Chapter 372 Diablo

Moreno was furious and didn't know how to vent his anger. What he saw was the project leader looking at him eagerly, waiting for him to make a decision.

In an instant, I couldn't help but feel angry.

A series of beautiful words are about to be spoken.

However, the landline phone in the office rang first, interrupting his curse.

No need to guess, everyone knows who it is.

Antitrust review involves both parties.

Since the censorship notice for "Road to Paradise 4" was sent to Baofeng Entertainment, Juhard Company, as the acquirer, naturally also received it.

Moreno took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You go out first."

"OK."

The project leader walked out of the office and answered the phone that rang several times.

"Hello? Mr. West."

"what happened."

No formalities, no pleasantries, just get straight to the point.

Moreno shook his head and said: "I don't know, I don't know. Someone is targeting us, but this kind of targeting is very clever, and I have no clue at the moment."

"Damn it! Who knows how long this review will last, and now you don't even know who is making the move?"

Hearing this curse, Moreno knew clearly that he was not deliberately targeting him.

But the mood is still inevitably not good.

After a few seconds of silence, he decided to ask first.

As the CEO of Giant Hardware's gaming business, West has some insights and thinking that he doesn't have.

"You can send someone to contact the Northern Star studio first, but I don't think this will necessarily solve the problem. Do you have any good ideas?"

On the phone, West's voice returned to calmness and he said calmly: "The first way is to bypass the Chinese market and CMA and sell it directly."

Moreno frowned and said, "Is this a solution? Next one."

Just kidding, if you bypass such a big market, wouldn't you suffer your own losses and gain a solid monopoly?

Isn’t this giving a knife to other institutions?

"The second option is to accept the review and postpone the game."

There was already some irritation in Moreno's voice, and he said impatiently: "Stop being so pretentious, can you say something useful?"

"The third way is to separate the "Road to Paradise" IP series from Baofeng Games."

As soon as these words came out, the phone fell into silence again.

Moreno was speechless.

If it was a video call, West could even see the veins on Moreno's forehead that popped out of anger.

Split the business and divest the game IP.

It does work.

Even if you package and sell this IP, you can get back more money than "Road to Paradise 4", and you can better complete the content of the gambling agreement.

The giant hard company is happy to see this step.

Baofeng Entertainment’s two most valuable IPs both have strong and enduring records spanning more than ten years.

One is the "War Zone" series that has just experienced a waterloo, but it can still be played.

The other one is the MMORPG "Cosmic Rift" that has accompanied countless people since childhood.

As for other IPs, Giant Hardware doesn’t really care. If they are gone, they are gone. Anyway, after the acquisition is completed, other IPs will basically have no resources to develop sequels.

These two series include 75% of Baofeng Entertainment’s player base.

An acquisition of such a huge scale cannot be completed without bloodshed.

If the acquisition can be completed at this price, it is worth it in West's eyes.

But in Moreno's eyes, it's a different story.

Splitting the business and divesting "Road to Paradise", an old IP that accompanied the rise of Baofeng Entertainment, was not something he just said as a CEO.

Even if we work hard to promote the development of this matter, the price paid will not be small.

If the gambling agreement cannot be reached in the end and the acquisition fails, Baofeng Entertainment will have to pay Juhard Company a large sum of money for the failure of the gambling agreement.

That means losing his wife and losing his troops.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a return to before liberation.

How to choose is a big difficulty.

Thinking of this, Moreno felt annoyed again.

It was too uncomfortable to be stuck at this time. The enemy hiding in the dark reacted too quickly!

How long has it been since the acquisition was announced?

He came up with such a destructive move so quickly.

Moreover, it hit seven inches directly.

Neither advancing nor retreating.

Being stuck in the middle is extremely uncomfortable.

On the contrary, now it seems that splitting the business and divesting this IP, which seems to be a bad idea, is the best idea.

Juhard Company is Party A’s father and the one who provides the money.

Originally, what Juhard Company wanted most was Naughty Cat, and he would be happy to spend more money.

But unfortunately, Naughty Cat is not a listed company. Lin Mo said that no one can buy it unless he sells it.

Ranking second is Baofeng Entertainment.

But it doesn’t have to be Baofeng Entertainment.

