“How far along is the game at this point? Can I try it?” Qiu Hong asked.
Jiang Fan hesitated slightly, but still nodded: “Of course.”
He then went to his computer, opened the half-finished “Office Worker’s Survival Manual,” and handed it over to Qiu Hong to experience.
Jiang Fan was a bit conflicted.
Because “Office Worker’s Survival Manual” wasn’t very complete yet. As a simulation game, playing only part of the content wouldn’t convey the core gameplay and what made it fun.
Even with the existing content, the enjoyment would be greatly diminished, since games are unified wholes.
But since Qiu Hong wanted to play, he couldn’t refuse.
When it comes to games, mere descriptions are quite hollow. You have to play it yourself to experience the fun.
A PowerPoint presentation is better than just talking, and a demo is better than a PowerPoint.
So Jiang Fan could only reluctantly let Qiu Hong play, sitting beside him and watching closely. As soon as a bug appeared or when Qiu Hong reached an unfinished part, he would verbally fill in the gaps.
Qiu Hong began seriously testing the game.
This was a simulation game from the perspective of an ordinary office worker. The game’s art assets were mostly 2D content, and alongside attribute development and story progression, there were also some interesting mini-games.
However, there were indeed many bugs, temporary art assets, incomplete story content, and gameplay features, making the gaming experience less than ideal.
Jiang Fan, who was explaining on the side, couldn’t help wiping sweat from his forehead while providing explanations.
There was no choice—the person with the money is the boss!
Jiang Fan didn’t dare to be careless for a moment. What if something displeased Mr. Qiu and he decided not to invest? Wouldn’t that be a major problem?
At present, the studio’s funds could only sustain them for a little over a month. Looking at the current situation, this time and money definitely wouldn’t be enough to complete the entire game.
If they couldn’t secure Mr. Qiu’s investment, the studio might have to go hungry for a while. And if the game’s completion level wasn’t sufficient and sales were poor, they would lose everything, and all their efforts would be wasted.
For most game developers, game releases were one-shot deals.
If a game was successful upon release, as long as they didn’t mess up and steadily updated and optimized, they would earn more and more.
If a game flopped upon release, no matter how much they optimized and modified it afterward, players might not give it another chance.
Those who could turn around their reputation through continuous improvements were extremely rare.
After all, who could say for sure whether a game failed because it wasn’t complete enough or because the game itself just wasn’t good?
Continuing to invest resources in an already failed project was far too risky; few developers dared to take such a gamble.
This was truly a case of a hero brought low by a lack of money.
So in a sense, Qiu Hong’s potential investment today could determine the fate of “Office Worker’s Survival Manual” and even Cherry Studio’s future.
Qiu Hong was playing the game while thinking seriously.
Most of his previous development experience was with pay-to-win online games, but he still could appreciate single-player games.
In his view, this game had some chance of success, but the possibility wasn’t very high.
Because this kind of game mechanism hadn’t been seen before.
The game itself was a simulation game, but quite different from other simulation games on the market, with some interesting mini-games mixed in as diversions.
What touched Qiu Hong more was the game’s portrayal of the “corporate slave” state, which was spot-on. On the surface, it seemed playful, but upon deeper reflection, one could sense a touch of bitterness.
Jiang Fan had incorporated his own previous work experiences; otherwise, the depiction of the corporate slave state couldn’t have been so relatable.
This project seemed to perfectly meet Mr. Pei’s requirements!
On one hand, the project wasn’t completely unreliable—the game was quite interesting and innovative. Though the completion level was low, the framework was in place, and the producer, Jiang Fan, had previous successful independent game experience.
On the other hand, the project wasn’t completely reliable either—Jiang Fan was a lawyer who switched careers to make games, and the other three weren’t formally trained game designers. The gameplay innovation also came with significant risks, and it wasn’t certain whether it would suit current player tastes.
Moreover, the project was now strapped for cash and could be said to be approaching its end of the road.
Didn’t this perfectly meet the conditions of the “Desperation Plan”?
With this in mind, Qiu Hong decided not to play further and said directly: “Good, this project perfectly meets the standards of the ‘Desperation Plan.’ We’ve decided to invest!”
“In your opinion, maintaining the current standard, how much more funding would you need to reach 100% completion?”
Jiang Fan was stunned, not immediately grasping what was happening.
He’s already decided to invest?
This was incredibly straightforward!
From the beginning of the discussion until now, not even half an hour had passed!
Other investors would beat around the bush, taking forever to get to the point. When it came to contract discussions, they would add many additional clauses and haggle, making it exhausting.
But Mr. Qiu had just chatted casually for a bit, experienced the game for about ten minutes, during which he encountered various crashes and bugs, and then directly decided to invest?
