"..."
Zhuo Yu came in and looked at Ming Yan with an inquisitive gaze for a while. In a very confident tone, he tentatively asked, "You were also the chief designer of the Dragon-Slaying Saber, weren't you?"
Mingyan was taken aback, but then realized that Zhuo Yu might have overheard some of their conversation outside the door.
Recalling the previous incident, he had a lot of faith in Zhuo Yu's character, so he simply nodded and admitted it.
"Yes, it's me," Ming said. "However, this news hasn't leaked out yet, so I hope you can keep it a secret."
This is the first time I've ever intentionally activated a horse attack.
Mingyan was still a little embarrassed and reached out to touch his nose.
Zhuo Yu took a deep breath: "...So that's how it is. It's really...unexpected. No wonder the Sixth Star Province could produce two geniuses at the same time. Actually, you were playing two roles at the same time. Blue Star Studio gained both fame and fortune, while Dragon Slaying Saber Studio prioritized profit—Chief Master Ming, you really played a grand game."
Ming said, "The reason we started making Dragon Slayer was because we didn't have enough funds for a new project, so we had no choice but to make that type of mobile game. Later, the design of Dragon Slayer Sword was mainly to explore some new monetization models."
Zhuo Yu thought for a moment, and with a sigh, said, "No matter how much you charge, it's still not easy to make the game you envision."
The two talented young designers sat in the lounge for a short while.
Zhuo Yu comes from an ordinary family, and her current status is entirely due to her talent, hard work, and a little bit of luck.
He is completely different from Mingyan, who almost relied solely on his talent to rise to prominence and never encountered any setbacks in his career—he was simply a chosen one.
Different circumstances led the two chief designers to have different understandings of the game industry.
Zhuo Yu didn't hold back and spoke frankly, saying, "The situation this year is very bad. The alliance's higher-ups are preparing to halt projects related to otherworldly games, saying there are certain order issues. You should have felt it since the second half of this year; game licenses have been tightened, and not every project can be released smoothly."
It was a bit awkward to say that.
Blue Star Studio was pampered and spoiled by the Sixth Star Provincial Government!
What is a game license number?
Isn't it just a matter of submitting the application form to the government website and waiting a couple of days to get it approved?
Sometimes, a new project has already undergone internal testing within the studio, and then online players start frantically urging for updates. Suddenly, government departments' blogs will post a message: "When will Blue Star finally apply for a game license? *click to urge*"
The Dragon Slayer Sword Studio has also rarely been troubled by this issue.
There are some speculations about this issue among the public.
Unlike Earth, the Dragon Slayers don't have tax breaks; they have to pay a huge amount in taxes to the government every year.
Moreover, this studio is quite low-key, and doesn't promote anything except its new game. The official website is clean and tidy, and the chief designer doesn't even bother with a blog.
Just out of consideration for being a major taxpayer, they won't make things difficult for such a well-behaved studio.
Therefore, this topic was destined to go nowhere.
Before he could give himself away, Mingyan quickly changed the subject, saying, "This year's 'Legend of the Snow Clan' seems to have a very different style. Are you trying to transform into a new genre?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Yu smiled, then seemed to realize something and looked helpless, saying, "...This is the result of compromising with the cruise lines. This year, both policies and the market are not good, and the commission rates have increased after the distribution channels entered a downturn."
I was somewhat aware of this, since Xia Cheng was still holding the position of director at IPP.
National policies have far-reaching consequences. After the tightening of game licenses, before the overall number of games could even begin to decline, the capital market saw the unfavorable trend and investment levels began to plummet.
Even the loan limits for Blue Star have been slightly reduced by major banks, not to mention the difficulties faced by other production teams.
Insufficient funding can easily lead to game delays, making life even harder for producers.
Under these circumstances, the team had no choice but to accept further investment from Cruise Capital, otherwise their next game project might be stillborn.
The injection of funds also means a huge change in management power. Zhuo Yu can no longer be considered the highest person in charge of Bifang Studio.
—He's just a producer and chief designer now.
The team's management underwent a major reshuffle. After submitting several plans for the new project "Legend of the Snow Clan," they were ordered to make revisions. With everyone's performance targets adjusted, it was naturally impossible to maintain the original mindset and continue making the game they wanted.
If the monthly revenue does not reach 300 million, everyone's bonuses and wages will be deducted.
How could I possibly be indifferent to worldly affairs anymore? How could I possibly maintain a calm and peaceful mind?
Some designers are already studying the Dragon Slayer Sword as a case study! How many people no longer feel a sense of familiarity when they see players, but instead are only thinking about emptying their wallets?
But Zhuo Yu couldn't blame them.
Because if they didn't do that, their own survival would be in jeopardy.
To date, the financial control of the studio has been completely lost.
Two of the three founders have left, leaving only Zhuo Yu, the chief designer, who is still persevering and determined to continue creating a game with integrity under strict performance evaluations.
This is not easy.
This year's nomination for "Snow Clan Legend" surprised many people, and naturally, it was no longer able to compete for the final award.
"The other side is no longer the same as it used to be."
Zhuo Yu said with a faint self-deprecating smile, "It's just that the players are still completely unaware, thinking that the other side is still a golden brand. Right now, I'm the last stumbling block for the cruise ship, and it won't be long before they start ostracizing me."
Mingyan hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should speak now.
In fact, he was willing to invest in the other team, which would probably alleviate some of his financial pressure.
But then she thought about it again. The founder had already left, and Zhuo Yu was disheartened. Doing this would only be a temporary solution.