Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

However, as is well known, ZUN's stance against commercialization remained firm at this point in 2016.

Therefore, this is a path that can be tried, but it may not necessarily succeed.

So, let nature take its course.

Lin Li thought of a second option.

That means making games of the same type.

This path may seem simple, but it's actually just as difficult as the first one.

Because the core competitiveness of FATE/GO is not actually any fancy system or exciting battles.

Rather, it's the storyline and the popular characters that have been built up before.

Fortunately, FATE/GO hasn't found its direction yet, with several versions of the story being of poor quality, and there's no sign of it moving in that direction.

It's like cutting off one's own arm.

The latter can also be partially resolved through collaboration.

But this path is still very difficult for Lin Li.

Because whether it's acquiring the rights to an Eastern game or releasing a new one, the ultimate question always comes up.

Development time.

Even setting aside research and development, and even if the project were approved and development started immediately, it would still be at least half a year before the game is released.

It did not fundamentally solve the numerous needs of the people.

Ever since.

After much contemplation.

Lin Li finally understood.

Why actually make the game?

"Wouldn't it be enough to just make Shoji Akihito believe that Fate/GO's timeline is coming to an end?!"

Chapter 81 Opportunity

See through the problem to its essence.

This seems to be the answer.

However, it was obvious that there was no need to tell Yosuke Shiokawa about the true purpose of this matter, so Lin Li used the framework of attracting investors as a cover.

"Are you asking me to create a framework to attract investors?"

Lin Li nodded, then shook his head.

"Yes and no, we do need a framework to attract investors, but at the same time, this framework is also something we're pursuing. Have you heard of Star Citizen?"

"Of course I've heard of it."

Most people in the gaming industry have heard of Star Citizen, and many game operators and developers even use it as a marketing case study.

This game, which started its crowdfunding campaign in September 2012, raked in hundreds of millions of dollars before it even launched by promising big results and telling a compelling story.

By the time we reach the current timeline, which is 16 years ago, four years have already passed.

The game is far from being completed, but the developers' ability to make empty promises is growing day by day.

"This project should be made like Star Citizen. You need to use your talents. Regardless of whether it is feasible, you must solve the current pain points of the players."

"Hmm... Just use FATE/GO as a reference. Don't worry about reality for now. Create a game framework that players who like FATE/GO will want to play at first glance. You need to do your best to make people feel like they want to spend money after watching the promotion."

Yosuke Shiokawa roughly understood what Lin Li meant, but he still had some doubts about the reference point for this project.

However, since Lin Li had brought up FATE/GO, he continued along with that line of thought.

"But, Mr. Lin... the reason FATE/GO fans play that game... is probably for the storyline, right? So, what should we do about that? Is it still possible for us to obtain the FATE rights?"

"Of course we can't get that, they definitely signed an exclusive copyright agreement. But as for the plot, you can make it up yourself, and then go find Gen Urobuchi, or we could even go find Kinoko Nasu..."

"Huh? Is this okay?"

Lin Li thought to himself, "Of course this won't do. Mushroom isn't stupid."

But it would be worthwhile to pay them to be given the title of copywriting supervisor.

"It's just a framework, not something you'll actually run. The more detailed the demo is, the better. Just think of it as an exploration of how to deploy the technology."

"What about the game? If it doesn't live up to the promotional video's effect, will it still be released and operated?"

"No need, wouldn't releasing them be fraud?"

Looking at Lin Li sitting behind his desk, Yosuke Shiokawa found it hard to describe his feelings at that moment.

I got up early in the morning and was halfway through my workday when my boss (Yao Meng) called me into his office, saying that the big boss wanted to see me.

Then the first thing the big boss said was whether I was confident in creating a framework to deceive... oh, no, to attract investors.

to be frank.

In the industry, it's not uncommon for investors to make empty promises.

There are even more scams involving promotional videos.

At game expos, there are plenty of companies that make amazing promotional videos and boast about their brilliance.

Why is it that later on, players basically don't believe the promotional videos and only want to see the actual gameplay?

It's because we've been ripped off by these manufacturers.

Putting aside other things, Square Enix, Yosuke Shiokawa's former employer, has done this kind of thing quite often.

Therefore, Lin Li's empty promises are unacceptable.

Yosuke Shiokawa is actually very skilled.

After all, it's difficult to create an amazing game, but it's very easy to create another amazing game.

However, if it's just to appease investors, this seems like too much of a show.

