Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 89
Heh.
Gu Sheng’s question made Shen Miaomiao let out a silent chuckle in her heart.
Why did I freeze up?
Are you fing serious? How can those words come out of your mouth?!
You’ve still got the knife you used to stab me in your hand, and now you’re asking me why I froze?
Why don’t you ask the magic conch, huh?
What about your promises? Your gurney... wait, no... your cooking?!
Weren’t we all set on a cooking game?
How the f did it suddenly turn into an FPS with a single snap?
Judging by the cheers from the fellow developers and media on-site, it wasn’t hard for Shen Miaomiao to figure out—
Old Gu’s “revolutionary gameplay twist” this time... was even more shocking than Left 4 Dead!
Shen Miaomiao tugged at her ears and scratched her head, feeling like dying on the spot.
Everything had been going so smoothly!
From campus recruitment to cost investments!
Sure, there had been minor hiccups here and there, but nothing that really mattered!
After all, with the “cooking game” genius plan in place, there was no way the final result would turn out too great!
Victory was practically in her grasp!
But!
She never could’ve imagined!
This so-called cooking game...
Was just Gu Sheng’s way of throwing her off!
Dooooogthing!!!
Shen Miaomiao’s teeth itched with rage.
But then, thinking it over again... wait a second, that doesn’t add up.
Gu Sheng had no clue she was intentionally trying to lose money—there was no need for him to mess with her like this, right?
With that thought, Shen Miaomiao couldn’t help but turn her stiff neck toward Gu Sheng and ask:
“I remember you said... wasn’t PUBG supposed to be a cooking game?”
“Did I say that?”
Gu Sheng thought for a moment, then nodded:
“Oh yeah, I guess I did say that, like, ‘in a way, it’s a cooking game.’ You’ve got a good memory, haha.”
Haha, my a*!!!*
Shen Miaomiao’s fists clenched so hard her knuckles cracked. If it weren’t for sheer willpower holding her back, she’d have punched him on the spot!
What do you mean, good memory?!
Of course I remember! I’ve been hung up on that line for a whole damn month!!!
F***ing hell!
Thinking about it now, Shen Miaomiao wanted to smack herself.
If only she’d taken the time to review the game plan at least once in the past month, she wouldn’t be sitting here now, getting thunderstruck like this!
“So?”
Like a volcano about to erupt, Shen Miaomiao jabbed a finger at the promotional poster on stage:
“What’s the meaning of this?!”
“Oh, I was just saying stuff off the cuff,”
Gu Sheng chuckled, waving it off with a grin:
“Think about it: in this game, a hundred players drop into the same match, there are weapons and vehicles everywhere, and the ways to die are endless.”
“And it’s a competitive game—like they say, there’s no joy greater than fighting against others.”
“So when the game comes out, there’s bound to be a ton of Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix players pulling off all kinds of crazy, highlight-reel plays.”
“In other words, this competition isn’t some bland, flavorless soup—it’s a giant feast with multiple chefs cooking up a storm.”
“So calling it a ‘cooking game’... kinda works, doesn’t it? Hahahaha...”
As he spoke, Gu Sheng even shot Little Nezha a teasing glance, joking:
“What? Don’t tell me you really thought I was making a game about cooking and frying dishes?”
“Come on, that’d be way too dumb. I’d have to be an absolute idiot to pick such a lame concept. That’d be a surefire way to lose money, and you wouldn’t have agreed to it either, right?”
Saying that, Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow at Shen Miaomiao, then turned back to chatting with Director Li Xiaofeng from Fury Studio about development strategies.
Hiss—
Shen Miaomiao took a deep breath!
Where’s my knife?!
You’re such a b******... if I don’t stab you to death right now, I’m not human!!!
Shen Miaomiao’s face was practically a kaleidoscope of colors, her whole body itching to take Gu Sheng down with her.
She wasn’t even that heartbroken about the company’s money—after all, that money wasn’t entirely hers.
Her 40% cut from the 10% net profit pool?
Sure, it stung a little, but it wasn’t the end of the world.
But don’t forget!
Of the 50 million project budget, there was still her one million personal fund in there!
One million!!!
That was supposed to be the big siblings of the mascot fifties!
She’d just gotten her hands on it, barely warmed it up, and it all went into this project!
The worst part? That one million was her unconditional capital injection!
According to system rules, the “Project Investment Amount” only included internal company investments by the host.
