Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 640 Luxurious lineup
Inside the conference room, Waters moved his finger away from the MSN star on the strategic map and precisely pointed to a cool blue planet orbiting it.

The icon for KartRider, developed by NEXON, a South Korean company.

Waters said in a deep voice, "Our huge investment has paved the way for us. Now it's time to reap the rewards and it's time to put real pressure on our opponents. We need a brilliant first battle to test our strategic coordination and refine our offensive process. At the same time, we also need to send a clear signal to our opponents: the era of Microsoft's gaming has arrived."

His gaze swept over every executive in the room.

"I've decided that this will be our first wave of assault troops for the Normandy landings—"

His finger slammed heavily on the KartRider logo: "KartRider from NEXON Korea!"

A murmur of agreement and nods rippled through the conference room.

This choice was expected by everyone.

“James, you know a lot about this game, why don’t you tell us about it?” Waters looked at James, the head of the game division.

“Okay, President.” James immediately stood up and said, “Then I’ll just give you a brief overview. I participated in the development of KartRider. Although its gameplay is easy to pick up, it has a lot of skill depth, making it very suitable for both casual and competitive players. Most importantly, it has a very strong social feature, which perfectly matches the positioning of MSN.”

James continued, "Using it as the vanguard can quickly attract a large number of casual users, maximize the social network of MSN, and deliver the most precise blow to Tencent's casual gaming platform. Tencent has already suffered a crushing defeat in the social field. If we also eliminate their gaming business, it will be equivalent to cutting off one of Momo Group's arms."

Sarah, Senior Director of Marketing, immediately chimed in: "That's right. After Tencent was acquired by Momo, although it relied on QQ's traffic to maintain its operations, its gaming business has always been an important source of revenue and user stickiness. Taking down QQ Tang and their casual gaming platform is like cutting off a vital arm of Tencent, which will undoubtedly have a significant deterrent effect on other gaming companies that depend on the Momo ecosystem."

"We can absolutely create a phenomenal casual e-sports craze around KartRider and promote it seamlessly through our MSN."

"So, what about legal matters and cooperation terms?" Waters looked at the head of the legal department.

Mark, the Vice President of Legal Affairs, quickly replied: "Everything is in place. We have already signed a global framework agreement with NEXON, and the details of the exclusive agency and deep joint operation agreement for the China region have also been finalized. The revenue sharing ratio is extremely favorable to us, and NEXON has promised to provide full technical support, including anti-cheat, server optimization, and subsequent version synchronization. The contract also stipulates that they will unconditionally cooperate with our market pace."

“Very good.” Waters nodded in satisfaction, a smile finally appearing on his face. “Then, pass the word on. James, your team will be in charge of the technical aspects. I need you to contact NEXON headquarters directly within 24 hours and convey our decision and attack timeline.”

"We demand that they immediately dispatch their core technical team to Yanjing to connect with you. What we need is not a simple proxy launch, but a comprehensive integration of MSN from server architecture and account system, as well as anti-cheat system, data statistics and marketing promotion."

“Understood, Mr. Waters!” James replied immediately. “I will personally speak with NEXON President Kim Byung-guk to ensure they understand the strategic significance and urgency of this collaboration.”

"Alright, meeting adjourned!" Waters waved his hand and said with great momentum, "In a few days, let's give Momo Group a surprise from Microsoft."

Seoul, South Korea, NEXON headquarters.

It was already evening, but many floors of the NEXON headquarters building were still brightly lit.

As one of South Korea's well-known online game companies, this place is never short of busy figures.

President Kim Byung-guk had just finished a long internal meeting and was packing up to leave when his phone suddenly rang.

Kim Byung-guk glanced at the caller ID.

Microsoft Asia Associates, James.

He answered the phone immediately and said in broken English, "Mr. James, is there any good news calling at this hour?"

His tone carried a hint of familiarity and anticipation.

The global partnership with Microsoft has been discussed for so long and so many resources have been invested that everyone is hoping it will come to fruition soon.

