Tokyo: The story begins with a confession.

Page 51

"Is there any expert who can share a walkthrough for level 235? I've died dozens of times and still can't pass it. It's so frustrating."

These Plants vs. Zombies game communities are all spontaneously formed by players. In particular, the endless mode's level ranking system has triggered some dedicated players to grind like crazy. The highest level reached so far is 812, truly a hardcore grinder.

Some media outlets and companies that have been closely monitoring the situation have already realized that this isn't just about to become popular, it's already incredibly popular!

Chapter 104 Terrifying Monthly Sales

In nearly two weeks, Plants vs. Zombies has climbed to the top of the puzzle and casual game charts and broken into the top ten of the monthly sales charts. As of now, it has sold 695854 copies and has a rating of 8.8.

Sales reached nearly 70 units in just half a month!

This data has repeatedly shocked countless people. Generally speaking, the sales of a new game will show a significant downward trend after about 10 days of its release. However, the downloads of Plants vs. Zombies not only did not decline after ten days, but instead continued to grow!

Moreover, very few players who purchased the game requested refunds. Some astute individuals realized that the golden age of puzzle games might be on the horizon, and a large number of people would definitely choose to jump on this bandwagon and grab a piece of the pie.

After all, this type of game is not particularly difficult to make; all it requires is creativity.

Although puzzle games have always been quite popular, especially among young children and girls, this category has always been a regular audience.

Each month has its own core audience, but it's rare for a game to become a massive hit, except for a few Nintendo titles.

Plants vs. Zombies is like a spark dropped into a bomb, potentially triggering an explosion that will sweep across the entire puzzle game genre.

Many game design firms and companies are already analyzing the reasons for the success of Plants vs. Zombies: why this game became so popular, what the core of this model is, and whether it can be replicated.

Many people have studied it repeatedly, and the more they study it, the more frustrated they feel. It's just too enviable that a few high school students and a newly established studio can make such a game.

Based on current sales volume, the sales revenue is already close to 4 million yen, and sales are still growing. You can imagine how much profit will be generated in the future.

How much does it cost to make this game?

Excluding staff salaries, Kenichi Uesugi spent less than 100 million yen in total, part of which was used to burn CDs and part of which was used to rent equipment at exhibitions.

Even Uesugi Kenichi himself was stunned. Although he had expected to make money, he did not expect to make so much. Making games is indeed extremely profitable.

Of course, money is easy to make, but you still need to have excellent work. But then again, if your work is excellent, you can probably make money doing anything...

"So we've made a fortune?" Eriri stared blankly at the numbers that Uesugi Kenichi had written and drawn on.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kato Megumi also looked over with incredulous eyes.

Kenjiro Uesugi nodded. "That's right. Judging from this trend, the estimated sales volume in Japan is around 1.5 million copies. The platform will take 20%, so after deducting that, the gross profit from sales will be around 600 million yen. Of course, this money will be received in batches, with the earliest batch coming next month."

"After the money arrives, here's what I plan to do: first, I'll use a portion of it for the daily maintenance and future version updates of the Plants vs. Zombies game."

"Then we need to rent a place to use as our office space, and we also need to expand our staff. We need people in finance, programming, animation, voice acting, and reception, just like a regular company. I'll make a list of the specific staff we need later. Is that okay with you two?" Uesugi Kenichi looked at Kato Megumi and Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kato Megumi exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

"Don't worry, just tell me if you need anything or if there's anything you can't handle."

"So what should we make for our next game? I want to make Zelda," Misaki Kamiigusa squeezed in and said.

"Screw you. If we were to launch this project now, don't even think about it taking less than a year, assuming the quality is guaranteed," Uesugi Kenichi said with a hint of curiosity.

He also wants to be like Zelda, but his abilities don't allow it yet. He'll wait until he makes two more games and gains recognition and distribution channels.

After all, the number of original drawings and program data required for the creation of the Zelda series was too large.

"I'll think about the new game. I'll start it after my exams. For now, I need to work on my current grades."

"By the way, there's something I'd like to hear your opinions on. Nintendo, Sony, and some other companies have contacted me, wanting to acquire or invest in us, but I refused," Uesugi Kenichi said, glancing around at everyone.

"After I refused, what do you think about Nintendo and Tianfang Entertainment from China wanting our overseas distribution rights?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha thought for a moment and then said, "Giving away the overseas distribution rights is not a problem, since we lack such channels. I think choosing Nintendo is a better option."

