Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 561 This attack came too fast, like a tornado
Gangnam District, Seoul.

The massive floor-to-ceiling glass wall of Samsung's flagship experience store is now completely covered by a visually stunning giant poster.

On the left side of the poster is Microsoft's iconic blue butterfly MSN logo.

On the right is the most popular virtual idol group in Audition Online, dressed in the newly released MSN Star Family Limited Edition Set, with dynamic and flamboyant dance moves.

A huge title spans the center, reading: [MSN X Audition: Dance Your Youth, Connect the World!]

Below the poster are densely packed activity details: link your MSN account to unlock exclusive Audition outfits, log in to MSN Spaces to view your battle records in real time, join a clan to win the latest Samsung Anycall phone...

Early in the morning, before the store even opened, a long queue had already formed at the entrance.

A group of young boys and girls, their eyes filled with excitement, stared at the contents of the poster.

"It's open!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd erupted in a tsunami of cheers, surging into the store.

The exclusive experience area for Audition Online was instantly packed with people.

On dozens of top-of-the-line Samsung computer screens, colorful virtual characters were dancing wildly to the latest K-pop music, while players were slamming the spacebars on their keyboards with almost smashing force, producing a dense, rain-like crackling sound.

The Audition Online experience area at Samsung's flagship store is now packed to capacity every day.

Countless people arrive early in the morning to queue up, receive a one-hour trial card, and then enjoy playing Audition Online for two hours.

Samsung's flagship store and direct-operated store model is very successful. Their flagship stores and direct-operated stores are located in every corner of Asia, especially in China, where they have more than 5000 direct-operated stores.

These directly operated stores indirectly broke Momo Group's monopoly on the internet cafe business.

Every day, at least hundreds of thousands of young men and women flock to the Audition Online experience area in the directly operated stores to access the internet for free.

The Audition Online games installed in their store allow customers to enter the Audition Online experience area and try out the new game content in advance.

On the computer screen, the limited-edition Star Clan outfits worn by many characters, which could only be unlocked by binding a clan on MSN, attracted the attention of many players.

"Wow, this Starry Night outfit is so dazzling, I have to get it."

"Sister, quick, add me on MSN, let's create a clan together, we only need two more people to unlock the basic outfit."

In China, this wave is even more surging and powerful.

Jingzhou, Xinjiekou Digital Plaza.

In the center of the square, a huge temporary stage stands out prominently.

The stage backdrop was a light show featuring a giant MSN butterfly and the Audition Online logo.

On stage, eight professional dancers, dressed in highly realistic game character costumes, performed a high-difficulty dance routine to deafening music. Every move was precisely timed, bringing the coolness of the virtual world into reality.

The audience was packed with people, and the flashes of cell phones and cameras created a continuous barrage.

On both sides of the stage were dozens of Audition Online experience points, with long queues in front of each computer.

Samsung's on-the-ground sales staff, wearing matching blue T-shirts printed with the MSN butterfly and Audition logo, strode quickly through the crowd, promoting the game and MSN.

"Register for MSN, join the Audition Online family, and experience the Starry Fashion! Take a photo and upload it to MSN Space for a chance to win a prize."

"Hey handsome, wanna try it out? Log in with MSN, and you can see if your girlfriend is online in the game."

They would hand out beautifully printed flyers to every young person passing by, and occasionally give away a few small gifts.

In Huaqiangbei in Shenxia City, in Xujiahui of China Overseas, in Tianhe City of Guangzhou...

The same scene is playing out simultaneously in almost all core business districts and university towns.

Samsung's offline channels have truly penetrated every corner of Chinese cities.

In the online world, Microsoft is also making efforts simultaneously.

Less than three days after MSN was launched, hundreds of millions of Windows XP PCs across Asia suddenly had an exquisitely designed advertising window pop up in the lower right corner without warning.

In the center of the window is a dynamic CG of the virtual idol from Audition Online performing a hot dance, with the most catchy dance music clips from the game playing on a loop.

The following line of text is eye-catching:

[Audition Online is now a global dance craze! Link your MSN account to unlock exclusive Star Family outfits and dance battles with players worldwide. Click to download and dance your way into the world!]

