This Is Not a Bug but a Game Feature-Chapter 140 - 116: Game Expo
As the year draws to a close, there’s a lot to deal with.
First up is the studio’s rent, which is due to expire in less than two months, so we need to talk to the landlord about renewing it in advance.
This place is actually pretty good.
Chen Ba plans to negotiate for a longer lease this time, aiming for a 3-5 year extension. Anything longer, or even outright buying the property, he feels wouldn’t be worthwhile.
Firstly, more than five years is too long.
Who knows what Tianba Studio will look like by then? What if continued expansion requires moving to another place?
Outright buying is even more outrageous.
Given the market price, location, and total area, to buy the property where the studio is located would definitely cost eight figures.
An eight-figure expense, Tianba Studio can afford it now, but it would leave the studio with little cash on hand.
Why buy the place?
It can’t be eaten or drunk, and it doesn’t improve the studio as a whole in any way, except for getting a property certificate, just to save on hundreds of thousands in annual rent?
"The landlord is easy to talk to."
Yang Dong, in charge of negotiating the lease renewal, informed Chen Ba that the landlord was, in principle, agreeable to a long-term lease with Tianba Studio to avoid finding new tenants.
But the landlord expects rent to increase; with a long-term lease, the rent has to go up a bit each year, and can’t remain at the same price.
"That’s reasonable..."
"As long as the increase isn’t too much, above market rate, we can accept it. Once the long-term lease is confirmed, we’ll need to renovate, and the renovation period should be rent-free."
Chen Ba laid out his conditions.
The location by the food court is indeed convenient and spacious enough, and he doesn’t want to go through the hassle of moving again.
Securing a long-term lease is a good thing.
After signing the contract, he plans to hire someone to renovate the studio. He’s not very satisfied with the current setup and wants to make some adjustments to certain areas.
Besides the lease renewal and renovation, there’s another significant task for the studio, which is to finalize the year-end bonus standards and organize a team to apply for the upcoming Neon Gaming Expo.
The year-end bonus is a makeup one.
Last year, there actually wasn’t a year-end bonus because at that time, Chen Ba couldn’t put aside much money, having spent it all on developing new games.
That’s why Ba feels guilty and wants to properly compensate everyone this year by raising the year-end bonus standards.
The invitation to the Neon Gaming Expo was a pleasant surprise.
With several games selling well, and especially the explosion of the Star Emperor GAL Pro League, Tianba Studio has gained considerable fame in the gaming industry.
As a result, the Neon Gaming Expo, set to take place in December this year, sent an invitation, inviting Tianba Studio to participate.
It’s a matter worth celebrating.
While the Neon Gaming Expo isn’t as prestigious as Kolong, E3, or other international shows, it’s still pretty good, with hundreds or even thousands of interactive entertainment companies participating every year.
It’s worth mentioning...
Even though there are hundreds of companies participating, with domestic gaming companies flocking to attend, being "invited" and "voluntarily attending" are two different things.
It’s like any major film festival where some actress, clad in imperial regalia, steals the show!
Were you invited?
Some walk the red carpet because they were invited to receive an award, while others do so just to gain exposure, worried about not getting photographed and even bringing their own photographers.
Gaming expos follow the same principle.
Chen Ba looks down on those who attend without invitation just to gain exposure, then find a few little-known media to take photos of them queuing up, landing them in the next day’s trending topics.
#DomesticXXGameDazzlesXXGamingExpo#
#ForeignPlayersPraiseXX#
#HuaCountryElementsAtXXExpo#
Chen Ba disdains such actions; he’s not interested in them. Generally speaking, for overseas gaming expos, if Tianba Studio isn’t invited, he wouldn’t go to crash the party.
This time, having received an invitation, and with the organizers promising a great booth for Tianba Studio and noting the anticipation from many Neon players, Chen Ba decided to apply.
"Going abroad, huh?"
Lu, excited for her first trip abroad, said, "Going to Neon this time, we should be able to meet many international game developers, right?"
"Of course!"
"You might not find many indie developers, but you should see plenty of well-known developers from major companies."
Yang Dong laughed and said, "And since it’s held in Neon, big companies like Sony, Sega, and Capcom should be attending."
"Big companies aren’t much to look at."
"These big companies, their games at the expo are all triple-A titles, nothing but triple-A titles!"
Chen Ba shook his head, saying, "We can’t learn much, given the technological gap, and we’re not on the same level in terms of game scale."
That’s the honest truth.
As ordinary gamers, focusing on those big companies and their triple-A titles is normal, as triple-A games are generally more entertaining than others.
But as a professional in the gaming industry, and as an exhibiting company, focusing on big companies isn’t very meaningful.
What can you learn?
Even if the big companies show you a tech demo, can you replicate their results? In other words, do you have the funds and confidence the big companies have to integrate these technologies and experiences into your games?
Don’t kid yourself!
Even if Tianba Studio had full knowledge of triple-A game development techniques and experience, they would still be what they are now, incapable of producing the same games.
"We should go see and learn from those gaming studios at the same scale as us and check out the highlights in their game development."
