Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan had just arrived at the GOG project team to find the new person in charge, Zhang Nan.
Zhang Nan had joined Tenda around the same time as Min Jingchao, which was the first batch after Tenda started recruitment exams and implemented the Tenda Spirit test.
Neither of them had any experience in the gaming industry before joining Tenda—one was an accountant, and the other was a fashion designer, both changing careers midway.
After joining the GOG project team, Min Jingchao became a numerical designer, while Zhang Nan was mainly responsible for hero designs and theme skins, communicating directly with Ruan Guangjian’s studio, and also managing the art requirements for other game projects besides GOG.
Now that Min Jingchao had been transferred, the GOG project team needed a new person in charge.
Eric and Zhao Xuming were only managing the operations side, while Zhang Nan was responsible for game development.
Regardless of their main focus, these designers would generally dabble in various aspects of game function design. For example, Min Jingchao, while primarily doing numerical work, also took on the task of designing new gameplay features and functions.
Zhang Nan was the same.
Pei Qian didn’t have many thoughts when promoting her; it was simply because her name looked familiar, one of the few people he could remember.
The reason he didn’t promote people he didn’t know was mainly because he wasn’t confident, afraid that he might accidentally draw an SSR who would carry the team to success again.
Tenda Group was full of hidden talents, so he didn’t dare choose randomly.
Moreover, Zhang Nan had previously been mainly responsible for skins and art requirements, and designing game functions wasn’t her strong suit. Pei Qian felt that having her as the person in charge should be more reassuring than Min Jingchao.
When finalizing Zhang Nan as the new person in charge, Pei Qian had some reflections.
Initially, Hu Xianbin, Min Jingchao, and Zhang Nan were the earliest to enter Tenda’s gaming department. Now, the best performer, Hu Xianbin, was suffering in Shennongjia; the second-best performer, Min Jingchao, had been dispatched to Yangcheng; only the relatively mediocre performer, Zhang Nan, remained in the GOG project team.
Perhaps this was the so-called “a tree that stands out from the forest invites the wind to break it”!
It seemed that working at Tenda, one needed to understand the meaning of the golden mean.
Pei Qian very much wanted to compile these three people’s cases into a booklet and distribute it to Tenda’s employees for them to study.
Zhang Yuan’s current identity was still the head of the DGE club and the head of the E-sports Business Department. His work was closely linked to the GOG project team, so he frequently came over and even had a dedicated workspace there.
Recently, Zhang Yuan had kept a very low profile in Mr. Pei’s eyes.
This was because he had been deliberately keeping a low profile, afraid of being caught again.
Having already lost Slackin’ Internet Café, he absolutely couldn’t lose the DGE club and the E-sports Business Department as well.
Moreover, there was now the terrifying Suffering Travel to contend with.
Zhang Yuan noticed that the entire GOG project team was permeated with a sense of joy.
This was normal, after all, they had just won a major victory.
Zhang Yuan didn’t know much about the internal changes in the GOG project team, but he definitely kept an eye on GOG-related matters online.
This time, GOG pulled off a beautiful bait-and-switch, luring ioi to voluntarily put their face forward and then slapping it hard. It not only caused great damage but was also extremely insulting, further expanding GOG’s market share.
“This is the development planning table for GOG’s next version, as well as the related activity planning proposals that need coordination from the E-sports Business Department. The electronic version has already been sent to your email,” Zhang Nan said, seeing Zhang Yuan arrive, and handed over a document from her desk.
Zhang Yuan reached out to take it, briefly flipping through it.
The E-sports Business Department needed to frequently coordinate with the GOG project team, such as building anticipation for new versions and heroes during events, organizing professional players to try out new versions and new entertainment modes, and so on.
Originally, these were directly sent in electronic format, but since Zhang Yuan wanted to visit today, Zhang Nan had printed out a paper copy.
“The GOG project team really does feel renewed after moving to the new floor.”
“That said, the personnel changes this time have been quite dramatic. I had anticipated that Mr. Pei would transfer Min Jingchao away, but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.”
“Moreover, I hadn’t expected Mr. Pei to poach the two directors from ioi…”
Zhang Yuan had thought that even if Mr. Pei transferred Min Jingchao away, he would likely promote a new person in charge directly from the original project team.
Zhang Nan smiled slightly: “Indeed, I hadn’t expected it either. That’s why Mr. Pei is Mr. Pei, isn’t he? Looking at it now, this personnel adjustment has been unexpectedly successful!”
“You can clearly feel that Eric and Zhao Xuming have a completely different working style compared to Min Jingchao.”
“Although their capabilities might not be stronger, the improvement is significant!”
Zhang Yuan: “Oh? How so?”
