Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Not Approved!

“Care to elaborate?”

“The current game aesthetics on the market are highly homogeneous, and people are already suffering from aesthetic fatigue. Almost every game now revolves around making characters and illustrations look more ‘appealing’ within the bounds of the review process. In such a context, we should take a different path,” Ye Xiao said.

It wasn’t that she was opposed to these suggestive game illustrations, she just felt that games shouldn’t rely solely on such illustrations while lacking core substance. Pure suggestiveness isn’t sustainable.

“I get your point, but the last game that claimed the same thing has already been swept away by the tides of time.”

Lu Shiqing had a sarcastic smile on her lips.

As the saying goes, cuteness is worth nothing in the face of sensuality.

Every industry insider knew that the current market environment was seriously warped.

But why hasn’t anyone changed it? Because they didn’t want to? Of course not.

“While suggestive content primarily targets adult males, our audience is for all ages. Our product’s appeal is not in the characters themselves but in the charming little creatures,” Ye Xiao said, grinning.

“Everyone can check the information in their hands!”

“This is a buy-to-play game with an open world setting, allowing players to explore freely in-game. Whether they want to challenge bosses, build a base, or satisfy their collection urge and cultivate their perfect Palu, we can later expand the game’s content with DLCs, adding Palu battles and increasing the game’s scale.”

At this, one of the male consultants couldn’t help but glance at Lu Shiqing for permission, then turned to ask Ye Xiao bluntly, “As Ms. Lu just said, buy-to-play games are almost a dying industry. The mechanics of catching Palu with a Palu ball are indeed novel, but isn’t your game just a patchwork monster?”

No matter how you looked at it, the documentation Ye Xiao provided showed a game that had merged countless gameplay mechanics from gaming history.

“I won’t deny that our project is overly blended, but isn’t it enough that it’s fun? The driving force for players to play should be love! This is also the essence of those games that profit purely from illustration sales — they rely on players’ love for the characters!”

Ye Xiao’s voice rose a little.

“Designing each creature to be irresistibly cute or cool is a game creator’s duty! An innovative gameplay mode creates buzz, and combined with the players’ ‘love’ for the adorable Palus, they’ll naturally choose to pay.”

The consultant rubbed his head and asked, “I don’t deny your point about paying for love, but for a single-player buy-to-play game, how many people are on your team, and within what timeframe can you guarantee the game’s completeness? Generating buzz is fine, but how do you ensure the game’s appeal goes viral?”

Viral appeal, like a contagious spread, sounds easy but is tough to achieve.

“I’ve thought about this a long time ago.”

Ye Xiao took out her phone and played a short video — one she had begged Sister Tongzi for, which she called the “Palu Bible”!

After watching the video, Lu Shiqing and the consultants were momentarily stunned.

The Palus in the video were indeed as cute and charming as Ye Xiao claimed. Still, seeing such enthusiasm in this young girl made them doubt what kind of storm she’d stir if she succeeded.

“This is our demo. We made it in just a month. Take a look,” Ye Xiao said, handing over a laptop.

The gaming consultant quickly started playing the demo. In just a short time, he was wide-eyed.

“This… was made by two people in one month?” The demo was already close to a complete game, with intricate models, fluid animations, a day-and-night cycle, and a capture system for Palus.

Lu Shiqing, observing from the side, asked, “Well?”

“It’s… alright. Although it’s hard to say about the final product.”

The consultant had already captured several Cottony Palus in the demo, enjoying the throw-capture mechanic despite his initial doubts.

“What’s the completion level?” Lu Shiqing emphasized.

“Oh, it’s quite high, at least it can prove that they have a certain level of technical ability.”

Unbothered by his tone, Ye Xiao said with a smile, “Exactly, our tech skills are strong, so you needn’t worry too much about the production timeline.”

Lu Shiqing’s gaze sharpened. “I have a few questions.”

“Go ahead.”

“You said your main monetization will be through cute characters, but your demo’s art leans toward a cute creature aesthetic. This niche market isn’t particularly large in our country. The video you showed was interesting, but are you sure it will go viral?”

“First, let’s be clear,” Ye Xiao stood up abruptly. “I don’t deny that appeal is the ultimate driving force.”

“In modern society, a diverse world without consensus, every opinion will face majority opposition — but not appeal. Appeal unites people, nothing evokes the human desire to protect, conquer, and possess more than adorable girls and boys. And cute little creatures have the same effect!”

Hearing this from the adorable-looking Ye Xiao felt oddly contradictory.

Ye Xiao then pulled out her secret weapon, an irresistibly cute Palu, Swift Weasel, with exaggeratedly suggestive expressions.

“Pfft,” Lu Shiqing suddenly burst out laughing, struggling to imagine anyone finding these little creatures suggestive.

“Alright, last question. How much investment are you seeking?”

“5o million yuan!” Ye Xiao said, looking at each person firmly.

“5o million?”

After Chen Chen’s team’s outrageous request for 100 million earlier, her amount seemed almost modest.

“Alright, you can leave. We’ll discuss this.”

Ye Xiao nodded and walked out.

As soon as the door closed, an intense argument erupted inside.

“This proposal is just as far-fetched as the last team! Are young people all dreaming big nowadays?”

“Her plan does suggest a need for 50 million, likely just for initial development costs.”

With over a thousand Palus and an expanded world map, the project’s expenses likely weren’t far off from Chen Chen’s sky-high request.

“What kind of small team comes asking for 50 million? How did this even get past the preliminary screening?”

“It was my approval. Any objections?” Lu Shiqing asked coldly.

“So, what’s the decision?”

They all shivered but nodded.

“What’s the verdict?”

The consultant who had just been playing the demo said, “Not very optimistic.”

“And everyone else?”

“Disagree.”

“Same here.”

Once everyone had spoken, Lu Shiqing nodded. “Since it’s unanimous, let’s not approve it.”

The assistant took her stamp and pressed it heavily onto the documents in front of her: Rejected.