Chapter 126 The "Greatly Successful" *Working Class Survival Manual*

Pei Qian put the annual meeting plan aside, intending to look at it later when he had time.

It wasn't that he was lazy, but he felt that the specific details of the annual meeting didn't matter; it wasn't a high priority for him.

His first priority was spending money, the second was ensuring that those unprofitable industries continued to be unprofitable, and the third was making sure that those already profitable industries made less money.

Holding an annual meeting and giving employees benefits was only a small part of the first priority.

"The most successful thing this cycle should be the Sluggish Dream Plan's incubation base, right?"

"So far, only two indie games have been released, one that's critically acclaimed but not commercially successful, and another that's neither critically acclaimed nor commercially successful. In short, neither of them made much money."

"And according to the development progress sent by Qiu Hong, the games that have more novelty and that he has high hopes for are not far enough along to be released. The earliest they can be released is next month, which shouldn't cause me any trouble before the settlement."

"Sure enough, the Sluggish Dream Plan hasn't disappointed me. It's still in a state of pure loss, and the outside world basically doesn't know that Tengda is behind it."

"No fame or fortune, very good!"

Pei Qian happened to flip to the work report from Qiu Hong's incubation base and was very satisfied with its current state.

Just then, Pei Qian's phone vibrated. Qiu Hong sent a new message.

"Boss Pei, good news!"

"Today, *Working Class Survival Manual* was officially released, and its reputation and sales have exploded!"

Seeing this message, Pei Qian's previous smile froze on his face.

What the hell?

What is *Working Class Survival Manual*?

He quickly opened the report sent by Qiu Hong, which contained the names of all the indie games in development at the incubation base, but he flipped through it from beginning to end and didn't see the so-called *Working Class Survival Manual*.

"What the hell is going on!" Pei Qian was speechless for a moment, feeling his mentality collapsing.

Didn't we agree that the Sluggish Dream Plan definitely wouldn't make money this cycle?

Where did this game come from!

...

At the same time, in the imperial capital, at the Cherry Studio.

The studio's boss and producer, Jiang Fan, and the main designer, Yang Liang, and others were staring dumbfounded at the sales data in the background, grinning foolishly.

Although it wasn't yet the New Year, this small team of four was as happy as if it were.

Qiu Hong had also arrived, and the smile on his face was completely undisguised.

The expression of excitement on Jiang Fan's face was almost overflowing: "Manager Qiu! The success of this game is really thanks to your investment. If it weren't for this money, our game wouldn't have been so complete, and the development wouldn't have been so smooth. The Sluggish Dream Plan was really a timely help!"

Qiu Hong smiled and waved his hand: "You're too polite. I'm just investing in indie games according to the boss's requirements. You met the conditions, so I invested. To be honest, I didn't see if your game would succeed before."

"To be honest, I never expected *Working Class Survival Manual* to achieve such good sales and results. I thought it would be a small hit at most, but I didn't expect it to be a big hit!"

"I also have to thank you. Originally, the Sluggish Dream Plan hadn't had a representative work appear, and although my boss didn't ask, I did feel a little difficult to explain. Now that a hit game has come out, I'm also very proud!"

The main designer, Yang Liang, said with a simple smile: "Actually, the success of our game also has a lot of luck involved."

"There are so many 'corporate slaves' now. Everyone is an office worker and feels the same about workplace intrigue and forced overtime."

"Now it's the end of the year, and news of year-end bonuses and annual meetings from major companies has spread throughout the internet. Everyone is busy feeling envious, so there is a natural topic."

"And *Working Class Survival Manual* has perfectly captured the state of these corporate slaves, resonating with everyone and spreading instantly, which is why it became a hit!"

Qiu Hong smiled: "The fact that this game is a big hit is indeed inseparable from the entire environment. But your design and persistence are the root cause of the game's success!"

"Indie games are a tough job, and very few people can stick with it. The four of you either quit your jobs to start a business or joined with a pay cut. This spirit is the most critical factor supporting your success."

"Alright, stop looking at the data. We have to celebrate properly. Let's go out for Korean barbecue, my treat!"

Jiang Fan quickly said: "How can that be? I have to treat."

Qiu Hong raised a hand: "Don't argue with me. I said I'd treat, so I'll treat. Everyone quickly pack up your things, and let's leave now!"

Qiu Hong was as happy as Jiang Fan and the others.

On the one hand, he was sincerely gratified to see the independent game production team succeed; on the other hand, he was also happy that the Sluggish Dream Plan finally had a representative game.

Boss Pei had high hopes for the Sluggish Dream Plan, but so far no successful game had come out, and Qiu Hong couldn't hold his head up.

Qiu Hong was paid based on how much he invested, and whether these games succeeded or not didn't affect his income, but if there were no results, Qiu Hong would feel very uncomfortable.

And the success of Cherry Studio was completely a pleasant surprise for Qiu Hong.

Because Qiu Hong's recent work focus was still on the incubation base, but the games at the incubation base still had some distance to go before they could be officially launched.

