Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 81
"I'm from Glory Games... Hello? Hello? Fuck!!!"
At the same moment!
In the office of the chief planning manager at Glory Games Studio!
Fang Hongwei's furious roar echoed, followed by the loud clatter of the phone being slammed onto the desk after the dial tone sounded!
I'm not some damn telemarketer!
What kind of response is "No thanks needed"!
How fucking insulting can you get!!!
Seated in his executive chair, Fang Hongwei was consumed by rage with nowhere to vent, so he could only pound the desk hard!
BANG!
Originally, Left 4 Dead inexplicably creating a Workshop and breaking through their comprehensive blockade was already unbelievable!
But what happened in the following two days was even more bizarre!
After learning that Left 4 Dead had surpassed them in sales, Director Ding Kai ordered the poaching plan to be implemented immediately.
If they could lure over Golden Wind's production team executives within this month, there might still be a chance to turn things around.
Because whether it was Gu Sheng or anyone else from Golden Wind's production team,
as long as they got one person, Glory could advertise it as "created by the original team."
With proper handling, the second-generation FPS would ultimately be renamed "Glory RFPS."
But!
Starting from that day, things took a strange turn—
No matter whether they used the company's name or personal connections, not a single elite headhunter in the entire talent market was willing to take their job!
Some thought the price wasn't right, while others claimed they had no time.
In short, all elite headhunting firms in Shenzhou shut their doors to them!
Left with no choice, Fang Hongwei started contacting headhunters in Binjiang.
The result was the same—the headhunting firms in Binjiang also rejected their requests.
Later, when he tried calling again, he found his number had been blacklisted by the headhunters.
And so!
Out of desperation,
Fang Hongwei had to become his own headhunter.
Today's call was meant to first greet Gu Sheng and arrange a private meeting.
Salary, benefits, project planning—everything was negotiable.
For this, Fang Hongwei had even prepared a two-page script to ensure his conversation with Gu Sheng was flawless and satisfactory.
But who would've thought!
The call had barely connected!
Gu Sheng mistook him for a telemarketer!
And hung up on him instantly!
When he called back!
He found himself blacklisted!!!
Leaving Fang Hongwei fuming in his executive chair, struggling to catch his breath!
After calming down a bit, Fang Hongwei picked up the phone again:
"...Fine, alright, just you wait! If I can't poach you, I'll poach someone else!"
Truth be told, Fang Hongwei never really expected to successfully lure Gu Sheng over.
After all, Gu Sheng was currently Yiyou's golden boy—even if Golden Wind let him go, Yiyou wouldn't.
But it was Gu Sheng's damn attitude that infuriated him!
One sentence was enough to send someone's blood pressure skyrocketing. Absolutely detestable!
Thinking this, Fang Hongwei picked up the contact list and dialed the next number—Xu Dajiang, Golden Wind's art director.
Ring—Ring—
The call was answered after two rings, and a somewhat simple-minded voice spoke:
"Food delivery, right? Just hang it on the door. I'll grab it later. Thanks."
Click! The call ended!
Fang Hongwei froze for three full seconds!
Huh?
Now I'm a damn food delivery guy???
But when he called again, no one picked up.
"Hey—what the fuck—"
Fang Hongwei was about to lose his mind.
He thought, "I don't mind being rejected, but at least let me finish my damn sentence!"
Suppressing his anger, he dialed the third number—Lu Bian, Golden Wind's programming director.
This time, the phone rang for a long time before being answered. A hushed male voice spoke:
"Hello? Who is this?"
The voice sounded nervous, making Fang Hongwei uneasy too. After hesitating:
"Uh... Ah... I, hello, Mr. Lu, I'm from—"
Once again, before he could finish!
The man on the other end suddenly relaxed, as if explaining to someone nearby:
"...See? Not my ex! Listen!"
Then, Lu Bian spoke: "Say something."
"Huh?" The chaotic situation short-circuited Fang Hongwei's brain, and he instinctively replied: "I'm Fang Hongwei..."
Next, Lu Bian laughed loudly and moved the phone away:
"...Just a wrong number... Was I nervous? Nah, not at all, haha... What do you mean it's none of your business? Hold on..."
Beep. Beep. Beep...
Silence.
A long, dead silence!
Listening to the dial tone from the phone,
Fang Hongwei's face first turned ashen.
Then, his hand gripping the phone trembled violently, his knuckles turning white.
