn’t quite understand it. How profitable games are, a virtual dating game clearly and intuitively showed him, as it now brings in hundreds of millions in profit for the company annually. Clearly, if you make a good game, you can get corresponding rewards, so why is the whole industry still in such a state? Thinking long and hard, all the answers seemingly boil down to—greed. High cost high return, low cost also high return, but the profit margin between the two is miles apart. Capital’s choice is crystal clear. Not all “game people” can maintain their original passion, and not all leaders are as enterprising and ambitious as Luo Peng, nor all companies can, like Tianci Capital, support their uniqueness and youthful passion. “There are still details to be refined, the budget is about 70 million… US Dollar.” As he said this, Zhang Guangyi was undoubtedly a bit unsure, after all, Luo Peng did approve the project, and the real boss was evidently unaware. 70 million US Dollar. Seems a bit clearer why, even now, there’s yet to be a 3A production in the domestic game market. “Did Luo Peng not approve your funding?” Upon hearing such a gigantic investment, as the head of the company, Jiang Chen maintained his composure without losing decorum. “No, the company gave us full support, every payment was made on time.” Apparently, while he’s busy dating, Luo Peng hasn’t slacked off in his job. “Then what’s the issue?” “Director Jiang, to gather player feedback and facilitate subsequent game improvement and refinement, we announced the development of ‘Divine Enthronement’ ahead of time.” Like movies, formal screening would certainly have pre-release promotion, this explanation Jiang Chen totally understands. “Is the response not very good?” 70 million US Dollar investment, definitely not a small amount, enormous costs infinitely amplify the risk, if players don’t view the game favorably, then 70 million US Dollar might go down the drain. With this thinking, it seems you can’t really blame those game companies hiding within their comfort zones. It’s too frightening. “No, quite the opposite, Director Jiang, after we publicized ‘Divine Enthronement’s impending debut, players showed high attention and enormous enthusiasm; discussions about ‘Divine Enthronement’ have hit major game forum trending lists, even appearing on the topic list in Starry Sky, and currently ‘Divine Enthronement’s webpage reservation count has surpassed a million.” “What’s your expected pricing?” Single-player games differ from online games. Online games are bottomless pits, but single-player games are buyout models. This is why online games are dominant domestically; players need to keep spending money on them. Whereas single-player games are different, marked price, one-time payment. “Currently planned between 270 and 290, final pricing has to be discussed with the company.” Jiang Chen immediately did some calculations in his mind. Assuming based on reservation numbers, taking the lowest price, it’s 270 million. This is just the current data. But analyzing by these indications, one can make some assessments, as long as ‘Divine Enthronement’s quality meets standards, and doesn’t follow some games with false adverts and mismatched content, after its official release, there’s definitely no chance of losing money, it’s just a matter of how much profit. Though now he’s only hearing Zhang Guangyi’s introduction rather than seeing the game’s actual content, Jiang Chen trusts in Zhang Guangyi’s professional capability, and Luo Peng’s discerning taste as a seasoned gamer. He hasn’t seen ‘Divine Enthronement’s content, but Luo Peng has surely approved it. “The omen looks promising. If the data’s genuine, ‘Divine Enthronement’s success is just around the corner. Taking a step back, even if it doesn’t make money, even just breaking even, we’d have two million players paying for ‘Divine Enthronement.’ With this player count, it proves ‘Divine Enthronement’ hasn’t failed, also shows there’s a domestic market for 3A productions, thereby attracting other game companies into this track, which, for the industry and players, is greatly meritorious.” Jiang Chen’s smile was amiable, greatly easing any pressure Zhang Guangyi might have had internally. “Director Jiang, you can rest assured, ‘Divine Enthronement’ is the painstaking effort of our hundred-person team, we certainly won’t let the company and players down, I’m very certain it’ll be well-received by players after release.” As a boss, one would surely appreciate such confident subordinates, Jiang Chen nodded and asked with a smile, “Then what other issues?” Zhang Guangyi’s tone turned serious, “Director Jiang, after we promoted externally and got widespread attention, Canada’s SB Company contacted us.” “Yes, it’s an industry consulting firm specializing in game design and improvement consultation, advice and guidance work for game developers, hugely influential in the industry.” Jiang Chen’s expression remained calm, “Then?” “SB Company demands a 20 million US Dollar consulting fee from us, otherwise they’d rate ‘Divine Enthronement’ poorly on the IM platform.” Knowing Jiang Chen might not understand, Zhang Guangyi explained further, “IM is the largest international game distribution platform, if ‘Divine Enthronement’s rating is too low, it could severely impact international market sales.” Jiang Chen struck straight at the point. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩 “Precisely, it’s blackmail.” Zhang Guangyi smiled wryly, “Many game developers have been blackmailed by SB Company, including some international big names, but for the sake of sales, they just have to pay obediently.” “International market, is it that important?” Jiang Chen’s reply seemed like a blow to Zhang Guangyi. “‘Divine Enthronement’ since it’s based on our mythology, does that mean this SB Company is trying to charge our immortals protection fees?” Zhang Guangyi was stunned. “So what if we forgo the international market, can’t our local incense keep our own immortals fed?”