Chapter 449: Making a killing! Unprecedentedly wild rebates! |
Here, we have to talk about the special nature of Shen Miaomiao's project form.
Actually, originally, Shen Miaomiao planned to use the self-developed engine opportunity to take a clean loss.
After all, the revenue model of an engine inherently limits its capital recovery speed.
Forget about a year or half a year.
From what she knew, even the top-tier engines on the market generally couldn't achieve profitability in less than three to five years.
So, back then, she thought about frantically building a mercenary team to maximize the engine's development costs as much as possible, then jack the rebate multiplier straight up to one hundred, and just sit back waiting for the money.
However.
Things didn't go as planned.
Just as Shen Miaomiao was happily preparing to establish the project, a small unexpected incident occurred—
Therefore, to prevent the host from maliciously exploiting rule bugs, although theoretically the Golden Engine's nature was still a "commercial engine," in the system's judgment, it was classified as a "self-developed engine."
The system isn't a complete fool, letting you get something for nothing so easily.
This point, Shen Miaomiao had to grudgingly admit.
From a subjective intention perspective, the Golden Engine was indeed developed to solve their awkward situation of having no engine to use, and the demand for external commercialization was indeed lower than for self-use.
According to system regulations, this kind of "self-developed engine" couldn't have its costs calculated as a separate standalone project.
To make the form valid, "engine development" and "the work project" needed to be merged into one.
Only by forming a complete "investment development → finished product sales" process could the project form be established.
In other words!
The current 【Main Project: Golden Engine】 project form in Shen Miaomiao's system.
Its total cost of 355 million dollars includes the engine development cost of 120 million dollars and the Battlefield Storm development cost of 235 million dollars.
Actually, originally, in the form amount, "Payday" as a test work should have been calculated too.
But because Shen Miaomiao separately took "Payday" out as a main project, using it as the main project to derive the "John Wick" movie sub-project.
So "Payday"'s costs and revenue were all excluded and calculated separately.
The set of operations was slightly complex, but it still complied with the system's fair and rigorous logic settings.
Although this way, Shen Miaomiao's initial idea of "getting a hundredfold rebate for nothing" was impossible to realize.
But from another perspective, this was equivalent to adding a massive 120 million dollar engine cost out of thin air on top of the original game development cost!
120 million dollars!
If it weren't a self-developed engine, they absolutely couldn't have added such a high cost investment all at once!
So overall!
No matter how you calculate it, this form is absolutely advantageous for Shen Miaomiao!
A form with a total cost as high as 355 million dollars!
Completely surpassing the cost of all their previous games, becoming the most expensive game to date!
Plus the constant 25% cut maintained over so many years?
That means, for this "Battlefield Storm" to break even, their revenue needs to reach a full 473 million dollars!
And what made Shen Miaomiao even more excited was—this time the basic rebate period was actually only a short one week!
What does this mean?
Calculated based on "Battlefield Storm: Rise"'s price of 60 dollars per copy.
To break even, they need to wildly sell 7.88 million copies of the game within just one week!
And up to now!
The strongest single-week sales performance in Golden Wind's history was "It Takes Two," with five million copies.
Can "Battlefield Storm" surpass "It Takes Two"?
Shen Miaomiao doesn't think so.
Heaven knows how many buffs "It Takes Two" had stacked back then!
Now, although "Battlefield Storm" has considerable topicality, compared to "It Takes Two," it's still slightly inferior.
Of course!
Even though she says this, Shen Miaomiao didn't dare to be overconfident, let greed take over, and recklessly extend the rebate days.
Just one week! Ten times!
Lose as much as possible!
She's seen through it now, gambling addicts come to no good end.
Rather than constantly holding onto the mentality of "gamble once, bicycle becomes motorcycle" and frantically going for big wins, it's better to be honest and cautious with forms she's not absolutely sure about, just aiming for the tenfold rebate.
Four years!
Shen Miaomiao snorted proudly in her heart.
She's been wrestling wits and courage with this damn system for four years now; if she still hasn't figured out the system's tricks by now, then she'd be too slow-witted!
Just bet on ten times!
I don't believe this game can wildly sell 7.88 million copies in one week!
Just as she was thinking this!
Buzz—
Suddenly, her phone alarm rang.
Shen Miaomiao bounced up from the sofa in an instant, urgently patting Gu Sheng:
"Hurry hurry hurry, Old Gu, one minute left, almost there almost there, quickly invite the CDEA!"
Gu Sheng was caught between laughter and tears:
"The way you say that, it's like we're going to the Western Heaven to invite the Tathagata Buddha..."
Hey, that's not entirely wrong either.
Hearing this, a mischievous smile appeared on Shen Miaomiao's little face.
Whoever lets me lose money is the Tathagata Buddha.
All these years, I've worshipped from Lord Guan all the way to Jesus Christ; no matter which deity, they're all my wishing wells.
Who I worship isn't important; what's important is who can get me the rebate.
"I'm ready!"
As Gu Sheng opened the CDEA's data statistics backend.
