novelraw Chapter 108: Acquisition
Chapter 108: Acquisition
At the same time—Avalon Studio.
Tang Yao had no idea what was happening with Li Xue on the other end.Even if she had known… she’d have just rolled her eyes and not cared.
Let’s be honest—With Avalon Studio on the brink of making serious money, even if they were still strapped for cash,she could always go to Teacher Rumi or other investment firms.Why would she ever take Lin Shuang’s money now?
This wasn’t the beginning anymore.
At the current pace of Fate/Grand Order’s success,Tang Yao wouldn’t have to humble herself or beg anyone again—even selling the game right now would fetch a massive payout.
So aside from the equity incentive plan she’d tentatively proposed—mainly to boost morale, bind the ex–Mingyu Tech employees to the team, and solidify Avalon’s core staff—
Tang Yao recognized Li Xue as the only real shareholder.
Because back then, Li Xue didn’t hesitate for even a second—she handed over her entire life savings.
Not everyone can do that.And even more impressively, after giving the money, she never pressured Tang Yao.Instead, she stayed by her side, offering comfort and company so she wouldn’t feel burdened.Let’s be real—If Tang Yao had wanted to, she could’ve run off with the money, or claimed success and just paid back the principal.There were no contracts. No formal agreements. Nothing stopping her.
But Li Xue never brought up equity or dividends.She never feared Tang Yao might vanish.She never even asked.
And when the game wasn’t well-received and Avalon Studio was under pressure,Li Xue was the first one to send a message of support.
They had truly carried each other through the storm.
That’s why, that night, Tang Yao had gotten so emotional—why she’d tossed aside all hesitation and shyness and just picked Li Xue up in a hug.
Because she deserved it.
As for Lin Shuang?Now she regrets it just because things worked out?
She can keep dreaming.
Of course, Tang Yao didn’t know any of that was happening.Right now, she was focused on Mingyu Tech’s game.
And the more she played,and the more she asked their former staff about its development—
The more she realized…Mingyu Tech may have failed in business, but their employees were ridiculously talented!
That whole company—was a gold mine of ability.
She didn’t even need to mention the people who’d already jumped ship to Avalon.
With a studio this small,Tang Yao knew everyone’s capabilities inside and out.
They were all incredibly capable.And as for the ones who hadn’t joined yet—even the one who left a bad impression—that sloppy, unkempt boss Si Jinliang—was still talented.
He had designed Dou Pai, and while its mechanics were heavily inspired by Hearthstone—
It had its own thing going.
It was a simplified TCG-style card game—very similar to Hearthstone.
But only sort of.While it did cut down on a lot of complex traditional TCG elements, it didn’t go far enough.It still had cumbersome rules, longer game times, and concepts like “graveyards”—cards removed from play but still tracked by the system.
That just made the game unnecessarily complicated.
It was a bit of a pain to play.
And the in-game economy wasn’t streamlined either.The UI? Kind of a mess.
BUT—To get this far, simplifying a TCG and turning it into an online game?
That alone was impressive.Honestly?
Despite the clunky design,it was still fun.
Tang Yao played three rounds with a grin.If it weren’t for the absurd number of ads, the overall experience wasn’t bad at all.
She even thought—if you gave Si Jinliang more time,if he could iterate a few versions…
He might actually save Dou Pai.
“What a waste…”
She stopped queuing and stared at the messy main screen.Her pale face showed a bit of regret.
The game was a chaotic mess now.She couldn’t even tell what its core monetization hook was anymore.And clearly, the IP’s reputation was already trashed among players.
Honestly, it was a shame.
The game could’ve made it.
But Tang Yao didn’t dwell on that for long.Her focus shifted—
Should she acquire Mingyu Tech?
Logically speaking—
She wasn’t planning to make a Hearthstone clone.That game had been born from the World of Warcraft IP.Plus, Avalon’s brand and style just weren’t a good fit for a genre shift like that.
Sure, Tang Yao had never planned to go “all in” on anime-style games.Her original goal was simply to make enough money to improve her life and let Xun live in peace.
But now that Fate/Grand Order was a hit,there was no need to pivot to a game that felt totally out of place stylistically.
The studio was now officially established,and had already earned credibility by succeeding in a wide-open niche.Why not stay in that blue ocean, and focus on differentiated competition from the industry giants?
This would ensure the current momentum wasn’t derailed—and would keep the team unified and pushing in the same direction.
So no—dropping a non-anime Hearthstone-style game into Avalon’s lineup didn’t make sense.
But on the other hand…
Si Jinliang was talented.
And the card game market was real.
Hearthstone’s launch had spawned a slew of clones.And Tang Yao remembered clearly—when Hearthstone made a comeback in her previous life, its first-month revenue was 700 million yuan.
Card game fans went insane.
Plus, she genuinely enjoyed that style of game.
If FGO was all about narrative, and only partially benefitted from being launched in a mobile boom—then Hearthstone-style card games succeeded based on pure gameplay.
You could sit down, pull out your phone, play a quick 15-minute match—and it was fun.
That was why Hearthstone had been called the most successful card game in gaming history.
And its structure fit the mobile format perfectly.
Who’s to say a anime-style card battler couldn’t be the next big thing?
It could even help dispel the criticism that Fate/Grand Order was weak in gameplay—and stop people from claiming Avalon started the “low-mechanics” trend.
With that thought—
Tang Yao started to make up her mind.
She glanced again at Dou Pai, muttering:
“The Hearthstone model is fun…Originally, Hearthstone was just a nostalgic card game for WoW fans—but its quality made it stand on its own.Even without the IP, it still worked.”
“Card collecting, mana curves, nine classes, synergy-based deck design, randomness…It’s addictive.”
“So why not try an anime-style Hearthstone?Mobile games are just starting to blow up—I bet players would love it.”
And just like that,
she launched into full brainstorm mode. Ideas flew through her head like lightning.
Until—
“Tang Yao?”
Kang Ming called out.
She finally snapped back.
“What is it?”
She lifted her pale chin slightly.
“Something wrong?”
Kang Ming looked a little awkward:
“The proposal for the Fate/Grand Order Christmas gacha event…”
“Got it. I’ll come find you in a bit.”
Tang Yao took a deep breath and nodded.
And right then—she made her decision.
Acquire Mingyu Tech.
They were making money now.There was no need for her to keep wearing every hat.The studio needed to expand.
And Fate/Grand Order needed a real ops team.
Whether she made an anime-style Hearthstone later or not—Step one was to buy Mingyu Tech.
Kang Ming got the confirmation, nodded, and left.
Tang Yao hesitated a moment, then looked at her phone.
Before starting the acquisition—she should probably talk it over with Li Xue.
Tang Yao really didn’t know much about that side of things.
Ugh… there’s still too much on my plate.Maybe what I really need… is a professional manager.
Meanwhile.
Si Jinliang sat slumped over his chaotic desk.
He had finally calmed down.
He slowly lowered his hands from his face,stared at the computer screen—at the game he’d poured his soul into.
After a long silence,he let out a bitter laugh.
It was like all the life had drained out of him.
He hunched over, reached for the mouse—
And deleted the game.
“Figures… my ideas were trash.”
“I don’t know how to make games at all.”
“Maybe I should just… go back to working for someone else.”