Chapter 171: Making a New Game?
This year's YouPlay expo was being held at the New World Expo Center in Magic City, divided into N-area, E-area, and several other exhibition halls. Chen Mo's booth was located in the E-area, and the staff had already sent him the floor plan.
The staff member said, "Mr. Chen, the booth is a standard size, 9 meters by 9 meters. We'll provide the basic tables, chairs, and power outlets, but if you want to add any special decorations, like large sculptures or cosplay costumes, you'll need to prepare those yourself."
Chen Mo replied, "Okay, that's fine."
He marked another large booth in the same hall on the floor plan. "Is this Dicha Interactive's booth?"
The staff member replied, "Yes, Dicha Interactive is the biggest game company in this area, with the most games on display, so they take up half the hall. Chanyi Interactive is in another hall, also occupying most of it."
Chen Mo nodded. Indeed, these two companies had so many games that they needed a lot of space. The booths were divided into zones for mobile games, PC games, and VR games.
From the photos on site, there were already plenty of staff members busy setting up posters, equipment, and other things.
Chen Mo said, "Alright, I have a general idea of the booth layout now. I'll send you a setup plan when I get back."
The staff member replied, "Great. By the way, I wanted to ask, do you have any new games ready for the expo?"
Chen Mo was caught off guard. "New games?"
The staff member said, "Yeah, most game companies bring some unreleased new games for players to try out at the expo to create buzz. If it's all old games that players have already played, they won't be interested."
"Of course, old games are fine too. You could offer rare characters or cards for players to try, but new games are the best option."
Chen Mo understood. "Oh, I see. Alright, let me think about it."
The staff member sent a "sweating" emoji. "Think about it? So you don't have any new games in development right now? The expo starts in just a month. There's no time to develop anything new now. Even making a demo in a month would be tough, right?"
Chen Mo chuckled. "Don't worry about that."
The staff member replied, "Alright, then get ready. Also, if you have time, it's better to come to Magic City and see the venue yourself. Some things are hard to explain over the phone."
Chen Mo said, "Okay, I'll arrange things here and head to Magic City. You go ahead and handle things for now."
...
After clarifying the booth details, Chen Mo first planned the specific layout, then ordered some sculptures, cosplay costumes, and so on.
Actually, booths were pretty much the same everywhere. Although Chen Mo didn't have many games, each one was a masterpiece.
Especially *Warcraft* and *Onmyoji*—they were perfect for a booth. Chen Mo planned to divide his booth into zones, mainly focusing on these two games. The booth's environment and the showgirls' costumes would all revolve around them.
But the staff member was right. The expo needed some new games to attract players. Otherwise, players would just come to look at the showgirls. You had to have games for them to play.
However, Chen Mo had no new games on hand right now. There was only a month left, and Su Jinyu and the others were busy with work. The hiring process couldn't be delayed either.
In that short time, even making a mobile game would be tough, let alone a major blockbuster.
Chen Mo thought for a moment. He decided to make a casual puzzle game for everyone to play.
He got to work immediately, writing the design document while arranging the booth. Since this was a relatively simple puzzle game, with the difficulty mainly in the levels, he didn't want to bother Su Jinyu and the others. He could handle it all himself.
...
A month passed quickly.
During this time, Su Jinyu, Zheng Hongxi, and Qian Kun were mostly busy with hiring. They had recruited most of the people Chen Mo needed, with only a few top talents still being negotiated. But that should be resolved soon.
Although the candidates were confirmed, the timing was awkward. Many people wanted to wait until after the New Year to get their year-end bonuses and take their annual leave before leaving their current companies.
Chen Mo didn't want to make any big moves before the New Year either, so he arranged for everyone to start after the holiday.
The new office space was ready too. It was the café next door, which had been renovated. The overall environment was great and would serve as a temporary workspace without any issues.
...
At the experience store.
Su Jinyu stretched. "We're about to welcome a wave of new colleagues. I'm still not used to it. Are we going to be a big team now?"
Qian Kun said, "Yeah, the boss has money now. It was too hard for just the three of us to make those games before. Hiring more people is good. It'll speed up making big games in the future."
Wen Lingwei asked, "Hey, I haven't seen the stingy boss in a while. Where is he?"
Su Jinyu shook her head. "I don't know. He went to Magic City for something."
Chang Xiuya asked, "Speaking of Magic City, isn't the YouPlay game expo there in a few days? Are you guys going? Some of my classmates already got tickets."
Su Jinyu said, "Whether we go or not depends on whether the boss gives us time off!"
Wen Lingwei said, "He'll definitely give you time off. You're not working on any new projects right now. Going to a game expo is perfect, isn't it?"
Qian Kun waved his hand. "Don't count on it. I checked a couple of days ago, and all the tickets were sold out. It's too late to buy them now."
Chang Xiuya nodded. "Yeah, my classmates bought their tickets as soon as sales opened. There's no other way. This expo is way too popular. There are even scalpers reselling tickets. It's too late to buy now."
Qian Kun said, "Oh well, it's not a big deal. It's always the same old stuff anyway. Nothing new."
As they were talking, Su Jinyu's phone rang. It was Chen Mo.
She quickly answered. "Hello? Boss. Huh? Book high-speed rail tickets to Magic City? To attend the YouPlay game expo?"
Everyone perked up at the mention of the game expo. They had just been talking about going, and now Chen Mo was actually inviting them?
"But boss, we can't get tickets now. What? You have free tickets? A lot of them? Damn, boss, why didn't you say so earlier? Alright, I'll book the high-speed rail tickets for everyone!"
After hanging up, Su Jinyu was excited too. "The boss said he has official free tickets for the YouPlay game expo. He wants us to take the high-speed rail to Magic City. All expenses are on him!"
Genius remembers this site's address in one second: