Chapter 836: Caught Off-guard

Pei Qian put the plan for the annual meeting aside, planning to read it when he had time.

It was not that he was lazy. The main thing was that he did not care about the details of the annual meeting. It was not that high on his priority.

His most important mission was to spend money. Second, he had to ensure that the businesses that were not profitable would continue that way. Third, he had to make the businesses that were already profitable earn less.

On the other hand, giving benefits to the employees during the annual meeting was only a small part of the first priority.

“The most successful part of this cycle should be the incubation base for the Destitution Plan.”

“Until now, only two standalone games have been released. One is good but not popular, the other is neither good nor popular. In short, neither of the two games made much money.”

“Moreover, the progress of the games that he has high hopes for are not enough to be released based on the progress that Qiu Hong sent me. They will be released next month at the earliest. They should not cause me any trouble before settlement.”

“Indeed, the Destitution Plan has not let me down. At the moment, it is still purely making losses. What’s more, the outside world basically doesn’t know that Tengda is the one behind it.”

“Not accepting both fame and fortune, very good!”

Pei Qian happened to read Qiu Hong’s work report on the incubation base. He was very satisfied with the current situation there.

At that moment, Pei Qian’s cell phone vibrated. Qiu Hong had sent him a new message.

“Boss Pei, good news!”

“The Survival Guide for Working Adults is officially released today. Its reputation and sales have exploded!”

Pei Qian’s smile froze on his face when he saw the message.

What the hell?

What is this Survival Guide for Working Adults?

He quickly opened the report sent by Qiu Hong. It contained the names of all independent games that were being developed in the incubation base. However, he did not see the so-called Survival Guide for Working Adults even after flipping through it from beginning to end.

“What the f*ck is going on?!” Pei Qian was at a loss for words. He felt like he was about to collapse.

Didn’t they say that this cycle would not be profitable?

Where did this game come from?!

…

At the same time, at Cherry Workspace in Beijing…

The boss and producer of the studio, Jiang Fan, as well as the chief designer, Yang Liang, and the others were laughing foolishly as they looked at the sales figures behind the scenes.

It was not the new year yet but the four-man team was as happy as though new year had started.

Qiu Hong had also rushed over. He could not hide the smile on his face.

The excitement on Jiang Fan’s face was overflowing. “Boss Qiu! The success of this game was all thanks to your investment. If not for this sum of money, our game would not have been so successful and the development would not have been so smooth. The Destitution Plan was a timely help!”

Qiu Hong smiled and waved his hand. “You’re too kind. I’m just investing in an independent game according to the boss’ requirements. If you meet the requirements, I’ll invest. Actually, I couldn’t tell if your game would succeed or not previously.”

“To be honest, I did not expect the Survival Guide for Working Adults to achieve such good sales and results. I thought it would be a small hit at most, but it was a huge hit!”

“I have to thank all of you. Initially, there was no representative work for the Destitution Plan. Even though my boss did not hold me accountable, it is indeed a little difficult for me to show such a result. I am also proud now that there is an explosive game!”

The chief designer, Yang Liang, smiled and said, “Actually, the success of our game also has a lot of luck.”

“There are so many ‘social animals’ these days. Everyone is a working adult. They can empathize with the workplace’s internal strife and forced overtime. They hate it deeply.”

“It’s also the end of the year now. News of the various big companies’ end-of-year bonuses and annual meetings has spread throughout the internet. Everyone is busy being sour. It’s a natural topic.”

“On the other hand, the Survival Guide for Working Adults displayed the social status of the social animals very well. It resonated with everyone and spread immediately. That was how it became a hit!”

Qiu Hong smiled. “The reason why the game is so popular is indeed related to the environment. However, your design and perseverance are the main reasons for the success of the game!”

“An independent game is a tough job. Very few people can persevere. The four of you either quit your jobs to start a business or lower your salaries to join us. That spirit is the key to your success.”

“Alright, don’t look at the figures anymore. We have to celebrate. Let’s go out and eat barbecue. My treat!”

Jiang Fan quickly said, “How can that do? I will be the one to treat.”

Qiu Hong raised his hand. “Don’t argue with me. It’s my treat since I said so. Everyone, quickly pack up. We’ll set off now!”

Qiu Hong was as happy as Jiang Fan and the others.

On one hand, he was genuinely pleased to see that the independent game design team had succeeded. On the other hand, he was happy that a representative game had finally appeared in the Destitution Plan project.

Boss Pei had high hopes for the Destitution Plan but no successful game had been released so far. Qiu Hong had been feeling embarrassed.

Qiu Hong took the money according to how much he invested. Whether these games succeeded or not did not affect his income. However, if there were no results, Qiu Hong would feel terrible.

Cherry Workspace’s success was a pleasant surprise to Qiu Hong.

That was because Qiu Hong’s focus had been on the incubation base recently. However, the games at the incubation base were still a distance away from being officially released.

On the other hand, Qiu Hong had not paid attention to Cherry Workspace ever since he invested in it. How could he not be happy when he found out that their game had been released and became popular?

