Chapter 49

What was originally an ordinary holiday evening became a sleepless night in the gaming industry after Keli Ka’s gacha pool hit its revenue cap.

One a.m.

The sea breeze carried fine rain, reversing the river’s flow into inland waterways, as waves crashed against the riverbanks with thunderous roars.

In a spacious office on the top floor of an office building beside the river, its decor was ancient yet luxurious.

At this moment.

A middle-aged man in his fifties, with streaks of gray in his hair, stood before a glass window, gazing down at the turbulent waves below.

After a long while, he turned slowly, his gaze sweeping over the Technical Director and the Operations Director seated on the sofa, and spoke calmly:

“I assume you’ve both heard the news. Share your thoughts…”

Though not a single word mentioned Genshin Impact, as the Technical Director and Operations Director of the gaming industry’s top player, they knew exactly what their boss was referring to: Genshin Impact’s single-day revenue topping the charts.

The two exchanged glances, both reluctant to speak first.

No one knew Chen Hai’s temper better than they did.

He might seem calm now, but one wrong word could earn them a furious berating.

Yet since he had already asked, avoiding the question was no longer possible.

“Boss Chen, our main mobile games haven’t had any events lately, and players’ willingness to spend has dropped.”

After a pause, the Operations Director spoke cautiously: “But after the new version launches the day after tomorrow, the new dungeons will be extremely difficult—players won’t be able to progress without spending. If we run a few more large-recharge rebate events, the top revenue spot will still belong to Shengda.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Hai’s brow instantly furrowed. “Are you saying we don’t have enough players leaving lately?”

Go check the remaining balances on those dozen high-spender accounts before you launch another large-recharge rebate!”

Can’t your planners use their brains at all?”

The Operations Director fell silent; speaking further would only invite more abuse.

He himself felt deeply frustrated.

Shareholders only look at financial reports—the KPIs are right there. What else could he do?

Moreover,

The entire gaming industry is operating this way: push new events, pressure players to spend—everyone does it.

And it’s always worked well before.

So what’s changed now?

“Old Li, tell me your thoughts!” Seeing Operations Director Gu Tong remain silent, Chen Hai shook his head and turned to Technical Director Li Zhong.

At this moment, Chen Hai, the leader of Shengda Network—the top gaming company in Xia Nation—felt profound disappointment.

Whether in technology, traffic, talent, or funding,

Shengda Network was unquestionably the best in Xia Nation, and the only company that could even challenge them was Mengyi Games.

But for some time now, the reputation of their games had been steadily declining.

New games developed with massive investment failed to make any significant impact.

Though they still clung to their top position thanks to a few licensed titles, if they continued standing still, someone would inevitably dethrone them.

Clearly,

Genshin Impact’s sudden emergence and its record-breaking daily revenue was a warning sign.

Of course,