Chapter 49: Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment? Still Gonna Clap Back!
"Where did this drama queen come from, forcing their way into the spotlight? If you haven't played it, don't spout nonsense. These are clearly two different games. Who copied your *Plants vs. Zombies*?"
"Go see an eye doctor. The worldviews aren't even remotely the same. How is this plagiarism?"
"Heh, just a tiny bit of similarity in gameplay counts as plagiarism? Then can I say *Plants vs. Zombies* copied Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment's *Dream Tower Defense*? After all, they're both tower defense games."
"What's the point of a mad dog biting people? Afraid your master didn't promise you a bone?"
"What level is Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment? And what level is the developer of your *Plants vs. Zombies*? Imperial Dynasty copying you? Stop joking. I think some people are just trying to ride the hype train!"
"Heh, *Plants vs. Zombies* is a good game, but you can't be unreasonable. Are others not allowed to make games in this genre?"
Soon, the two sides were tearing into each other more and more fiercely, each pulling people from their player communities until it escalated into a full-blown melee.
The battle raged on. The two groups fought from evening into the dead of night. By morning, the flames of war had spread to Chen Mo's doorstep.
Both sides were furious. Many irrational Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment players started lashing out at Chen Mo as well.
Under Chen Mo's Weibo, there were countless comments like these:
"Hundreds of people came looking for trouble within two or three hours. I don't believe there's no one pulling the strings behind this. So, the question is, who's this scheming dog?"
"Bro, focus on designing good games. Don't spend all your time thinking about stirring up drama."
"Stop trying to steal the spotlight. You've only made one game. Show some proper respect to your predecessors, got it?"
"Bro, post something on Weibo now. Distance yourself from those idiots while you still can. If you stay silent, don't blame me for accidentally catching you in the crossfire."
Chen Mo frowned.
What's this supposed to mean? Why are they calling my players idiots?
Originally, Chen Mo was relatively tolerant of things like "borrowing ideas." He'd seen it all in his past life and wasn't thin-skinned. He was mentally prepared.
Getting flamed himself? That was nothing.
But these people, relying on their numbers, were bullying his players instead. How could he let that slide?
When the tiger doesn't show its might, they think it's a Hello Kitty?
Chen Mo directly posted a Weibo.
"I wasn't going to bother with this, but you guys just had to push it, didn't you? The designer hasn't even said a word, so what are you all making a fuss about? @Qiu Bin, stop playing dead!"
As soon as this Weibo was posted, the comments exploded!
The *Plants vs. Zombies* players all perked up. Many of them had been arguing from night until morning without getting any sleep. Chen Mo's Weibo was like a shot of adrenaline.
If the author chose to smooth things over while they, the players, were fighting for *Plants vs. Zombies*, how disheartening would that be! Luckily, Chen Mo wasn't the type to back down. So what if it was Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment? He was still going to clap back!
The Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment players were stunned. Damn, was there really someone this reckless?
They even forgot to fire back insults for a moment.
The Weibo spread quickly, catching the attention of many industry insiders watching the gaming circle.
Within half an hour, Chen Mo received five private messages from other designers, one of which was from Qiu Hengyang of Hengyou Network.
"Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment is the biggest developer and distributor in the country. Going head-to-head with them is pointless. Delete the Weibo. There's no need to be stubborn."
Qiu Hengyang's meaning was clear.
Why did he specifically emphasize that Imperial Dynasty was the biggest distributor? Because in this parallel world, distributors completely dominated developers. If your game was bad, as long as the distributor was willing to promote it, you could still make money. If your game was good, but the distributors united to blacklist you, you'd be stuck on the official app store, making maybe a tenth of what you could.
Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment ran the country's largest gaming platform. What ordinary designer would dare to challenge them?
So, Qiu Hengyang's warning was well-intentioned.
Chen Mo replied, "Let me ask first: you and that Qiu Bin aren't brothers, are you?"
Qiu Hengyang: "...What the hell! I have nothing to do with him. It's just a coincidence that we share the same surname!"
Chen Mo: "Alright then. Just watch how I deal with him."
Qiu Hengyang: "...You might have your own plans, but I still advise you to calm down."
The other private messages were similar, all advising Chen Mo not to be stubborn and not to fight Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment head-on.
Of course, there were also many private messages from strangers filled with mindless insults, which Chen Mo simply ignored.
Half an hour passed, and Qiu Bin's Weibo still had no updates.
Was he still asleep? Impossible. Even if he was, someone would have called him and woken him up.
The fact that he hadn't spoken yet clearly meant Qiu Bin didn't want to touch this topic.
In truth, anyone in the gaming industry could see that *Guardian of the Holy Spring* had borrowed ideas from *Plants vs. Zombies* in terms of creativity. But this kind of borrowing didn't constitute infringement. At most, it was worthy of a few words of condemnation, which everyone was used to.
But if Qiu Bin jumped out and stubbornly insisted, "I didn't plagiarize!"? That wouldn't be appropriate either. He'd just be laughed at.
So, the most appropriate move was to stay silent. Keep quiet, let this blow over, and then release the game and make money as usual.
As long as it didn't affect the profits, let the players curse all they wanted. Qiu Bin and Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment wouldn't lose a single hair.
"Tsk, he's got a lot of composure."
Chen Mo's taunt would have made a younger man lose his cool, but Qiu Bin was clearly a veteran, quite slick.
"Come on, don't be like that. If you don't talk, how am I supposed to set you up?"
Chen Mo was speechless. He had originally wanted to use this opportunity to lure Qiu Bin into a war of words, and in the process, trick Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment into something that would pave the way for his next two games. But this Qiu Bin was really patient and didn't take the bait.
Someone like Shi Huazhe, with a simpler thought process, was easy to fool. But Qiu Bin and Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment wouldn't be so easily tricked. Chen Mo's status was completely unequal to theirs, so he couldn't even start a proper fight.
"I need to find a way to make him respond."
Chen Mo wasn't just trying to win an argument. He was using this as a pretext to "kindly propose a friendly wager" and trick his way into getting what he wanted.
If Qiu Bin wouldn't talk, Chen Mo's act couldn't go on.
Chen Mo pulled up the Anger Disruptor from his virtual wristband and selected Qiu Bin as the target.
"Hey, buddy, say something. Play along with me."
Used.
Chen Mo waited a minute. Still no reaction from Qiu Bin.
"Did the item fail? No way. Guess the atmosphere isn't heated enough."
Chen Mo posted another Weibo.
"@Qiu Bin. Bro, you're from Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment. You can't just chicken out!"