Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 101: A Real Cooking Game

Is Golden Wind considered a small ga company?

Yes.

That's beyond question.

But is their current standing in the ga industry that of a small company?

Not at all.

That's what makes Golden Wind such an enigma.

They're doing the work of a mid-sized company while maintaining the appearance of a small one.

So even Yan Sheng had a hard ti categorizing exactly what size Golden Wind really was.

If he had to say...

“I guess… yeah…”

Yan Sheng nodded, then added,

“But isn’t participating in the Indie Ga Festival a bit…”

A bit too unfair.

You have to understand!

The last ti Golden Wind joined the Indie Ga Festival, they completely crushed all their competitors with just one title—Vampire Survivors!

They were basically the unofficial winner even before the final results ca in!

Now, after a year of growth, Golden Wind had begun to make a na for themselves across Asia. They were even going toe-to-toe with top-tier dostic developers!

And you’re telling you still want to participate in the Indie Ga Festival?

This…

Yan Sheng’s expression was complicated. He felt like Gu Sheng was being just a little too shaless.

But little did he know!

Gu Sheng wasn’t signing up for the festival just to pick on the small fries—

He needed to collect emotion points!

With three major obstacles ahead, Gu Sheng had no other path. If he wanted Yi Dashan to take down XunTeng and break through the siege,

He had to use TTF2.

Among all the gas he had a shot at releasing, only TTF2 balanced a good story with scalable multiplayer content.

Based on his estimates, by the end of next month—the latest they could begin developnt on their flagship title—PUBG would have earned him about 900,000 emotion points.

He still needed 100,000 more.

He needed a small enough ga to fill that gap by generating strong emotional responses.

He hadn’t figured out which ga yet, but he needed to secure the festival spot first.

Yan Sheng thought it over but still felt Golden Wind's participation in the Indie Ga Festival was a bit too much.

So he said, “How about this, Director Gu—

Given your company’s current reputation and standing, joining the Indie Ga Festival feels a bit like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito.

In the spirit of giving other indie developers a fair shot, let’s compromise a bit.

What if your company joins as a special guest studio,

And takes part in our online opening ceremony?

You can showcase your ga during the ceremony,

And it’ll be exempt from the fourteen-day free trial period and can be released for sale early as a festival teaser.

You’ll also get a fixed front-page feature during the festival,

But won’t be included in the official rankings.

How does that sound?”

Gu Sheng thought for a mont and nodded.

That worked.

After all, all he wanted was publicity. More exposure ant more players.

He didn’t even care if the ga turned a profit—he just needed it to generate enough emotion points to unlock TTF2’s core resources.

Yan Sheng’s proposal fit perfectly, maybe even better than being part of the rankings.

With such a great deal, of course Gu Sheng didn’t refuse:

“Well, if President Yan insists, it’d be rude for us to decline.”

“No no, it’s our honor,”

Yan Sheng smiled with relief when Gu Sheng agreed.

“Director Gu, you’re too modest.”

More pleasantries were exchanged.

After saying goodbye, Yan Sheng left the office.

After seeing Yan Sheng off, Gu Sheng checked the ti. It was 10:30 a.m.

That awkward ti—too late for breakfast, too early for lunch.

So he and Shen Miaomiao wandered over to the break area to grab a snack.

Yes.

“Grab” a snack.

To boost morale, relax the mood, and spark creativity (her words),

Boss Shen launched a wave of “reforms”!

She waved her hand and replaced the old snack shelves with claw machines.

More than ten of them, forming a semicircle around the break area, stocked with everything.

Chips, shrimp crackers, jellies, fruit snacks, biscuit sticks—you na it.

They rotated weekly, stocked by the supermarket in the mall downstairs.

And the best part?

These claw machines didn’t need coins.

If you wanted a snack, you could stand there and claw away all day.

However!

Anyone who’s played a claw machine knows—the claw strength can be adjusted.

Here’s where Shen Miaomiao’s brilliance ca in—

She set the machines to a dium difficulty, about the sa as the ones in shopping malls.

You’d get sothing every 20–30 tries.

Want a snack?

Then stand there and earn it.

It effectively stretched break tis and shortened actual work hours!

At first, people were hesitant.

Until one day, they saw Boss Shen standing next to the biscuit stick machine with Art Director Jiang Shan, clawing away for half an hour!

If the boss is slacking off, then it must be okay!

