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Gao He had originally planned to stay at the Company until the end of the year before leaving. This unexpected turn of events had undoubtedly disrupted his plans, but his resignation wasn't a completely blind or impulsive decision.
Sometimes, bad things can turn into good things.
"I have two good friends at the Company who are also capable," Gao He said. "They want to start a company with me!"
He continued, "I've also contacted some junior brothers from our university who just graduated this year. If needed, we can immediately assemble a team of about ten people."
The Company where Gao He had previously worked was relatively small. In the fiercely competitive mobile game industry, where winners take all, smaller companies undoubtedly face much tougher challenges.
Low salaries, heavy workloads, and uncertain prospects had long made Gao He consider leaving. He'd only stayed for over a year to gain work experience.
Ever since his conversation with Lu Chen last time, Gao He had been actively preparing.
For a mobile game, a team of ten or so people would never be enough. But as long as they planted their flag in Hangzhou, a hotbed of high-tech talent, recruiting the necessary professionals wouldn't be difficult, it just depended on how ambitious they wanted to be.
"For the initial phase, we don't need many people," Lu Chen said with a smile. "I've already settled on our first game project."
"What kind of game is it?" Gao He asked, his interest piqued. "Role-playing? Action? Strategy? Puzzle?"
He was asking about the game genre.
For a new company entering the mobile game market, choosing the right genre was crucial, a key factor in determining success or failure.
Gao He understood technology and was willing to work tirelessly as an IT workhorse, but game design wasn't his forte.
He was more interested in Lu Chen's creative vision than even the funding Lu Chen provided!
In today's fiercely competitive mobile gaming landscape, creativity truly reigns supreme.
Lu Chen wasn't in a rush to answer. He asked a waiter to bring him a pen and several sheets of printer paper.
He picked up the pen and swiftly scribbled a line of English letters on the paper: "shuā shuā shuā". With a flourish, he handed it to Gao He.
Gao He took the paper and stared at it, his face a mask of bewilderment.
Wang Xiaoling leaned in curiously and cautiously asked, "Happy?"
The paper contained a website address:
Lu Chen grinned. "Exactly! This will be the website for our new company, HappyNet!"
The domain had already been registered, but fortunately, it didn't belong to any major website. Instead, it was in the hands of a domain broker, and Lu Chen managed to acquire it for just 100,000 yuan.
"Our first project will be a farming-themed social web and mobile game!"
His pen flew across a fresh sheet of paper, sketching a rough game interface with quick, simple strokes: divided fields, a farmhouse, a windmill, a small river, and of course, rows of growing vegetables.
Lu Chen had studied sketching and color theory before. While his drawing skills couldn't compare to those of a professional artist, creating this kind of childlike sketch was effortless and he finished it quickly.
He used the sketch to explain his concept to Gao He and Wang Xiaoling: "This game is called Happy Farm. All registered users start with basic resources: six plots of land, farming tools, seeds, and so on. They can log in daily to manage their farms, planting crops, watering, fertilizing, removing pests, and harvesting."
'That's it?'
Gao He and Wang Xiaoling exchanged blank glances, unsure what to say.
Having worked in the industry for years, they possessed both experience and insight, regardless of their personal abilities.
Lu Chen's game concept was somewhat unique, but it didn't sound particularly appealing. Who would be bored enough to spend their days planting virtual crops on their phones or computers? How could they ensure customer retention?
Out of politeness, neither wanted to voice their concerns directly, but their expressions betrayed their skepticism.
Lu Chen noticed their expressions and continued with a smile, "Does it seem a bit pointless? The key to this game lies in its interactivity. Registered users can invite others to become friends, then either help manage their friends' farms by planting and harvesting crops, or steal their crops."
"So, it's basically just stealing crops!"
In Lu Chen's Dream World, Happy Farm had been a web game phenomenon. The national craze for stealing crops lasted for ages, frequently making headlines and generating countless news stories.
Unfortunately, it had emerged a bit too early, just as smartphones were beginning to gain traction. Had it been released a few years later, it would undoubtedly have become a smash-hit mobile game, simple, fun, highly interactive, and targeting a fundamental human weakness.
Lu Chen chose this game as the launch project for his new company for two primary reasons. First, the Happy Farm concept was brilliant, guaranteeing a blockbuster hit. Second, its production complexity was low, making it ideal for a small startup team.
No mobile game lasts forever, and Happy Farm would be no exception. But by the time the game faded, the company's foundation would be solid.
By then, Lu Chen would have a wealth of new ideas ready to launch, Fruit Ninja, Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Birds.
After Lu Chen's detailed explanation of Happy Farm, it was Wang Xiaoling, the non-technical member of the team, who grasped the concept first. "This is really interesting! Girls will definitely love it."
Girls typically dislike violent combat games; casual games are their preference. Happy Farm combines the relaxing nature of a casual game with progression and competitive elements, and most importantly, it's highly interactive.
Lu Chen continued, "We can integrate WeChat login, allowing users to sign in directly with their WeChat accounts and invite all their friends to join."
As the dominant force in instant messaging, WeChat boasts the world's largest and most widespread user base. Using existing WeChat accounts for membership registration is a common practice for many websites and games.
Lu ChenWorkshop had a strong collaborative relationship with WeChat, so securing access to WeChat's resources was straightforward. They could even advertise through the platform.
Having already thought this far ahead, Lu Chen solidified even Gao He's still somewhat uncertain resolve. "Old Third, whatever you say, goes! I'll follow your lead on everything!"
Wang Xiaoling gritted her teeth and said, "Lu Chen, for the new company's investment, Gao He will contribute 300,000 yuan, and I'll contribute 200,000 yuan. Together, we'll have 500,000 yuan. You decide the equity split!"
Though they spoke of two individuals, these were actually the entire savings of their respective families.
Lu Chen nodded. "Then I'll contribute 4.5 million yuan, taking 80% of the shares. You two will get 10% each, and the remaining 10% will be reserved for equity incentives for future employees who make significant contributions. What do you think?"
With a budget of 5 million yuan, launching the Happy Farm project would be more than sufficient. Lu Chen's equity distribution plan was fair and reasonable, even slightly favoring Gao He and the other partner, since he was providing the 10% incentive equity himself and contributing the core creative concept.
Without hesitation, Gao He declared, "No problem at all!"
Lu Chen grinned and extended his hand. "Let's toast to a successful partnership!"
(End of Chapter)