Today's experience was unforgettable for them. And along with it, their new boss, Mavi, would be someone they'd remember for a lifetime...
After cleaning up the explosion site, Mavi instructed several of his bodyguards to dress up as terrorists and counter-terrorists, cosplaying as characters from Counter-Strike.
He then had them wield AK-47s, shotguns, and other weapons, firing at wooden huts and concrete structures to collect raw data on how different firearms interacted with various materials. Fire rate, bullet trajectory, and firepower—all of it was recorded. Even the feedback from bullets hitting objects would be analyzed in detail later.
As a reborn individual, Mavi was not going to simply follow the old path from his previous life. While Counter-Strike became a global phenomenon in 2000, its LAN-based multiplayer system prevented it from being highly profitable (mainly due to a lack of monetization and rampant piracy).
As a result, it was later surpassed by games that borrowed elements from it, such as PUBG and CrossFire.
Taking these factors into account, Mavi decided to modify Counter-Strike's business model. The game would require online servers for matchmaking, and additional features like an in-game store, a zombie mode, and mission-based levels would be added to keep players engaged.
These monetization strategies wouldn't be implemented all at once. Instead, they would be introduced gradually whenever player engagement started to decline, ensuring sustained popularity and far greater revenue than in his previous life.
"Mike, when you return to the U.S. tomorrow, set up a Counter-Strike pre-sale website. Make sure it goes live within a week." While the bodyguards were recording footage, Mavi turned to the company president, Mike, and gave his instructions.
"Pre-sale website? Chairman Mavi, what exactly is that?" Mike asked in confusion.
In this parallel world's year 2000, the concept of game pre-sales was extremely novel. Almost no game company had thought of collecting money before the game was even finished. So, it was understandable that Mike didn't immediately grasp what Mavi meant.
"Counter-Strike will have a limited pre-sale. We'll release 200,000 pre-sale CDKs. Players who purchase them will gain early access during the game's beta testing phase, giving them an exclusive privilege," Mavi explained casually. With his knowledge from his past life, even the simplest of strategies could allow him to dominate the gaming industry.
"Pre-sale CDKs… early beta access…" Mike and the other seven Blizzard employees present all showed thoughtful expressions after hearing Mavi's explanation.
Initially, they had thought of Mavi as nothing more than a wealthy Russian businessman. But now, they were realizing that not only did he have exceptional game design ideas, but his approach to business and marketing was also refreshingly innovative!
Three days later, Mavi had his video editor compile footage of his C4 tank explosion and the shootout between terrorists and counter-terrorists. The footage was then embedded into a promotional poster for Counter-Strike to build anticipation.
He then uploaded the video to his (V-Guest) video platform as a test run.
Over the past month, his videos featuring explosions of luxury cars and planes had gone viral, earning him widespread acclaim. This boosted his V account to around 150,000 followers.
Achieving such popularity in the relatively underdeveloped internet era of 2000 was impressive, solidifying Mavi's status as the internet's top video creator.
His "Ma V" ID had become a well-known personal brand, and his promotional reach was even more effective than traditional newspaper ads or TV commercials. After all, most gamers were internet users.
"Good evening, everyone! I'm excited to share a brand-new video with you all…" As usual, Mavi wore his spiral mask. His 150,000 fans affectionately referred to him as the "Masked Russian Tycoon."
As soon as the video was uploaded, it appeared on the homepage of V. At that time, the platform had around 20,000 daily visitors. Many companies had already started reaching out, requesting to place ads on the site, seeing its commercial potential.
The advertising revenue alone was nearly enough to cover the site's operational costs. As the internet grew, Mavi planned to introduce a paid membership system, offering exclusive perks to paying users.
By integrating this platform with his other ventures—such as gaming and entertainment—he was confident he could build a massive multimedia empire.
As Mavi's video hit the homepage, his 150,000 subscribers received a system notification:
"The V客 creator you follow, Ma V, has just uploaded a new video! Click to watch now?"
As soon as the notification was sent, over 8,000 people flooded in immediately!
"Finally! I've been waiting for this! What kind of video is it this time? Can't wait!"
"How to make a flame tank? Rich people are blowing up tanks now? Supercars aren't enough for you anymore?"
Even before watching, fans eagerly left comments under the video. If Mavi had enabled live comments, those 8,000 viewers would have flooded the screen with messages in real time.
The number of viewers kept climbing, soon surpassing 12,000. Excitedly, they clicked play, only to see a military-green T-90 tank parked in the distance. The surrounding area was empty.
Some first-time viewers were puzzled.
"Wait… where's the 'making a flame tank' part? Why isn't anyone doing anything?"
Just as they were wondering, there was a deafening BOOM!
A terrifying explosion erupted from within the tank! The vehicle shook violently, and its hatch was blown sky-high in an instant…
The blast was so sudden that many viewers blinked, only to open their eyes to see the T-90 engulfed in flames, destroyed in mere seconds.
Nearly everyone watching was stunned by the sheer power of the explosion! The devastating spectacle had them replaying it over and over until they were satisfied, before moving on to the rest of the video.
The second half featured expertly edited clips of terrorists and counter-terrorists exchanging fire. The pacing was intense, the action was exhilarating, and the overall quality was on par with a Hollywood blockbuster.
Many viewers silently praised Mavi for consistently improving his content.
He had even hired professional cosplayers! The sight of actors wielding assault rifles and unleashing destruction looked so realistic and captivating that it was impossible to look away.