I Want Her to Be the Game's Protagonist

Bin City, around 2:40 pm.

At this moment, a new game launch event, specifically for media in the gaming industry, is being held in the Ji You Technology Park.

The topic, naturally, is an introduction to "Bloody Scientist".

Although the game had already promoted itself at E3, Ji You did not spend money to rent the E3 venue to hold a press conference.

Instead, it will be held in its own science park in the country after E3.

Meanwhile, because the invitees were all industry media and partners, the Bloody Scientist launch event did not allow players and fans to attend, and it wasn't even streamed live.

It seems highly likely that they will release it as a video after the press conference.

Soon, the invited guests began to take their seats in the lobby of the press conference venue.

However, due to limited seating, most of the media reporters simply stood on both sides of the aisle, preparing their photography equipment.

Time passed slowly, and the continuous stream of people gradually stopped increasing.

Before the press conference even started, the people present were already chatting like old friends.

In one corner, a middle-aged man in a suit suddenly raised his eyebrows and greeted another person playing on their phone with a smile.

"Director Jin? Oh, what a coincidence, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Upon hearing the greeting, Director Jin looked up from his phone and followed the sound.

He smiled when he saw who it was.

"Manager Liu? It's a pleasure to meet you. Isn't this the press conference for Ji You? What brings you from Infinite Network Entertainment?"

The man, referred to as Manager Liu, smiled and nodded, habitually taking out his cigarette case and offering one to the customer.

"Come on, of course we'll come. Although there are rumors that Infinite Network Entertainment and Ji You are competitors, we have always maintained a strategic partnership."

Director Jin suddenly looked enlightened.

That's true. Both are top-tier internet companies in China. To prevent one from dominating the market, they compete with each other while also cooperating. This situation is not surprising.

Manager Liu still used the term "strategic cooperation," which indicates that both parties are mutually beneficial in their business dealings.

Director Jin looked at Manager Liu, patted the seat next to him, and gestured for him to sit down.

The latter didn't stand on ceremony, sat down directly, and straightened his suit.

"It's rare to have Manager Liu personally grace us with his presence. I thought that game launch events were usually attended by relevant personnel, but I've learned something new today."

Manager Liu smiled and waved his hand, then took out a lighter to Director Jin's cigarette.

"As an operations officer, what do I care about whether someone comes or not? My job is to reach more cooperation agreements with other companies."

Director Jin took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring.

"You're too modest, Manager Liu. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Infinite Network Entertainment is someone whose position is far beyond our reach."

It was now 3 p. m.

On the exhibition stage, a young man slowly walked onto the stage.

He first bowed to everyone before speaking.

"Distinguished leaders, fellow journalists, good afternoon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted.

The young man on stage smiled, nodded, and continued speaking.

"Thank you all for attending our latest game launch event at Jiyou Network. My name is Yang, and I am the head of Leap Studio."

"This time, I will introduce to you the horror-themed game that our company has poured its heart and soul into creating— 'Bloody Scientist '!"

With a loud bang, the game's logo appeared on the multimedia projection screen.

Applause erupted again from the audience.

After clapping, COO Liu didn't listen to what was being said on stage, but instead started chatting with Director Jin.

"Director Jin, we don't usually see you at events like this. What makes you, someone from the entertainment industry, want to attend this game launch event?"

After listening, Director Jin took a drag of his cigarette and smiled.

"It's not exactly a secret. I'm planning to make a movie to promote a newcomer. These days, the most popular thing is adapting video games into movies, especially overseas. Several movies have already been successful. I'm thinking maybe we should do that too."

"But I don't know anything about games. They just happened to be holding this game launch event, so I came to check it out."

"However, adapting games into movies definitely requires film and television adaptation rights. I have some connections with President An from Ji You, and I'm going to see which of their games is the most popular."

"When the movie is finished, it should be our debut work as newcomers."

Upon hearing this, COO Liu's eyes lit up.

The middle-aged man in front of me is no ordinary person.

He is a veteran director in the entertainment industry, and his surname is Jin.

He is known for having starred in several classic films and television series, and can be considered a talented actor!

But now, he has stepped back from the limelight and become a mentor for cultivating idols.

He is also a producer and investor.

Although he no longer personally directs films, he remains active in the entertainment industry and his reputation has not diminished.

