Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 82

Holy sh—

This is a big f***ing deal!

Even someone as seasoned as Gu Sheng couldn't help but shudder upon hearing Jiang Yingcai’s words.

This was a heavyweight gaming development event.

On a continental level!

In other words, once Golden Wind chose to participate, no matter the final outcome, it would mean they had taken their first step beyond the borders, expanding their reach to the global stage!

But that wasn’t the only thing that caught Gu Sheng off guard.

The most important part was Jiang Yingcai’s last sentence—

That was a heavy statement.

As an industry veteran, Gu Sheng easily grasped the implications that others might not pick up on.

Huayu Power, as one of the organizers and the venue host—

If they couldn’t take the championship in their own backyard, wouldn’t that be a little embarrassing?

Even though Jiang Yingcai hadn’t spelled it out—

The implication was crystal clear:

"Gu Sheng, you're currently the hottest Supernova Designer in China. Every project you touch turns into a hit.

So, I’m here, on behalf of Huayu Power, to invite you to participate in this Asia-level esports game development event.

I hope you can put on a major esports event featuring our homegrown games, right here on our home turf."

Of course—

At the moment, Golden Wind didn’t seem to be at the level where they could participate in such a high-tier competition.

But!

Jiang Yingcai, as the vice-chair of Huayu Power, was willing to help them secure an opportunity.

By helping Huayu Power, he was also giving Golden Wind a chance to take a step towards the global stage.

And no matter whether they succeeded or failed this time, Huayu Power, as a semi-official entity, would maintain a good relationship with Golden Wind going forward.

In fact, if they really pulled it off, Huayu Power might even throw them some favors when it came to policies or securing those tricky publishing licenses—helping them develop faster and better.

This kind of offer was incredibly tempting for Golden Wind.

After a moment of thought, Gu Sheng slowly opened his mouth:

"It sounds like all benefits, no drawbacks. Seems like we have no reason to refuse."

But if it were really that simple—

There would have been no need for Jiang Yingcai and his team to make a special trip from Zhongjing, politely sitting down to discuss things face-to-face.

On the contrary, it should’ve been Golden Wind running to Zhongjing to thank them!

Clearly, there was more to this than met the eye.

That’s when a thought struck Gu Sheng—like a light bulb turning on.

"So… Chairman Jiang, please forgive me for my lack of understanding regarding such high-level events.

May I boldly ask, what are the specific participation requirements for this competition?

For instance—

The minimum investment for a single game?"

Smart.

Hearing this, Jiang Yingcai couldn’t help but give him an approving nod.

Don’t let Gu Sheng’s age fool you—he hadn’t even graduated college yet—but this kid was sharp.

Sharp enough that he didn’t seem like someone who had only been in the industry for a year.

More like…

A grizzled veteran, well-versed in all the twists and turns of the gaming world.

No wonder Golden Wind had grown so fast in such a short time—it clearly had a lot to do with this kid.

"Hahaha."

Jiang Yingcai chuckled, nodding as he spoke:

"Director Gu, you hit the nail on the head, so I’ll just lay it all out.

The reason we at Huayu Power came knocking today is because, given Golden Wind’s current scale, joining this continental-level event…

Might be a bit of a stretch."

He gestured to the assistant beside him:

"Xiao Zhao, give Director Gu the rundown on the rules for this developers’ conference."

"Of course."

Xiao Zhao nodded, smiled at Gu Sheng, and opened his notebook:

"This developers’ conference is co-hosted by Huayu Power from China, Tōjin Game Society from Neon, Korea Esports Game Alliance, and New Moon Tech from West Asia.

The goal is to inject fresh talent into the global esports gaming scene and provide higher-quality esports titles for the rapidly growing haptic capsule market.

Each region will have five entry slots.

For games with a budget under 50 million yuan, they’ll be classified as Small-Scale Games.

Budgets between 50 million and 100 million are Medium-Scale Games.

Budgets over 100 million are Large-Scale Games.

Out of the five slots, Small-Scale Games make up 60%, and the other two categories split the remaining 40%.

