Entertainment: Is this how you play music?!

Chapter 429 How much did you pay Li Can? You made a killing!

"Hey hey hey."

Winnie smiled slightly in respect.

I was in a really good mood.

The price is very high, unprecedented in the industry, so the most suitable work must be presented to match it.

It is not too late.

Li Can then entrusted Wang Yongchang to arrange a meeting and discussion.

We are ready to start construction at any time.

Although I really want to slack off, for this kind of job, hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to the coins.

Generally speaking, Li Can prefers to discuss business in his own studio whenever it's offline.

But this time it doesn't matter, we can fly all over the world.

If someone isn't proactive about taking the money, there's something wrong with their thinking.

So, just four days later, Li Can took Winnie on a plane to C Company's headquarters in Poland.

Returning to Poland, I felt a sense of loss and change.

"I suddenly miss Bharti Airs."

"Yes, I want to go again. It's been a long time since I've had that explosive feeling of being completely exhausted while acting."

Winnie muttered something.

After all, few stages allow for such complete self-expression.

"It's not a big problem, but it would be best to skip a year and give other bands a chance."

"Is that so?"

As they chatted, they arrived at the end of the VIP passage.

A group of people were already waiting to greet us on the side of a business van.

The airfare and accommodation were arranged by Company C, and Li Can and Winnie treated it as a vacation.

"Mr. Li, welcome to Poland. I hope you have a great time here. Our collaboration may extend beyond just business."

The person who greeted us was Finn, the assistant to the business general manager of Company C, a white man who looked to be in his thirties.

Although she was an assistant, she actually held a very high position within the company, almost equivalent to a confidant of the department general manager.

"General Manager Robin has already made arrangements to welcome us at the hotel. Let's go over there together."

"to make."

Li Can nodded.

The group headed straight to the hotel.

During the banquet, everyone discussed and made arrangements regarding the cooperation agreement and the upcoming timeline.

The following day, Li Can and Winnie arrived at C Company's game development studio to meet with Charles, the head of the company.

Finn was in charge of Li Can and Winnie's work and life assistance in Poland, so she stayed by their side the whole time.

Listen quietly as Charles introduces the collaborative project to Li Can.

Of course, it's not just about collaborative projects.

"We attach great importance to and are very sincere about the Chinese game market. Mr. Li, as a Chinese citizen and a player, we would very much like to hear your valuable opinions on other aspects of the game."

Charles smiled.

But Li Can didn't think it was just polite talk.

That is indeed the case.

Poland is a small country, but the gaming industry is one of its pillars, and C Company is a world-renowned game development company.

Unlike other shady game companies, Company C's research on the Chinese market is unparalleled in the world, even to the point of producing an industry document titled "Game Developer's Guide to the Chinese Market."

The entire document was compiled over eight years, spearheaded by Company C and in collaboration with multiple research departments in Poland, drawing on the expertise of partners in China's game development industry.

That's it translated.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Gaining Support and Praise from Xia Kingdom Players

This isn't just about making money in a huge market; it's also very likely about avoiding criticism.

There was once a Western-style post-apocalyptic survival game that featured a Western-style "art" of the Virgin Mary.

After players paid a huge price and faced immense survival challenges to ensure humanity's survival, the game inexplicably asked, "Having paid such a high price to survive, was it really worth it?"

It's as if the entire game is satirizing all the unconventional and ethical decisions made in order to survive.

Then it exploded.

Western players might ponder this, but Eastern players won't.

Because Eastern players possess a collective consciousness and national survival experience that Westerners lack, in the face of natural disasters, collective consciousness trumps everything, something Westerners don't have. This personal perspective and petty morality collectively enraged the Xia Kingdom players.

Therefore, Company C was the first to realize this.

Given the differences in cultural backgrounds, how can we make the game more immersive for players in the Xia country market?

Localized content emerged as a result, and the first thing to do was to provide "Chinese dubbing" that other game companies were unwilling to invest in.

And they are actually looking for locals from Xia Kingdom to do the localization work.