On the other hand, Cherry Studio, Qiu Hong had not paid attention to it since he invested in it. Today, he suddenly learned that their game had been released and was a hit, how could he not be happy?

Cherry Studio was not included in the incubation base.

Because the incubation base was aimed at those game developers who were fighting alone and had no supporting services, while Cherry Studio was a team of four with an office and a clear division of labor. It was small but complete, and didn't need to be included in the incubation base.

The only thing Cherry Studio lacked was funding. After Qiu Hong directly filled the biggest funding gap, the game's art resources quickly arrived, and everyone had no worries, and their work status was greatly improved. The *Working Class Survival Manual* was naturally completed smoothly and on schedule!

It was released before the Spring Festival, just in time to catch up with the hot topics in the workplace: annual meetings, year-end bonuses, waves of resignations, etc., which caused widespread resonance on the Internet.

As a representative work of domestic stand-alone games and indie games, it was naturally enthusiastically sought after by players. Several game content creators on Aili Island all made video programs, and the good program effects attracted more players to join.

Qiu Hong waited for the others to pack up their things and go to dinner, while swiping his phone to check the online reviews.

It can basically be said to be highly praised!

Although this is an indie game, there are bound to be some flaws in the gameplay, system, and art, but the theme is relatively novel and can resonate with players, so tolerant players still ignored these flaws and gave it a high rating.

For Cherry Studio, as long as these flaws are modified in the future and the completion of the game is further improved, the evaluation will be even higher.

Compared to the hardship of development, subsequent modifications are very simple.

After all, the game has been confirmed to be profitable, and Cherry Studio doesn't have to worry about money in the next few months. The game is recognized by the players, and the work will be more motivated.

"Wait a minute, does this mean I have something to do?"

Qiu Hong suddenly realized this problem.

He had always felt a little confused about his work and didn't know what to do.

Because he was responsible for the Sluggish Dream Plan, he only invested in independent game studios and developers and couldn't interfere with the specific game design, so he often felt like he couldn't use his strength.

Seeing that the two games that had been launched were not selling well and that other games could not be released this month, Qiu Hong felt that his work had not achieved anything, and he was anxious but couldn't find a good solution.

But now that *Working Class Survival Manual* has been successful, there's something to talk about!

Taking advantage of the popularity of this game, Qiu Hong plans to promote the concept of the "Sluggish Dream Plan" to players.

Before there were no successful games, even if the concept of the "Sluggish Dream Plan" was forcibly instilled in players, not many people would pay attention. But now that there is a successful game, the situation is completely different!

Qiu Hong's goal is to make players associate excellent domestic indie games with the "Sluggish Dream Plan" as soon as they see them.

This is a very important link for other independent game developers, for Qiu Hong, and even for the entire Sluggish Dream Plan.

"Okay, that's settled. Use *Working Class Survival Manual* to promote the Sluggish Dream Plan."

"At the same time, take out the *Shui Mo Yun Yan*'s (Water Ink Clouds and Mist) completed demo and promotional video and open a pre-sale!"

Qiu Hong felt that he had suddenly found the direction of his work and instantly became full of energy!

...

At the same time, Pei Qian was also searching the internet for information about *Working Class Survival Manual*, but his expression was not as ecstatic or gratified as Qiu Hong's, but confused and茫然 (mángrán, at a loss).

The Sluggish Dream Plan was losing money well, where did this broken game come from?

Moreover, this game can actually be popular?

What's so popular about a game that recreates the life of a corporate slave?

Pei Qian casually flipped through the internet and quickly found a highly praised player review, expressing the players' love for this game.

"To be honest, this game can't be considered outstanding in terms of gameplay, graphics, or details, and can even be said to be average. But its biggest advantage is that the theme is well chosen. It's very realistic and resonates strongly with people."

"For example:"

"The company you join is called 'Strive Hard Co., Ltd.';

"The game's explanation for the lack of difficulty options is: 'There are no difficulty options in the workplace, because everyone faces Hard+ mode';

"If you don't complete the boss's expectations, the boss's satisfaction will decrease, and the chances of applying for a promotion and salary increase will decrease, but if you try to complete the boss's expectations, the more you complete, the higher the difficulty of the subsequent tasks, but the increase in satisfaction becomes slower and slower..."

"There are countless points that can resonate with you, which shows that the game's designers also know the suffering of corporate slaves."

"And while being realistic, this game also has many metaphors. If you step out of the game and look at those options as an outsider, you will feel that your life seems to be spent in this helplessness. While being amused by the black humor, you can't help but feel bitter."

"In short, as an indie game, it has completely exceeded my expectations."

"Many people think that a big production that costs hundreds of millions is a good game, and that there are no good games in China because they are not willing to spend money. Obviously, this is not the case."

"A truly good game depends on whether the designer has a heart that truly loves games. Thank you, Cherry Studio. I will continue to support you in the future!"

"Finally, most of the endings of this game are a bit bitter, such as the overworked to death ending, the mental breakdown ending, the mediocre ending, the mid-life crisis ending... They're all too tragic!"

"I strongly recommend adding a 'Tengda Start' ending, so that we can also imagine the beauty of the workplace!"