Finally!
Unable to take it anymore, Fang Hongwei jumped up from his executive chair and slammed his phone onto the ground!
CRACK!
A furious roar echoed through the entire office floor:
"ARE YOU ALL FUCKING IDIOTS—!!! WHAT KIND OF USELESS TRASH ARE YOU PEOPLE—!!!"
Impulsive rage!
Fang Hongwei was about to lose his mind!
Three executives in a row! Three calls!
One mistook him for a telemarketer! One thought he was a delivery guy! One used him as a scapegoat!
From start to finish, he hadn't even managed to say a single complete sentence!
And the worst part?
These three!
A shady bastard! A clueless idiot! A cowardly jerk!
None of them seemed like proper executives of a gaming company!
Yet it was these three who made the game that crushed Glory's multimillion-dollar, dual-platform blockbuster into the dirt!
Fang Hongwei couldn't understand it!
After stomping and cursing until his voice gave out,
Fang Hongwei collapsed back into his executive chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Glory Games, one of the top five studios under XunTeng...
was defeated by three unreliable idiots.
Like a suffocating salted fish.
A tear rolled down from the corner of his eye.
...
Fearless Sniper had lost.
And it was a crushing defeat, a total collapse.
After Yiyou announced that Left 4 Dead, with its mere million-yuan budget, had sold 150,000 copies in a single week,
the entire gaming media erupted.
It was as if they suddenly remembered the game existed—news reports poured in one after another!
"MFGA! The Rising Star's Prophecy Comes True! Second-Gen FPS Mode Makes Shooters Greater!"
"Scarier Than Phasmophobia! Yiyou Reveals Left 4 Dead Sales—Over 150,000 Copies in the First Week!"
"The 'Golden Miracle'! Left 4 Dead's Workshop System Leads to Explosive Sales!"
"Black Box Review: Games That Respect Players Deserve Rewards—A Look at Left 4 Dead's Workshop System"
"Unstoppable! Golden Wind Dominates the Weekly Sales Charts!"
"Iron Sights! Shouldering Guns! Shooting! It Has Only One Name—Second-Gen FPS!"
"..."
Countless media reports! Countless promotions from influencers!
No marketing budget—all purely voluntary!
A wave of spontaneous promotion, sweeping through the gaming industry with unstoppable momentum, exploded and spread!
As for Fearless Sniper?
Just like Left 4 Dead a few days ago,
its name had already been forgotten by the gaming world, as if erased overnight.
And the so-called "RFPS" that Glory Media had pushed for also vanished without a trace.
The media's rapid about-face might seem absurd,
but it was actually quite logical.
When the road is smooth, everyone lends a hand; when the wall crumbles, everyone pushes it.
Before, whether they were paid or given perks,
the media had all helped Fearless Sniper while suppressing Left 4 Dead's promotion.
But now, Left 4 Dead had risen again.
If Golden Wind could fight its way out of such a situation, were they pushovers?
The media weren't stupid—they knew how to weigh their options.
If they didn't start praising Golden Wind now to make up for their earlier hostility, would there be any good outcomes for them later?
Theoretically,
as opinion leaders, media outlets weren't easily antagonized by major companies.
But the same was true in reverse—when facing bold companies, the media didn't dare provoke them either!
Given Golden Wind's current momentum, how formidable would they become in the future?
If they refused to give your outlet interviews, trailers, gameplay demos, or any news about new games, how could you compete for headlines? How could you rival other media outlets?
And this wasn't just the mindset of one or two outlets.
After all, it wasn't just one or two media companies that had helped promote Fearless Sniper.
And so, a massive wave of free promotion unfolded in the most absurd way.
"These flip-floppers! We'll find a way to put them in their place someday!"
Seeing the endless flood of reports, Da Jiang scoffed indignantly.
"There'll be chances,"
Gu Sheng chuckled and nodded:
"Right now, we don't carry enough weight. But in the future, we'll have plenty of opportunities to call the shots."
While chatting with Da Jiang, Gu Sheng scribbled on paper while also pulling up his system panel in his mind.
Multitasking.
Now!
Left 4 Dead was a smash hit!
A million in sales in one week!
And naturally, the emotional value in Gu Sheng's system skyrocketed too!
Especially after the Workshop was launched!
The emotional value surged even more violently!
In just the first week after release, the 100,000 emotional value he'd spent earlier was recouped, breaking even.
