Chapter 199: The Celebration Banquet
At a high-end restaurant near the experience store.
With the first-month sales figures for *Diablo* out, everyone felt relieved. Those who had previously worried that the massive investment might not be recouped could finally breathe easy.
These sales numbers were unequivocally a blockbuster hit.
The key point was that this was only the first month. As the player base continued to expand, sales would likely maintain this level for at least another two to three months. By then, *Diablo*’s cumulative sales would easily reach five to six million units. This game was destined to become a masterpiece on par with *Warcraft*, earning both critical acclaim and commercial success.
Although the dark and horror-themed art style had turned off a small portion of players, *Diablo* was an RPG with fragmented gameplay loops and high production quality. Surpassing *Warcraft* in sales was practically a foregone conclusion.
This was a celebration banquet, and Chen Mo wasn’t being stingy. He directly had his assistant, Lin Xiao, book a high-end restaurant nearby with an average per-person cost of over 600 yuan, telling everyone to eat their fill.
Previously, Chen Mo hadn’t cared much about such things. After all, Su Jinyu and Zheng Hongxi were more like half-employees, half-friends, so he could be relatively casual. Plus, Chen Mo himself was a homebody who hated going out.
But now that the team had expanded, he needed to maintain a proper company image in front of these new employees. He couldn’t be as informal as before.
Of course, that didn’t mean he had to adopt the rigid rules of certain departments. This gathering was somewhere between a friendly get-together and a business dinner, focused on enjoyment and celebration. So, those who wanted to drink alcohol could do so, and those who didn’t could have soft drinks.
Chen Mo raised his glass. “Thank you all very much for your hard work over the past six months. *Diablo*’s first-month sales of 1.87 million units is an excellent result. None of this would have been possible without everyone’s diligent work and close cooperation. I’d like to toast you all—here’s to our successful collaboration.”
Everyone raised their glasses in response.
“To the boss.”
“Congratulations, boss, on the game’s huge success.”
“It’s all thanks to the boss’s brilliant ideas!”
“Yeah, we’re just riding the boss’s coattails, shouting ‘666’ from the sidelines.”
“Cheers!”
Glasses clinked, and cups were raised and lowered.
Everyone was having a great time. After all, with the game selling so well, everyone would get a bonus, add a shining achievement to their resumes, and have more material for bragging.
Zhou Hanyu raised his glass to Chen Mo. “Boss, let me toast you. I originally thought working here would be like my previous jobs—nothing too different. But now I realize this place is really unlike those other companies outside. I’m actually learning new things here, which really surprised me. I honestly didn’t think *Diablo*’s art style would work, but I was wrong. I can only say I’m impressed.”
Chen Mo raised his glass in return. “Saying that makes it sound like we’re strangers. The game’s success is the result of everyone’s joint effort. Take the art and music, for example. I only provided a rough concept; you and Fu Guangnan did all the detailed work. This game wouldn’t be as successful as it is now without any single person sitting here. Everyone, don’t be so formal. Eat up.”
Chen Mo was also quite pleased. In his previous life, *Diablo* had gone through many twists and turns before entering the domestic market. Although it had set a sales record of 30 million units internationally, its fate in China had been fraught with difficulties.
Chen Mo had originally been unsure whether the game would pass censorship or if players would accept it. Now it seemed his worries were unnecessary. This game was more than sufficient as the first step to support his move into RPGs.
Zheng Hongxi spoke up. “Boss, over the past month or so, the earliest batch of players who bought *Diablo* are starting to get a bit bored with the grind. Should we take some measures to improve the situation?”
Zhao Yunting, who was in charge of operations, said, “I don’t think so. This is a buy-to-play single-player game. Being able to play it for a month is already a pretty good playtime. Are we expecting players to play it for a lifetime?”
Su Jinyu said, “I can tell you don’t know the boss very well. Look at *Plants vs. Zombies* and *Warcraft*—they’re both single-player games, and aren’t they all incredibly replayable? The boss is definitely going to develop subsequent versions to extend the game’s lifespan.”
Chen Mo smiled. “Goldfish is right. There will be subsequent versions, and we’ll even sell DLC.”
Qian Kun clapped his hands. “That’s the spirit! Sell a DLC, and we’ll sell another two million units!”
Chen Mo said, “As for the subsequent development versions, I’ll explain in detail tomorrow. For now, let me briefly outline two goals for the next step. First, develop the DLC version of *Diablo*, adding two new classes, a new chapter, and new gameplay modes like Seasons and Hardcore. Second, develop a smaller-scale game.”
Su Jinyu asked, “Developing two games at the same time?”
Chen Mo nodded. “Yes. We now have enough manpower. The DLC can be handled by a little over half the team. There’s no rush; just get it done within three months. The others can simultaneously work on developing some relatively smaller-scale games.”
Qian Kun said, “Boss, I feel like big games are better. Think about it—big games make more money and have better reputations. Why bother making those small games?”
“Don’t think that way,” Chen Mo said. “Big games have their advantages, and small games have theirs. Shark fin and bird’s nest soup are certainly good, but eating them every meal gets boring. These small games are meant to give everyone a change of perspective.”
Zhou Hanyu said, “Alright. Anyway, whatever the boss decides to do, we’ll do. Following the boss is never wrong.”
Fu Guangnan rolled his eyes. “Wow, forcing a flattery is not acceptable!”
Chen Mo laughed. “Everyone, don’t be so formal. I’ve emphasized this before—I’m a pragmatic person. I don’t like playing games with empty formalities. The most important thing to me is making good games. Everything else is just details.”
“I told you all before that I’d lead you to earn money without much effort, and that was absolutely not an empty promise. Of course, making money isn’t the only goal. I also hope to create some interesting small games that can inspire players. I hope you all share this mindset with me. Making money is just a side benefit. Our primary goal is to make fun games, alright?”
Everyone nodded in unison. “Alright!”
…
The next day, at the studio.
In the conference room, everyone was present, waiting for Chen Mo to explain the next phase of the development plan.
At the celebration banquet yesterday, Chen Mo had already mentioned that two projects would proceed simultaneously: the subsequent version of *Diablo* and a new game.
On the projector screen, a document title appeared: *Diablo: Reaper of Souls* Concept Design Draft.
Chen Mo explained, “This new version is called ‘Reaper of Souls.’ In this version, we’ll unlock two new classes, a new story chapter, and some special gameplay modes, such as the Season mode and the Hardcore mode.”
“Next, I’ll go through them one by one.”