Becoming the richest man by playing games that help cure depression

Huang Yu seized the opportunity and got straight to the point: "Mr. Li, have you been following our official League of Legends events lately?"

Li Zhujian paused deliberately, feigning a blank expression: "Activity?"

Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Mr. Huang, I've been so busy lately, I haven't had time to look at this.

What's wrong? Is there anything I can help you with?

Huang Yu rolled his eyes dramatically on the other end of the phone, cursing Li Zhujian a hundred times in his mind, but he still had to put on a smile.

"We really need to ask Mr. Li for a favor. Here's the thing..."

He explained the whole story of the new hero designer vote to Li Zhujian in detail.

"What? Is that so?" Li Zhujian deliberately raised his voice, pretending to be surprised.

Shen Yunshi, who was standing next to him, rolled her eyes and secretly pinched his arm, thinking to herself that this guy was acting too fake.

Then, Li Zhujian sighed heavily on the phone, his tone full of difficulty:

"This... oh dear, this is a bit of a problem. I really can't get away from here."

Huang Yu clenched his fists, his anger rising: Bastard! What are you pretending for! You just want to raise the price?

But he was helpless. Li Zhujian didn't rely on Tencent for anything; the initiative was entirely in Tencent's hands. He could only suppress his anger and try to persuade him.

"I know Mr. Li is busy, but this vote is also the wish of the majority of players. You can listen to our plan and the rewards first before making a decision."

Li Zhujian was secretly pleased, but knowing when to stop, he reluctantly agreed, "Alright, alright, Mr. Huang, you tell me, I'll listen."

Huang Yu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly introduced: "This event is the biggest event for League of Legends this year. We want to inject new vitality into the game."

After the players voted for you, our planning team discussed giving you the highest support and rewards.

First, we'll split the net revenue from the Tier 1 skins for the hero you designed 30/70.

Li Zhujian interrupted him directly: "Wait a minute, Mr. Huang, what does T1 level skin mean? I play a lot of games, but I've never paid attention to this."

Huang Yu patiently explained: "It's the highest level of skin, like Ezreal's Pulsefire skin."

Lux's Elementalist skin is Tier 1; both its effects and price are top-tier.

"Oh—I get it, it's the most fancy and expensive kind!" Li Zhujian suddenly realized, and immediately started calculating the cost in his mind.

With so many League of Legends players, a top-tier skin could easily sell for hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies.

A 30% net profit is a considerable sum of money; it's a sure thing.

Seeing that he didn't object, Huang Yu continued, "Besides, aren't you developing a new project?"

If you'd like, besides Zhiyou, you can also list it on our WG platform, and we'll give you a prominent featured spot.

Li Zhujian was well aware of the significance of the WG platform. It was the second largest gaming platform in China, though not as powerful as Zhiyou.

However, the traffic from recommended placements shouldn't be underestimated. These two conditions are indeed sufficient. Anyone else would have agreed long ago.

But who was Li Zhujian? He was the kind of person who would seize any opportunity to extort money. He smiled, a hint of cunning in his voice:

"Mr. Huang, your reward is indeed very generous, and I'm tempted too. But the progress of my studio here really doesn't allow me to be distracted."

He paused deliberately, then began to "complain":

"You may not know this, but although my studio is not as big as your large corporation, it has its own rules."

I'm nominally the chief designer, but the studio's decisions aren't made by me alone.

My team is waiting for lunch, I can't let this delay their progress, can I?

Huang Yu's face instantly turned green on the other end of the phone.

He knew all too well that this brat was going to raise the price!

As expected, the two chatted politely, but Li Zhujian didn't mince words and directly raised the price.

The rules for skin tiering need to be changed—new hero Tier 1 skins must include PlatinumGames' trophy shield.

He also wants to send his studio's art team to participate in the design and production.

The conditions are simple: split the profits 50/50, each person gets half.

In addition, the WG platform needs to give the studio's new game a prominent homepage feature, which won't take too long, five days will be enough.

When the two conditions were presented, Huang Yu was instantly stunned, his head was buzzing, and he was completely caught in a dilemma.

The changes are too drastic; none of them are ones he can easily approve.

Regarding revenue sharing for skins, League of Legends has never partnered with any company in this way, though they have collaborated with individuals before.

For example, with IG's S8 championship skins, the players only received a small portion. A 50/50 split? Don't even think about it.

Li Zhujian was making an outrageous demand, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Needless to say, there's also the massive promotion. While WG may not be as powerful as Zhiyou, it's still one of the top platforms in the gaming industry.

The homepage banner is used to evaluate reputation and sales, and the products are never sold to the public, nor are they used as bargaining chips.

The revenue that spot generates for a game company every day is staggering.

More importantly, PlatinumGames' new project is still under development, and the outside world doesn't even know the game's genre or name. How can the quality be guaranteed?

Li Zhujian had previously created two hit designs and was praised as a rising star among domestic designers, but who can guarantee that his new work won't be a flop?

The games that are promoted by the big publisher are either imported AAA titles or high-scoring masterpieces from various reviews. Why would they easily give a project that doesn't even exist?

The games that are promoted by the big publisher are either imported AAA titles or high-scoring masterpieces from various reviews. Why would they easily give a project that doesn't even exist?

Huang Yu dared not agree; he didn't have the authority. He needed to go back and discuss the two conditions Li Zhujian had proposed with the company's top management before making a decision.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Li Zhujian cleared his throat, his tone casual yet confident:

"Mr. Huang, if you can't handle these two requests, just say so. Our Platinum Studio is just starting out, and ultimately we need to prioritize the current projects."

"For the new hero design, you can find a second person to collaborate with, it won't interfere with your work."

He spoke casually, but Huang Yu was nearly driven bald with worry. This Li Zhujian, seemingly so easygoing and polite, was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.

He speaks eloquently, but deep down he's tough and won't give an inch.

Huang Yu gritted his teeth, his voice strained: "Then... alright, Mr. Li."

We can discuss your request, but it involves skin revenue and platform traffic.

I have to report to the company; I can't make decisions on my own.

"Hey, it's nothing, it's nothing!" Li Zhujian laughed heartily, his tone full of understanding.

"I just mentioned it casually, I didn't want to put you in a difficult position, otherwise I would feel bad."

Huang Yu could only force a smile: "Yes, yes, Mr. Li, please wait a moment, I will get back to you as soon as possible."

"Okay, Mr. Huang, thank you for your hard work!"

"It's not hard...it's not hard..."

After hanging up the phone, Huang Yu slumped in his chair, pressing his temples with both hands, looking miserable.

In the past, if he were in his position and encountered someone like Li Zhujian who took advantage of his misfortune, he would have already cursed and hung up the phone. But not now.

He had no confidence and could only endure it.

Meanwhile, in Li Zhujian's office, he was discussing this matter with Shen Yunshi.

Shen Yunshi had been on tenterhooks the whole time, listening to his tone that was both soft and firm, fearing that the negotiations would fall apart.

Li Zhujian has already started drawing drafts of the new hero. Anyone with eyes can see that he also wants to use this League of Legends event to boost the studio's reputation.