Now, he just had to wait for it to keep accumulating.
By the end of the month, he estimated he'd have at least 300,000.
'At this rate, in about four or five months, I should be able to reach AAA territory...'
Thinking this, Gu Sheng smiled to himself, feeling the road ahead for his games was bright.
Just as he was pondering!
Suddenly, the office door was knocked.
Knock knock knock—
Looking up, he saw Secretary Chu at the door.
"Are you free now, Director Gu? Some guests have arrived, and President Shen would like you to join the meeting."
As she spoke, Chu Qingzhou gave Gu Sheng a meaningful look.
The message was clear—the visitors were professionals, and Little Nezha, the half-baked president, couldn't handle it alone.
"Sure."
Following Chu Qingzhou to the conference room, Gu Sheng asked quietly on the way:
"Who is it? What's their background?"
"Vice Chairman of the CDEA Council, Jiang Yingcai,"
Chu Qingzhou raised an eyebrow at Gu Sheng:
"Says he has important business to discuss with us."
Hiss—
Hearing this, Gu Sheng couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise.
The vice chairman of CDEA?!
Logically, Golden Wind wasn't big enough to warrant attention from such high-ranking gaming authorities yet.
What could this be about?
For a moment, Gu Sheng was puzzled, unable to make sense of it.
Knock knock knock—
As Chu Qingzhou rapped on the conference room door, Shen Miaomiao's voice came from inside: "Come in."
Click.
The door opened.
Inside, three people sat on one side of the table facing the entrance.
In the center was a middle-aged man, likely in his late forties or early fifties.
On either side of him were a young man and a young woman.
When Gu Sheng entered, all three stood up.
Secretary Chu made the introductions:
"Director Gu, these three are leaders from CDEA—Vice Chairman Jiang, Assistant Zhao, and Assistant Sun."
"Leaders, this is our game director at Golden Wind, Mr. Gu Sheng."
Having seen many such formalities, Gu Sheng wasn't nervous. He stepped forward and shook Jiang Yingcai's hand first:
"An honor to meet you, Vice Chairman Jiang. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh, Director Gu, no need for formalities,"
Jiang Yingcai had a kindly face, and his smile made him even more affable. As they shook hands, his gaze fell on Gu Sheng's wrist, and he joked:
"That's a unique watch you have, Director Gu."
"Haha,"
Gu Sheng laughed:
"A gift from a friend. I liked it, so I've been wearing it ever since."
"Good, good,"
Jiang Yingcai nodded repeatedly:
"Keeping a youthful heart is how creativity stays alive!"
After the pleasantries, everyone took their seats.
Gu Sheng sat beside Little Nezha, and the two exchanged a glance.
Little Nezha: You got this, Old Gu. I'm just here as a mascot.
Gu Sheng: Used to it. I'll handle it.
"We truly didn't expect your visit today,"
Gu Sheng said with a polite smile after sitting down:
"Apologies for not being better prepared."
"Not at all, haha,"
Jiang Yingcai waved it off:
"If anything, we're the ones intruding. Hope we're not causing any trouble?"
You weren't earlier.
Now, it's hard to say.
Gu Sheng maintained his smile while inwardly grumbling.
You didn't come here just for a free meal...
Thinking this, he chuckled:
"Having leaders visit Golden Wind is an honor. We're thrilled,"
"So... what brings you here today?"
Seeing that the small talk had run its course, Gu Sheng smoothly steered toward the main topic.
Jiang Yingcai spoke:
"No need for formalities. We're here unannounced,"
"Today's visit is mainly to ask President Shen and Director Gu for a favor,"
"At the end of this month,"
"The quadrennial 'Asian Esports Game Developers Conference' will open in Tokyo,"
"Top game designers from five regions—China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and West Asia—will gather to develop, create, and exchange ideas,"
"The winning game from the final selection will receive funding from the organizing committee to host an esports tournament in S-tier venues across Asia,"
"Games like League of Legends, Dead or Alive, and Gunfire Heroes all emerged from this conference,"
"This year, the committee has set its sights on the emerging field of motion-sensing pods, making 'Motion-Sensing Pod Esports Games' this year's theme,"
"And the venue for this year's esports tournament has already been decided—"
Here, Jiang Yingcai paused.
Then, with a serious expression, he said:
"In Zhongjing,"
"The Bird's Nest."