The huge "Download Now" button flashed an enticing orange light, remaining there for a full three seconds before disappearing.

At this moment, whether users are working hard, browsing news, or playing other games, their attention is firmly captured by this forced push notification.

For young netizens who crave novelty and excitement, especially those eager to socialize and showcase themselves, most will unconsciously click that button with their mouse.

The online community's popularity also skyrocketed.

The entertainment headlines of major portal websites, the top trending posts on game forums, and even popular sections of some women's fashion communities were flooded with news about Audition Online and MSN being linked.

In the discussion forum, messages asking for members and clans were flooding the screen:
"Shining Stars Family in East China Region 1 is recruiting. Simply link your MSN account. We need 3 more people to unlock the Starry Wings. Join us now!"

"Just uploaded a dance game photo with my best friend to MSN Space, please like and comment, here's the link..."

"Looking for a husband! Requirements: Must be able to jump 140+ levels, and those who can provide me with simple outfits will be given priority. Serious inquiries only! MSN: XXXXX..."

"The built-in MSN chat in Audition Online is so convenient! It can also capture game screenshots in real time and save them to MSN Spaces. It's awesome!"

The game's strong social attributes were amplified to their fullest potential with the support of Microsoft MSN.

The virtual dance stage instantly became a breeding ground for extending real-world social relationships.

At this moment, inside the T3 headquarters office.

"Mr. Muller, the peak concurrent users of Audition Online have exceeded 65, MSN's new registered users have surged by 210 million in a single day, and MSN's daily active users in Asia have increased by 380%." The technical director's voice was a little hoarse with excitement.

The combined efforts of Microsoft and Samsung are incredibly effective.

"Report! Samsung's channel feedback: the first batch of one million MP3 players with built-in Audition music and MSN gift activation codes has sold out. The activation code redemption rate for the MP3 packaging is as high as 62%." The channel manager said with a beaming face. Muller stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the ever-burning neon lights of Seoul, his emotions unable to calm down for a long time.

He felt the almost boiling atmosphere in the office, slowly turned around, and wore a smug and arrogant smile.

"See that?" His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out all the noise as he shouted, "This is the power of capital! This is the power of Microsoft and Samsung joining forces, and this is just the beginning!"

He suddenly waved his hand, pointing to the blue curve that pierced the sky like a sharp sword.

"What we are building is an unprecedented social entertainment empire centered on MSN and accessed through Audition Online. Asia is just the beginning! Next, we want to make this wave sweep the globe!"

His words were arrogant, but enough to ignite the emotions of everyone in the office.

Everyone seems to see a new empire, built on the blue butterfly flag of Microsoft, and constructed by a massive wave of entertainment, social media, and capital, rising with unprecedented momentum across the land of Asia.

On the computer screen, the green curve representing the highest number of online users in "Audition Online" has already risen sharply, while the blue curve representing MSN registered users is also surging upwards at an almost vertical angle.

Just as Mueller was about to take a closer look at the data, Johnson called.

Muller quickly answered the phone and said with a smile, "Mr. Johnson."

"Muller, you did a great job." Johnson's voice was relaxed, full of praise: "MSN's daily active users in Asia increased by 320% after it was bundled with Audition Online. Headquarters is quite satisfied with this data."

Muller suppressed his excitement and smiled, "This is just the beginning, Mr. Johnson."

“It’s very good that you have this confidence,” Johnson laughed. “Keep the pressure on, first take control of the Asian instant messaging market, and then encircle and suppress QQ in China.”

"Yes."

Communications cut off.

Muller turned around, his eyes becoming somewhat fiery.

This move was finally the right one.

Within 24 hours of the launch of MSN's social space feature, players uploaded over 700,000 screenshots of their Audition Online avatars! The simultaneously launched personalized Audition Online skin show feature saw a player conversion rate as high as 18%, proving that this instant social software is a goldmine.

More importantly, they also launched the Audition Family Honor System on MSN.

The Audition Online Family Glory System requires 100 people to activate, and a large number of active players are frantically recruiting real-life friends to join MSN in order to unlock the limited Starry Family Set.

This is viral growth; 70% of their new users come from this.

