I am a Big Player
Chapter 253 - 251, Is this what a friendly match means?! (Second update)_1

Chapter 253: 251, Is this what a friendly match means?! (Second update)_1

Hearing that Ren He was going to play Dota with them, the techies, Little Fatty Xu Nuo, and even the game designers’ eyes lit up. After all, wasn’t it expected that Ren He playing Dota would help them perfect the game? It was practically their duty.

Their excitement stemmed from the fact that although Dota was just released for internal testing, they had already been playing and refining it for nearly half a month. They were well-acquainted with it.

In their eyes, Ren He had always been shrouded in mystery; it seemed like he could solve any problem tossed his way and that nothing could stump him. But now, things were different; they could thrash their own boss in Dota—imagine that feeling!

They were excited, so excited! Techies and planners alike felt like they might soar into the skies at the thought of soon thrashing their boss!

Ren He glanced at them and, guessing what they were thinking from their expressions, pretended to be all-knowing. He sat down at a computer and said, "Today’s match is a friendly match, and what does that mean? It means we agree beforehand that no matter how harshly someone is beaten, it won’t affect our friendship."

The others were baffled. Is that really what a friendly match means?!

But regardless, since he had said it himself, it would be embarrassing to hold back.

The atmosphere at Qinghe Games was always lively and harmonious, so nobody felt awkward about the prospect of beating their own boss—they often joked with Ren He, anyway.

Everyone found a seat and continued to discuss their tactics. Dota was indeed an addictive thing. Since its development, these creators couldn’t help but play a few rounds every day. The pity was that they only had so few people to play with; they were truly eager to see what it would be like once Dota went live.

Ren He casually called a few people to join him, with the other five on the opposite team.

Someone whispered, "Wherever the big boss goes, we’ll focus our attack on that lane!"

"Haha, isn’t that a bit much?"

"We finally have a chance to pummel him, and you want to let it slip? What if he gets good at playing Dota and surpasses us? Right now, we should take advantage of his inexperience!"

"But he developed the game. What if he’s good at it without ever having played?"

"Is that likely? Remember how we were when we first started? I’ve figured out Dota: knowing the data is one thing, knowing how to play is another. Playing the game isn’t like programming—it’s different."

"True!"

Indeed, knowing the data in Dota didn’t necessarily mean one would play well; otherwise, all the data whizzes from the previous world would be in the top 100 of the ladder, right?

However, they could never have imagined that in his past life, Ren He had played Dota for a full eight years...

Ren He looked up, smiled at them, and didn’t mind their plotting. He deliberately waited until the minions were spawned before showing himself, not wanting the enemy to know his starting position and gang up on him.

The rascals on the other team got excited upon spotting him: "Bot lane, bot lane, the big boss is bot! Let’s go, let’s kill him!"

But just then, a female system voice suddenly rang out through the headphones: "Firstblood!"

"Damn, what happened? How did you die?" For a moment, Ren He’s opponents were stunned. It was not even two minutes into the game, and the teammate facing Ren He in the bot lane had already been killed...

"No, we need to kill him quick!" They suddenly had a bad feeling...

"Double kill!"

The bot lane where Ren He was seemed like a slaughterhouse; anyone who went there died!

Ren He’s teammate watched as he deftly maneuvered his hero, familiar with every keybind, and exceedingly knowledgeable about each item, not hesitating for a moment when choosing his gear!

This sure looked like someone who had played before!

Who the hell said the big boss had never played?!

But they were very aware that even Ren He was seeing the beta version of Dota for the first time today. It wouldn’t make sense to say he had played it before!

Ren He slaughtered that group of people to the point of howling ghosts and wailing wolves, and his control over vision was incredibly precise. It wasn’t until this moment that many programmers understood why Ren He demanded that the maps he designed be replicated perfectly in the game: each tree could result in a loss of vision, making it impossible to use abilities.

Somehow, Dota in the hands of Ren He felt like a work of art!

"I admit defeat, I admit defeat! I’m not playing anymore!"

"It’s unplayable!"

Watching Ren He corner several newbies by the fountain and kill them over and over, not letting them even leave the door!

Ren He said leisurely, "I did say in advance, no matter how ruthless the beating, let’s not let it affect our friendship."

The programmers on the other team were nearly in tears—they had completely misunderstood! It turned out that from the beginning, the opponent had been planning to trounce their team of five...

They really couldn’t understand how someone who had never played Dota before could dominate a group of players who had been playing for half a month, just by understanding the data. And it wasn’t even a close competition; they checked and saw that, whether it was last-hits, kills, or denials, all the statistics were overwhelmingly in his favor.

Perhaps there really was such a thing as talent...

Ren He took off his headset and thought for a moment before saying, "Come here, everyone, let’s talk about the game experience and what needs to be modified. It’s all in the details."

While playing Dota, Ren He noticed some things that felt off, details that differed from the gaming experience he knew from his previous life. After all, a game has so many details that, even with their extensive experience, they couldn’t replicate the Dota of his previous life exactly, since they hadn’t played it.

But Ren He understood; this was the real reason he wanted to play a match.

These detail modifications wouldn’t take long, so Dota was finally about to be launched soon. The thought of finally bringing Dota to this world with his own effort also filled Ren He with excitement.

When discussing the marketing strategy, Ren He chose the most direct approach: Play Dota, get a Kunlun pet!

Kunlun’s concurrent user count was about to break the one million mark, providing the perfect foundation for Dota’s growth. This promotion strategy was overused in the previous world, but no one had tried it yet here!

From its conception, Kunlun was destined to be a transitional product for Qinghe Games. The real ace was still in their hands, unsheathed. Many people at Qinghe Games were aware of this and understood Ren He’s strategy.

However, given Kunlun’s strong earning power at the moment, some wondered whether Dota could reach the same level as Kunlun.

Kunlun was earning a monthly revenue of 36 million now; could Dota really match that?

Yet Ren He was very clear in his mind: It was entirely possible.

In his previous life, Dota 2’s global monthly revenue was 45 million US dollars, while League of Legends was bringing in 150 million US dollars a month. Both games far surpassed Kunlun.

In this life, under Ren He’s guidance, Dota not only changed the depressive visuals but also introduced cuter art styles, cool accessories, sets—in fact, skins.

And the most important point was that in this life, Dota had no natural predator. According to historical trajectory, even if knockoffs were to appear, it wouldn’t be until six years later.

Dota in this life wouldn’t lose users due to engine issues, and even if a game of League of Legends’ caliber appeared, Dota would still hold its own against the competition.

Moreover, and most crucially, in this life there was no Tencent... Tencent was simply too dominating, monopolizing social communication software for so many years, counting its users in the billions. Developing games on such a platform was terrifyingly effective.

Now, with no such daunting platform in existence, even if there were, Ren He planned to seize the opportunity to become a shareholder.

Thinking of this, Ren He’s eyes brightened. He didn’t have the energy to replicate Tencent, but he could become a shareholder by investing and then offer some ideas—a one-time effort for long-term gain. He wasn’t short on funds right now, and the market value of these messaging apps wasn’t nearly as formidable as Tencent’s in his previous life.

But these thoughts were for later; the marketing and promotion plan for Dota was already in the works!