ROSGT Chapter 58: Game Mall
Volume 1
Chapter 58: Game Mall
Early the next morning, at Wolverine Game Studio.
“I'm sorry, but the game you’re offering doesn’t align with our Guangnao company's software sales business. Our software store cannot provide sales services for you,” said a polite voice from the portable Guangnao.
Ye Chui frowned slightly and then replied politely, “No problem, I hope we can cooperate in the future.”
Ending the call, Ye Chui moved on to the next company on his contact list and dialed their number.
To his surprise, as soon as Ye Chui stated his intention, the other side immediately refused, “Sorry, our software store does not sell products from other companies.”
With that, they ended the call.
Ye Chui sensed something ominous. Fang Nan and Fang Xi gathered around, realizing something was wrong. Ye Chui made a few more calls to other Guangnao companies, but without exception, they all refused. Some didn’t even ask what game he was offering; upon hearing his name, Professor Cha Ye Chui, they outright rejected his request.
Finally, when Ye Chui called one company, the person on the other end said a bit more.
“Professor Cha, first, I want you to know I’m a big fan of yours. I’ve played every game in your ‘Look’ series. I’d love to help with your new game, but… to be honest, a major company in the industry asked us not to provide sales services for your games in our store. They have significant influence in the industry and can make things difficult for us, so… I hope you understand.”
“Was it SB that asked you to do this?” Ye Chui asked coldly.
The other person chuckled and didn’t answer directly, ending the call. But his reaction confirmed that SB Guangnao Company was behind this.
After ending the call, Ye Chui’s expression turned extremely grim.
“Those bastards are actually trying to block us!” Ye Chui muttered angrily.
Fang Nan and Fang Xi also looked very upset. They had thought that although SB had plagiarized their work, they couldn’t possibly sink any lower. When the game was released, they would at least compete fairly. But who would have thought that SB would resort to blocking their game from being sold in software stores?
Fang Xi hesitated and said, “Should we upload the game on the Software Alliance forum?”
“No,” Ye Chui shook his head firmly. “The maximum price for software on the Software Alliance is thirty Alliance coins, which is equivalent to thirty cents. Our Street Fighter should sell for at least ten yuan!”
The Software Alliance forum is a place for novice software developers to gather. Well-known software is usually released directly in software stores.
“How about we try the other two Guangnao companies?” Fang Nan suggested.
In the current world, the Guangnao systems were dominated by three major companies. Fang Nan was referring to the two other companies besides SB.
Ye Chui shook his head again. “I checked, and their software stores don’t accept collaborations. To sell software in their stores, you have to sell the copyright to them… and that’s something I can’t accept.”
Fang Nan and Fang Xi looked a bit deflated. Fang Xi asked, “So what do we do, Professor Cha?”
After a moment’s thought, a determined look flashed in Ye Chui’s eyes. “It seems… we’ll have to open our own software store!”
…
“I just received a call, guess what?”
In the office building of SB Guangnao Company, Wang Zhaoming, now promoted to manager of the game development department, smugly approached Jian Fan, grinning slyly. “Professor Cha contacted a company, trying to sell his game in their software store. But I had already warned them. With SB’s influence, they directly rejected his request!”
Hearing this news, Jian Fan’s still somewhat bruised face lit up with joy. “I knew they would try to cooperate with other companies’ software stores, but we beat them to it. Their game will have to be released on the Software Alliance forum.”
“If they release it on the Software Alliance, it won’t be nearly as effective as going through official software store channels. Their game won’t bring them any significant profit,” Wang Zhaoming said with a sneer.
Having suffered at Ye Chui’s hands, he finally felt a bit of satisfaction. He believed that once his project, Kung Fu Kid, was fully released, he would feel even better.
Wang Zhaoming patted Jian Fan on the shoulder. “Keep up the good work. I have something to attend to.”
“What’s that?” Jian Fan asked casually.
“A while ago, we signed a contract with a manufacturer to produce a batch of arcade machines. With the popularity of holographic screens, LCD screens have become cheap. The manufacturer had a stockpile of LCD components that can be assembled into arcade machines. The first batch has already been completed, and as the manager of the game department, I need to inspect the goods,” Wang Zhaoming said proudly. Inspecting goods was a privilege only senior employees had.
Hearing that the arcade machines were ready, Jian Fan’s eyes lit up. After all, it was he who stole this idea from Ye Chui. He was curious too. “I’ll go with you to check them out.”
“Sure, let’s go.”
…
Back at Wolverine Game Studio.
“Open our own software store?” Fang Xi and Fang Nan were surprised by Ye Chui’s suggestion.
But they quickly calmed down, recalling that when Ye Chui couldn’t get Dragon Ball published in any magazine, he bought a magazine company to publish it himself. Now, with no software store willing to sell his game, Ye Chui wanted to open his own game store…
This was typical of Professor Cha.
It seemed impulsive, but it also showed his immense confidence in his creations.
Fang Xi and Fang Nan exchanged a glance, understanding that once Ye Chui made a decision, there was no changing his mind.
Fang Xi said, “Professor Cha, if you want to open a software store, we’ll support you. But setting up a software store is expensive. We need to sign agreements with network service providers, purchase official servers, and regularly maintain them, all of which are costly. Most importantly, a software store requires substantial advertising to attract attention.”
“I’ve thought about all that,” Ye Chui said, his eyes shining. “I’ll cover the costs of the store. As for advertising, I have a great idea.”
“What idea?” Fang Nan asked.
“In the next couple of days, we’ll quickly develop another small game and advertise within it. Given my influence on the Software Alliance, this small game will definitely go viral. People who enjoy the game will naturally pay attention to our store,” Ye Chui explained. “By the way, our store shouldn’t be called a software store; it should be called a game mall!”
“Game mall?” Fang Nan repeated the name, finding it catchy. Then she asked, “Hammer, you’re planning to release another small game on the Software Alliance? What game? Have you already thought of it?”
“Yes,” Ye Chui nodded. “This game is the pinnacle of small games!”
The game he planned to release on the Software Alliance was—Tetris!
This game had a history of over thirty years and held a dominant position in the puzzle and casual game category.
“By the way, that guy Robert said he was coming to Yanjing to meet me. It’s been five days, why haven’t I heard from him?” Ye Chui wondered, recalling his communication with Robert.
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