That’s when everyone jumped in, lining up to claw for snacks.

And that’s not all—

So folks were impatient.

They didn’t want to figure out angles and claw strength—they just wanted the snack now.

No problem!

Shen Miaomiao contacted the machine supplier and got a batch of ga tokens.

When you insert a token, the claw power maxes out—guaranteed win!

How to get tokens? Easy.

Shen Miaomiao upgraded all the office caras to facial recognition.

If you clocked out on ti and didn’t reappear at the office between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m.,

You were marked as having perfect attendance and could claim one token per day from Finance.

With this two-pronged “reverse attendance” system,

Golden Wind’s slacking culture flourished, and everyone’s clock-out ti beca pinpoint accurate!

Even Gu Sheng had to marvel:

If you put that brainpower into our projects, we’d be listed by now…

“Old Gu, I want that one.”

They had just reached the break area when Shen Miaomiao spotted a newly rotated snack—

Her favorite: coconut-flavored lollipops.

She knew Old Gu’s skills. A claw machine veteran,

He could get one in ten tries even without a token. Total pro.

“Lollipops, huh… That’s a tough one.”

Gu Sheng clicked his tongue and rolled up his sleeves.

Small, slippery items were always harder to grab without a token.

“Let give it a shot.”

He approached the machine, hit the start button, and began moving the joystick.

While trying to grab it, he started:

“About that flagship project…”

He wanted to continue the discussion they didn’t finish in the eting,

Explain his strategy, investnt estimates—

And most importantly—

Tell her not to worry. He was confident that Golden Wind could win this “Tian Ji horse race” and co out on top.

Yi Dashan might not guarantee a win,

But even if it didn’t make money, it definitely wouldn’t lose big.

However!

Shen Miaomiao thought he was about to protest!

She imdiately placed a small hand over his mouth, oozing CEO charisma:

“Shhhhhh—Old Gu, say no more. I believe in you. Just go for it.”

“Right now, your job is to get that coconut lollipop.”

And she added ntally:

We’re gonna lose money anyway. Who cares.

Their “bottom-tier horse” was up against three generals, and the budget gap was tenfold.

Breaking even would be a miracle.

Gu Sheng’s first attempt failed. He rolled his eyes and swatted her hand away.

“Don’t give that fake drama. Just say you don’t get it.”

Still, he was touched.

If this were a small side project, maybe Shen Miaomiao would be hands-off because she’s lazy.

But this was a nine-digit investnt—Golden Wind’s first big title.

A make-or-break mont for the company’s future.

And she still handed him full control.

That kind of trust was rare in any company.

It wasn’t just guts—it ant she really believed in him and in the entire project team.

Gu Sheng got it.

Buzz—

The claw hovered over the lollipop.

He started shaking the joystick side to side, trying to swing the claw and nudge the lollipop into the prize chute.

“Just saying though,” he teased as warmth spread in his heart,

“If I screw this up, it’s not my fault, yeah?”

Shen Miaomiao’s eyes sparkled.

“Hey—Old Gu, what are you talking about? We’re family, right? No need for formalities!”

She nearly laughed out loud, trying to hold back a grin.

“No pressure at all. With you on the case, our ga’s definitely gonna be a hit!”

She patted his shoulder like a boss.

Heh, yeah right. It’s gonna lose money either way.

Just don’t let it shake your soul when it tanks.

Buzz—click.

As planned, the claw nudged the lollipop a little closer.

Promising.

Gu Sheng’s eyes lit up. He kept going.

Then he asked, “What do you think about the Indie Ga Festival?”

Oh right.

That reminded Shen Miaomiao—Old Gu had just asked Yan Sheng about it, probably trying to rack up more emotion points for the flagship ga next month.

But she didn’t really care.

It was just a small PC ga. Budget would be small—maybe 200k tops.

Even if it bombed, it might only refund 2 million.

Compared to the flagship ga, it wasn’t even worth it.

“What do you think?” she asked, eyes fixed on the lollipop inching toward the prize chute.

“I don’t really know. That’s why I’m asking you,” Gu Sheng replied, nudging the claw again.

“I’m out of ideas,” Shen Miaomiao shrugged.

Then she rembered that weird idea Gu Sheng had during the PUBG pitch:

“If I told you to actually make a cooking ga, would you do it? We’d 100% lose money…”

She rolled her eyes.

Gu Sheng would never go for a ga destined to flop.

