You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the executives present.

"Everyone, it's not just us, the global gaming giants have already entered the arena."

With that, he waved his hand, and the projection screen on the wall instantly switched, displaying a competitive landscape of the industry—

Prominently listed were several of the world's top ten game companies, each of which had already launched new projects, with their sights set on "immersive open-world games."

Galaxy Entertainment, Neon Interactive Entertainment, Batutu Technology... each name was a titan in the gaming industry!

Silence filled the conference room.

Everyone felt the pressure of this war.

"Their goals are the same as ours," Pei Shengnan said slowly, his tone low and full of intimidation, "They will either step on Peach Blossom Land to reach the top, or... step on us."

"Therefore, we must win!"

[San Francisco·Galaxy Entertainment Headquarters]

"If Longteng Group wants to dominate the market, then they should ask us if we agree first."

Robert Smith, the CEO of Galaxy Entertainment, stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the entire San Francisco, a confident smile on his lips.

This largest gaming company in the world possesses the most cutting-edge technology, the strongest financial backing, and the largest user base.

"Launch the 'Void Frontier' project!"

He turned around, looking at the executive team behind him, his voice filled with power: "We want to create a true 'interstellar open world'!"

The screen on the wall lit up, and a shocking concept map was displayed in front of everyone—

A vast universe, stars shining, a futuristic battleship shuttling through an asteroid belt, ahead was a huge city floating in space, shimmering with light, like an interstellar paradise.

"We won't compete with them for cyberpunk or data worlds, what we want to do is the entire galaxy!"

"Let players pilot spaceships, freely explore countless planets, establish their own interstellar empires, participate in interstellar wars, and even... become gods!"

"This is the ultimate form of the open world!"

[Tokyo·Neon Interactive Entertainment]

"We don't need to make any interstellar games, what we want to do is a truly touching work."

At Neon Interactive Entertainment headquarters, in the planning conference room, chief planner Fujiwara Keiichi held a laser pointer in one hand and wrote four words on the whiteboard—

"Quantum Rift"

"This will be a game that intertwines 'reality x virtuality'."

"Players enter the game from the real world, and everything in the game will affect reality."

"Each NPC has 'multiple personalities', and they will evolve into completely different personalities and destinies with the player's actions."

"You think you are playing a game, but in reality, you are changing another 'real' world."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the planners, artists, and technical teams present, the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "This is Neon Interactive Entertainment's style—ultimate immersion, ultimate storytelling, and ultimate emotional impact."

"Longteng Group? Galaxy Entertainment? Do they understand what 'story' is?"

……

As night fell, the tall buildings of the magic capital shone with a cold light in the rain, the streets were bustling with traffic, and neon lights reflected on the wet asphalt road, refracting a hazy color.

In the office of Peach Blossom Land Studio, the lights were bright, the air was filled with a faint aroma of coffee, and the "crackling" sound of programmers typing on keyboards.

Lu Yu stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of coffee that had already cooled, his gaze calmly watching the rain outside the window.

There was no expression on his face, but a hint of coldness was hidden in his eyes.

Just now, he received the latest information from the marketing department—

The major media outlets almost unanimously sang the praises of Peach Blossom Land.

[Public Opinion Storm: Disapproval, Distrust, Contempt]

"Faced with the encirclement and suppression of giants such as Longteng Group, Galaxy Entertainment, and Neon Interactive Entertainment, does Peach Blossom Land really have a chance of winning?"

"Lu Yu's 'Era of Miracles' is probably over, and the power of capital is ultimately invincible."

"The creativity of small companies, no matter how unique, will eventually not be able to withstand the resource crush of large companies."

"Peach Blossom Land may be able to make excellent independent games, but in this large-scale 'open world war', they are just a firefly struggling to survive."

Major game media, financial magazines, and industry commentators were almost all pessimistic.

Some media outlets have even begun to predict Peach Blossom Land's "collapse timeline."