After the submission deadline, all games will be released through a special temporary platform set up by the organizing committee.

Pricing will be set by developers within a designated range.

The committee will evaluate based on player numbers, positive reviews, online duration, and gameplay data.

The champion of each category will receive the Best Esports Game Category Award.

The overall champion will receive the Asian Esports Game Crown Award and the Asian Best Esports Game Designer Award.

The organizing committee will also fund an Asia-wide esports event for the winner."

He paused briefly, then added:

"However…

Small-Scale Games are not eligible for the Crown Award."

I knew it!

That last sentence made Gu Sheng’s heart sink.

There was no such thing as a free lunch!

No wonder Jiang Yingcai and his team were so polite—it all made sense now.

After all, Golden Wind was just a small-scale game studio worth around 10 million.

Even if they scraped together every last cent, they could only enter as a Small-Scale Game.

But!

Small-Scale Games weren’t eligible for the top prize. They couldn’t fulfill Huayu Power’s expectations of holding a major esports event on home turf.

Which meant—

If Golden Wind accepted Huayu Power’s “generous offer,” they’d have to figure out how to come up with at least 50 million to bump up their budget!

And by doing so—

Golden Wind would be taking on massive risk.

Forget winning.

If the game sold poorly, had bad reviews, or saw low engagement—

The entire company could crash and burn, possibly even go bankrupt on the spot!

Gu Sheng’s hands, hidden under the table, were starting to sweat.

This was a f***ing life-or-death gamble!

He glanced at Jiang Yingcai, who sat across the table smiling like a friendly neighbor, and couldn’t help but curse in his heart:

Old b**d, your map of Yan Country is pretty damn long, huh?*

On the one hand, they wanted his design talent to lead the charge into the Asian haptic capsule esports market.

On the other, they couldn’t offer a single dime, thanks to the committee’s rules. Everything had to rely on luck, prayers, and incense-burning.

If they won, it’d be a joint triumph.

If they lost, Golden Wind would be the only one to take the hit.

This was tough.

Sure, when they were making Left 4 Dead, Gu Sheng had been bold, spending like crazy and pulling in cash like a black hole.

But that was because Left 4 Dead had the quality to back it up!

At most, that was a 10 million investment—if it flopped, it wouldn’t be a fatal blow. They could bounce back with a little breathing room.

But if they sunk 50 million into this and it flopped?

It’d take at least a year or two for Golden Wind to recover.

In the worst-case scenario, they might have to shut down entirely.

He pictured a scene: Golden Wind disbanded, the three of them going their separate ways, and Little Nezha going home for an arranged marriage to inherit the family business.

Gu Sheng couldn’t help but frown, his hand subconsciously reaching for his watch, gently rubbing the case.

Click, click, click…

The conference room fell into a heavy silence.

Even the ticking of the second hand was loud and clear.

D**n it.

Gu Sheng silently cursed at himself.

You have a system, man! You can’t lose! What the f** are you afraid of?!

The stakes keep getting higher, but your guts keep shrinking?!*

But just as he was still wavering—

A light, playful voice spoke up beside him:

"Thank you, Chairman Jiang, for trusting us. Golden Wind will not let you down!"

It was Shen Miaomiao, finally speaking up!

She’d been waiting forever, her gaze darting at Gu Sheng.

Bro! Say yes already! Where’s your confidence? Where’s your calm in the face of disaster?!

Come on!

Their games were always a gamble anyway!

Hell, their cash flow turnover rate was faster than an F1 engine!

What was there to hesitate about?!

Shen Miaomiao was about to lose her mind.

This was the perfect chance to lose money!

A 50 million investment, going up against the top designers in Asia, with the risk of going bust at any moment.

Even if, by some miracle, they didn’t lose money in the end—

With a 50 million budget, there was no way they could break even in the short term!

After all, Gu Sheng had just said yesterday that the higher the investment, the longer the profit cycle.

Even Left 4 Dead, with a 10 million investment, couldn’t break even in a week.

For a 50 million project, it’d take at least a month!

They’d definitely lose money!

That’s why Shen Miaomiao had been waiting for Gu Sheng to agree.

