171: Chapter 171 is expected to be released in six months.

Seeing this number, Chen Fan was naturally very happy.

With one hundred thousand downloads on the first day of its launch, this game was already a huge success.

The heart that had been hanging in his chest finally settled. Throughout the morning, he had been feeling anxious, and although he didn't show it on his face, his fingers had been tapping on the desk all morning without pause.

Now that the number one hundred thousand was right there, it meant that this game was a sure thing.

With two consecutive game successes, the company could be considered to be on the right track. From the unexpected smash hit of "defend the carrot" to the first-day milestone of over one hundred thousand for "happy elimination," it was no longer just luck.

As long as these two games remained, even if they couldn't produce another blockbuster later, the company would still live very comfortably.

In his previous life, the game "happy elimination" remained extremely popular even after twenty years, and it always had a place on the casual game leaderboards.

Although "defend the carrot" wasn't as hot as "happy elimination," it was still a product with a long lifecycle, a large user base, and a good reputation, occasionally popping up on the charts.

These two products were like two money-printing machines; as long as they were maintained and kept updated, the company wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.

Of course, the company couldn't just keep resting on its laurels and sleeping on its past achievements.

"archangels sword" was the company's next strategic plan and the next card in Chen Fan's hand.

Although this game's lifespan wasn't as long as "happy elimination"—the lifecycle of MMORPGs is generally shorter than casual games, with user enthusiasm coming and going quickly, usually starting to decline after three to five years—

the revenue of this game was incomparable to "happy elimination."

Elimination-style games only had a few monetization points: stamina, items, and moves. The unit price was low, and users' willingness to pay relied on impulse purchases when they felt, "I can't pass this level."

MMORPGs were different. With equipment, wings, skills, VIP status, gacha, and limited-time gift packs, there were dozens of monetization points, and there was no cap on how much users could spend.

In games like this, spending hundreds or thousands was nothing; there were plenty of people who spent tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions. The big-spending players supported the entire server. That was why Chen Fan had high expectations for it.

So, right now, he was getting ready to go see Technical Lead to check on the game's progress.

Technical Lead's team's workstations were right next to Zhang Tao's team, so Chen Fan arrived after just a few steps.

Several people on the team were busy in front of their computers. Wang Yun was flipping through design documents, and Gu Ning was drawing on a digital tablet; the screen showed the outline of wings, with smooth lines but no coloring yet.

The programmers' screens were filled with dense code. Some were running tests, while others were adjusting rendering effects. The sound of keyboards clattering was rapid and rhythmic.

Seeing Chen Fan walk over, Technical Lead was the first to stand up and greet him: "Boss Chen." The others looked up upon hearing this and hurriedly offered their greetings as well. Some called out "Boss Chen," while others muttered "The boss is here," before lowering their heads to continue working.

Chen Fan waved his hand, signaling them to continue working. His gaze swept across the workstation area before returning to Technical Lead's face: "What stage is the game development at now?"

Upon hearing this, Technical Lead spoke, his pace unhurried, as if he were reviewing the project schedule in his mind: "We are currently in the first stage, which is mainly technical research and prototype building. We've completed about sixty percent so far."

"Sixty percent? What exactly does that include?" Although Chen Fan trusted Technical Lead, he still had to ask; he couldn't afford to be an absentee boss.

"The front-end architecture is currently set up. The core logic for loading processes, resource management, and scene switching has all been tested and works. The basic infrastructure can support the development of all subsequent features. We are currently adjusting the multi-player synchronization for the Devil's Square dungeon; the goal is to have fifty players without lag, and right now we can stabilize at thirty-five, so it still needs more optimization. The art assets aren't in place yet, so we're using blocks as placeholders, which doesn't affect the development progress. Additionally, a simple prototype of the combat system has been created, and the core logic works—warriors use basic slashes, mages use fireballs, and archers use shooting. We're using simple versions for the special effects and haven't adjusted the stats yet; it's just to verify the logic."

Listening to Technical Lead's response, Chen Fan ran through the information in his mind. Front-end architecture set up, combat prototype running, Devil's Square synchronization being adjusted, art assets lagging. The progress wasn't fast, but it wasn't dragging either; it was a normal pace.

Although he understood every word, he didn't have an intuitive sense of exactly how far along things were. Web game development wasn't something an outsider could judge based on just a few sentences.

"Give me an estimate: when do you think the game can be launched?" Chen Fan asked.

Technical Lead frowned. "We are only in the first stage. There's still core feature development, content filling, and game testing ahead. I estimate it will take five to six months. If you add in the small-scale closed beta before the launch, adjusting stats, and fixing bugs, it will take at least half a year."

Half a year or more. Chen Fan didn't feel this timeline was too long. Although it was much longer than the development progress of the two mobile games— "defend the carrot" took less than two months from project initiation to launch, and "happy elimination" took just over three months.

But casual mobile games were, after all, much simpler: the gameplay was singular, the systems weren't complex, the amount of art assets was small, and the server pressure wasn't high, so a small team of a few people could put one together in a few months. MMORPGs were different. The class system, skill system, equipment system, enhancement system, dungeon system, boss system... every single system was a major project, and under every system, there were countless sub-modules.

MMORPGs could be considered the most complex type of online game, bar none. So, Chen Fan understood. The development pace for web games and mobile games was inherently different; it couldn't be rushed.

"As long as it can launch in half a year, that's fine. We aren't in a rush for time, but the game quality must be strictly controlled." Chen Fan looked at Technical Lead, his tone not heavy, but the point was made.

"Don't worry, Boss Chen. This is my first project since joining the company, and I will definitely do it well." Technical Lead's tone was a bit more solemn than usual.

Chen Fan nodded and walked toward his office.

After walking a few steps, Chen Fan remembered that he hadn't carefully walked around the new office space yet.

They had moved in for a while now, and every day was just a routine of office, conference room, and gym area—a three-point line. He hadn't fully explored every corner of the company yet.

So, he immediately changed direction and headed toward the company's reception desk.

When he arrived at the reception, a girl in her twenties was sitting at the front desk. She had a melon-seed-shaped face, was good-looking, and was wearing a white shirt with a black suit jacket over it. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she wore light makeup, looking clean, sharp, and a bit youthful.

There was a computer in front of her, a telephone on her left, and a folder and a water cup on her right. Hearing footsteps, she looked up. Seeing Chen Fan walking over, she immediately stood up, her voice crisp: "Boss Chen."

Chen Fan didn't stop, nodded, and then walked forward.