Cherry Workspace was not included in the incubation base.

That was because the incubation base was targeted at game designers who were fighting alone and did not have any supporting services. Cherry Workspace was a team of four. There was an office and a clear division of roles. It might have been small but it had everything. There was no need to include them into the incubation base.

The only thing Cherry Workspace lacked was funds. After Qiu Hong filled up the biggest gap in funds, the art resources of the game were quickly in place. They no longer had to worry about their workload and their working conditions were greatly improved. Naturally, the Survival Guide for Working Adults was completed as scheduled!

It was released before Chinese New Year, and it happened to be a hot topic in the workplace: annual meetings, year-end bonuses, resignation trends, and so on. It resonated widely online.

As a representative work of domestically-produced standalone games and independent games, it was naturally popular among gamers. The UP Masters of several games on Aili Island had all done a video program, and the good effect of the program had attracted more gamers.SDFSDF

Qiu Hong waited for the others to pack up and go for lunch. As he waited, he swiped his cell phone to check the comments online.

It could be said to be highly praised!

This was an independent game and even though there were bound to be some flaws in the gameplay, system, and art, the theme was relatively novel and resonated with players. Therefore, tolerant gamers ignored these flaws and gave it a high rating.

Cherry Workspace only had to modify the flaws in the game to improve the game’s completion rate. Then, it would have a higher rating.

Compared to the bitter period of development previously, the subsequent modifications were very simple.

After all, the game was now profitable. Cherry Workspace would not have to worry about money for the next few months. The game would be recognized by gamers, and work would be more motivating.

“Wait, does that mean I have something to do?”

Qiu Hong suddenly realized this problem.

Before this, he had always felt a little lost about his job and did not know what to do.

That was because being in charge of the Destitution Plan, he was only investing in independent game studios and game designers. He could not interfere with the specific game design. Thus, he often felt that he had power but could not use it.

Seeing that the sales of both games were not good and the other games could not be released this month, Qiu Hong felt that his work did not have much results. He was anxious but there was no good solution.

However, now that the Survival Guide for Working Adults had succeeded, he could do something!

With the popularity of this game, Qiu Hong planned to spread the concept of ‘Destitution Plan’ to gamers.

Before this, not many people would have paid attention to the game even if it had been forcibly instilled with the concept of a ‘destitution plan’. However, now that there was a successful game, the situation was completely different!

Qiu Hong’s goal was to let gamers think of ‘Destitution Plan’ once they see outstanding domestically-produced standalone games.

This was a very important part. be it for other independent game designers or for Qiu Hong’s entire Destitution Plan.

“Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll use the Survival Guide for Working Adults to publicize the Destitution Plan.”

“At the same time, take out the DEMO and promotional video that has already been completed for Black Ink and Clouds, and start pre-sales!”

Qiu Hong suddenly felt that he had found a direction to work in. He was filled with motivation!

…

At the same time, Pei Qian also searched for information about the Survival Guide for Working Adults online. However, he did not look as elated or relieved as Qiu Hong. Instead, he looked confused and lost.

Destitution Plan had been losing money as planned, where did this lousy game come from?

What’s more, how could this game become popular?

What was there to be popular about a game that restored social life?

Pei Qian casually browsed the internet and quickly found a highly praised gamer comment, expressing the gamers’ love for the game.

“To be honest, this game is not outstanding in terms of gameplay, graphics, or details. In fact, it can be said to be average. However, the biggest thing about it is that the theme is good. It is very realistic and resonates strongly with people.”

“For example:”

“The company that joined is called ‘Struggle Co., Ltd.’;

“The explanation for the lack of difficulty level in the game is’ there is no difficulty level to choose from in the workplace because everyone is facing HARD+mode ‘;”

“If you can’t fulfill the Boss’ expectations, the Boss’ satisfaction level will decrease. The chances of applying for a promotion and a raise will decrease. However, if you work hard to fulfill the Boss’ expectations, you will be given more difficult missions. The increase in satisfaction level will become slower and slower…”

“There are many points that people can resonate with in the game. We can see from that point that the designer of the game knows the hardships of society.”

“At the same time, this game has many hidden meanings. If you jump out of the game and look at the options as a bystander, you would feel like you are living a helpless life. You would also feel bitter while being amused by dark humor.”

“All in all, it has completely exceeded my expectations as an independent game.”

“Many people think that burning hundreds of millions of yuan into a huge production means it would be a good game. There are no good games in the country because they can’t bear to burn money. Obviously, that’s not the case.”

“A truly good game depends on whether the designer has a heart that truly loves games. Thank you, Cherry Workspace. I will continue to support you in the future!”

“In the end, most of the endings of this game are a little bitter. Things like the overwork ending, the mental breakdown ending, the mediocre ending, the mid-life crisis ending… they are all too tragic!”

“I strongly suggest adding a ‘Tengda Option’ so that we can fantasize about the beauty of the workplace!”