Just as she finished—

Click!

The lollipop dropped into the chute.

Gu Sheng smiled. “I an, it’s not impossible.”

“What’s not impossible?” Shen Miaomiao was confused.

He picked up the lollipop and handed it to her,

“A cooking ga. It’s doable.”

Her hands froze mid-unwrapping.

“Wait, didn’t you call those gas stupid during the Asian Gas opening? Are you…”

She pointed at him, then at her head.

“Testing your lower IQ limits?”

“No,” Gu Sheng chuckled,

“I said that because those kinds of gas don’t suit motion-sensing platforms.

And they’re not great for eSports.

But this ti, we’re talking about a small PC ga.”

Different conditions, different possibilities.

“Like Who’s Your Daddy,

Just sothing casual—grab a friend or your partner,

Cook up so fancy dishes, serve them to custors, and get good reviews.

Strengthens friendships, deepens relationships,

A 20-30 RMB ga that’s cheap and cheerful.

Why not?”

“Ohhh—”

Shen Miaomiao nodded along.

A co-op cooking ga.

Sounded kinda fun.

The idea of cooking together with a friend or partner and racking up complints?

Pretty satisfying.

Definitely relationship-building.

She slurped her lollipop. “Sounds reasonable. And it’s probably sothing I can play too.”

“You definitely can,” Gu Sheng smiled, moving to another machine to grab himself so chips.

“Why don’t you join on the festival livestream? I need a partner for a co-op ga.”

Her eyes lit up. “Great idea!”

She didn’t care about the profits anyway—might as well boost Old Gu’s confidence and give him so comfort.

Standing up with her lollipop, she patted his shoulder and gave a thumbs-up:

“With our powers combined, that livestream’s gonna be a hit, and the ga will sell like crazy!”

Seeing her enthusiasm, Gu Sheng smiled and thought,

Sales or not, who the hll cares. I just need those emotion points.

If I could release it for free without being obvious, I’d do it.

Even if it loses money, the flagship ga will cover it.*

And with that—

Gu Sheng’s thought activated.

[System, unlock “Overcooked” for .]

Ti flew by.

Though it was already late autumn and getting colder, the Bird’s Nest in Zhongjing was ablaze with excitent!

The massive, dazzling stage sat at the center, brilliantly lit.

A hundred motion-sensing pods circled it like stars around a moon, glowing in technicolor.

On the giant four-sided screen above, a man in a white shirt and jeans, wearing a heavy helt, burst through an explosion on a motorcycle!

The stands were packed. Flags waved.

The crowd roared!

As music kicked in—

The cheers and applause shook the skies.

The side-stage DJ’s voice echoed—

“Ladies and gentlen—

Welco to the 6th Asian Electronic Sports Ga Developer Conference and PUBG Asia Invitational Exhibition Match,

Co-hosted by the China International Digital Entertainnt Association, Neon Higashi Gaming Club, Korean eSports Ga Alliance, and Crescent Tech of West Asia!”

“Welco, everyone!!!”

BOOM—!!!

The stadium erupted in cheers!

Flas shot from the stage.

Fireworks exploded around the venue!

Bang!

Dazzling fireworks lit up the Bird’s Nest do.

The massive 6th Asian Gas logo appeared in the sky, bathed in beams of rainbow light!

Yes—

After a month of fierce competition, the once-every-four-years pan-Asian gaming dev event had crowned its champion ten days earlier!

Golden Wind, the Chinese developer, won with a 50 million RMB budget, 1.5 million units sold, and a total revenue nearing 150 million!

The announcent sent shockwaves through China’s ga industry!

Congratulatory calls flooded in. Angel investors sward.

Golden Wind had suddenly beco the tastiest bite in the ga world!

From gaming dia to unrelated industries, everyone wanted a piece!

Even people with ties to Shen Wanlin reached out, hoping to invest in Golden Wind.

But Shen Miaomiao was firm: sponsorships were fine, but no profit-sharing investnts.

At the sa ti—

The eSports qualifiers for the Asian Gas began!

Since the ga had only been released a month ago,

Most clubs hadn’t ford yet. Big-na teams were still watching from the sidelines.

So like before, it remained an exhibition match.

After several online rounds,

Each of the five Asian regions selected five teams—25 teams and 100 players—

All gathered at the Bird’s Nest for the grand offline final!

Outside, the autumn wind blew cold.

Inside, the heat of competition raged on!