Hearing this, the vice president couldn’t help but give a thumbs up.
“CEO Nie, brilliant!”
“I must say, Mr. Pei has one oversight. While he’s certainly one of the world’s top game developers, his arrogance in the game development field has blinded him, making him overlook this excellent game company right in Jingzhou.”
“Of course, it’s not entirely Mr. Pei’s fault. After all, there’s no absolute number one in the literary world. Every outstanding artist has their pride, and they tend to subconsciously dismiss those they consider inferior to themselves.”
“Perhaps Mr. Pei never expected that this inconspicuous gap, hardly even a loophole, would be caught by you!”
Nie Yunsheng smiled slightly, clearly enjoying the flattery.
Gaming was Tenda’s strongest domain.
Finding a gap in seemingly impenetrable territory was indeed something to be proud of!
“However… CEO Nie,” the vice president hesitated before continuing, “the ‘Shuli’ project is currently still in development and should be confidential.”
“It might be difficult for us to get detailed internal materials about this game!”
“Without these materials, the influence we could generate would certainly be greatly reduced.”
“Internal leaks… that’s too risky.”
Nie Yunsheng’s plan was to publicize information about “Shuli,” generate widespread attention, then extend an olive branch while simultaneously attacking Tenda, adjusting subsequent strategies based on Tenda’s response.
But the prerequisite was generating widespread attention.
Just the name “Shuli” and the reputation of Yan Qi’s team wouldn’t be enough. The team had only created the mobile game “Empire’s Blade” before, so their fame wasn’t particularly high. Even emphasizing their spirit and ambition in transitioning from mobile games to AAA titles wouldn’t be sufficient.
Ideally, they needed ready-made promotional materials or actual gameplay footage to generate widespread interest.
But these were internal materials, certainly highly confidential and not easily obtainable.
Nie Yunsheng said, “Hehe, no need to worry about that—they’ll provide it themselves. According to my information, ‘Shuli’ will release a promotional video and demo gameplay footage this weekend on Morning Dew Gaming Platform for early publicity.”
“This is already confirmed and won’t change.”
“It’s precisely this information that makes me more certain that the ‘Shuli’ project is actually very short on money! But it already has a certain degree of completion, so entering at this stage would be the optimal timing for us.”
The vice president suddenly understood: “I see! How brilliant, CEO Nie!”
Although the project itself was confidential, it couldn’t possibly be completely airtight—some information would inevitably leak out. Moreover, with the anti-Tenda alliance controlling so many resources, obtaining confidential internal game resources might be difficult, but getting some information was relatively easy.
The “Shuli” project officially began development in November of last year, so it had been over four months now.
Although the game content was extensive, and as an action-based AAA game, its scale was considerable, there were very mature official editors available. So, nearly half of the development progress should already be completed.
At this stage of development, releasing a promotional video or some gameplay footage was actually a common tactic used by many game companies.
On one hand, early exposure accumulated hype, giving players something to look forward to; on the other hand, it could also attract the attention of investors and players. Whether to secure investment or open pre-sales, the goal was to recover some funds and alleviate financial pressure.
Many foreign AAA titles release promotional trailers six months or even a year in advance, mainly to build hype; while some domestic independent games reveal early footage to gain player support and ease financial pressure through pre-sales.
Nie Yunsheng believed the “Shuli” game would be a combination of both.
At the same time, this point mutually verified the current state of Yan Qi’s team, making Nie Yunsheng more certain that Yan Qi’s team must still be short on money—the game was only half complete and would require substantial funds to reach completion.
After this promotional material was released, the level of attention it generated and how much funding it secured might directly determine the future completion level of “Shuli.”
This provided Nie Yunsheng with an excellent opportunity!
“Prepare quickly. Try to follow up immediately after ‘Shuli’ releases its trailer, forcing them to cooperate with us!”
……
……
March 23rd, Saturday.
Yan Qi arrived at the company as usual, grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat down at his workstation.
Since it was Saturday, there weren’t many people in the office—only about one-fifth of the staff had come in.
Although they had received investment from Dream Venture Capital, they weren’t a direct department of Tenda, so there was more freedom regarding overtime work. Yan Qi didn’t force everyone to work overtime, but some people, like himself, couldn’t stop worrying about the project, so they would come in to work for a while on weekends.
“CEO Yan, are we releasing the promotional video and gameplay footage today?” asked the lead designer sitting nearby.
Yan Qi: “Yes.”
“Do you need us to do anything?” the lead designer asked again.
Yan Qi shook his head: “No need. The videos have already been recorded and coordinated with Morning Dew Gaming Platform. They’ll be uploaded directly to video websites, and the promotional resources on the gaming platform will go live simultaneously. There’s nothing else that needs to be done.”
“Everyone should just focus on developing the remaining game content properly.”
“Oh, right, since it’s Saturday, don’t work too late. Lunch is on me, and everyone should go home and rest before 4 PM. Starting next week, we’ll continue finalizing ‘Shuli,’ striving to meet our original plan of launching the complete version in June.”