Shen Miaomiao also covered her eyes, just like back in the company conference room when she and Gu Sheng witnessed the sales data of "Left 4 Dead" together.
For a moment.
The room seemed to fall into tranquility.
And after this brief quiet, Shen Miaomiao only felt a touch of warmth, light as a dragonfly skimming water, gently brush against her luscious lips.
"Hey—"
Shen Miaomiao, covering her eyes, blushed instantly, biting her lip and coquettishly complaining:
"You bad guy, is that what I meant when I said I was ready...?"
"Ah?"
Gu Sheng played dumb, but the triumphant smirk in his tone was hard to conceal:
"That's not what you meant? I thought you..."
He only got halfway!
Suddenly, Gu Sheng's words cut off mid-sentence:
"...What... the..."
Hearing this!
Shen Miaomiao's heart couldn't help but skip a beat!
Wait!
What does that surprised tone mean?
What kind of sales could make even you, Old Gu, gasp in shock?
Could it be...
Trembling!
Shen Miaomiao slowly spread open the fingers covering her eyes, peeking tremblingly through the gaps at the projection screen!
There on the big screen, displayed prominently was the first-week sales performance of "Battlefield Storm: Rise"—
【Global Total Sales: 4.88 million copies】
A work using Huaguo's first self-developed next-generation motion-sensing pod engine.
A work created under the comprehensive blockade ban of global gaming giant Vivendi, with both of Golden Wind's major studios pitching in together.
A work that everyone was skeptical about initially, full of countless doubts and suspicions.
A work carrying the audacious slogan "Make CNFPS Great Again."
Became Golden Wind's second-highest global single-week selling game to date.
Rise.
Just like the game's subtitle.
This work signifies that Golden Wind has achieved true—self-developed rise.
For Gu Sheng!
This is a result that lets him breathe a long sigh of relief!
This means that from now on, Golden Wind will truly achieve a state of "completely invincible"!
No listed capital threats!
No outsourcing team coercion!
No core technology constraints!
The strongest shield has now been forged; Golden Wind is about to shift from defense to active offense!
And for Shen Miaomiao—
This sales figure is even more explosive!
4.88 million copies!
A terrifyingly impressive result!
It must be said, it's hard to imagine this is actually a game created using an engine that just succeeded in self-development!
But!
Just as she predicted!
With costs as high as 473 million dollars, forget about their game specifically.
Even looking across the entire gaming industry, no one has achieved breaking even in a single week yet!
4.88 million copies! Total sales revenue of 293 million dollars!
For a single game's cost, this result is absolutely explosive, even enough for them to achieve the astonishing feat of "3S-level game breaking even in one week"!
And at this moment!
That 120 million dollar engine development investment works its magic, creating a miracle!
Total cost of 473 million dollars, minus total sales of 293 million—
【Ding! Time's up! This round's investment settlement completed!】
【Main Project: Golden Engine】
【Project Investment Amount: 473 million dollars】
【Project Settlement Time: 7 days (+0 days)】
【Project Rebate Multiplier: 10x (+0x)】
【Current Revenue Amount: 293 million dollars】
【Project Loss Amount: 180 million dollars】
【Project Rebate Amount: 1.8 billion dollars】
【Ding! Your debit card account 1118 received a foreign exchange transfer deposit of 1,800,000,000 dollars, balance...】
One! Point! Eight! Billion! Dollars!
Received!!!
Takeoff!!!
At this moment!
Shen Miaomiao's eyes were even getting a bit moist!
I have such a day too? I have such a day too!
One point eight billion!
Thinking back to the old days!
Tens or twenty thousand was enough to excite me, even eight or nine million was enough to make me weep with gratitude!
Look at now!
Unprecedented wild rebate in hand!
This is a brand new version she's never experienced before!
Day after day of cost-increasing methods have finally transformed from quantitative change to qualitative change!
Just as she said before—
As long as I keep wildly adding costs, one day, there will inevitably come a time when revenue can't keep up with costs!
That day is today!!!
"Wooooo0--!!!"
"Yeeeeeee--!!!"
Instantly!
Both of them jumped up from the sofa simultaneously!
Gu Sheng was exhilarated by Golden Wind's true rise, while Shen Miaomiao was thrilled by the unprecedented rebate!
Hooking her arms around Gu Sheng's neck, Shen Miaomiao tightly wrapped her jade-like legs around Gu Sheng's waist, cheering excitedly like a koala.
And Gu Sheng, holding his Little Nezha, happily hugged the person in his arms tightly, swaying, the floorboards under their feet clattering noisily.
Seeming to realize this wasn't very considerate, Gu Sheng hopped a couple steps and stopped:
"Is our celebration a bit too intense?"
"Intense?" Shen Miaomiao lightly brushed her black hair, her little face flushed, eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Not intense?" Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow and retorted.
Hearing this.
Shen Miaomiao gently bit her thin lips, a mischievous smile curling at the corner of her mouth, buried her head in Gu Sheng's neck, nuzzling and lightly kissing his ear, while her small hand also restlessly unbuttoned his collar, whispering with orchid-scented breath:
"I think it's not intense enough..."