Jiang Fan couldn’t help getting excited. After careful consideration, he said, “Mr. Qiu, given the current completion level, another 400,000 yuan should be enough!”
Qiu Hong nodded: “Good, then we’ll invest 500,000 yuan to ensure that this game can be completed without any compromises!”
“But I have two requirements.”
“First, this game must stick to a one-time purchase model; there can’t be any in-app purchases.”
“Second, after the game is launched and starts making money, recovering costs and beginning to profit, we want a share according to our investment proportion. Based on the investment ratio… We’ll take 30%.”
Jiang Fan was stunned: “That’s it?”
Qiu Hong nodded: “That’s it. What else?”
Jiang Fan asked curiously: “What if the game isn’t successful? What if it can’t even recover your initial 600,000 yuan cost?”
Qiu Hong said, “We only take a share after you’ve recovered your 600,000 yuan cost. If there’s no profit, we take nothing.”
Jiang Fan was momentarily speechless.
This was incredibly generous! Wasn’t this practically giving away money?
Previously, other investment companies had demanded not just profit-sharing but also shares in Cherry Studio. Some had even been excessive, wanting Jiang Fan to assume joint liability.
Compared to these companies, Mr. Qiu was practically a saint!
With this 500,000 yuan investment, Cherry Studio couldn’t lose either way, could they?
If the game didn’t recover its costs, Mr. Qiu wouldn’t take a penny, effectively giving them 500,000 yuan for free. If the game made money, Mr. Qiu would only take 30%, and Cherry Studio would earn more.
The conditions were so good that Jiang Fan could hardly believe it.
Qiu Hong smiled and said, “Anyway, think about these conditions carefully and see if there are any issues.”
Jiang Fan quickly nodded: “Of course, there are no issues! But Mr. Qiu… your terms are so favorable that I can hardly believe it…”
“Are you perhaps doing charity work?”
Qiu Hong smiled: “These aren’t my conditions; they’re my boss’s conditions.”
“All these rules were predetermined by him, including what kind of companies should be funded, how to share profits after making money, and so on.”
“I’m just following his requirements.”
“Strictly speaking, he is the initiator of the ‘Desperation Plan’ and the person who’s putting up the money.”
“Your studio happens to meet his criteria. If you want to thank someone, thank my boss.”
For some reason, after hearing Qiu Hong’s words, Jiang Fan suddenly felt a warming sensation, as if basking in spring sunshine, and his heart filled with warmth.
This feeling was like someone who had been walking in a snowy wilderness for a long time suddenly receiving a cotton coat.
Making independent games was very lonely. With just a few limited staff members, they spent every day fixing the endless bugs in the game, with completion seeming endlessly far away. Neither colleagues in the industry, game channel providers, nor investors could provide any help.
Making independent games was walking a solitary path to the end.
Most independent game studios quietly dissolved as they worked, without anyone knowing. Those who achieved success, earned money, and fulfilled their dreams were extremely rare.
But now, the “Desperation Plan” made Jiang Fan feel that he wasn’t alone.
There were still people reaching out to help quietly!
Deeply moved, Jiang Fan asked: “Mr. Qiu, may I ask who your boss is?”
Qiu Hong smiled slightly: “Sorry, I can’t say. It’s confidential. However, our boss is indeed very famous in the gaming circle. You’ve probably heard of him.”
Jiang Fan was stunned again.
Doing good deeds without leaving a name? Such a high level of moral character?
Logically speaking, the “Desperation Plan” was an investment in name but was closer to support in reality, and would likely lose a lot of money.
Since it wasn’t for money, it was probably for a good reputation.
But this big shot wanted neither money nor fame, simply doing good deeds? Supporting the development of domestic independent games?
What noble sentiments, what a broad-minded character!
There were many big names in the domestic gaming circle, so Jiang Fan couldn’t determine exactly who it was, but he was completely won over by this person.
Qiu Hong stood up: “If there are no issues, I’ll go back to prepare the contract. Once the contract is signed, we’ll transfer the money immediately.”
Everyone at Cherry Studio stood up: “Alright, Mr. Qiu. We’ll make ‘Office Worker’s Survival Manual’ a great game!”
Qiu Hong smiled and nodded, then left Cherry Studio.
For some reason, he had a very strange feeling.
It seemed that what he was doing now was more meaningful than everything he had done in the previous few years combined.
Looking at the young people at Cherry Studio, Qiu Hong recalled himself from many years ago.
Equally full of enthusiasm, equally pursuing dreams.
However, these young people were much luckier than he had been.
If he had received funding from the Desperation Plan back then, would he have continued to persist in the single-player game field?
With these thoughts, Qiu Hong headed towards the next game studio he needed to evaluate.