As she spoke, she glanced at Kenichi Uesugi and, seeing the look of agreement in his eyes, continued, "Of course, we could also give the distribution rights in China to Magic Cube and the distribution rights in other regions to Nintendo, but we need to consider whether either of them can accept such a proposal."

Kenjiro Uesugi nodded: "That's pretty much what I was thinking. We'll give the distribution rights for China to Rubik's Cube, since they have a lot of influence there, while Nintendo is much less influential. We'll give the distribution rights for other regions to Nintendo, since their overseas channels are indeed very powerful, and we also need to cooperate with them."

· ·Requesting flowers· ········

"As for whether they agree to this, there's no need to worry. After all, nobody turns down money, right?"

Seeing that they had no objections, Uesugi Kenichi didn't say anything more. Although he always regarded Nintendo as his imaginary enemy, it didn't mean that he would start to be hostile to it from now on.

When a wild beast is hunting its prey, it will only reveal its fangs when the time is right.

However, I really didn't expect Plants vs. Zombies to be so popular in just two weeks. If we take into account sales, subsequent update packs, and merchandise sales, this game will be generating a steady stream of revenue for some time to come.

..... ........ .......

Blizzard Entertainment's blog has garnered over 20 followers, marking a significant initial boost in brand recognition. If their next game doesn't flop, they will have truly established themselves in the gaming industry.

While Kato Megumi and others who follow Blizzard Entertainment are eagerly anticipating their next game, Uesugi Kenichi is busy preparing for his exams.

It's worth mentioning here that thanks to the class schedule of RB high school students, which starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m., Uesugi Kenichi was able to have plenty of time to play games during his high school years.

Otherwise, given the typical pattern of high school in China, with morning self-study starting at 6:30 AM and evening self-study ending at 10 PM, he really wouldn't have time to play games; he'd only be able to do so in college.

But even if things are more lenient, exams are still required.

Time flies. Plants vs. Zombies' sales have successfully climbed to a staggering 120 million copies in just one month, even surpassing Sony's blockbuster Night Soul in downloads. Sales have now begun to decline, which is normal; all that's needed now is time to accumulate more.

The first batch of revenue sharing has already arrived, and it's more than he expected, amounting to 290 million yen. This amount is after deducting the app store's share and taxes.

On this day, 16-year-old Kenichi Uesugi acquired his first huge sum of money, becoming a billionaire. Although the purchasing power of the yen was not high, it was still nearly 2000 million RMB.

After receiving the money, the previously agreed-upon studio location selection and staff recruitment were put into action.

……Son.

Chapter 105 Academic Ability Assessment

In early June, Daiwa Private Academy finally held its first academic ability assessment.

In the early morning, Uesugi Kenichi turned off the air conditioning and took a shower. The weather had become extremely hot in June. Fortunately, he had moved to a new house earlier, otherwise he would have been sweltering at night in this weather. You see, the apartment he had rented before didn't even have air conditioning.

The students' school uniforms have also been changed from spring clothes to summer clothes.

Actually, there's not much difference. The only difference is that the top is changed to a short-sleeved shirt, and the pants are the same. You know, the girls here are monsters who dare to expose their thighs to the cold wind even in the dead of winter.

After preparing everything, he picked up his backpack and headed to school. The atmosphere in the classroom was a little different from usual. This academic test was essentially a semester summary, and facing such an important exam, almost all the students in "587" were a little uneasy.

Although Yamato Private School has not been established for long, it has attracted a large number of academically excellent students from junior high schools in various regions by relying on its strong capital. Kenichi Uesugi was recruited in this way. The school's teaching staff is considered to be among the best in the Tokyo area.

Therefore, there are still many good students in the school. Although Uesugi Kenichi is confident that he can achieve good results, he is still a little nervous about whether he can get first place.

The academic qualification assessment lasted for a whole day, one test after another with almost no time for news. Each test lasted about an hour.

The exams didn't end until 5 p.m. that day. Although time was a bit tight, Uesugi Kenichi finished every subject with complete focus and didn't feel too much pressure.

After the last exam, almost everyone felt like they had come back to life; the entire day of exams had nearly exhausted all their energy.

Futa Watanabe and Tetsuya Ishida seemed rather listless and lacked any enthusiasm.

On the other hand, Hideki Sato and Yoshihara Kobayashi were in high spirits and seemed unaffected.

"Fūta, cheer up! This isn't like you at all. It's just an exam, nothing serious. Don't worry about it," Kobayashi Yoshihara laughed heartily.