If the gambling agreement is not completed, the giant hard company can take a large amount of money and then buy the company that ranks third in its mind.

But for Baofeng Entertainment, this is more than just a traumatic experience.

When signing the gambling agreement, just like those sects in cultivation novels, they gather the strength of the entire sect to seek for one to ascend to immortality.

But if it fails, it will be doomed.

If it fails this time, Storm Entertainment and Moreno will fall into the abyss together.

I thought about it for a long time.

West asked calmly on the phone: "I've told you the method. As for what to do, you decide for yourself."

After saying that, he hung up the phone without hesitation.

Moreno wanted to make a decision before hanging up the phone, and then ask for some advice.

But when the words came to his lips, he thought of the far-reaching consequences of the decision, and he didn't say those words.

Hang up the phone.

Sat back in the chair a little depressed.

It's obvious that I need to make a decision as soon as possible, but I just don't have the courage.

I'm not young anymore. If I lose money this time, I really can't turn over.

When I think of this, I feel a sense of fear for no reason.

Or just delay it for a while.

What if I can think of a better way, what if there is a turnaround.

China, Zhonghai City.

Lin Mo couldn't help but want to laugh at himself.

"You really don't have a leisure life."

Since the "Six Major Sects Besieged Guangmingding", Naughty Cat has been operating at full capacity without stopping.

League of Legends and Breath of the Wild were produced at the same time. After a short period of free time, Lin Mo invested in the development of a new project again.

This game is Diablo.

To a certain extent, it is a classic game that laid the foundation for many rules in the game industry in Lin Mo's previous life.

This game is not launched by Naughty Cat itself, but was launched in the name of cooperation, under the name of Northern Star Studio, a wholly-owned subsidiary.

If it is Naughty Cat's own action, judging from the current situation of Baofeng Entertainment being pushed into the spotlight, it is very likely that they will postpone the release of their own Road to Heaven 4.

That will not work.

The purpose is to launch a game of the same type, so that Baofeng Entertainment will lose money, disrupt the plan of Giant Hard Company, and prevent the acquisition and the implementation of the upcoming game subscription service of Giant Hard Company.

You can't just keep an eye on Road to Heaven 4, and Lin Mo's new game will follow the number of Baofeng Entertainment's jump to, right?

Naughty Cat is constantly moving now, and the impact of the ban on the two major console platforms is still there, and money is still a bit tight.

Let's talk about Baofeng Entertainment's Road to Heaven series.

In the era when everyone's games were of poor quality, Baofeng Entertainment made a name for itself with the first generation of "Road to Heaven".

Relying on interesting character development and exciting plots, it sold well and laid the foundation for Baofeng Entertainment.

In terms of gameplay, the word that stands out in the "Road to Heaven" series is difficult.

This is different from the difficulty of Dark Souls Sekiro.

It is not the kind of difficulty that can be made up for by technology.

Some monsters cannot be defeated because of poor equipment, poor level, and poor skills.

Many old players' favorite is also PK in the arena after developing characters.

Its sense of déjà vu is very strong!

Therefore, there is no need to say more about the game that Lin Mo used to deal with it.

The classic of the Diablo series is beyond doubt.

To talk about the characteristics of this type of game, it is very simple, just brush brush brush.

The core is also the development of the character, the satisfaction of obtaining the best equipment, and the pleasure of brushing monsters.

Three words, positive feedback.

It seems simple, but the simpler it is, the more it tests your skills.

As long as a little detail is not done well, it will ruin all the excellent designs made for positive feedback.

But if it is designed properly and has a constant stream of positive and negative feedback, this is one of the most addictive game types.

Equipment-driven games always have their die-hard audiences at all times.

At the same time, the Diablo series is also a game that requires a lot of design skills.

How much does it require?

Let me put it this way.

The equipment system of the Diablo series is a compulsory course for every numerical planner of equipment-driven online games.

In front of this type of game, the value of a numerical planner can be reflected.

It is a game type that really achieves whether it is a mule or a horse, and is pulled out for a walk.

"Diablo" and "Road to Heaven 4" are very similar in theme.

Both have brushing elements, but Diablo focuses more on equipment, and the Road to Heaven series has also made a lot of designs for brushing in character attributes and skill points.