《Magic Capital Finance》: How long can Peach Blossom Land last? Perhaps it will be eliminated by the market within three months! 《Global Game Observation》: The end of Lu Yu's legend! Can he still create miracles in the face of industry giants? 《Game Circle Insider》: Peach Blossom Land is besieged, can Lu Yu hold on?

On social media, players' discussions were even more overwhelming.

"To be honest, I really like 'The Mystery of Mist Hidden Village', but this time... Peach Blossom Land is really too difficult."

"'Abyss Phantom Realm', 'Void Frontier', 'Quantum Rift', 'Data Temple'... any one of these games seems like a crushing existence, what will Lu Yu use to fight?"

"Lu Yu is indeed very strong, but this time the opponents are not ordinary game companies, but the top giants in the entire industry!"

"The era of capital will ultimately not allow an independent studio to continue to soar."

For a time, the entire industry was shrouded in the argument that "Peach Blossom Land will definitely be defeated."

[Sneers from Industry Bigwigs]

Longteng Group headquarters, chairman's office.

Pei Shengnan sat behind his wide desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface, a faint smile on his lips.

"Lu Yu... this time, how can you turn the tables?"

He slowly put down the report in his hand, his gaze falling on the screen—it was the negative reports about Peach Blossom Land from various media outlets, one after another, almost pushing Lu Yu to the forefront.

"The game of capital is not something a small studio like yours can play."

He smiled slightly, picked up his glass of red wine, and gently shook it, as if appreciating a game that was about to end.

San Francisco, Galaxy Entertainment headquarters.

Robert Smith stood in the center of the conference room, his gaze coldly scanning the market data on the big screen.

"The popularity of Peach Blossom Land is declining, and capital is swallowing their living space."

He clapped his hands gently, his tone calm: "Very good, the next stage, what we need to do is to completely crush them."

"All advertising placements on all platforms should be concentrated on 'Void Frontier', we want to make players completely forget the existence of Peach Blossom Land."

"Lu Yu? He is no longer a threat."

Tokyo, Neon Interactive Entertainment.

Fujiwara Keiichi pushed up his glasses, a slight contemptuous smile on his lips.

"The Japanese market has fully turned to 'Quantum Rift', Peach Blossom Land has no chance."

He gently closed his notebook, his tone indifferent: "A small company without capital support will ultimately not survive this era."

London, Batutu Technology.

Adrian Reynolds was sitting in a leather chair, legs crossed, a sneer on his lips.

"Lu Yu? Heh... a genius, but geniuses always have a day to fall."

He raised his glass and gently tapped it on the table, saying in a low voice: "Let's see how he can still struggle."

[Peach Blossom Land Internal: A Silent Night]

Late at night, Peach Blossom Land Studio.

In the conference room, team members sat around together, the atmosphere heavy and depressing.

"Everyone is singing our praises..."

"Even the collaborating investors have begun to waver..."

"Can we really... still win?"

The newest novels are first published at 6 9 books bar!!

Planner Mo Xiaoxuan said in a low voice, his eyes full of worry.

Zhang Qiqi hugged her arms, biting her lower lip, her voice somewhat unwilling: "Those media outlets only know how to follow the trend, they don't understand games at all, they just look at the faces of capital!"

Program Director Chu Xiong sighed, folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, his gaze calm: "But to be honest... this time the opponents are indeed too strong."

Everyone was silent.

This time, what they faced was not a single company, but the encirclement and suppression of the entire industry.

Did they really have a chance?

In the corner of the conference room, Lu Yu sat quietly, his hands crossed, his gaze calmly scanning everyone.

He didn't speak, just slowly picked up his phone and looked at the news that was singing the praises of Peach Blossom Land.

Then, he suddenly smiled softly.

"They all think we will lose?"

His voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry a hint of a smile.

Everyone looked up at him.

Lu Yu gently put down his phone, narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Very good."

His voice was very light, but it revealed a hint of cold sharpness.

"A real war is finally about to begin."

Outside the window, the rainy night was still drizzling.

But in Lu Yu's eyes, the storm of the world had just begun to brew.