Now, this veteran director is preparing to make a movie to pave the way for a newcomer's rise to fame.

This is serious.

After all, according to the standards of the entertainment industry in the past, people only start acting and taking on endorsements after they have become famous.

And now, they're actually spending money to buy the rights to a game to make a movie?

Such a good thing actually happened!?

COO Liu couldn't help but think of the large number of game IPs in the company that hadn't yet realized their full potential, and he couldn't help but feel regretful.

In his view, instead of suppressing and hiding it, why not put it to good use and adapt it into film or television or something else?

"Director Jin, we've known each other for so many years, why don't you tell me what you want? Do you look down on our Infinite Network Entertainment games?"

Although COO Liu laughed it off, his meaning was quite clear.

Our games at Infinite Network Entertainment are just as good as those at Jiyou Network!

Although you have a connection with President An from Ji You, we've known each other for several years!

Now that you're planning to buy the film and television adaptation rights to promote new talent, why not go to Infinite Network Entertainment?

I am the COO, after all!

Besides, our company has a better reputation than Ji You!

After hearing what COO Liu said, Director Jin understood what he meant.

He smiled and responded tactfully.

"Manager Liu, you're putting me in a difficult position. Your Infinite Network Entertainment and Jiyou Network are renowned names in the tech and internet industry. How could I possibly look down on them? It's just that I don't understand them."

"But it's good that you came, you can talk to me about the copyright issues in detail. And recently, that game of yours... wait, let me think... oh... what's it called, Death Time, is quite popular. It should be one of your company's products, right?"

Death Time?

COO Liu frowned, a look of confusion on his face.

To be honest, although he is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) under the CEO and President of the company, he is mainly responsible for the company's business operations.

Because Infinite Network Entertainment is a multi-field internet technology company, not just a game company.

Therefore, game-related businesses only account for a portion of it.

Once the workload increases, he mostly just looks at the results and controls the direction, without participating in the projects.

This is what supervisors and managers should do.

So, COO Liu only knew that his company had many game IPs, but he knew almost nothing about the specific game names.

Of course, blockbuster products are an exception.

In addition, he himself doesn't play games, so he only knows about a few of the company's businesses that can make a lot of money.

For the rest, only the result is known, not the process.

That's why Director Jin looked puzzled when he mentioned the game's name, "Death Time."

Does your company have this project?

How come I have no recollection of it at all?

It seems I haven't even seen the report?

"I'm sorry, Director Jin, as you know, Infinite Network Entertainment has a lot of businesses. In the gaming field, we not only develop our own games, but we also distribute and publish IPs from other companies. So, this ' Death Time ' thing you mentioned, I really don't recall it."

"Ah?"

COO Liu's words surprised Director Jin.

This game is really popular online right now, how come you, as the boss, don't know?

"Isn't that ' Only Game' studio you acquired? I've seen that game is generating a lot of buzz online, so I thought it was created by your promotion."

Upon hearing this, COO Liu suddenly realized.

So it turns out it's the Only Game.

He knew this company; last year, Infinite Network Entertainment spent a huge budget on a massive advertising campaign for a VR Horror Games called "21 Points".

At first, as the COO, he almost popped his eyes out when he received the business report.

The notice stated that the company would allocate a small portion of funds from other projects to focus on the promotion and marketing of this game in order to generate buzz.

More importantly, 21 Points is a game that can be downloaded for free!

It has absolutely no profit or revenue!

In other words, the company spends a lot of money to promote a game that cannot generate profit.

Is this a joke?

Putting aside the issue of the game being free, the fact that the budget was diverted from other projects is simply outrageous.

Who would put all their eggs in one basket and then give them away?

Who bears the risk?

Did the eggs come from the wind?

Moreover, it's a VR Game with an uncertain future!

This is utter nonsense!

Therefore, after reading the report, COO Liu immediately rejected the execution of the project.

But to his surprise, the publicity and promotion still went ahead despite his refusal.

This infuriated him, and he went directly to the operations and marketing manager to confront him.

Then I learned that this project had been personally approved by the company's chairman Manager Liang.

Ah, this...

At that moment, COO Liu was completely dumbfounded, thinking that this operation was a pipe dream.

How could Chairman Liang do something so outrageous?

But there's nothing we can do. Since the higher-ups have made the decision, we can only watch helplessly as the company carries it out.