What we see is the basic skills of both sides.

This is the time when the bayonet really fights blood and competes with hard power.

This game that requires such attention to details is also a game that Lin Mo not only controls the general direction, but also deeply participates in the development.

At the project establishment meeting.

The backbones of Naughty Cat saw this name, as well as some initial settings and line drawings.

Wang Zichen scratched his head and asked in confusion: "Mr. Lin, is the background story design of the game too dark and cruel? In your background setting, demons cannot be killed, but can only be sealed. The humans in Sanctuary have not received the blessing of the high-level heaven, and the angels are also a group of indifferent people. With such a background setting, the players' Nerephim are just a group of tools who are doing useless work? Will players like it?"

This question.

One of the reasons is that the original work of the series was developed by a small workshop called Vulture Studio that did outsourcing, and they may not have thought so much at all.

Later, its founder accidentally got Alan Adham, the co-founder of "Silicon and Synapse" at the time.

Silicon and Synapse is the later Blizzard.

Later, Vulture was acquired and renamed Northern Blizzard.

Later, the former employees of Northern Blizzard disclosed the development process of that year and mentioned that the development of the later classic sequel, Diablo 2, actually did not have detailed development documents, or planning plans.

Many contents were developed and explored by a group of geniuses and slowly finalized.

The world view background was gradually completed with the improvement of many subsequent animations, comics, and novels.

Many fans of Diablo do not have a deep understanding of the background story of this series, including the plot, and do not think it is a problem for the demons that were killed before to appear again.

But in fact, if you dig deep into the story and plot of the Diablo series, it is still quite exciting.

However, this excitement is hidden in the documents in the game, and the main storyline can only show a small part.

Lin Mo shook his head and said, "Don't worry about this. If you use the settings in the game to explain, you can say a long paragraph, but if you speak in plain words, the mixed-blood is the strongest, and the Nephalem is a mixed-blood of angels and demons."

Wang Yi, who is responsible for combat design, and Du Rui, who is responsible for level design, whispered a few words, and then raised his hand to ask a question.

"Boss Lin, you said you want to personally participate in the production of this project? I don't see what's worth your personal participation in this game. With our level, it should be enough."

Du Rui also nodded and said, "Boss Lin, you are usually tired enough, it's better to reduce some of the burden."

Lin Mo shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't trust you, but some details of the game are prone to problems, I must keep an eye on it."

"Boss Lin, you can still rest assured, we will definitely have no problem."

"That's right, health is important, which boss is as busy as you?"

"Only Zuo Xuming's numerical team is a little bit more troublesome, I think other aspects are okay."

Hearing this, Lin Mo also knew that many people are indeed kind, but their words and deeds are indeed a bit arrogant.

"In this case. Then do an experiment next. In three days, you will follow your ideas, copy "Road to Heaven" or think divergently, and design a DEMO with two professions and two copies. During this period, I will also design one. Finally, the two DEMOs will be put online for the team to try out, and you will understand it by then."

As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes in the conference room lit up.

The more talented you are, the more you know the value of the Naughty Cat platform, and the less likely you are to leave here. You will not have the opportunity to compete with Lin Mo on the same stage.

After all, there is still a little regret.

Although it is just a demo, it is at least a fight to the death, right?

Zuo Xuming smiled and said, "Boss, if our demo is more popular, will there be a bonus?"

Lin Mo nodded and said, "Yes. However, if you lose, you must honestly assist the British North Star Studio to make the game. I know you want to ask what kind of studio this North Star is and why it is related to Naughty Cat. Don't ask, just do it."

Du Rui's eyes were also shining. He would never miss the opportunity to challenge himself.

"Mr. Lin, when there are so many demos, how will the scores be calculated? How will the rankings be calculated? Is it based on the duration?"

"Score? What score?" Lin Mo shook his head, "There are only two, I will do one myself, and you will do one for a group of people."

As soon as this was said, many people in the audience looked unconvinced.

Some people feel that they are being underestimated.

Yes, the company has a magic tool like Magic Engine, which can greatly shorten the game production time.

But tools are not omnipotent, and manpower is still an indispensable part.

With so many people here, how can a demo produced by one person be better than one produced by one person? (End of this chapter)