104: Chapter 104 is about to be released.

After seeing Chen Fan, Zhang Tao took the initiative to greet him, "President Chen, you're here."

"Mhm." Chen Fan nodded and then got straight to the point. "How long has the latest version been tested? Are you sure there are no issues?"

"We've tested it internally many times. We've tested it on both the iOS platform and mainstream android platforms, and there are no issues." Zhang Tao paused and added, "All functions are running smoothly, and the crash rate is controlled below 0.1%, so it's quite stable."

"Send me the Apple installation package; I'll give it a try."

Zhang Tao operated the computer for a bit, and soon Chen Fan's phone vibrated.

Chen Fan took out his Hong Kong version iPhone 4, opened QQ, and received the file. Since he was connected to the company WiFi, the progress bar moved very quickly, and the dozens of megabytes of the installation package finished downloading in just over ten seconds.

Normally, iPhones cannot install third-party applications that are not listed on the App Store.

But these days, iPhones can be jailbroken, and jailbroken phones can install third-party applications.

Chen Fan's Hong Kong version iPhone 4 had long been jailbroken, so installing a test package wasn't a problem.

After installing it, Chen Fan opened the game.

The game loaded, and a familiar screen popped up—a yellow carrot squatting in the center of the screen, looking adorably naive, surrounded by green grass and a blue sky.

The art style was much more refined than the previous rough demo; the colors were more vibrant, the animations smoother, and the monsters would make a series of exaggerated expressions when defeated.

The office fell silent, leaving only the sound effects of monsters being hit in the game—a crisp, rhythmic "da-da-da" that was quite stress-relieving.

Chen Fan played through the levels one by one. His fingers swiped across the screen as he built and demolished turrets, constantly adjusting the layout.

When he reached the tenth level, Chen Fan's finger paused. A pop-up for purchasing items appeared on the screen; he clicked in, selected a "Super Bomb," and then continued.

The bomb exploded among the monsters, the screen shook, all monsters were wiped out, and the carrot remained unharmed.

It felt quite interesting. Based on his experience of playing games for over a decade, this early-released version of "defend the carrot" would definitely be a hit.

After finishing the test, he placed the phone on the table and looked at Zhang Tao. "Do you have an android test device? I'll try it again."

"Yes, President Chen." A twenty-something employee nearby picked up a phone from the desk and handed it over. "A Samsung Galaxy S. The test version is already installed on it; please give it a try."

Chen Fan took the phone and looked down at it.

It had a black body and a screen a size larger than the iPhone 4; it was a representative model of the android camp in 2010.

He opened the game, and the familiar loading screen popped up.

The office fell silent, leaving only the sound effects coming from the phone.

Chen Fan played through the levels one by one, his movements even faster than when he used the iPhone just now.

After reaching the third level, he stopped and put the phone on the table.

"It's alright; the smoothness is fine." He looked at Zhang Tao. "On the android side, have all mainstream models been tested?"

Zhang Tao nodded. "The HTC G7, Samsung Galaxy S, Sony Ericsson X10, and a few domestic models have all gone through a round of testing. No obvious issues were found."

"When do you think would be a suitable time to launch?"

Zhang Tao thought for a moment and then said:

"The iOS review usually takes 2-3 days. If we can submit it today and everything goes smoothly, it can be launched on September 20th, which is next Monday."

"Alright, then submit it today. Submit the iOS platform first, then work on the other platforms."

Zhang Tao nodded. "Okay, President Chen."

...

In the office, Qiao Linlin walked in carrying a cup of tea.

"Boss, I've put the water here for you."

After saying that, she placed the tea in her hand on the desk in front of Chen Fan.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, Boss. I'll head out now."

"Mhm." Chen Fan nodded.

When Qiao Linlin reached the door, Chen Fan suddenly spoke up, "By the way, have you played our company's game yet?"

Qiao Linlin stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Chen Fan. "I have; it's quite fun."

"Do you think this game is attractive to girls like you?"

Qiao Linlin thought for a moment. "It's attractive to me, at least. Mainly because the graphics are cute; that really draws me in."

"What about the gameplay?" Chen Fan continued to ask.

"The gameplay is also okay." She paused. "When they asked me to test it before, I played for half an hour straight."

After saying that, she suddenly realized something and quickly added, "I was helping Engineer Zhang and the others test it for half an hour."

Looking at her anxious attempt to cover her tracks, Chen Fan couldn't help but smile.

"No need to explain. Asking you to test it means letting you play the game. Would I really punish you for that?"

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, the tension on Qiao Linlin's face instantly turned into a smile.

"Alright, that's all. Go back to your own work."

"Okay, Boss."

She nodded, turned around, and pushed the door open to leave.

Chen Fan leaned back in his executive chair, his mind pondering what kind of results this game would achieve after its launch.

In his previous life, "defend the carrot" was launched in August 2012.

Within just one week of its launch on the App Store, downloads exceeded 100,000. Within a month, they broke 3 million, and by the end of the year, that number had reached 50 million.

It is now 2010. Although the shipment volume of smartphones cannot compare to two years later, it has already reached a considerable scale.

The iPhone 4 is selling well abroad, the android camp is flourishing, and more and more users are getting used to playing games on their phones.

Once the iPhone 4 is launched domestically in a few days, there will be another surge in iOS platform users.

Furthermore, mobile games are currently in a wasteland; the most popular ones on the App Store are still "Angry Birds" and "Fruit Ninja."

Games made by domestic manufacturers are few and far between, and their quality is uneven.

Users want to play something fresh, but there are only those few titles available over and over again.

Chen Fan believed that "defend the carrot," appearing two years ahead of schedule, would only go further than in his previous life.

Now it just depends on what kind of results it can achieve after being listed.

If the results are good, Chen Fan plans to start working on a second game immediately.

The second game will still be a mobile game.

A casual track, a lightweight hit, replicating the success logic of "defend the carrot," but with a more universal and addictive gameplay—Match-3.

This game was launched as a web version in 2013 and didn't hit the mobile market until 2014.

Within 20 days of the iOS version's release, daily active users exceeded 1 million; two months after launch, monthly revenue broke 20 million; and in the third month, monthly revenue exceeded 30 million.

By the end of the first year, the mobile platform alone contributed over 100 million in revenue.

And unlike those flash-in-the-pan games that disappear after a year or two.

It remained popular for over a decade; before Chen Fan's rebirth in his previous life, many people were still playing this game.

Its annual revenue could still exceed one billion.

It was simply terrifying.

Besides the results, another reason Chen Fan wanted to make this game was that it was simple to produce.

Like "defend the carrot," it didn't have much technical difficulty.

With the current team lineup, an initial version could be made in just over a month.

Moreover, he had the successful experience from his previous life.

Chen Fan thought that in this life, even if it appeared early, this game would definitely be successful.