James's voice, brimming with excitement, came from the other end of the phone: "President Kim, I have the best news for you. At the strategy meeting that just ended, President Waters personally approved that your 'KartRider' has been selected as the first game to be promoted."

Kim Byung-guk abruptly stood up from his chair, his fatigue vanishing instantly, and a look of wild joy instantly spread across his face: "Really? Mr. James, are you sure it's our 'KartRider'?"

His voice unconsciously rose eight octaves.

“Absolutely true, President Jin!” James chuckled. “Mr. Waters has high hopes for KartRider, believing it to be the key weapon to open up the Chinese casual game market and defeat Tencent. Headquarters has ordered you to take immediate action.”

“This is wonderful, this is truly wonderful.” Kim Byung-guk clenched his fist excitedly, paced back and forth in his office, and said, “We have waited too long for this day. Mr. James, please tell President Waters that everyone at NEXON will do their utmost, and we will never let Microsoft down.”

“Okay, Mr. Waters’s request is very clear and very urgent.” James’s voice became serious as he said, “He requires you to assemble a top-notch technical support team within 24 hours, including server architecture experts, core engine programmers, anti-cheat engineers, and operations liaison specialists. They must be the best talents. Get the paperwork done and fly to Yanjing immediately.”

"We need to conduct the deepest technical integration to ensure that KartRider can be perfectly integrated with MSN, making it an integrated benchmark."

“Okay, no problem!” Kim Byung-guk agreed without hesitation. “I will personally lead the team. Choi Byung-hoon, the lead programmer of KartRider, and Lee Soo-min, the head of the anti-cheat team, will all be with us. We will arrive as quickly and in the best possible condition as possible.”

“Hmm.” James was very satisfied with Kim Byung-guk’s attitude and smiled, “President Kim, the vastness of the Chinese market far exceeds your imagination. As long as this battle is fought well, all of NEXON’s games will receive the highest level of resource support in Microsoft’s global ecosystem in the future. I can tell you that President Waters’ strategic plan includes more than just your game.”

Kim Byung-guk's heart pounded. He could almost see NEXON riding the wave of Microsoft's giant ship, sailing into the blue ocean of China.

"Understood, Mr. James. Please rest assured, we know what to do."

After hanging up the phone, Kim Byung-guk was still unable to calm down.

He took a deep breath and immediately shouted to his secretary, "Issue an emergency notice: all core members of the KartRider project team, including Choi Byung-hoon, Park Ji-hwan, Lee Soo-min, and the head of operations, come to my office. Call back anyone who's already off work, immediately!"

Less than half an hour later, the core members who had been named rushed to Kim Byung-guk's office with puzzled expressions.

Everyone whispered among themselves, wondering what major event had occurred that would prompt the company president to issue such an urgent summons after get off work hours. "President, what happened?" Choi Byung-hoon, the lead programmer of KartRider, asked with concern.

Server architecture expert Park Ji-hwan and anti-cheating chief Lee Soo-min also looked puzzled.

Looking at his comrades who had fought alongside him for many years, Kim Byung-guk tried to calm his excited emotions, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

"Everyone," he said, glancing around at the crowd, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement, "I just received a call from Mr. James, the head of the gaming division at Microsoft Asia Group."

The moment Microsoft was mentioned, everyone in the conference room's eyes lit up, and they all straightened their backs involuntarily.

The partnership with Microsoft has been the company's top strategic priority for the past two years.

"Microsoft's Galaxy Games strategy has officially launched!" Jin Bingguo said. "And our 'KartRider' has been selected as the first game to enter the Chinese market."

"Wow!"

"Really? That's amazing!"

"Great! We've finally waited for this!"

The conference room erupted in excitement, with everyone's faces filled with ecstasy and disbelief.

All the previous anticipation, speculation, and waiting transformed into immense excitement at this moment.

Choi Byung-hoon's face flushed with excitement, and his voice trembled slightly as he asked, "President, is Microsoft really going to heavily promote our game?"