Bank loans, profit-sharing investments, external funding—none of that counted.
That’s why, when the project was short on funds, she went to her dad to beg first, then dipped into her own pockets when that didn’t work out.
But she never once thought of seeking investors or bank loans.
Because—
Her dad’s money and her own money didn’t need to be repaid. They could be directly injected into the company as no-strings-attached funding.
That way, the system’s project investment amount would increase accordingly.
For example:
For PUBG, if they were short by ten million and she took out a bank loan, the system would only count 40 million in project investment.
But if she funded it herself, no strings attached, the system would show a total of 50 million.
Which one was easier to lose money on? Obvious.
But!
No matter how carefully she calculated, she never saw it coming—
Gu Sheng’s “cooking into shooting” stunt had completely derailed her plan!
This won’t do!
Shen Miaomiao’s expression turned serious.
She had to save herself!
At the very least—
Out of this 50 million project budget, she had to lose a million!
That way, she could rescue her precious little nest egg!
This time, she wasn’t even aiming for a profit. Just breaking even would be enough!
But—
How to lose a million in just one week?
Because the way things were going, even if they didn’t win the crown, PUBG was guaranteed to sell well.
After all, their previous game, Left 4 Dead, had already proven a simple truth:
When a project gets competitors drooling, it’s sure to sell.
So, she couldn’t just sit back and hope for bad luck to tank the project.
She had to do something.
Actually, the answer was simple—
Once she got back, she’d just pick at the project endlessly, forcing Gu Sheng and the others to revise it over and over, stalling the timeline until it all collapsed.
Once the five-month production deadline hit, the committee would declare them disqualified.
They’d lose the promotional boost from the Asia Game Developers Conference and the exclusive distribution rights for “Asia’s mainstream haptic cabin platform.”
By the time they finally launched the game, the momentum would be gone, and losing money would be a breeze.
But... she couldn’t do that.
For one, it was too harsh. Shen Miaomiao wanted to lose money, but not by sabotaging everyone like that.
And two, doing so would definitely tip off Gu Sheng. He’d see through her game, get pissed off, and quit.
If that happened, her system would be dead in the water, and she’d have lost way more than she gained.
But if she didn’t stall, she worried that Jiang Yun and the other die-hards would go too hard, making the project too perfect.
So, she needed a balance.
A balance that would allow them to finish the project—
But not make it too good.
After all, this time, she wasn’t trying to lose a lot—just that one million to get her money back.
The problem was... she had no clue how to balance that. She was a total newbie at this kind of thing.
And she couldn’t ask Gu Sheng outright—that’d be too obvious.
For a moment, Shen Miaomiao frowned in thought.
Who could she subtly sound out for advice?
Just then!
The host’s voice rang out across the venue.
The final project introduction was complete.
And after a collective vote from 200 media outlets and 500 players, the “Most Anticipated Game Award” had been decided.
No surprises there—PUBG, with its innovative gameplay and design, had won by a landslide.
Gu Sheng went up to accept the award.
And Shen Miaomiao, eyes glinting, seized the opportunity. She scooted over to Gu Sheng’s seat and flashed a smile at the person next to her:
“Director Li.”
“Ah, President Shen,”
Li Xiaofeng nodded politely.
Golden Wind might not be a big company, but Shen Miaomiao’s background wasn’t to be underestimated—he couldn’t afford to be rude.
“Got a question for you.”
Shen Miaomiao smiled.
“Do you think... our project can be completed within the deadline?”
Li Xiaofeng chuckled:
“Haha, President Shen, you and Director Gu really are on the same page. We were just talking about that.”
“As for the progress, Director Gu has expressed concerns too.”
“For a project like PUBG, five months is really tight. Without crunch time, it’d be just enough for a basic prototype—playable, sure, but lacking in polish.”
“Realistically, if you had a bigger team or a higher budget, it’d definitely help.”
“But as the saying goes, even the best cook can’t make a meal without rice. Given your company’s situation, it’s tough all around.”
“So, I actually just suggested to Director Gu—”
“At a time like this, your company could really consider some special measures to get through the crunch.”
“Like... project profit-sharing, to really motivate the team.”
“Whether you win the crown or not, I can’t say. But losing money? That’s not going to happen.”
“Offering a profit-sharing incentive for overtime might seem like giving up some company profit, but in reality, the returns will far outweigh the costs of a rushed launch.”