Zhang Nan explained: “When Min Jingchao was in charge, his main energy was focused on the development of new versions, emphasizing internal matters.”
“Various promotional and operational activities were all centered around new game content, and in most cases, he wouldn’t proactively plan activities targeting ioi. It was only when Mr. Pei had requirements that he would plan corresponding activities.”
“But Eric is different. He pays more attention to external matters. You could say he’s constantly monitoring the slightest movements of competing games, and the operational activity plans he provides are all particularly targeted!”
“And this success is clearly largely attributable to this personnel adjustment.”
Zhang Yuan nodded: “Indeed.”
The difference between Min Jingchao and Eric mainly stemmed from two aspects.
First, as the person in charge, Min Jingchao was responsible for both development and operations, often finding it difficult to manage both, and could only put most of his energy into development, since new content was the foundation of operations.
In terms of operations, he didn’t seek merit but rather sought to avoid mistakes, prioritizing stability.
But after this personnel adjustment, Zhang Nan was in charge of development, while Eric and Zhao Xuming focused on overseas and domestic server operations respectively. The division of labor was more reasonable and clear. The coordination between development and operations might not be as smooth as when one person handled both, but it ensured that work could be carried out more meticulously and in-depth.
Second, Min Jingchao never had a deep study of operational activities and wasn’t very skilled in this area personally, so he often didn’t dare to carry out more aggressive activities.
But Eric and Zhao Xuming, with their background in operations and thorough understanding of ioi, were naturally more inclined to catch ioi’s weaknesses and deliver critical strikes.
In the eyes of the project team employees, this personnel adjustment was clearly a stroke of genius, accomplishing a very natural transition.
Previously, GOG’s main goal was to consolidate itself and ensure game quality, not being too aggressive; but now that the gap between the two sides had widened, it was time to launch a merciless offensive against the enemy!
Without a doubt, this must have all been calculated by Mr. Pei.
Zhang Nan continued: “And I’ve also noticed another point, which is the chain reaction triggered by this personnel adjustment!”
“Mr. Pei casually eliminated Long Yu Group, a formidable rival to GOG!”
Zhang Yuan was somewhat surprised: “How so? Long Yu Group shouldn’t be severely affected just because of ioi, right?”
Long Yu Group was also considered a large company in China, with considerable resources at its disposal. Previously, many of ioi’s activities were jointly held by Finger Company and Long Yu Group, which did cause some trouble for GOG.
But Long Yu Group was still doing fine, wasn’t it? How could it be considered “eliminated”?
Zhang Nan explained: “It’s simple. Long Yu Group is no longer opposing us, which is equivalent to turning an enemy into a friend and removing an obstacle, isn’t it?”
“Dayak Group, Finger Company, and Long Yu Group, although all directly related to ioi, have huge differences in their attitudes toward this game.”
“By effectively utilizing these differences, one can achieve effective divide-and-conquer tactics!”
“At first, I was a bit puzzled as to why Mr. Pei would use such a high cost to poach Zhao Xuming. You know, Zhao Xuming had a non-compete agreement. Mr. Pei promised to give Tianhua Studio and Long Yu Group an idea, and only then did Long Yu Group let him go.”
“How precious is one of Mr. Pei’s ideas? To exchange it just for a Zhao Xuming, it always seemed somewhat of a loss.”
Zhang Yuan nodded; he had heard about this long ago: “So you’re saying this matter has other benefits?”
Zhang Nan nodded: “Of course it does, and it’s a triple win!”
“First, internally for the company, as I just said, it optimized personnel allocation, allowing Min Jingchao to continue growing and design new games, and further optimizing the personnel composition of the GOG project team.”
“Second, it’s a form of wooing Long Yu Group.”
“The reason Long Yu Group has been relatively hostile to us is because GOG and ioi are in direct competition, right? But anyone with eyes can see that ioi’s domestic server is deteriorating day by day.”
“Long Yu Group had no other choice; for the sake of ioi’s domestic server’s meager profits, they could only hold on stubbornly.”
“But now, Mr. Pei’s new game has given Long Yu Group another option. After this game goes online, as long as the data looks good, Long Yu Group will definitely divert a large amount of resources to promote it. Who will care about ioi’s domestic server then?”
“It’s foreseeable that Long Yu Group’s internal attitude will quickly shift, gradually leaning toward our side. This is a successful divide-and-conquer strategy!”
“Once Long Yu Group’s attitude changes, even gradually defecting to our side, subsequent battles will definitely be like sweeping away withered branches!”
“The last point is my speculation and may not be accurate.”
“I think that for Mr. Pei, good ideas are plentiful. The reason he threw out this particular idea might be to test a model.”
“Tenda Group’s R&D capacity is ultimately limited. No matter how much R&D Tenda Games and Shangyang Games do, they can only make about four or five games a year.”
