Huayu: You were supposed to be a top star, but you've become capital?

Chapter 95 miHoYo: What is gacha pulls?

Lin Shen nodded and walked in with practiced ease.

The office area was much livelier than when I last came. There were many new faces at the workstations. Some people were debugging versions, while others were discussing values ​​together. The sound of keyboards was constant.

Several young people carrying testing machines ran past him, completely unaware of who he was.

The conference room door was ajar, and Lin Shen pushed it open and went in.

"Hey, Lin Shen, you're here!"

Liu Wei was the first to stand up, and in a few quick steps, he hooked his arm around Lin Shen's shoulder and pulled him inside: "Long time no see, long time no see, come, come, have a seat."

Cai Haoyu followed behind, laughing. Luo Yuhao also got up from his chair, and the group of people helped Lin Shen back to his seat.

Lin Shen sat down, glanced at them, and laughed: "Dawei, your dark circles are even worse now. How many all-nighters have you been pulling?"

Liu Wei touched his face and smiled wryly: "Don't even mention it. The data for Honkai Impact 2 keeps rising, and I have to keep an eye on the new projects. Sleeping has become a luxury."

Cai Haoyu chimed in from the side, pointing to his own eyes: "Look at me, I'm almost a panda."

Luo Yuhao had already brought over the electric kettle, poured Lin Shen a cup of tea, and then filled his own cup before plopping back down in his chair: "Lin Shen, you have no idea, these days there's a mountain of things to do as soon as I open my eyes. Last night, a few of us discussed numerical values ​​until four in the morning, and this morning we got up again at nine to continue working on them."

Lin Shen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and laughed, "Are you guys trying to kill yourselves?"

"I can't help it, there's just too much to do." Liu Wei leaned back in his chair, then suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, right, Mr. Lin, I have something funny to tell you."

Lin Shen raised an eyebrow.

Liu Wei suppressed a laugh: "The other day, the people from Zhenge came again and invited us to dinner, saying that the terms were negotiable."

So we went, and guess what? They brought along an anime/manga expert who immediately asked us if we knew what "pay-to-win gacha" meant.

Lin Shen was taken aback, then burst out laughing.

I couldn't help but think to myself, "You guys don't understand what gacha pulls are now, but wait until Honkai Impact 3 comes out in a couple of years, then you'll know better than anyone else."

Cai Haoyu shook his head, speechless: "That guy just kept talking about the anime/manga market and user mindset the whole time, but he knew nothing about the operational data of Honkai Impact 2."

Halfway through the meal, I couldn't resist asking him if he knew how many monthly active users Honkai Impact 2 had. He hesitated for a long time before saying he'd check when he got back.

Luo Yuhao, holding his teacup, casually added, "Later, Dawei told him, 'Why don't you go back and check first, and then we can make an appointment again?' The guy's expression was priceless; it looked like he'd swallowed a fly."

Lin Shen laughed so hard his shoulders shook: "Are you guys just toying with them?"

"What's the point of this? We really can't talk." Liu Wei stopped laughing and leaned forward. "Lin Shen, to be honest, too many people have been coming to our door lately. IDG, Sequoia, and several other game investment funds, each offering a higher price than the last."

But after several rounds of discussion, we all felt—

'

He paused, looked at Cai Haoyu, and Cai Haoyu immediately replied, "What they want is not the same as what we want to do."

Luo Yuhao nodded in agreement: "Some people come right up and ask when we'll be able to go public, some want us to change our product line to the direction they favor, and some—"

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Liu Wei waved his hand, looked at Lin Shen, and suddenly smiled slyly, "President Lin, do you know how much revenue Honkai Impact 2 generated last month?"

Lin Shen looked at him.

Liu Wei held up one finger and shook it: "Twelve million. That's the figure for September. It's increased a bit compared to last month, and it'll probably be even more this month."

Cai Haoyu added from the side, "If we calculate it for the whole year, we should be able to make more than 90 million. After deducting channel revenue sharing and operating costs, the net profit should be around 60 million."

Luo Yuhao added, "It's much better than we expected at the beginning of the year. Back then, we thought we'd be lucky to break ten million."

After listening, Lin Shen smiled and said, "That's great! If that's the case, the year-end bonus will be quite substantial!"

The three of them exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat subtle.

Liu Wei chuckled wryly and patted Lin Shen on the shoulder: "You must be joking. Didn't we agree before that we wouldn't be distributing dividends for the next few years, and that all the money would be invested in new projects?"

Cai Haoyu chimed in, scratching his head: "The development of Honkai Impact 3rd has only just begun. We still need to gradually build up our technology and continue recruiting people."