……

Late at night, the lights of the magic capital were still bright, and the traffic on the streets was stretched into blurry ribbons of light outside the glass window.

In the conference room of Peach Blossom Land Studio, the air seemed to be frozen.

The wide conference table was filled with draft paper, design drawings, and model demonstration files, and the electronic screen on the wall was projecting an unfinished game interface.

Lu Yu stood in front of the screen, his brows slightly furrowed, his arms folded, his eyes fixed on the character model on the interface.

"Something's not right."

He said in a low voice, his voice not loud, but it seemed particularly clear in the silent conference room.

Mo Xiaoxuan, the planning director sitting at the other end of the conference table, pushed up his glasses, his eyes showing a hint of fatigue, but still trying to cheer up and said: "Brother Lu, we have already adjusted three versions of the plot framework, and the current version, the world view, task system, and character settings are basically formed... Where do you think the problem lies?"

Lu Yu was silent for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth: "Soul."

Everyone was stunned.

"This game doesn't have a 'soul' yet." Lu Yu's voice was low, but with a hint of certainty, "Its settings, gameplay, and technology are very advanced, but it lacks the most core thing—the reason to immerse players in it."

He turned around, scanning the team members in the conference room, his eyes sharp and deep: "Do you really think that the current version of the game can compete with the products of giants such as 'Abyss Phantom Realm', 'Void Frontier', and 'Quantum Rift'?"

The conference room was silent.

No one dared to say "yes."

Because they all knew that Lu Yu was right.

[The Dilemma of Creativity: What is the core of the game?]

Planner Zhang Qiqi said somewhat unconvinced: "But we have already done a lot of innovation! The game's world view is very unique, the AI system is also very powerful, and there are as many as thousands of task branches, and each NPC has an independent consciousness... Isn't that enough?"

Program Director Chu Xiong also frowned, his voice low: "Technically, we have improved more than one level compared to 'The Mystery of Mist Hidden Village', and even some gameplay is leading the industry... If this is not enough, then what should we do?"

Lu Yu didn't speak, he just slowly walked to the conference table, picked up a water-based pen, and wrote a big question on the whiteboard—

"Why do players want to play our game?"

Everyone stared at the line of words, the expressions on their faces gradually becoming complicated.

"This is the core of the problem." Lu Yu gently put down the pen, his voice calm but with an unquestionable power, "A game, the gameplay can be complicated, the technology can be advanced, but if it cannot resonate with the player's emotions, it is just a cold product, not a world that immerses people in it."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "Our current game lacks a reason 'why players must play'."

[Plot Conflict: Lack of Immersion]

Mo Xiaoxuan frowned, opened his notebook, and pondered: "If the problem lies in immersion, then should we work hard on the plot?"

"The problem is not just the plot." Lu Yu shook his head, "Our current game world view is very grand, and there are many story branches, but it still lacks an emotional driving force that 'immerses players'."

He pointed to the game interface on the screen: "For example, this main quest, our setting is to let players play a refugee, looking for their lost memories in the ruins... But the problem is, why should players care about this character's memory? They have no resonance, and may even be too lazy to do the task."

Planner Zhang Qiqi said unconvinced: "But we have a lot of side quests, and the story of each NPC is very rich..."

"That's right, but they are 'stories', not 'experiences'." Lu Yu interrupted her, his tone firm, "We can't just 'tell stories', but let players 'experience' stories."

"If players are just passively accepting the plot, then this game is no different from a movie, and players lack real participation."

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "We need to rethink how to make players not just 'bystanders', but truly become part of the story."

[Gameplay Conflict: The Contradiction Between Freedom and Guidance]

In addition to the plot, the game's freedom is also a tricky issue.

Chu Xiong frowned and said: "Brother Lu, you have always emphasized the high degree of freedom in the game, so we have given players a great deal of exploration space, but the problem is, once the player's freedom is too high, it will lead to many people getting 'lost', and even not knowing what to do."

(End of this chapter)