Chapter 300: Reconnaissance
What to do if the copyright can’t be obtained?
All the models would definitely have to be overhauled, and even the names and titles of certain heroes would need minor tweaks. The names of in-game equipment and such might also have to be redone.
Although for a big company like GA, such changes aren’t too troublesome, it would be a huge blow to COG’s original player base. Many people love COG precisely because of its hero characters from Azeroth. If all of them are changed, the entire spiritual essence of the game would be different.
However, some speculate that Raman Clive and GA want to turn this game into one that breaks away from *Warcraft*, creating a globally popular title that isn’t confined to its original player base. So for them, even failing to secure the copyright is just a minor setback, not a crippling blow.
Some are confused.
Some regret it.
But Chen Mo’s goal in releasing *League of Legends* first was achieved. Although the game hasn’t been widely promoted yet, releasing it during this special pre-holiday gap period successfully captured the attention of a large number of players.
...
At the Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment headquarters.
Lin Chaoxu stared at the computer screen showing a player’s trial video of *League of Legends*, his brow deeply furrowed.
To him, this matter was very puzzling.
Earlier, Imperial Dynasty had received word from GA that Chen Mo had rejected their proposal to buy the copyrights for *Warcraft* characters, and his attitude was very firm.
Actually, this outcome was within Lin Chaoxu’s expectations, because he knew how much Chen Mo valued the Azeroth universe and that Chen Mo wasn’t someone who chased short-term gains.
But when it came to *League of Legends*, Lin Chaoxu was completely baffled.
He learned about the game as soon as the trial video was leaked online, but after reading the related information and player discussions, his confusion only grew.
First doubt: Why did Chen Mo make a game like this?
According to players at the experience store, Chen Mo placed great importance on this game, even treating it as the main development focus for the next phase. But in Lin Chaoxu’s view, this type of competitive game was just a side project. Given Chen Mo’s current development capabilities and financial resources, he could easily work on much larger games.
Lin Chaoxu’s desire to license COG was just a gamble—a new game mode that was relatively novel. If it succeeded, great; if not, the loss wouldn’t be huge.
But Chen Mo seemed convinced that this game mode had great potential?
Second doubt: Why didn’t Chen Mo use Azeroth?
If Chen Mo’s new game was in direct competition with COG, then refusing to sell the *Warcraft* character copyrights made perfect sense. But he didn’t sell them, nor did he use them himself. That was strange.
Moreover, based on the video, the art style and gameplay of *League of Legends* were different from any game Chen Mo had made before. In Lin Chaoxu’s eyes, Chen Mo had completely abandoned his previous advantages and made a very risky move.
All these doubts made Lin Chaoxu uneasy.
Chen Mo had been quiet all along, but suddenly releasing *League of Legends* showed he had prepared to seize the initiative, aiming to quickly launch a new game and exploit a time gap.
Lin Chaoxu knew the principle of “speed overcomes all” all too well.
A knock came from the door.
Lin Chaoxu organized his thoughts. “Come in.”
A somewhat nervous man walked in, slightly bowing. “Mr. Lin, you wanted to see me?”
Lin Chaoxu pointed to the seat beside him. “Have a seat.”
This man looked about thirty, wearing sneakers, jeans, and a brown jacket, indistinguishable from the ordinary employees scattered around Imperial Dynasty.
But in reality, this man, named Jin Jieguang, was one of Imperial Dynasty’s mid-level managers, responsible for COG’s operations.
Lin Chaoxu’s assessment of him was: “Extremely diligent worker, slightly lacking in intelligence.” In terms of work attitude alone, Jin Jieguang was a model employee at Imperial Dynasty, fully devoted to his job with little personal life.
Generally, as long as Lin Chaoxu clearly explained all the details of a task, Jin Jieguang could complete it fairly well.
However, this man wasn’t suited for work requiring high autonomy, and he had mediocre relationships within the company.
But that didn’t matter to Lin Chaoxu. For him, people like Jin Jieguang were ideal employees—obedient, hardworking, and their slight lack of intelligence was actually a plus.
Lin Chaoxu turned his laptop screen toward Jin Jieguang. “The trial video for *League of Legends*. Have you seen it?”
Jin Jieguang quickly replied, “Mr. Lin, I’ve been keeping an eye on this. I watched it earlier.”
Lin Chaoxu nodded. Sure enough, Jin Jieguang was reliable.
“Any thoughts?” Lin Chaoxu asked.
Jin Jieguang thought for a moment. “Mr. Lin, I think the information revealed in this video is still quite limited. And watching a video is ultimately different from playing it yourself. You can’t judge a game just from a video.”
Lin Chaoxu was very satisfied with this answer. He thought the same way.
Jin Jieguang volunteered, “Mr. Lin, I think regardless of how good *League of Legends* actually is, since Chen Mo values it so much, we need to take it seriously.”
“I want to go to Chen Mo’s experience store and try out *League of Legends* myself, then write a detailed experience report for further analysis.”
Lin Chaoxu nodded approvingly. “Good, very good. It seems you’ve wised up? Keep up the good work.”
Jin Jieguang nodded vigorously. “Yes, Mr. Lin. I’ll prepare and book a ticket right away.”
...
...
Stepping out of the airport, Jin Jieguang’s biggest impression was how damn cold the Imperial Capital was.
But his heart was filled with ambition.
Although some people in the game industry and within Imperial Dynasty badmouthed him, Jin Jieguang felt pretty good about himself. In his own view, reaching this level in his career was all due to his own hard work.
This time, Jin Jieguang was full of ambition, wanting to fully promote COG domestically and add another shining achievement to his resume.
As COG’s biggest competitor, the threat of *League of Legends* was obvious. Jin Jieguang took it very seriously, which was why he came to Chen Mo’s experience store for reconnaissance.
Chen Mo’s experience store wasn’t hard to find. Jin Jieguang took a taxi from the airport directly to the store’s entrance and found a nearby hotel to stay in.
After all, dragging a suitcase into a game store would be too conspicuous.
Jin Jieguang even changed clothes to look more like an ordinary office worker unrelated to the gaming industry.
With everything ready, Jin Jieguang headed to Chen Mo’s experience store.