Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

The international express package in Susie's hand.

The envelope was printed with the words "E3 2009" in a prominent manner.

And the logo of the organizer, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

Lu Chen looked up from the computer screen and his gaze fell on the envelope.

He took the envelope, opened it, and read it.

Inside was a beautifully printed formal invitation, complete with gold foil lettering.

Also included are exhibitor manuals, venue maps, exhibitor guidelines, and ESA member information.

"E3..."

Lu Chen uttered the two letters softly, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo).

In China, it is often referred to as the E3 gaming expo.

It is a global trade show for the video game industry, founded in 1995 by the American Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

It is hailed as the Olympics of electronic entertainment.

It is one of the world's largest and most influential gaming industry exhibitions.

The exhibition is held annually in Los Angeles in June.

It attracts top global game companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, EA, and Activision to participate in the exhibition.

It is a top-tier platform for new product launches, industry exchanges, and media exposure.

2006 years,

Due to the large scale of the exhibition, high costs, and chaotic on-site conditions, etc.

E3 will be transformed into a smaller, more focused industry business event, no longer open to the public.

In 2007 and 2008, the scale of the exhibition was further reduced.

Only about 5000 industry professionals and media attended, and the number of exhibitors was sharply reduced.

This year, ESA has faced strong criticism.

E3 had to revive its traditional large-scale exhibition and return to the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Although trade shows are available as long as you're willing to pay exorbitant rental fees.

You can then apply for a booth.

However, for the Chinese game industry in 2009...

E3 gaming expo was still a distant and unfamiliar concept.

This is because most domestic game companies focus on the local market.

They lack the courage and ability to venture out.

more importantly,

ZhengTu Technology was invited!

This is completely different from paying for a booth!

Lu Chen quickly glanced at the contents of the invitation.

ZhengTu Technology received a high score of 9.6 from IGN for "Plants vs. Zombies".

At the same time, the three games achieved a total of over five million downloads worldwide.

The company was noticed by the ESA and was specially invited to participate in the event.

The booth was small, only a standard 9-square-meter booth, and its location was relatively remote.

But for a company like Huaxia, which has been established for less than two years...

This is already a rare form of recognition.

"Boss Lu, shall we go?"

Susie asked, her voice brimming with excitement.

"Yes, of course I'll go."

Lu Chen said without hesitation:

"Not only should we go, but we should also prepare well."

This is our opportunity to showcase China's game development capabilities to the world!

"Please call Jiang Chang over here for me."

Susie responded and left with light steps.

Lu Chen then turned around and walked to the filing cabinet, squatted down and opened the safe inside.

He was rummaging through a thick stack of papers, looking for something.

five minutes later,

Jiang Chang jogged into the office.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen was still bent over, searching inside the safe.

"Mr. Lu, you wanted to see me?"

"right."

Lu Chen didn't get up, but turned to Jiang Chang and said:

"Take a look at the things on the table first."

"Um?"

Jiang Chang was puzzled, but still picked up the invitation from the center of the table.

He stared for a few seconds, his eyes widening as his mouth opened slightly.

"E3? They invited us?"

"The ratings for Plants vs. Zombies caught the attention of the organizers."

Lu Chen responded:

"IGN's reviews have a significant influence in the gaming community."

Add our download data,

ESA extended an invitation proactively.

So this is an opportunity.

We must go.

And you have to bring a new game.

"A new game?"

Jiang Chang was taken aback.

"Didn't Minecraft just launch?"

Are you starting another new project?

"Minecraft will be showcased at E3."

But if we only bring one game that has already been released to E3...

That would be such a waste of this opportunity.

at last,

Lu Chen stood up, dusted off his knees, and handed the documents to Jiang Chang.

"We need to come up with some new works."

Jiang Chang took the document,

The cover has two large characters: "Famine".

He quickly began to flip through the pages.

Famine,

An open-world survival game with a dark fairy tale theme.

Players take on the role of scientist Wilson.

They were transported by a demon to a mysterious wilderness world.

You must explore the environment, gather resources, craft tools, build camps, and defend against monsters.

So they strive to survive.

The game features a unique hand-drawn art style.

The lines are bold, the colors are intense, and it possesses a unique aesthetic.

The core gameplay revolves around survival.

Players need to constantly monitor the values ​​in the three status bars: hunger, sanity, and health.

The game characters live in a dynamic world with day-night cycles and changing seasons.

In response to various sudden threats,

Examples include attacks from the dark, the harsh winter, the excessive heat of summer, and randomly appearing monsters.

Unlike the creative freedom in Minecraft.

Famine places greater emphasis on survival pressures and strategic choices.

Resources are limited, time is of the essence, and every mistake could lead to death.

"This style... is so unique."

Jiang Chang said as he flipped through the plan:

"Dark, eerie, and filled with the pressure of survival."

"Most importantly, it's suitable for trade show demonstrations."

Lu Chen nodded and said:

"Ten-minute trial period"

This allows players to experience a complete cycle of exploration, collection, building, and fighting against darkness.

The visual style is distinctive and memorable.

The tension brought about by the pressure of survival

It's perfect for generating buzz at trade shows.

Jiang Chang continued to flip through the plan, becoming more and more excited as he read.

"Day/night system, seasonal changes, and spirit value settings"

These mechanisms combined create a very high level of replayability.

There are so many characters to unlock!

Each has different abilities.

This can greatly extend the game's lifespan.

"Can you do it?"

Lu Chen asked.

Jiang Chang pondered for a moment,

The game development team is now focusing its main efforts on the continued updates and maintenance of Minecraft.

However, the core mechanism of famine is relatively independent.

The art style is unique.

But the technical difficulty is no higher than that of Minecraft.

"It can be done."

Jiang Chang raised her head and said with a firm look in her eyes:

"If we give it our all,

One month,

We can make a playable version.

Catch E3!

"it is good."

Lu Chen immediately made the decision.

"Famine will be our main product for conquering E3."

What resources do you need?

Just tell me directly.

"manpower."

Jiang Chang answered immediately.

"Arts and music need to expand their workforce."

We can get the programming done by working overtime.

"no problem,"

Lu Chen responded in response:

Remember,

I will personally lead the team at E3 this time!

Therefore, the new game absolutely cannot have any problems.

Jiang Chang took a deep breath.

Suddenly, I felt a heavy burden on my shoulders.

But more than anything, I felt excited.

"clear!

I will definitely get this done!

……

Just as Jiang Chang was leading his team to devote themselves to the development of the famine-stricken area.

Good news also came from another front.

Xu Yi had only been with ZhengTu Technology for less than half a month.

The basic architecture of the Z-Dimensional video website has been completed.

It relies on the funding and technical support of Journey Technology.

Xu Yi assembled a team of ten people.

A more stable server cluster was used.

The real-time performance and capacity of the bullet screen system have been optimized.

The website's UI design is also more modern.