To show Li Can how much his company valued the Chinese market and how sincere they were with Chinese players, Charles led Li Can to the studio first to work on the Chinese dubbing script.

As soon as I entered, I saw six foreigners and eight familiar faces.

After these eight familiar faces spoke, the occasional bursts of authentic Chinese opera made Li Can's eyes twitch wildly.

"Aggression might not be enough; I need a word that's even crazier than 'cause you code'."

"Are you going to write code?"

"What does it mean?"

"It's basically Kuku bleeding on top of the 'causing code'."

"Pretty!"

The authentic accent of the Xia Guo employee opposite him made Li Can's eyelids twitch wildly.

It's confirmed. My friend from Shenyang, even if you're not from Shenyang, you're probably within two miles.

Charles clapped his hands and introduced Li Can to everyone with a smile.

Of course, it hardly needs any introduction; everyone knows it.

Cheers from Wuhu resounded throughout the venue.

Logically, as fellow countrymen, the Xia Guo employee should have come up and chatted with Li Can in Chinese, but he didn't.

Several Xia Guo employees exchanged glances, nodded in agreement, and then the department head whispered something to Charles.

Charles's eyes lit up.

"Li! Why don't you come and take a look and see how well we've done with our Chinese translation?"

"no problem."

Li Can chuckled.

With these family heroes around, it would be strange if the Chinese localization didn't explode.

as predicted.

The team is currently working on a part of the promotional video design.

This also includes the direction of the works that Li Can will be producing.

Night City.

Under the pressure of a high-tech future and extreme oppression, marginalized groups face extremely difficult living conditions.

Company C wanted to express this feeling through a game character's self-talk while listening to music.

Thus, the design concept for a song, as shown in the trailer, and the corresponding listening feedback were created.

A game character, A, is drinking in a bar, fiddling with a Chicago typewriter in his hand.

The fact that such outdated firearms are still used in the cyberpunk world is partly due to poverty and partly due to lack of money. Coupled with the old Walkman in A's hand, A's friend asked a question.

"You still keep this broken gun?"

"Men always like old-fashioned things."

The music in the bar suddenly stopped.

A jolt of electricity passed by, and then the landlady was heard opening the door while cursing angrily, with the sound of police sirens coming from outside.

"Damn it, it's those cyber lunatics again. They'll be in trouble sooner or later."

"Name it after the wine? No, no, no. Only the legends of Night City can have wines named after themselves. Most people will just die like stray dogs."

"."

A seemed to sense the air was a bit heavy. He turned on his Walkman.

The dilapidated sounds creaked and groaned, and a melody could be faintly heard.

Finally, A, unable to bear it any longer, started to complain.

"This song is so damn good, it's practically been marinated in your own mouth. My grandma listens to it, my grandma's grandma listens to it, and I'm still listening to it now. Damn it, is this progress or regression?"

Don't say it.

The moment you open your mouth, the flavor is practically overflowing.

Whether it's the cyberpunk feel or the feeling of the unique national essence of Xia Kingdom.

"A's rant in this part is very insightful, and we need to have suitable music here. The current music is just filler to make up the gaps."

Charles then began to explain.

"Oh, what style do you need?"

"I want a song that evokes the neon economic bubble of the last century, but not in the lyrics, just in the style."

as predicted.

The job is definitely not as simple as you might imagine.

The "prosperity" and "decline", "survival" and "exploitation" displayed by Japan's initial economic bubble.

Then, it serves as a satirical contrast to the cyberpunk world of Night City within the game.

Sharp and conflicting.

And this is just the beginning of a trailer.

At the same time, the scene shifts to police sirens.

Actually, he is the protagonist V, a model citizen.

This process will include some in-game gameplay demonstrations.

After a series of car chases and gunfights, they finally arrived at a seemingly quiet, upscale restaurant.

Completely the opposite of the noisy and rude bar before, everything here looks so luxurious and high-end. There are no other people, only a woman and the protagonist V.

The woman is playing the piano.

Similarly, there is no sound here.

Li Can looked at Charles, and Charles nodded.

