Chapter 1 If Successful, What Next?

If the market reaction to the DoubtVR glasses at the time of their initial release had caused everyone to sweat with nervousness, the current reversal with the VR glasses and the game had dispelled all worries.

Not only was it a success, but it was even more successful than anticipated!

In fact, at the beginning, most people only expected to make a successful VR headset that could compete with mainstream foreign VR devices.

Many even thought that given the niche nature of the current VR field, this headset would most likely not make any money, and that it would be good enough to raise the profile of Chixin Studio.

But now they realized that there was no need to worry about making money at all!

Judging from the current market feedback, the popularity of DoubtVR could be maintained for at least a year. During this time, constantly selling VR glasses, coupled with in-game purchases, would not only recoup the costs but also be very profitable!

Moreover, having reached this point, everyone's first consideration was no longer money, but something more important.

Historical significance!

If, as Joe had said, DoubtVR and "Animal Island" could truly usher in the era of VR games, then in future game history, when mentioning "the first commercially successful product mass-produced, popular with the mainstream gaming community, and established the norms for VR game production," the name of Chixin Studio would inevitably be mentioned.

This kind of glory was far more important than money!

In recent days, it was obvious that DoubtVR glasses and "Animal Island" had rapidly heated up the previously niche VR industry.

Various media outlets were reporting extensively, and major forums were discussing it like crazy. Predictably, more companies would emerge to make VR devices and develop VR games in the future.

A brand new trend had emerged, and countless people were eager to take advantage of it to soar.

And this situation was expected to continue for quite a while.

This also meant that Chixin Studio had made a perfect start, and the future prospects were bright!

In fact, even without the backing of Tenda Group and Shenhua Group, with the current achievements of Chixin Studio, it would be easy to sell itself to a large company at a very high premium.

For an ordinary entrepreneur, reaching this point would already be considered the peak of life.

Cai Jiadong was particularly emotional.

He used to be a lead designer, but he always felt that it was incredibly difficult to complete a project.

Because there were always too many constraints, this wouldn't work, that wouldn't work, and many ideas couldn't be realized. In the end, the products he created couldn't satisfy him completely.

But after coming to Chixin Studio, he realized that everything was so simple?

Things that were completely impossible in other companies seemed to have become a matter of course here.

He only needed to do his job step by step, and such a huge achievement was easily accomplished?

It even felt very unreal.

Of course, the primary credit for this undoubted success definitely belonged to President Pei.

After coming to Chixin Studio, Cai Jiadong deeply realized how important it was to have a good leader, an excellent helmsman!

Looking back now, the success of DoubtVR glasses and "Animal Island" seemed like a matter of course.

But Cai Jiadong, who personally participated in the project initiation, knew very well that many choices seemed very risky at the beginning, and it was President Pei who overruled all opinions and finally determined the ideal form of the product.

If it had followed the previous conservative plan, then even if the VR glasses had succeeded, they would not have reached the current level.

Therefore, the most valuable things about President Pei were his deep insight into the industry and his unwavering courage.

This made Cai Jiadong couldn't help but sigh, indeed, all success was not accidental.

The other employees of Chixin Studio had similar thoughts to Cai Jiadong.

It felt so good to win without doing anything!

However, seeing the expressions of Ye Zhizhou and Wang Xiaobin, Cai Jiadong knew that he was making a fuss about nothing, this was just President Pei's basic operation.

When there was a small problem with the previous publicity plan, he was worried, but Lin Wan, Ye Zhizhou, Wang Xiaobin and others did not show any worried expressions at all, which was enough to show the gap between the two sides in terms of state of mind.

This unconditional trust in President Pei was probably the biggest difference between the two sides!

"But... why does it feel like Manager Lin doesn't seem that happy?"

Cai Jiadong was a little puzzled.

If it was his original company, the boss would probably have been so happy that he had disappeared, and the entire company would definitely have completely fallen into a semi-vacation state if they had achieved such success.

The project was a success, they made a lot of money, so why work so hard with a bitter face?

First, give everyone a vacation, and then come back and slack off for two or three months, just casually do something, fix some bugs in the game, make some new versions, wouldn't that be wonderful?

But Lin Wan didn't have much of a happy expression, instead, she seemed to have something on her mind.

"Lao Cai, come to the conference room, I have something to discuss with you," Lin Wan walked over and said in a low voice.

Cai Jiadong quickly nodded: "Okay, Manager Lin."

The two of them went to the conference room one after the other and sat down.

Lin Wan frowned, thoughtful, and didn't speak immediately.

Cai Jiadong waited for a while and asked: "Manager Lin, haven't our VR glasses and games been very successful? Why do you still look worried?"