Yosuke Shiokawa couldn't quite understand it.

Meanwhile, Lin Li continued speaking.

"Not only will the development work be done, but I will also provide you with funding and recruit manpower. Only you will know that the whole plan is fake, while the rest of you will act as if it's real."

“If you do a good job, I will give you a real project, or you can submit a project plan yourself.”

Upon hearing this, Yosuke Shiokawa nodded vigorously.

Who cares what the boss is up to? For a producer, as long as they actually give people money, that's all that matters.

Besides, it's a project team that gives people money but doesn't expect any results.

Is there a better project than this?

He had no prior experience in operating independently, so now that the boss was giving him this opportunity, wasn't it a great chance to practice?

The only feeling is that it's a bit unreal.

It felt like one day, a soldier was walking along when a passing commander asked him if he wanted to become a general.

It's just too surreal.

But it also makes people blush and their hearts race.

"How about it? Are you confident?"

"No!! No problem!!"

“Very good, very energetic. Yao Meng, bring the whiteboard, let me explain my ideas to you. This pie... you have to draw it like this.”

~~~

After explaining the task of making empty promises.

Lin Li then discussed recent work with Yao Meng.

"How's ZUN doing?"

A few months ago, the two had discussed on a cruise ship how to acquire ZUN and the copyright to Touhou Gensokyo.

During this period, Yao Meng would occasionally mention this matter in his work reports to him.

However, Lin Li hadn't heard him say much about the specifics.

"It's alright, we've become drinking buddies now."

Anyone who has followed Touhou Project should know that ZUN likes to drink.

After all, his personal hobby is also clearly reflected in his works in the Touhou Project. The themes of two works in the Touhou Project, "Old Testament Wine Bar" and "Touhou Drunken Butterfly Flower", are directly related to wine.

"Dream of the East" also has a bit of an alcohol connection. In "Drunken Butterfly of the East", ZUN even gave almost all the characters a title related to alcohol.

Even in works that don't focus on alcohol, alcohol often appears. For example, in the novel "Touhou Bougetsho," there's a scene where Yukari gives Eirin a bottle of fine wine from the Moon Capital to establish her prestige.

As for the various banquets in Gensokyo, large and small, alcohol is indispensable.

ZUN even extended his "drinking culture" to the non-Touhou game "Twilight Tavern," for which he provided music called "Lemuria the Drunkard."

On the other hand, Yao Meng doesn't usually drink much, but if he really wanted to, he could handle it.

They have money, time, and are able to make time for socializing.

Yao Meng quickly became familiar with ZUN. Now, it's not Yao Meng who invites ZUN for drinks, but rather ZUN who invites him for drinks whenever he has free time.

These small details actually reveal that Yao Meng has very strong social skills.

But drinking is one thing.

Yao Meng, however, knew very well that once he mentioned the copyright of Touhou Gensokyo, their relationship might instantly turn cold.

So he has been looking for an opportunity.

"Recently, there has been an opportunity, but I'm a little unsure whether to use this to bring it up."

Chapter 82 David's Confidence

After dealing with matters in Japan.

Lin Li didn't linger for long either.

After staying for two or three days and calming the people's hearts in Japan, I returned to Shanghai.

He began leading the team to optimize the entire Girls Frontline game.

Although this kind of optimization is very time-consuming and energy-intensive, it is something that must be done.

After all, in order to catch up with the progress and major updates over the past few months, the underlying logic of the entire Girls Frontline has become quite chaotic.

If things remain the same as they are now, then there's no problem.

However, given the update pattern of Battlefront Girls, it is clearly impossible to maintain the status quo.

Lin Li believes that each major version will likely introduce some new features, making it essential to establish a solid underlying framework and optimize the game.

~~~

As we approach the end of August.

The hype surrounding the new version of Battlefront Girls is gradually fading.

Spark Games has also completed a complete transformation, with monthly revenue gradually stabilizing at around 3000 million.

This data has already surpassed Honkai Impact 2.

Considering that miHoYo won't release Honkai Impact 3 until October.

Therefore, during this period, Battlefront Girls has achieved the number one ranking in the niche field of anime-style games.

Lin Li even sent a server-wide email specifically for this purpose.

Of course, ostensibly to celebrate a record high number of players online simultaneously, they gave away 10 quick-build cards, essentially conducting a small-scale marketing campaign.

But, happiness is happiness.

Lin Li himself was well aware that his crown as the number one player in the second-dimensional mobile game was actually very unstable.