Just when he still thought the company had made a mistake, he never expected that the VR Game called "21 Points" would actually be a success!

Although there was no revenue, traffic to their own IGame Platform surged.

Advertising profits are exploding!

It even boosted sales of other games, directly recouping the promotional budget several times over, much to the surprise of COO Liu!

This is indirect profit!

To find out, COO Liu specifically searched for the company behind Only Game and discovered...

Why are there only 4 people?

Was the previous work "Dark Forest"?

Isn't this the same promotional project that the company was responsible for before "21 Points"?

Upon seeing this, COO Liu suddenly realized what was going on.

Based on the pitifully small number of insured individuals and the popularity of the Only Game, he mistakenly believed that it was a subsidiary of Infinite Network Entertainment.

It seems to be newly established.

Otherwise, there's no way to explain why Manager Liang values it so much.

It's worth noting that leading companies like Infinite Network Entertainment have acquired or wholly owned many small companies across various industries, but none have been as dedicated to them as Only Game.

Therefore, it could only have been established by the family, not by outsiders.

With this in mind, he didn't remember what Only Game developed afterward, but according to the reports, it was profitable again...

Fine, anyway, for him it's just another popular tool that can bring a lot of benefits to the head office.

The people below just need to remember the names.

His COO only looks at results.

"You've got it wrong, Director Jin. That Only Game isn't a studio we acquired, but a newly established game company of ours."

"You know, products like games are usually handled by professionals. Sometimes, for the sake of convenience in development, we set up companies in other parts of the country to make personnel management easier."

"I'm not in the game business; I'm just someone who maintains the company's operations and expands the business. Let alone these small companies, I might not even remember all the products in our head office. So, in terms of games, I'm just someone who signs off on approvals."

"The Death Time you just mentioned probably does exist, it's just that I haven't seen it yet."

Director Jin nodded, indicating that he understood.

For people like them, leaders in non-technical positions are generally responsible for operations and personnel management within the company, rather than participating in projects.

Therefore, in many cases, the leaders of game companies don't necessarily understand games, and the leaders of music companies don't necessarily understand music. Similarly, the leaders of film companies don't necessarily understand film, and the leaders of anime and manga companies aren't necessarily into anime and manga.

What do these leaders know? And what makes them think they're in these positions?

It's very simple: he can generate profits for the company and make money. Over time, the position will naturally be his.

Director Jin extinguished his cigarette, glanced at the host, Yang, who was talking incessantly on the stage, and then turned back to continue the conversation.

"Manager Liu, it's like this. We want to make a movie based on a game that hasn't been released yet but already has a lot of buzz."

"That's one of the reasons I came to this press conference. I want to see what this ' Bloody Scientist ' is all about."

"Furthermore, once our movie is finished, we hope it can be released together with the game, so we can promote each other."

"I believe that with the reputation of our Tiancheng Pictures, plus the name of your Infinite Network Entertainment, we will definitely achieve good results."

COO Liu raised an eyebrow and nodded inwardly.

"Director Jin, if you were really given the film and television adaptation rights to that ' Death Time' movie, how much are you prepared to pay?"

Director Jin looked around, and without saying a word, extended two fingers of his left hand.

COO Liu immediately recognized the price range; after all, having known Director Jin for so many years, he naturally understood what he was trying to say.

Twenty million!

"Director Jin has always had a good eye, and he has high expectations for a game that is still in development. I must thank you, Director Jin, for thinking so highly of the quality of our Infinite Network Entertainment products."

COO Liu grinned, feeling very pleased.

He had long wanted to utilize the remaining value of the company's intellectual property, but he had never had the opportunity to do so.

Now that we finally have it, how can we let it go?

The director in front of us wants the film and television adaptation rights to the game and is offering 20 million. Why not take it?

"Director Jin, are you planning to learn more about the game ' Death Time ' now, or do you want to know some important points about game copyright?"

Director Jin waved his hand, his expression seemingly telling COO Liu that there was no rush.

"Manager Liu, I do have this intention. However, I still want to wait until you have confirmed it before we sit down and talk. Otherwise, even if you agree, I will still worry that it may not be possible to implement it for various reasons."

COO Liu smiled.

Director Jin's meaning is actually quite clear.

The implication is that:

As a senior executive, if you yourself don't know the status of your own game, then as an outsider, I'm afraid I'll have to worry about whether it will even arrive.