The lead designer nodded: “Understood, CEO Yan!”
Though Yan Qi appeared calm on the surface, he was actually somewhat worried.
Because he wasn’t sure if the video would achieve the effect he was hoping for!
Releasing a video for early promotion after a game project reached a certain stage of development was a standard practice. Although Yan Qi’s team had received strong support from Mr. Pei and didn’t lack money, they did lack buzz and confidence.
What if players didn’t respond well to the game after it was released? Wouldn’t that be letting Mr. Pei down?
Although this concept had been approved by Mr. Pei, there would inevitably be changes during the development process, causing the final product to deviate from the initial concept.
Success wasn’t guaranteed.
If it failed, it would definitely be his responsibility, not Mr. Pei’s.
Coincidentally, Morning Dew Gaming Platform had the same intention.
Although Morning Dew Gaming Platform was very popular among players, with increasingly more excellent games available, they hadn’t found a good focal point recently to generate a step increase in platform popularity.
They felt like they were wasting time if they didn’t do something.
Therefore, they also needed a hit game to excite the platform’s players and drive traffic. The two parties quickly reached an agreement, deciding to promote “Shuli” to generate some buzz.
This was the perfect opportunity to release “Shuli” gameplay footage, providing limited information to players, which could both increase hype and confirm whether their current direction was correct.
If the response was lukewarm, with players showing little interest, it would indicate that the current development state of “Shuli” had deviated from expectations, and Yan Qi would need to consider major changes in subsequent development.
Glancing at the time, the promotional video and gameplay footage had already been automatically published on Morning Dew Gaming Platform. Yan Qi immediately clicked to check.
……
A melodious tune played as the camera revealed a vivid, somewhat bewitching red flower swaying in the gentle rain.
Then, the camera quickly pulled back, revealing countless temples and pagodas in the misty distance.
This serene scene naturally evoked the image of “Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many towers and pavilions in the rain and mist.”
But this tranquil scene was suddenly disrupted when the tallest pagoda exploded violently, breaking in half from the middle, collapsing with a thunderous roar as flames shot skyward!
The raging fire devoured the pagoda, and not just that one—other pagodas also burst into flames, instantly turning the scene blood red!
Fire and thick smoke appeared especially striking in the southern rain and mist.
Inside a temple, a giant Buddha statue resembled an emperor, with smiling bodhisattvas on both sides like attendants. Heavenly kings looked solemn, guardian spirits appeared mighty, and vajras glared fiercely, all surrounding the massive Buddha statue in the center, creating an imposing sight.
But now, all the Buddha statues were toppling and crumbling in the raging fire, reduced to ashes.
Soldiers wielding sharp blades were slaughtering fleeing monks, but powerful warrior monks were also swinging their staffs, fighting the soldiers amidst the collapsing Buddha statues engulfed in flames.
The camera pulled back, quickly changing scenes to the northern border.
Foreign cavalry were charging, raising their curved sabers, their war horses red-eyed and roaring as they charged toward the opposing formation.
On the other side were the Central Plains troops. Unlike the foreign forces, they had cavalry positioned on both flanks. The infantry phalanx in the center had a temporary fortress formed by chariots at the front, with archers standing ready in the back, bows drawn.
The commanding general drew his long sword and gave the order—arrows rained down like a downpour!
Both sides engaged in fierce combat. The commanding general continuously issued orders, and the soldiers around him shifted formations, as if some magical power had been infused into their bodies, supporting them in their desperate struggle.
Behind the battle formation, great Confucian scholars wielded brushes and ink, their words carrying heavenly authority, sending waves of righteous energy into the battle formation.
A group of foreign cavalry spotted the scholars behind the formation and charged through, aiming to strike at the heart of the defense. However, as soon as they reached the scholars, they revealed countless openings and were easily cut down by the guards.
The scene shifted again to a small village in the borderlands.
An old Taoist priest, holding a whisk in one hand and a ritual sword in the other, walked into the village.
All around was silence, with only crows pecking at corpses and the occasional eerie wailing sound, sometimes near, sometimes far.
Suddenly, a vicious ghost-demon burst out from a nearby house, its pitch-black claws lunging at the Taoist!
The Taoist remained calm, flinging a talisman that transformed into chains, firmly binding the ghost-demon before thrusting his sword forward in a decisive strike to the throat.
But immediately afterward, black death energy gathered throughout the village as more demons appeared, including giant monsters several zhang tall, intent on devouring the Taoist alive!
Elixirs, talismans, formations… the Taoist’s techniques were endless, but countless demons still surrounded him, gradually engulfing him…
Finally, the Taoist, his sword planted in the ground, was covered in wounds. But around him lay mountains of demon corpses.
In the quiet night, a sudden cry was heard. Following the sound, the Taoist discovered a baby hidden away by its parents.
The Taoist picked up the baby and left the village.
Roaring flames arose, burning everything to ashes. Accompanied by a mournful melody, the game title appeared amidst the blazing fire: “Shuli”!