We've grown from just a few people last year to over forty, but we still feel it's not enough, so we dare not distribute dividends.

Luo Yuhao nodded vigorously beside him: "That's right, that's right, we need to save the money."

Lin Shen laughed and leaned back: "Just kidding, look how nervous you guys are."

He paused, then added, "But honestly, 60 million sounds like a lot, but it's only about what I get for one movie right now. You guys should keep that money for new projects."

The group of people were stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Luo Yuhao reached out and hooked his arm around Lin Shen's neck, shaking him: "President Lin, what are you saying? We work ourselves to the bone for a year, and it's not as good as you filming for a few months."

Lin Shen laughed as he shook him, and slapped his hand away: "Come on, I'm just putting in the effort, it just so happens that the market is good right now."

He picked up his teacup and took another sip, looked at the three of them, and suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, is this little bit of money enough for you to mess around with?"

How much did it cost to develop Honkai Impact 3?

Cai Haoyu thought for a moment and said honestly, "It's really hard to say right now. We want to make it 3D, which is much more complicated than Honkai Impact 2. We need to add people for art, programming, and planning. I estimated before that the R&D cost would be at least 30 million."

Luo Yuhao chimed in from the side: "Thirty million might not even be enough. We don't have much experience in 3D, so we'll definitely have to pay some tuition fees."

Lin Shen nodded: "It seems we don't have enough money. How about I invest some more?"

Liu Wei waved his hand, laughing and saying, "No, no, no, Lin Shen, don't worry. We'll use it first, and we'll ask you for help if we really need more."

Cai Haoyu laughed and said, "Yes, let us try it out first. Don't worry, if we really need money, we'll definitely come to you first."

Lin Shen smiled and didn't insist any further. He knew these people's temperaments; they were tech geeks, cautious in their actions, and didn't like being tied down by capital.

Now that Honkai Impact 2 is running smoothly, they feel more confident and aren't in such a rush for money.

But Lin Shen knew even better that the R&D investment for Honkai Impact 3 would far exceed their current estimates, and they would naturally ask for help when they realized they didn't have enough money halfway through.

By then, while those investors outside will still be queuing up at the door unable to get in, he will already be sitting at the table.

Lin Shen chatted for a few more minutes, asking them if they had any new ideas recently, how the team expansion was going, and if they had encountered any problems.

The group chattered amongst themselves, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Halfway through the conversation, Lin Shen suddenly remembered something: "By the way, have you ever thought about making merchandise based on this IP? Like figurines or blind boxes?"

Liu Wei was taken aback for a moment: "Peripherals? We don't have the energy for that right now. Let's focus on making the game better first."

Luo Yuhao chimed in from the side, "But we've talked about it privately, and if things get big in the future, we could definitely do some of these things. Our character design would be pretty good as figurines."

Lin Shen laughed: "You certainly think ahead."

Cai Haoyu laughed, "Just thinking about it casually, I don't have time to think about that now."

Lin Shen nodded: "No rush, I was just asking casually. When Honkai Impact 3 comes out, people will definitely buy these things."

He didn't say much, but he knew what was going on.

He knows better than anyone how popular miHoYo's IPs will be in a few years.

When the time comes, any collaboration, whether it's Honkai Impact 3, Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, or Unnamed Case Files, will be a huge financial success.

Plant a seed now and wait for it to sprout on its own.

After sitting for a while, Lin Shen glanced at the time, stood up, and said, "Alright, I won't bother you anymore. Come again next time and see what kind of mess you've made of Honkai Impact 3."

The three of them stood up and saw him to the door. Liu Wei held Lin Shen's hand and said, "Lin Shen, take care. Let me know next time you come, and we'll have a good drink together."

Lin Shen patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, I'll remember."

Luo Yuhao chimed in from the side, "I'll show you our new model later, I guarantee it will be amazing."

Cai Haoyu kicked him: "Stop bragging, it's not finished yet."

The group laughed and joked as they saw Lin Shen out the door.

The car drove out of Caohejing and headed towards the hotel.

Seeing Lin Shen's expression, Yang Chaoyue asked curiously, "Brother Shen, you seem to be having a good chat?"

Lin Shen leaned back in his chair and smiled: "Yeah, a few honest guys."

He didn't say anything more.

At this time, miHoYo was still in a small building in Caohejing, making anime-style games and thinking about how to improve their products.

In a few years, this company will become a giant with a market value of hundreds of billions or even trillions.

His role today is simple: to let them know that no matter what, there is always someone on their side here.

In their view, they are unwilling to involve outside capital.

He has secured his position in advance, so when the shares become available in the next year or two, no one else will be able to enter, and he will be the only external shareholder.