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While some people are enjoying themselves, others are destined to have a hard time. The unexpected success of Evan and Redbird Studios at the end of the year was a direct blow to many game developers domestically, and Ryan Shaw felt this most deeply.
Before Evan appeared, Ryan Shaw was a game producer who had made a name for himself with just two games, a young talent with boundless prospects—until Evan came along. He was quickly forgotten by the media, and those honors were then bestowed upon Evan with even more flowery language.
This sense of disparity drove Ryan Shaw almost mad. If he had never experienced such success, he might have diligently worked a nine-to-five job, but now, Ryan Shaw only wanted Evan to taste the bitterness of being overlooked.
Therefore, even though he knew that Silver Ridge Games was essentially copying Redbird Studios, he still unreservedly accepted Silver Ridge's invitation. For the current Ryan Shaw, seeing Evan suffer and then telling all the media "You were wrong" was the most important thing!
And Ryan Shaw's end of the year was not going smoothly either. There were many complaints within Silver Ridge regarding the plagiarism of Swallowing Heaven and Earth. Although the employees did not openly object, Ryan Shaw saw their glances during their free time, and he could only pretend not to notice. Work was also full of stumbles. The two technical personnel Silver Ridge recalled early only had a superficial understanding of the game's overall architecture. Ryan Shaw had to rely on his own understanding to fill in the missing parts, but even then, Silver Ridge's people found various faults. However, none of this mattered. With every obstacle, Ryan Shaw's dislike for Evan grew stronger.
As for whether it was reasonable, that was beyond his control.
There's a joke that goes: money can't buy happiness, but a life without money is certainly hard to be happy.
For the wealthy Marcus Stone, the New Year was an endless cycle of giving gifts, faking smiles, and saying pleasantries. Hundreds of his subordinates relied on him for their livelihoods, so the once passionate and hot-blooded Marcus, who used to brawl shirtless in the streets with his brothers, now learned to bow and speak softly to others, all for a bidding opportunity.
Sometimes, Marcus felt truly alive only when he was playing games.
After quickly tidying up, Marcus immediately turned on his computer, logged into the game, and simultaneously opened his chat software.
As the end of the year approached, his household staff, who were migrant workers, had been granted early leave because Marcus understood the difficulty of traveling during the holidays. His wife and child had gone back to her parents' house and wouldn't return until New Year's Eve. Marcus rummaged through cabinets, found two cups of instant ramen, and prepared them—that was his dinner.
Although he now had a considerable family and business, he had come from humble beginnings and could endure hardships. Holding his instant ramen, he sank into his chair and began his Swallowing Heaven and Earth life.
Within three to five minutes of logging in, Marcus's page was already flooded with greeting messages.
Thanks to his experience in the closed beta, he quickly got the hang of the open beta. On the first day, he established his own guild. Gradually, he also gathered a group of brothers in the online world.
The messages varied: newcomers trying to get acquainted, casual players looking for strong allies, and powerful players inviting him to battlefields, among others. Marcus politely replied to each one, then clicked on his guild.
At this moment, a pop-up message appeared from one of Marcus's in-game friends:
"Wanna do a pre-New Year's gacha pull?"
Marcus put down his instant ramen and looked at the chat software. He had previously befriended someone who claimed to be an internal VIP customer service representative for Redbird. He scrolled through the chat history, then replied:
"Pull. I have news that new battlefields and dungeons will be released after the New Year. There might be a second version update then, and the difficulty will be much higher than now. The earlier you pull, the earlier you develop, and you definitely won't lose out."
"Alright, let's do it together then. I'll leech off your good luck."
"Hehe," Marcus closed the dialogue box and continued eating his dinner.
"Good luck" was a term Evan adopted from his previous life, easy to understand. After this concept was written into achievements, players quickly divided into two camps, constantly battling. But for a whale like Marcus, luck and misfortune were meaningless. As long as you spent enough, what couldn't you get?
And in the month since the open beta, Marcus's only regret was that he had spent too little during the closed beta! The double refund amount was completely used up within a week under the surge of the open beta, leaving Marcus fascinated. Swallowing Heaven and Earth was different from the online games he had played before. Here, spending money only accelerated the character development process, and eventually, free-to-play players could catch up with enough time. This was the tone Evan had set early on: paying players contributed revenue, and hardcore players contributed activity, achieving both.
And that was exactly how Marcus was. His account was almost perfectly optimized, and now he just had to wait for the new version. So, he didn't play much when he logged in daily, but he was captivated by each of his creatures and the feeling of interacting with players in the guild.
Finally, before logging off, he left a message for his friend: "Good luck with the new version..."
Before New Year's, Redbird Studios was in a tough spot:
The chairman fell ill, there was a sudden change of leadership, failed investments, insufficient staff, and a series of other misfortunes occurred. In a city with rapid talent flow like Harborview City, these events would have been enough to empty a company. However, the small size of Northfield City had its advantages. Most employees were locals, so they managed to endure the temporary difficulties, and indeed, they did.
After New Year's, bonuses were distributed, salaries were raised, and Evan had mentioned expanding the company at the last meeting. He encouraged everyone to invite their excellent friends to apply and even established a "Referral Bonus" for this purpose, with every successful referral earning a bonus!
What made Lana even happier was that Evan also said at the last meeting that the bonuses previously distributed were only project bonuses. As for the year-end bonus, because there were many things to do before the New Year, it would be paid after the New Year. This move brought many people in the company to tears: it turned out that project bonuses and year-end bonuses really were two different things!
Even the office building where the company had been for quite some time was gradually deemed too small by Evan, who asked Lana to find a new, spacious office building, preparing to change the company's address. And Lana was finally no longer the receptionist but had become the administrative supervisor sitting at the front desk. She had recruited several recent graduates as her subordinates, and it seemed the makeshift team was coming together. Although Lana was busy, she smiled every day.
The new recruit, Amy, couldn't help but feel a little helpless seeing Lana giggling again. This batch of people was hired after Redbird Studios created the closed beta legend, so seeing the legend of the gaming industry, they were all a bit apprehensive when they first joined. Then, Amy, who hadn't even graduated yet, was quickly charmed by her naive and sweet superior. Looking at the big sister who sat at the company's front desk every day, those who knew understood she was the company's supervisor, but those who didn't might think she was just a pretty receptionist.
Amy had a headache: "Is there really a future following a boss like this?" Thinking this, Amy waved her hand in front of Lana:
"Lana, is the news you just mentioned about team building after the New Year true?"
"Huh?" Lana, snapping back to reality, wiped her drool and said: "Of course it's true."
"Evan said we might go abroad for team building, choose a place and go play for a week together."
Amy was instantly excited:
"Then, then, then, can interns go?"
Lana looked back playfully and said:
"Well..." Lana drew out her words. "Guess?"
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