Lin Wan was silent for a while, then sighed softly and said: "I didn't understand why President Pei always frowned after each successful project, but now I finally understand President Pei's feelings a little bit."

"Although I was also the head of Shang Yang Games before, after all, there was President Pei above me, so I felt very at ease. But now Chixin Studio is nominally operating independently, and we can't ask President Pei for help too much. I feel a lot of pressure instantly."

"The success Chixin Studio has achieved far exceeded the original expectations, which means that we must demand ourselves to a higher standard. If the next game we make disappoints the players, then that is completely unacceptable."

Cai Jiadong suddenly realized.

So that was the reason!

After working in Tenda for a long time, you will naturally worry about the future, like President Pei, "worry about the world before the world worries."

But on second thought, it was normal for Manager Lin to have this idea.

The success of DoubtVR glasses, although it was the result of the joint efforts of all departments and all employees, in the final analysis, it still relied on President Pei's guidance and Shang Yang Games' help.

If President Pei hadn't overruled all opinions, increased the budget, and finalized the game direction, and repeatedly polished and modified various details of the game, it would definitely not have been possible to achieve the current level.

But Shang Yang Games couldn't keep helping out, they also had game development tasks; President Pei was so busy, he couldn't necessarily come to guide the new games every time.

So, can Chixin Studio independently carry the new project without the help of Shang Yang Games?

This was a very severe test.

The game "Animal Island" itself was a casual game, with online gameplay, and a long lifespan. So there was no need to release too many DLC or update content in the later stage.

Soon, Chixin Studio would face a choice, whether to keep maintaining "Animal Island" to make easy money, or to start a new project as soon as possible?

With Manager Lin's personality, she would definitely choose the latter without hesitation.

But starting a new project on the basis of the success of "Animal Island" was in itself a very risky thing.

Cai Jiadong asked: "Manager Lin, are you worried about the new project?"

Lin Wan nodded: "Yes, I have no idea at all right now."

Cai Jiadong thought for a while and comforted: "There's no need to rush this matter too much. Take two or three months to think about it slowly, there's still plenty of time."

Lin Wan immediately shook her head: "That won't work."

"President Pei always thinks about what the next project will be when a project has just succeeded. Only with this kind of long-term thinking can we coordinate various projects, strategize, and keep everything under control."

"Although I can't reach President Pei's level yet, I have to try to make the two projects connect seamlessly."

"Time is precious, and we can't delay."

"I'm mainly struggling with one thing now, whether to continue making VR games?"

Cai Jiadong was stunned: "Of course we have to continue making VR games! Why not?"

He was very surprised by Lin Wan's idea.

Chixin Studio had just made a name for itself with DoubtVR and "Animal Island", and now VR glasses were selling well. As long as they continued to release VR games and maintained the existing quality, they could continue this success.

What was the reason for not planning to make VR games at this time?

Lin Wan explained: "Actually, when Chixin Studio was first established, we didn't plan to go in the direction of VR games. It was President Pei's suggestion, and we thought it was possible, so we tried it."

"Although it was a success, after thinking about it again and again, I feel that VR is not a long-term solution after all."

"The key is that I just called Lao Song and had a brief chat."

"He said that the technology of VR glasses may not have much development in the next two or three years."

"Lao Song is a professional, and his words are very credible."

"VR glasses are different from mobile phones. The various new technologies of mobile phones are applied and mass-produced very quickly, and it is basically possible to roughly estimate the product form one year later. For example, now, technologies such as folding screens and under-screen cameras have already begun to emerge, and it is expected that they will be officially mass-produced within the next year or two."

"But the situation with VR glasses is different. Lao Song said that unless there is an unexpected technological breakthrough, the resolution of VR glasses will remain at the current level for two or three years, and it is difficult to make significant progress."

"That is to say, VR is likely to be in a state of stagnation for a period of time in the future."

"The success of DoubtVR glasses can be said to have chosen the right time, and made a product that is the culmination of the current technology level when the market did not realize the potential of VR games."

"But if VR does not make significant progress for a long time in the future, then the popularity of the entire VR industry will only decrease. It is not a wise move for us to continue to work hard with VR."

"It is better to make a few conventional games and wait and see. There is no need to bet all our treasures on an uncertain future."

Cai Jiadong nodded, it made sense to say that.

If the VR industry will also develop rapidly in the future, and technology will continue to break through, then betting all the treasures on VR is of course a logical choice.

But what if the VR industry becomes colder and colder in the future?

Then, it would be very uneconomical to stubbornly delve into VR.

This question really stumped Cai Jiadong.

How easy is it to understand the future of an industry?

Cai Jiadong was silent for a long time and said: "Manager Lin, this question is embarrassing me, how would I know?"

"Why don't we ask President Pei..."