“After all, a game that’s not well-polished will impact player experience—delays, input lag, bugs, stability issues... they all add up.”
“They might not seem serious, but they’ll directly affect sales.”
With that, Li Xiaofeng smiled and nodded at Shen Miaomiao:
“Of course, that’s just my two cents. I tend to speak plainly—hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, Director Li. I’m grateful for your advice.”
Shen Miaomiao shook his hand earnestly.
The man really had come through—
His insights were genuine, truly offering solutions from Golden Wind’s perspective.
And—
That last sentence was a lifesaver.
A game that’s not polished enough... will impact sales!
That’s exactly what she wanted!
Shen Miaomiao’s eyes lit up!
Li Xiaofeng’s analysis even gave her the exact degree of “control” she needed: overtime or not would directly affect sales.
A smile returned to her face.
Everything just got so much simpler!
All she had to do now was strictly ban overtime—
That way, the project would be released on time but only as a bare-bones prototype!
Once the game was out, she’d just wait a week, let the losses roll in to recover her million, and then have Gu Sheng patch it up.
No overtime for the staff, game launched on time, she recoups her funds, and the game’s reputation stays intact.
Four birds with one stone! A perfect solution with minimal cost!
Everyone wins!
Just as she was basking in her success—
Gu Sheng returned from accepting the award.
And the first thing out of his mouth?
No surprises—four words:
“Encourage overtime incentives.”
Yep, after his chat with Li Xiaofeng, Gu Sheng also concluded that the only way to buy more polish time was to incentivize the team to work overtime.
As soon as those words left his mouth—
Shen Miaomiao was positively glowing with delight!
Ha!
Gotcha!
I just had that exact conversation with Director Li.
You think I’m going to agree to that?
She straightened her face, furrowed her brows:
“Gu, you really shouldn’t say things like that. It’s bad for team morale.”
Gu Sheng: ???
“Profit-sharing incentives? How’s that bad for morale?”
“Tsk, think about it.”
Shen Miaomiao’s tone was patient and sincere:
“Just two weeks ago, when the new hires joined, I said our company’s core philosophy is a relaxed, free, and people-oriented working environment.”
“You think offering profit-sharing for overtime, under the guise of ‘voluntary overtime,’ is really fair to the team?”
“Wrong, Gu. This is blatant encouragement of toxic competition!”
“Put yourself in their shoes—if you were an employee and saw your colleagues working overtime to chase bonuses, how would you feel?”
“Even if you didn’t care about the bonuses, would you feel comfortable just clocking out and leaving?”
“Besides, we’ve only got so many people, and game development needs tight collaboration.”
“Some people working overtime and others not—it messes up the workflow. It’s wasted overtime!”
“And another thing—”
“We chose this ambitious project, so we have to accept its imperfections.”
“Mount Everest is right there—if we can’t climb it today, there’s always tomorrow, or the day after.”
“A game, especially one that needs post-launch maintenance and updates, is never perfect at the start.”
“And we’re not just going to abandon the game after launch. Releasing it on time is still better than missing deadlines and getting disqualified by the committee, right?”
“Am I wrong?”
Hiss—!!!
Gu Sheng sucked in a sharp breath!
F**!*
That’s some airtight logic!!!
Gu Sheng was floored!
He couldn’t find a single flaw in what she said!
His shocked gaze turned to Little Nezha, as if seeing her for the first time.
What she said... made perfect sense!
Sure, launching the game now would mean an unpolished product with bugs here and there.
But from the employees’ perspective, Little Nezha was genuinely looking out for their well-being!
Gu Sheng opened his mouth three times, but not a single rebuttal came out. He had nothing to stand on!
Seeing Gu Sheng’s “about to say something but holding back” look, Shen Miaomiao was laughing her head off on the inside!
She knew it!
When it comes to profit, the human brain becomes razor-sharp!
I, Shen Miaomiao, am a genius!
One sentence—“This is toxic competition, bad for team unity”—
And she shut Gu Sheng right down!
Go on!
Shen Miaomiao raised an eyebrow.
Say something!
Let’s see what else you’ve got!
Today’s overtime? Not a single second!
“You got any other bright ideas?”
Shen Miaomiao tilted her head at Gu Sheng.
After a long pause—
Gu Sheng could only sigh in defeat and bow slightly, admitting:
“I must say... Boss, brilliant insight!”