Chapter 104: Villefort Game Studios

……

"Boss, you don't have a deep connection in politics right now!" Wendy Solo reminded.

"Why are you so concerned about this today?"

Guo Shouyun looked at her in surprise.

"Because you've turned down seven invitations to political gatherings!" Wendy said with a hint of grumbling in her tone. Every time Guo Shouyun was invited, it was clean, and all the things that she refused later were left to her. You must know that rejecting someone is not a good errand, especially if the identity of the other party is not ordinary.

"Okay, okay! If there is a similar invitation next time, I will definitely not decline. Guo Shouyun shrugged.

"Really?"

"Of course, but I have to say that no more than twice a month can make such invitations!"

Although Guo Shouyun also knows that if you want to expand your network, you can't be too closed. But it is really against his heart to let him wear a mask to make some 'fox friends and dog friends' with the snake. So after weighing left and right, it can only be a compromise with a bottom line.

Wendy Solow, who knows his character, although he thinks that two times is too little, he doesn't say anything more.

"By the way, Wendy, there's something you can do for me. ”

Seeing her nod and then take out a pen and paper, Guo Shouyun continued: "You help me recruit a few people with writing skills, and the speed must be fast!"

As he had more and more things at hand, he had less and less time to write books every day. Moreover, this trend will become more and more obvious with the development of large and small companies such as LinkedIn and Google. Therefore, in the case of reluctance to publish books and the high profits contained in the surrounding copyrights, Guo Shouyun also had to seek a workaround.

"What about staffing and payroll?"

"The establishment will be placed under your secretariat for the time being, and the salary will be determined according to their level!"

"Got it!"

"In the future, I will write about high-profit or literary values like "Twilight", "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Island Bookstore". For the rest of Fast & Furious, The Hunger Games, and Source Code, I'll write a detailed outline and give it to them to polish. In this way, you can not only occupy the lucrative copyright, but also save a lot of energy!" Guo Shouyun said in his heart.

After Wendy Solo left, thinking of tonight's party, Guo Shouyun remembered that Cheng Tinghua secretly showed himself when he left Martin's house before, and the other party's eyes full of meaning appeared in his mind.

"I'd like to see what kind of medicine you're selling in your gourd!"

Thinking of this, Guo Shouyun turned on the computer, and after entering the address, an unfamiliar mailbox popped up. The registration opened, and after a little consideration, a message was sent. As expected, the other party replied quite quickly.

"Bruce!"

"So quick to reply. Why, the party at Martin's house is over?"

"The reason why there is this party is for you is for you at all, since you, the target person, have left, then we naturally have no need to stay!"

"For me, I'm afraid it's for my LinkedIn stake, right?"

"Hehe, you can understand it that way!"

Seeing the words on the screen, Guo Shouyun's eyes flashed with a touch of deep thought, and he quickly typed a line of text and sent it over.

"So what is your purpose? I am afraid that the rest of the Kratos Brotherhood contacted me behind my back, and it is probably not just because of our not very deep friendship, right?"

"Bruce, the two of us have been sitting in the same classroom for two years, and it's so sad for me to say that!"

If you want to continue to waste my precious time, then I won't accompany you!"

"Wait! Bruce, I'd like to invite you to a party next week!"

"If it's a party like today, then I'm not interested in it!"

"Don't be too busy saying no. Gatherings are similar, but the people who attend them are different. … Bruce, you are also Chinese, don't you want to get to know the elite class of Chinese in the United States? Moreover, you should understand the truth that 'like gathers like and people gather by groups.'" Even if you reject me today, I believe that you will definitely participate actively or passively in the future. ”

Looking at the text in the email, Guo Shouyun's face showed a look of concern. Cheng Tinghua is right, his Chinese identity cannot be changed no matter what. In the predominantly white society of the United States, whether he wants it or not, he is inseparable from this group, his fate is linked, and sooner or later he will come into contact with it. In this case, it is better to start early than to contact it late. If he can get the help of this group, then his development in the United States will be smoother.

"What time?"

"Next Wednesday, the exact time and place have not yet been decided! ”

"Here's my phone number, call me then!"

Guo Shouyun attached his mobile phone number to the email and sent it.

“OK！”

After chatting casually about the interesting things they were studying, they cut off contact with each other.

"Knock...!"

Guo Shouyun tapped the middle finger of his right hand rhythmically on the table, frowning while his eyes were slightly closed, and the whole person fell into deep thought.

"Maybe it's a good opportunity too!"

……

Seattle, the core city of Washington State, is also one of the technology hubs of the western United States. The headquarters of the famous Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing are located here. Of course, compared to Microsoft and Boeing, the current Amazon is still just an ant at the feet of a giant, and it is not eye-catching.

In addition, the headquarters of Guo Shouyun's Matrix Games' subsidiary, 'Villefort Game Studios', is also located here.

Looking at the employees who were working seriously outside through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, Guo Shouyun's eyes showed a look of relief and joy.

On his right-hand side, Gabe Newell, who was wearing a black suit, with a thin face and a slightly narrow eye, was also looking at the young boss who had been following him for nearly half a year. Although the sales of "Counter-Strike" exploded, he regretted selling the company in the first place. But at the same time, he also admits that under the leadership of this new owner, who has a deep understanding and design mindset of the game industry, the future of Villefort Game Studio has more potential than it did at the beginning.

"Gabe, how many developers are there in the company now?"

"Three game development teams, 109 people!" Gabe Newell quickly replied.

"What about the development progress?"

"The first game development team's 'Half-Life: Blue Boiling Point' will not be until May next year. The second game development team's 'Counter-Strike 2' has only been in development for less than three months, and it may be a year before it goes on sale. The third game development team's 'road to survival' is progressing quickly, but if you want to go public, I'm afraid it will have to wait until a year later. ”

Guo Shouyun nodded clearly, it usually takes a year or two for a game to go on sale from development to testing, and then to go on sale, and Gabe Newell's answer is not surprising.

"Knock...!"

As there was a knock on the door, a middle-aged woman wearing a women's professional dress with a serious expression pushed the door and walked in.

"Boss, here's the company's financial statements for last month!"

"684,000 sheets, not bad!" Guo Shouyun said with a smile after flipping through them briefly.

"Of the 684,000 copies sold, Counter-Strike discs accounted for the majority of sales, of which 93,400 were Half-Life and Half-Life: Confrontation Against Violence. Gabe Newell explained.

After nodding, Guo Shouyun handed the report in his hand to Wendy beside him, ready to take it back to read it in detail.

"If I'm not mistaken, since the launch of 'Counter-Strike', sales have exceeded 1.9 million copies?"

"1,934,800 to be exact!" added Gabe Newell.

"Looks like we've developed another good game!" Guo Shouyun smiled.

A game that sells more than one million can be regarded as a best-seller, but now that Counter-Strike has been on the market for more than two months, it is still hot, and it is not just a best-selling but a hit.

After beckoning the two to sit down on the sofa in the reception area next to them, Guo Shouyun continued: "Petty, how much money does the company have in its account now?"

"$75.487 million, of which $5 million is an investment plan, which is currently managed by BlackRock Group. Most of the remaining funds are from the sale of Counter-Strike, which is still in the company's bank account for the time being. As the company's Chief Financial Officer, Petty Madil has a good grasp of the financial situation of Villefort Game Studios.