"You're right, Director Jin. The environment here isn't good either. It's too noisy and not a good place to discuss business."

"How about this, I'll be staying in Bin City for a few more days anyway. I'll call you after I've confirmed everything, okay? Then we can find a place to have a good talk."

After hearing this, Director Jin smiled and nodded.

But he hesitated for a moment and then made another request.

"Manager Liu, just like I said. I make game movies mainly to promote my company's current new idols."

"However, I don't think one movie is enough to make a debut. As you know, the entertainment industry is very competitive now, and many popular idols attract attention by appearing in many different ways before they can develop their careers."

"If you haven't finished your ' Death Time ' game yet, could you at least include the characters of us newcomers in it?"

COO Liu was immediately taken aback and replied uncertainly.

"Director Jin, you mean... turn your newcomers into game characters?"

Director Jin immediately nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, think about it. Since it's a movie adapted from a game, it will definitely attract gamers first. These people are like the first batch of fans of my company's new idol."

"Since they are fans, I think it would be better to have more contact with them. Of course, not in real life, but in the game. So, I want to bring the person into the game, preferably as an important character. That way, when they officially debut, they will leave a deep impression on these game fans."

"Think about it, an important character from a game, someone who resonates with people, suddenly appears in real life. Isn't that something to be happy about for game fans? It's also a good start for us. It's a win-win situation."

"With this group of gamers as a fan base, newcomers have a foundation of traffic. Then, participating in variety shows, singing, acting, etc., will be a natural progression. At that time, the main goal is to gain audience fans, and these gamers will just serve as stepping stones."

"What do you think, Manager Liu?"

After hearing this, COO Liu frowned and remained silent for a long time.

He didn't find anything wrong with what Director Jin said.

On the contrary, this is the mindset an entrepreneur should have.

A commodity is a commodity, whether it's a game or an idol. If it can generate profit, it's a commodity.

This thing doesn't discriminate between people and things.

But what he hesitated about was weighing the pros and cons.

COO Liu glanced at Director Jin and smiled.

As expected, it's not that simple.

Twenty million is actually something worth agreeing to if it's for the sale of a game's copyright.

As for putting someone into the game, it's just a matter of saying a few words, and the project development team will obediently comply.

But the question is, is it really worth it?

After all, if it's really as Director Jin said, using gamers as a basis to generate buzz for new idols, then it would be quite successful.

Although Hot Infinite Network Entertainment won't lose anything, seeing others make big money off your stuff is always more painful than losing money.

unless

"Director Jin, this is no problem. A newcomer you're training like this must be extraordinary, right? Is he a man or a woman?"

Director Jin smiled.

"She's a girl who just graduated."

COO Liu nodded, vaguely sensing the decadent and glamorous side of the entertainment industry.

"Director Jin, your request isn't a problem. However..."

COO Liu paused for a moment, then changed the subject and continued.

"We might need to sit down and have a proper talk."

Director Jin was taken aback upon hearing this.

He narrowed his eyes, looking at Manager Liu's calm and composed face, trying to discern something from it.

Unfortunately, he saw nothing.

He couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Haha, as expected of someone from Infinite Network Entertainment, they really know how to seize the opportunity to raise prices on the spot.

They said something like, "We might need to sit down and have a proper talk."

To put it bluntly, it boils down to three words: 'You have to pay more.'

Director Jin did not reply immediately.

Instead, he took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and blew out a smoke ring.

Then he gave one to Manager Liu, but didn't light it.

After a long while, Director Jin finally spoke slowly.

"Since adding someone isn't difficult, then sitting down and having a chat isn't a big problem either."

"You can choose a time, but since we've already sat down to talk, I'd like to expand the impact of this discussion a bit."

Should we make it a little bigger?

COO Liu frowned, puzzled.

But he didn't interrupt; instead, he waited for an explanation.

Sure enough, Director Jin exhaled another smoke ring, looked at COO Liu, and slowly began to speak.

"When we make movies, we strive to create a protagonist that leaves a lasting impression on the audience."

"Then, by the same token, for those who play games, the characters that leave a lasting impression on them are definitely the main characters."

"In order to expand this influence, and also to give my company's newcomer a good Qidian."

"I think we should cast her as the lead in ' Death Time '."