Muller said with burning enthusiasm, "Notify all partner channels to double the resources allocated to MSN. At Samsung's offline experience centers, replace the existing MSN + Audition Online joint giant posters with new ones. Also, add MSN elements to Microsoft's system pop-ups."

Deep Summer City, inside the Penguin Group.

Ma Huateng's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. A group of senior executives of the group stared at Ma Huateng, waiting for his decision.

Ma Huateng gritted his teeth and said, "They are so shameless! This is blatant plagiarism. MSN Space, from the layout to the photo upload logic, even the location of the 'like' button, is exactly the same as our QQ Space! And that skin show, isn't it just a reskinned QQ Show? Does Microsoft have no shame?"

Ma Huateng was really angry.

Being copied and imitated is inherently annoying.

It would be extremely annoying if someone who imitates you is far superior to you.

Looking at the group of executives in front of him, Ma Huateng slowly said, "Microsoft's MSN has its advantages, but it also has its disadvantages. Many things cannot be established simply by imitation. In Europe and America, it may be invincible, but in Asia, especially in our domestic market, its incompatibility is our opportunity."

“President Li,” Ma Huateng said to the technical director, “We must continue to optimize the underlying experience of QQ Space and QQ Show, especially the loading speed, localized emoticons, and skin designs that fit Asian aesthetics! We must make our ‘light, fast, and fun’ experience the best it can be. No matter how well they imitate MSN Space, they are still Western in their essence. This is something ingrained in their genes and cannot be changed so quickly.”

A glint of insight flashed in the technical director's eyes, and he instantly understood.

In terms of user experience and localization, QQ does indeed have a unique advantage.

Seeing that Ma Huateng was not flustered, many of the executives present breathed a sigh of relief.

At this point, the worst thing is for the leader to panic.

Although they are affiliated with Momo Group, they still feel somewhat suffocated when facing a world-class giant like Microsoft.

The gap is too big.

It was so great that they felt powerless to resist.

Fortunately, their chairman remained relatively calm, which reduced their tension to some extent.

“Mr. Liu,” Ma Huateng turned to the operations director and said, “Go and contact Mr. Zhao of Universal Vision and see if we can use Universal Satellite TV and Internet TV channels to intensively advertise our QQ Games Hall during prime time. MSN has Microsoft system pop-ups to back it up, and we QQ also have advertising channels.”

The operations director nodded and said, "Okay, the operations director of Momo Group just contacted me. He intends to link Momo's mainstream games such as 'Honghuang Zhanji' and 'Fantasy Westward Journey' with our QQ. They plan to do a player invitation event, inviting returning players to link their QQ friends to play the game together. They can get a lot of rare in-game items, experience bonuses and exclusive titles. Once we have a result, we will report it to Momo Group for approval."

“Very good.” Ma Huateng’s eyes suddenly lit up. This was good news amidst a lot of bad news. It meant that the group hadn’t forgotten about them.

Ma Huateng thought for a moment and added, "While you're at it, could you suggest that we embed our QQ friend invitation interface directly into the event pages of each game, allowing for one-click invitations and seamless redirection? We'll also add some rewards on our end."

"Yes," the operations director replied immediately.

At this moment, the atmosphere was equally somber in the strategic analysis room of Momo Group's headquarters in Jingzhou.

On the huge screen, two curves were clearly displayed side by side: the green curve, representing the activity level of Audition Online users, rose again after a brief dip, while the blue curve, representing the number of MSN registrations, rose at an alarming angle.

There is also a set of comparative data: QQ's daily active user growth rate turned negative for the first time, at -7.9%.

Kong Feng stared at the screen, his voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety, and said, "President Cheng, their tactic is too vicious! Using games to hijack social relationships! Our Primordial War Chronicles is still okay, after all, the core is gold farming and PVE, but the casual player loss rate of QQ Games Hall and QQ Tang is accelerating! Especially young female players."

The meeting room was silent except for the low hum of the server racks.

This real pressure weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Microsoft and Samsung joined forces, using the hit game Audition Online as a springboard and MSN as their weapon to launch this social attack. It was incredibly precise, directly targeting QQ's core weaknesses.

At this moment, everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to Cheng Yi, who was sitting in the main seat.

(End of this chapter)