Watanabe Futa rolled his eyes at him, annoyed. "I saw you were really nervous this morning. Looks like you did really well on the exam, that's why you're so happy."

"Of course, I felt like I was possessed by the God of Exams during this exam. It was as if I had divine assistance. I wrote every single paper as if I were a god."

Now it was Watanabe Kaze's turn to be surprised. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Are you sure you didn't just write this randomly?"

"How could I possibly write something carelessly? I'm absolutely confident. Just wait and see, this time I will definitely surpass you!"

Uesugi Kenichi looked at Kobayashi Yoshihara with disbelief. It was truly a miracle that this guy, who spent his days either playing games in class or sneaking glances at girls, could get good grades.

It was mostly a kind of inexplicable self-confidence, but he was too lazy to say anything to discourage him. When it comes to exams, everything will be clear once the results are out.

After a moment of excitement, Kobayashi Yoshihara composed himself. "The preliminary rounds for this summer's Koshien tournament are starting in three days. I hope everyone will come and watch. Do you have time?"

He spoke with an expectant look on his face, hoping they would agree, especially Uesugi Kenichi.

Uesugi was extremely prestigious at school. He was already incredibly popular, and when word got out about his sculpting and game-making, his status at school became even higher. Even the second and third-year students didn't dare to put on any airs in front of him.

If we could get Uesugi to come over, we wouldn't have to worry about cheerleaders.

Moreover, although he usually talks a big game, he's actually quite nervous when it comes to actually playing a match, and he still hopes to get the support of his friends.

After thinking it over, Uesugi Kenichi realized that there didn't seem to be anything important to do in three days, so he could take Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others along for a trip.

"Okay, I'll go to the baseball game."

Kobayashi Yoshihara beamed with joy upon seeing Uesugi Kenichi agree, "Then I'll be going."

He's now eager to contact the cheerleading squad and orchestra, who are waiting for his reply. Although baseball is extremely popular in RB high schools, everyone knows the true level of their own team.

It just so happens that the school festival is just a few days away, and almost no one wants to go cheer for their own baseball team. After all, nobody wants to sit there and watch their school's baseball team get a crushing defeat; it's really upsetting.

However, if we add Uesugi Kenichi as a bargaining chip, the situation becomes quite different. At the very least, we can openly admire our own handsome guy.

These days, as Uesugi Ken's fame has spread far and wide, even other students at school have felt a sense of distance from him. Occasionally, when they bump into each other in the corridor, they don't dare to look him in the eye, and can only steal a glance. It's really not easy to have such an opportunity.

After everyone else had left, Uesugi Ken and Kato Megumi walked to the intersection together. "Are you coming over for dinner today?"

"I can't today. The handover is scheduled for today in Lufeng, and I have to go there to handle it. If all goes well, we can officially move in tomorrow," Kato Megumi said with a shake of her head and a smile.

They spent several days comparing several studio locations before finally choosing the Lufeng Building in Maeda-shiro Ward, not far from where Kenichi Uesugi currently lives.

The office they were interested in was on the 21st floor, with excellent natural light and views. The nearly 1000 square meters of office space was more than enough for them. The rent was 80 yen per day per square meter, and the 240 million yen rent for 1.8 months wasn't too expensive.

These past few days, Kato Megumi and Kasumigaoka Utaha have been running around buying all the other supplies.

All the computers, desks, and other equipment were brand new, including five top-of-the-line computers, which cost a total of 4 million yen.

After all, it wouldn't be right for a game company not to have a few decent computers. Once the final handover is completed today, it can be officially used tomorrow.

The initial preparations, including the complete set of office supplies and hiring someone to put up the sign, cost nearly ten million yen. Adding the prepaid rent and deposit, the total cost was nearly twenty million yen.

Finally, they gave each of Kato Megumi and the others a large sum of money; it has to be said that they really spent money like water.

Chapter 106 Chihiro Sengoku's Request

Seeing Kato Megumi's smile made Uesugi Kenichi feel much better. Every time Kato Megumi smiled, it was like a spring breeze, which was really pleasing to the eye.

"Thank you for your trouble. How about I go instead?" Uesugi Kenichi said hesitantly.

"It's no trouble at all, and didn't we already agree that I would go? Kenichi, do you not trust my abilities?" Kato Megumi pouted, looking somewhat unhappy.

"And I want to help you, even if it's just a little bit."

"How could I not believe you? I just don't want you to be too tired." Uesugi Ken's eyes showed a hint of heartache.

He had been watching Kato Megumi's hard work these past few days. Besides managing the public account, she spent the rest of her time studying.