"Yes, we need a classical piano piece here, something quiet, to contrast with the fierce battle outside. The classical music will also enhance the restaurant's sophisticated feel and contrast with the squalor and poverty of the slum gang neighborhood shown in the battle."

"The appearance of classical piano music in the cyberpunk world will definitely be a surprise, and the surprise means that it will be memorable for players."

"Similarly, the music during battles will be the theme song, and the theme song will also make a powerful impact again during the logo display at the end of the trailer."

"These three pieces are very important. Among them, there is a piece of music that runs through the entire game and even relates to the characters' stories and fates."

Li Can nodded.

Of all the companies I've dealt with, Company C is the one that values ​​game soundtracks the most and has the most insightful ideas and understanding.

The requirements mentioned here are all increasingly difficult.

Initially, if it's about grasping the producer's style and emotional sensitivity, that's normal.

Then, the beginning of that requires a certain level of artistic skill and intuition.

Company C is a very established music company.

With such a strong emphasis on the Xia Kingdom market and such profound experience and understanding of localization, it's clear that what they want is definitely not just superficial things.

Cyberpunk.

They are attempting to use games to construct a narrative-level, deep art form through player interaction with text, music, and color.

A piece of music priced at over 30 million must be something extraordinary.

This is Charles's requirement and expectation of Li Can.

But little did they know, such expectations were still a bit too low.

Li Can took over the current trailer text and inserted segments, and also took away some of the existing textual narrative content.

This includes the background of the characters and the game stories they experience.

Even a minor character has a backstory.

These minor, insignificant stories won't even be included as Easter eggs in the game.

That concludes today's exchange.

Charles went home to eat and sleep as usual.

No one would have thought that the music for the entire trailer could be completed so quickly.

Charles knew that his demands were very strict.

This is all to enhance the gaming experience.

We are already prepared for a long-term battle.

In Charles's view, Li Can only needs to complete these projects within a year to earn a thumbs up.

But what I never expected was.

Just two and a half days later, Li Can's profile picture on social media twitched.

I thought it was just a routine request, but it turned out to be a six-minute video clip right off the bat.

The next file is a file with the .doc extension.

"Huh? A video?"

Charles didn't dare to be negligent at all. Although he didn't know why the video was so long, he still obediently clicked on it.

After walking through the circle, Charles saw the background.

It was the central lobby of Li Can's suite on the top floor of the hotel, where a grand piano was placed.

"Nocturne in F minor"

With just a simple sentence, the music began to flow.

The clear tone of the piano was transmitted to Charles's ears through the video.

Charles shuddered.

Finally, he remembered Li Can's other identity.

The uncrowned king of the piano world, who has been ridiculed by countless pianists as someone who would say, "If Li Can focuses on his piano performance vision, many pianists will go hungry!"
A high-end hotel purchased an eight-million-dollar grand piano to elevate its image.

It is rarely played on ordinary days.

They are usually carried to large banquets to perform and entertain guests.

But today, a world-class pianist played it.

Even with the rough recording quality of a mobile phone, the video file information is compressed.

Nothing can overshadow the excellent quality of this fine instrument paired with a renowned composer.

Charles became excited.

This kind of work is full of the feeling I wanted!

It's just about how pleasant it sounds and how it sounds.

Charles was already eager to make the decision.

Next, let's see what the art director has to say.

It would be even better if it could be polished a bit more.

In the game's design, this section is close to the end of the entire game.

These are basically missions that appear after all other missions have been completed and the character has grown to a certain level, when you are ready to face the ending.

Go to the Ember Restaurant to meet Hanako Arasaka.

The music that Hua Zi plays is the most important, second only to the theme song that represents the overall style and impression of the game!

Charles was very excited.

Even though it was already 8 p.m., Charles still printed out the sheet music and sent it to the artistic director, Davis.

But to everyone's surprise, Davis called shortly afterward, sounding anxious.

Where are you? I'm coming right now!

Charles was taken aback. He had just finished stating the location when he heard Davis's slightly heavy breathing.

"How much money did you pay Li Can to get something of this caliber for you?!"

"My God, you've hit the jackpot!"

(End of this chapter)