“This…”
Huang Sibo was also bewildered.
He never imagined that “Sea Fortress” would incidentally harm his former employer.
But thinking carefully, this was indeed something Old Liu would do.
The Fire Kylin had sold for 888 yuan, and not only did players not resent it, but they accepted it quite well. This would indeed give other designers a misconception that their rare items could also sell for 888!
Old Liu must have anticipated that he would be criticized by players, but he didn’t care about that.
What he cared about was whether pricing the knife at 888 yuan would make money!
If it made money, let the players complain all they wanted—it wouldn’t prevent the boss from promoting him and giving him a raise.
But the actual result was that players cursed him mercilessly, the knife barely sold, the game’s reputation was damaged without earning money—that was why the boss berated him so harshly.
“Old Liu is marking the side of the boat to find the sword that fell in the water.”
“The Fire Kylin in ‘Sea Fortress’ selling for 888 yuan was just one part of an overall pricing strategy. Old Liu saw the 888 price tag and got envious, but he couldn’t see the other components of the pricing strategy. Of course, he’d get lambasted.”
Huang Sibo couldn’t help but criticize.
When he was working at Shangyang Games, Old Liu had been his immediate superior.
At that time, Huang Sibo’s feelings toward Old Liu were quite complex.
Although Old Liu exploited him mercilessly, Huang Sibo felt he could still learn things from him.
But now, Huang Sibo no longer felt that way at all.
Chief planners like Old Liu had merely spent a few more years in the industry, which was why they seemed impressive in the eyes of newcomers.
But in reality?
Concerned about his safety when doing important tasks, forgetting everything for small profits, ignoring the good examples, and only learning about selling the Fire Kylin for 888 yuan—how was such a person qualified to be a chief planner?
With such a narrow mindset, he would never accomplish anything significant in his lifetime.
Ma Yiqun sipped his coffee, feeling that what Huang Sibo said made a lot of sense.
“Sibo, why do you think ‘Sea Fortress’ could sell the Fire Kylin for 888 yuan?”
Huang Sibo smiled.
“You’ve asked the right person.”
“Why could ‘Sea Fortress’ sell the Fire Kylin for 888 yuan? Because it’s the only monetization point in the game!”
“The game itself includes a story mode, and both the art quality and gameplay are excellent. Based on the pricing of general buy-to-play games, this game should be worth at least 50 yuan, right?”
“But ‘Sea Fortress’ is completely free, and the entire game only sells one Fire Kylin for 888 yuan! This is a form of giving back to players!”
“Allowing all ordinary players to freely enjoy 99.99% of the game content—how could players not be happy? How could they not be grateful?”
“Moreover, the Fire Kylin is quite different from the knife Old Liu was selling. That knife had excellent attributes; one wealthy player could defeat ten others, leaving no survival space for ordinary players.”
“But the Fire Kylin’s attributes aren’t much higher than other guns, and it provides experience bonuses and other benefits to other players in the room.”
“The interests of wealthy and ordinary players align. This weapon retains its value permanently, looks flashy, and earns respect wherever you go. Of course it sells well!”
“So, a pricing strategy is a holistic system, a result of considering various aspects comprehensively. Setting the Fire Kylin’s price at 888 yuan isn’t about greedily making money—it’s actually about giving back to players!”
Ma Yiqun nodded repeatedly as he listened.
“I see! I previously heard that ‘Sea Fortress’ sold a gun for 888 yuan and wondered if people had become so foolish and wealthy.”
“It turns out there’s a deeper meaning behind it. I understand now.”
“Brother Huang, you’re not even in the gaming industry anymore, yet you’re still so knowledgeable about gaming matters?”
Huang Sibo paused, taking a sip of coffee.
“That’s… a long story. I haven’t told you because I’ve been in a daze these past few months, not knowing where to begin…”
“I created ‘Sea Fortress’—I was the executive chief planner.”
“What?” Ma Yiqun almost thought he had misheard.
The executive chief planner of “Sea Fortress”?
Wouldn’t that put him streets ahead of Old Liu?
What level of game was “Sea Fortress”?
It was a creation that could compete head-to-head with Tianhua Studio!
Excluding the foreign game “Counter-Terrorism Plan,” among domestically developed FPS games, “Sea Fortress” was second to none—it was that impressive!
Some people had even calculated that with “Sea Fortress’s” current player base, besides selling the Fire Kylin, if they just did some marketing and held some recharge consumption activities, their monthly revenue could at least double or triple!
The outside world didn’t know “Sea Fortress’s” exact income, but according to estimates, the monthly cash flow should be around 6-7 million yuan, with a net income of at least 3 million.
Mind you, this game had only been online for just over a month.
Given the long lifespan of FPS games, it was undoubtedly certain that this game’s monthly cash flow would exceed 10 million yuan in the future. It was a money tree that had just begun to sprout!
What level was the chief planner of such a game?
At any larger game company, the boss would welcome them with open arms!
A friend who had been toiling alongside him just a few months ago had suddenly become an industry leader.
This was hard for Ma Yiqun to accept.
It wasn’t that he begrudged his friend’s success, but this was just too incredible!
Huang Sibo no longer held back and recounted everything: his interview at Tenda, creating “Sea Fortress” under Mr. Pei’s hints, being named an outstanding employee, and receiving a 1 million yuan investment to make short videos.
As Ma Yiqun listened, he repeatedly lapsed into stunned silence.
Could such good fortune exist??
With Huang Sibo’s resume, getting into such a wealthy game company through an interview was already extremely unlikely and extraordinary.
And then he was directly promoted to executive chief planner? And he created “Sea Fortress”?
As for receiving the 1 million yuan dream fund… that was beyond absurd!
“I know that what you’re hearing might be a bit overwhelming, but… It’s all true.”
Huang Sibo’s gaze was sincere.
Ma Yiqun remained silent for a long time.
“Brother, can you refer me internally?”
“I’ll submit my resignation to Old Liu tomorrow.”
Resigning immediately—that was Ma Yiqun’s most urgent thought right now.
Look at the life his friend had been living these past few months, and then look at his own…
Comparisons were killing him!
Huang Sibo had described Tenda’s work environment, employee benefits, and many other aspects in detail. Every single aspect made Ma Yiqun envious.
“An internal referral is no problem, but… I don’t know exactly what criteria Mr. Pei uses to select people.”
“Whether you pass the interview depends on you.”
Ma Yiqun quickly nodded: “No problem. Sibo, tell me, what was your interview situation? What should I prepare?”
“Me at that time?”
Huang Sibo recalled the scene: “To be honest, I felt like I was going to fail. I just brought a resume that truthfully described my work experience.”
“Truthfully?” Ma Yiqun was surprised.
If written truthfully, wouldn’t the resume look terrible?
And he still got hired?
Huang Sibo nodded: “Yes, written truthfully. And let me tell you something else—Old Liu also went for an interview around the same time as me, but he wasn’t accepted.”
Ma Yiqun: “…”
Even more confused.
After thinking for a moment, Huang Sibo said, “Based on my understanding of Mr. Pei, he probably has a unique perspective that allows him to see the hidden qualities in each person beyond their resume.”
“I think you absolutely shouldn’t fabricate anything or beautify your resume too much. For Mr. Pei, that might count against you.”
“Of course, how you handle it is up to you. I can’t guarantee anything.”
Ma Yiqun nodded quickly: “Good, no problem. I’ll prepare my resume as soon as I get back!”