Previously, Yan Qi had secured investment when founding his studio, and since they had made money and provided a certain return to the investment company, logically, obtaining another round of investment shouldn’t be difficult.
But the problem was that this investment company wasn’t among the top-tier in Jingzhou, nor did they have abundant financial resources. They had invested in Yan Qi before because his ‘Blade of Empire’ was a mobile game he was experienced in making.
Taking a step into single-player action games represented a major risk that few investment companies would be willing to accept.
Everyone knew that single-player games carried a high risk of failure, especially those with large investments and production scales. Domestically, only Mr. Pei could guarantee that each single-player game he made would be a hit; other companies weren’t so successful.
Moreover, the investment scales for mobile games versus AAA single-player titles weren’t even in the same league.
A mobile game might only require a few million yuan, with twenty to thirty million being quite generous and even covering part of the marketing budget. But for a AAA title to guarantee a standard 20-hour gameplay length, even with current technology levels, it would easily cost over a hundred million yuan.
Even if they could compress the gameplay, even if they could use some repetitive gameplay, equipment building, and other systems to extend game time, ultimately, development costs of several tens of millions were already the bare minimum.
‘Turn Back to Shore’ had relatively economical development costs because its entire story was more straightforward, unlike the complexity of ‘Millet Separation.’
Mr. Pei had already walked that path, so Yan Qi could only take another route.
And with that choice, the money became insufficient.
Where could he get so much money?
Yan Qi once again fell into confusion.
“Hmm? Why are you still hung up on this? Haven’t figured it out yet?”
Li Yada had stepped out for a bit and happened to see Yan Qi sighing at his desk again.
She thought, his comprehension couldn’t be that poor, could it?
I’ve explained it so clearly, even if he hasn’t worked out all the details, he should at least have a general direction and framework, right?
Is it really worth sighing over?
Yan Qi smiled somewhat awkwardly: “Sister Li, I’ve got the idea, but I’ve encountered an even more severe problem…”
“No money.”
Li Yada was taken aback: “Oh? You already have the idea? Let me see.”
Yan Qi moved aside, and Li Yada pulled up a chair to examine the design document for ‘Millet Separation.’
After reading it, Li Yada gave a thumbs up: “Not bad!”
“I think this idea is quite good, at least it feels fresh to me. There’s no game like this on the market currently.”
Yan Qi smiled bitterly: “But that doesn’t help. To fully realize this idea without cutting corners, the development costs would be at least a hundred million yuan, right?”
“Our small studio definitely can’t come up with that amount; we can only seek investors. But the gaming industry is a high-risk field after all. Who would be willing to invest a hundred million in a single-player game? Even investing three to five million in a mobile game requires careful consideration!”
Li Yada was silent for a moment, then said: “Perhaps I can help you think of a solution.”
“I happen to know several investors, especially those at Dream Realization Investment. I have a decent relationship with them.”
Yan Qi was stunned, his expression gradually turning to shock.
Wow, is that possible?
Sister Li was really keeping her cards close to her chest!
Initially, he thought she was just an ordinary employee at the Chaorosu Gaming Platform, but it turned out she knew people at Tenda and Dream Realization Investment?
Dream Realization Investment—wasn’t that Tenda’s investment company?
Could it be that Li Yada had left Tenda to start her own business?
That seemed unlikely. With Tenda’s excellent benefits and treatment, how could anyone voluntarily resign?
Well, it could also be connections through the Chaorosu Gaming Platform.
Yan Qi didn’t know who the actual financial backers behind the Chaorosu Gaming Platform were—these mysterious owners remained quite secretive. But he did know one thing: they definitely weren’t short of money.
Anyone daring to run something like the Chaorosu Gaming Platform had to be quite wealthy.
It was also possible that the backers of the Chaorosu Gaming Platform knew these investors, and Li Yada, as a key employee of the platform, also knew these investors and could speak with them.
With this thought, Yan Qi seemed to see a glimmer of hope: “Really? That’s great!”
“However…”
Yan Qi still felt unsure: “I’ve heard that Dream Realization Investment is also a very unconventional investment company with its own set of rules. To get investment, you have to queue up, and the amount they invest is fixed—they wouldn’t suddenly invest a hundred million.”
“Moreover, ‘Millet Separation’ is currently just at the concept stage, without even a demo. Even with your connection, getting investment would still be difficult, right?”
For investors, investing was serious business that required consideration of returns. They wouldn’t casually invest a hundred million just based on a friend’s word.
If they were that careless, these investors would probably have bankrupted themselves long ago.
So it wasn’t about not trusting this connection, but this wasn’t like borrowing a few hundred yuan—it was a major matter.
Li Yada thought for a moment: “Yes, we do need to make some preparations.”
“How about this—you write a simple proposal following Dream Realization Investment’s format.”
“Then I’ll help polish it and introduce this game from my perspective to see if we can persuade… the investors.”
Li Yada had almost said “to see if we can persuade Mr. Pei.”
She knew very well that for such a large investment, He Desheng would definitely need to report to Mr. Pei.