“Absolutely true.” Kim Byung-guk nodded emphatically and said, “Microsoft President Waters personally named us, saying that he has high hopes for us and believes that we are the key to defeating Tencent.”

Park Ji-hwan rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "The Chinese market, my God, that's a huge user base!"

“However…” Kim Byung-guk’s expression became extremely serious: “Microsoft’s requirements are very high. They require us to assemble a top-notch technical team within 24 hours, with me personally leading the team, and fly to Beijing, China immediately to conduct in-depth collaboration with Microsoft’s most elite technical team in Asia.”

"This is not a simple proxy launch, but a technical integration from the ground up, connecting to MSN's account, social, payment, and voice systems, aiming to make it the first benchmark in their MSN gaming ecosystem."

He looked at everyone and said, “Choi Byung-hoon, you need to bring the core engine code and debugging tools to deal with any possible compatibility issues. Park Ji-hwan, the network environment in China is complex; you need to work closely with the Microsoft team to design a server architecture that can withstand millions of concurrent users. Lee Soo-min, your task is the most demanding. Cheating software is notoriously rampant in China; you must work with the Microsoft security team to build an impenetrable defense…”

"This time, we can only succeed, failure is not an option! Because it concerns the future of NEXON!"

"Yes!" The people whose names were called answered in unison, feeling a heavy weight on their shoulders.

"Good! That's the spirit we've been looking for!" Kim Byung-guk waved his hand and said, "The administration department will immediately process expedited visas and plane tickets for everyone! Everyone go home tonight to pack your bags. Tomorrow morning, we'll meet at the company and head straight to the airport. Meeting adjourned!"

Inside the meeting room, everyone quickly dispersed, their faces beaming with excitement.

The office area, which was originally rather quiet after get off work, was instantly infused with a vibrant energy.

The programmers returned to their workstations and began frantically backing up their code and data.

Server engineers began compiling architecture documentation.

Anti-cheat teams then began packaging their monitoring tools and log analysis systems.

……

Looking at the giant landscape painting he had purchased from China in his office, Kim Byung-guk felt a surge of pride.

Two days later, Kim Byung-guk led a team of more than ten NEXON elite technical personnel to the headquarters of Microsoft Asia Group in Zhongguancun.

The towering modern skyscrapers, the gleaming marble floors, the impeccably dressed elite employees hurrying by, the ubiquitous Microsoft logo, and the technologically advanced decor all showcase the immense strength and global reach of this tech giant.

This was the first time Jin Bingguo had seen the new Zhongguancun park. Seeing its grandeur and magnificence filled them with a sense of awe.

As soon as Kim Byung-guk and his entourage stepped out of the taxi, James personally led a group to the lobby to greet them, treating them with the utmost courtesy.

"President Kim, welcome, welcome. You must be tired from your journey." James warmly shook hands with Kim Byung-guk.

“Mr. James, you’re too kind! We are all honored to have you here,” Kim Byung-guk replied with a smile.

After exchanging pleasantries, James led them directly to a large technical conference room located on a high floor of the building.

Inside the meeting room, the technical team from Microsoft China, consisting of more than twenty people, had been waiting for some time. They included experts in various fields such as Windows underlying optimization, server setup, MSN open platform, security and anti-cheating, and data analysis.

The lineup is luxurious.

James invited Kim Byung-guk and the others to sit down, and said with a smile, "Welcome to Microsoft. Time is short, so we won't go into formalities. This is Mr. Kim Byung-guk, President of NEXON, and this is his core technical team. This is Dr. Wang Tao, head of Microsoft Asia Technical Center, and the key members of each technical team."

Dr. Wang Tao, a Chinese man in his forties, said in fluent English: “Welcome President Jin and all NEXON colleagues. President Waters attaches great importance to this project and has asked us to provide top-notch technical support to ensure the success of KartRider in China.”

Wang Tao paused for a moment, then handed the printed documents to Jin Bingguo and the others, saying, "This is our preliminary technical coordination process and timetable. Please take a look."

(End of this chapter)