But no matter how long she waited, he didn’t say a word.

In the end, she had no choice but to speak up herself.

This project? I, Shen Miaomiao, will invest!

What?!

The moment those words left her mouth—

Both Jiang Yingcai and Gu Sheng were stunned!

On Jiang Yingcai’s side, his expression lit up with delight.

On Gu Sheng’s side—pure shock.

The f**?!*

Gu Sheng wanted to pick her up and throw her out of the conference room.

How could you just agree to this without a second thought?!

And with the competition kicking off at the end of the month, the project would be formally approved at that point. Once it was approved, the budget had to be locked in before production started!

That’s right!

This time, they couldn’t pull their usual trick of selling while developing.

According to the committee’s rules, for fairness and to prevent sneaky funding boosts from publishers, every project’s budget had to be fully deposited into the designated account before the event.

All future production costs had to come from that account.

During development, the committee would conduct random audits.

If there were any discrepancies, the project would be disqualified on the spot—and permanently blacklisted.

So here was the problem!

Gu Sheng stared at Little Nezha in disbelief:

You sure talk big, but where the h** are we getting that money?!*

Other people might think Golden Wind had Shen Capital backing them, so a few million was nothing.

But she knew better than anyone—

Since Golden Wind was founded, her dad hadn’t given them a single cent!

Noticing Gu Sheng’s confusion, Shen Miaomiao gave a subtle wave under the table, signaling him not to worry.

She had a plan.

After all—

Left 4 Dead was still selling hot, and their other games were steadily bringing in revenue!

By the end of the month, based on Chu Qingzhou and the finance team’s projections, their expected cash flow recovery would hit around 38 million.

That meant she only needed to find another 12 million to hit the 50 million budget!

And right now—

Her little savings stash had a freshly deposited, steaming-hot 10 million!

Just a bit more, and they’d have it!

If you’re not willing to risk, how are you ever going to catch the big fish?

Business was all about taking risks to grow wealth!

If she kept clinging to a few million, how was she ever going to afford that big yacht one day?!

As a woman, she had to be tough on herself!

What was 10 million? She was in!

The more money she poured in, the bigger her little vault would grow!

The bigger the games they made, the more money they’d lose—and the better their system would work!

Seeing that their President had given the green light—

Jiang Yingcai and his team were finally at ease.

He stood up and shook hands with Shen Miaomiao:

"President Shen, you’re truly remarkable! A true heroine from a prestigious family—bold and impressive!"

"Oh, not at all."

Being praised like that, Shen Miaomiao was grinning from ear to ear:

"We’ll do our best!"

She smiled sweetly—like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth—and thought to herself:

But whether we make money or not… that’s not really up to me, is it?

"Take care, Chairman Jiang! We’ll get moving on this as soon as possible—yes, yes…"

Whoosh—

As Jiang Yingcai and his team’s car drove away, Gu Sheng’s fake smile faded, leaving a face full of helplessness as he looked at the grinning Little Nezha.

"50 million… You agreed so easily, but where the h*** are we going to get it?"

"Relax~ The official approval doesn’t happen until the end of the month. There’s still time."

Shen Miaomiao waved her hand, signaling him not to worry:

"If we’re short, I’ll go beg Lao Shen for help."

Gu Sheng shrugged half-heartedly:

"I think this whole thing’s a long shot."

"Hey—"

Hearing that, Shen Miaomiao reached out her delicate, fair fingers and pressed them against Gu Sheng’s lips:

"I don’t care what you think. What matters is what I think."

Gu Sheng stared at her in silence for five seconds:

"…Shen Miaomiao, if you keep messing around like this, I’ll quit, I swear."

"No, no, no! Haha—"

Shen Miaomiao quickly grabbed his sleeve, grinning sheepishly:

"I’m just kidding! Just kidding! This family can’t survive without you, Gu…"

Gu Sheng couldn’t help but chuckle at her antics.

But jokes aside—

What really kept Gu Sheng up at night wasn’t just the lack of funding.

It was the bigger question:

What kind of game could they make to ensure a guaranteed win?