Given Mr. Pei’s character, he would likely support excellent domestic games, but as a subordinate, Li Yada also needed to report honestly about the risks and problems with this game, allowing Mr. Pei to make the most correct decision.
If Mr. Pei thought it wasn’t viable, it would indicate the idea wasn’t sound and would fail if developed, so she would advise Yan Qi not to proceed.
If Mr. Pei approved and was willing to invest, it would mean the game was fine, and they could confidently proceed with development.
Yan Qi nodded: “Alright, I’ll write a proposal.”
He wasn’t too hopeful, but since Li Yada offered this connection, it was worth trying.
Writing a proposal and an initial design draft wouldn’t take much effort.
What if they actually secured the investment? Even if not a hundred million, fifty million would be workable!
They could then sell early access versions, arrange pre-orders, and perhaps manage to keep going.
The two of them went off to their respective tasks.
…
…
November 10th, Saturday.
The GOG Global Invitational officially began!
Meanwhile, the IOI Global Finals were also taking place during the same period, as both competitions were in Europe, and there were only so many weekends to choose from.
However, although both competitions started on Saturday, their timing wasn’t the same.
GOG began at 9 AM European time, which was 5 PM in China, while IOI started at 3:30 PM European time, which was 11:30 PM in China.
Clearly, this was simply a matter of prioritization.
Due to the 6-8 hour time difference between Europe and China, the viewing times for both regions would inevitably be offset.
For GOG, since Tenda was the main organizer, they deliberately scheduled the competition to start in the morning in Europe. While this wasn’t particularly convenient for European viewers, it was a compromise that well accommodated Chinese players.
Furthermore, in terms of scheduling, most matches involving Chinese teams were placed earlier. Players who didn’t want to stay up late could watch the group stage matches of Chinese teams and then go to sleep, without having to stay up too late.
As for IOI, they obviously wouldn’t accommodate Chinese players as much. They wanted to capture the European market, so naturally, they scheduled the competition during prime time in Europe.
As for Chinese viewers, they would just have to stay up late; there was no way around it.
In the afternoon at Jinsheng Plaza, the open area in front of the large screen at the Tenda Experience Store was already packed with spectators.
The offline viewing events for the GOG Global Invitational could be described as bustling with activity.
Many large shopping malls across the country had set up large screens in their first-floor lobbies, and many cinemas had also repurposed empty theaters for viewing events.
The most lively offline viewing location was undoubtedly the open area in front of the Tenda Experience Store.
On one hand, this was because the screen there was large enough and could accommodate enough people; on the other hand, it was also because the GPL match venue was right across from it.
During the GPL regular season, large crowds gathered here every day to watch matches, forming a trend and habit.
Although it was already November and the weather had turned cold, the crowds were still enthusiastic.
The matches wouldn’t start for another hour or so, but the on-site activities had already begun.
Chen Lei took the stage to sing, and the scene was broadcast to other offline viewing locations, becoming an exclusive benefit for domestic viewers.
In the plaza, several spectators were discussing while listening to Chen Lei’s performance.
“It’s great that they invited Chen Lei to sing specifically for domestic viewers and even adjusted the match times. It feels like Chinese players are truly valued in GOG, completely different from IOI.”
“Chen Lei initially became famous because of Mr. Pei. Coming back to sing and show his face to players, gaining some popularity—it’s a win-win.”
“Who’s that guest singing with Chen Lei? They’re not singing well, just at the level of a bar singer. How did they get on stage? And even singing with Chen Lei?”
“That person? That’s Mr. Zhang from the Esports Division, former head of Slackin’ Internet Café and ROF assembly, current head of DGE Club and the Esports Division. Theoretically, all of GOG’s competitions fall under his management.”
“Whoa? Such a big shot?”
“Now that you mention it, Mr. Zhang is amazing. Such a big shot can still sing at this level. Tenda is truly full of talent!”
“That’s right. According to rumors, Mr. Zhang initially worked at Slackin’ Internet Café as both a bartender and resident singer. Before Chen Lei came, he was the one performing there.”
“And then?”
“Then? Then he almost ran Slackin’ Internet Café into the ground. Fortunately, Chen Lei took over, and the café survived.”
“You’re making this up! I won’t allow you to slander my respected Mr. Zhang like that!”
“Exactly! Mr. Zhang sings so beautifully! Even better than Chen Lei! Mr. Zhang, I cheer for you!”
“Mr. Zhang, could you arrange for some signed photos of all the DGE team members? How about drawing some limited GPL team merchandise?”
“Hey, could we have a raffle for a top-spec ROF machine?”
“Mr. Zhang, please arrange an account with all heroes and all skins!”
“I want to go pro! Mr. Zhang, look at me!”
Upon learning Zhang Yuan’s identity, the on-site reputation immediately did a 180-degree turn.
Everyone expressed that someone of Mr. Zhang’s status and position could still come on stage to sing for everyone to enjoy freely, and he sang pretty well too—it was an absolute win!