“And recruiting people always has its limits. New hires need to be trained gradually; it can’t be achieved overnight.”
“Many teams from other game companies have been working together for a long time. It’s unrealistic to poach entire teams, and poaching individuals is inefficient.”
“In short, time constraints limit Mr. Pei’s imagination.”
“But if this ‘outsourcing’ model can be promoted, couldn’t many good games be developed quickly? And Mr. Pei just provided an idea, which can get Tenda a decent share. It’s a win-win model.”
“If this model can be widely promoted, it can not only bring considerable income to the company but also gradually influence the entire domestic market’s gaming environment!”
Zhang Yuan nodded frequently as he listened.
Hmm, it made a lot of sense!
Mr. Pei wouldn’t go to such lengths just to poach one person. All along, every move Mr. Pei made was like a chess player thinking three moves ahead; there must be multiple benefits for him to take action.
Zhang Nan’s explanation was indeed a more reasonable one.
The first two points had already been quickly verified, while the last point was still unclear.
But once successful, as the Tenda model spread throughout the country, it would inevitably have a tremendous impact!
Thinking carefully, one would realize that Mr. Pei had been laying groundwork in this field for a long time. Whether it was the Poverty Path Plan’s independent game incubator or the Dawn Games platform that Li Yada was sent to manage, they all seemed to be laying the foundation for a grand layout.
Zhang Yuan couldn’t help but marvel, Mr. Pei was truly unfathomable!
Tenda’s departments were increasing, and the development of each department and project was accelerating. Previously, Zhang Yuan could grasp some of the dynamics of other departments, but now it was completely impossible.
Even within Tenda, there was a situation of “different departments like different mountains,” and Zhang Yuan found it difficult to interpret Mr. Pei’s true intentions for the GOG project team.
Each person in charge could only understand Mr. Pei’s intentions within their own area of responsibility, while Mr. Pei could coordinate so many departments, always providing guidance at the perfect time.
What an incredibly powerful strategic ability!
In Zhang Yuan’s mind, Mr. Pei’s image grew even more towering.
But after marveling at Mr. Pei’s brilliant operations, Zhang Yuan once again pondered the troubling question.
“But… how do you explain the Suffering Travel matter?”
“Now that you’re also a person in charge, sooner or later, you won’t escape it either.”
Zhang Nan: “…”
She hadn’t been paying much attention to Suffering Travel, but upon hearing Zhang Yuan’s words, her face instantly fell.
Indeed, sometimes being a person in charge at Tenda wasn’t as good as being an ordinary employee, because those in charge often had to be on edge, either worried about being transferred to another position or worried about going on travel.
Previously it was fine, at most one would go on a trip by oneself, but now it had all been changed to Bao Xu’s unified arrangements, and he always picked those godforsaken places. It was too hard!
“This… perhaps Mr. Pei wants to temper the will of those in charge…”
Zhang Nan’s voice grew increasingly softer as she spoke.
The two looked at each other silently, at a loss for words.
…
Meanwhile, Mr. Pei, who appeared to be the mastermind behind the scenes in everyone’s eyes, was in the conference room, staring wide-eyed at Eric and Zhao Xuming.
Eric and Zhao Xuming were clearly very proud.
Having just joined for a little over a week, they had perfectly utilized a set of new skins previously made by Min Jingchao to deliver a heavy blow to ioi!
Even at Tenda, this should count as a small achievement, right?
This proved that Mr. Pei had a unique insight in poaching us, and we indeed haven’t let Mr. Pei down, even winning the trust of our colleagues in the GOG project team!
Today, Mr. Pei must be here to praise us!
However, Pei Qian now only wanted to cry out, you’re all liars!
I’ve been completely fooled!
I didn’t poach you to make me a lot of money!
The situation had deviated a billion little bits from expectations, and Pei Qian felt he had to think of a solution.
With Eric and Zhao Xuming being so ruthless, wouldn’t ioi be dead soon?
First, he needed to confirm who was the main culprit.
It had to be Eric, no doubt.
With Zhao Xuming’s personality, he wouldn’t be capable of making such a big move just a week after taking over.
Pei Qian considered that he needed to gradually change the positioning of the two.
The current situation was that Eric was dominating, with Zhao Xuming assisting him, and the two were working together perfectly.
This certainly wouldn’t do. The two had this kind of cooperative model at ioi before, which was very stable and never had any problems.
Continuing to let them have their way would be like sitting and waiting for doom.
What if they were switched?
What would happen if Zhao Xuming was made to provide plans?
As someone who dared not take the blame, Zhao Xuming’s plans certainly wouldn’t be as aggressive as Eric’s, which should give ioi some breathing room.