Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

"hiss--"

Everyone gasped.

The office air conditioning was clearly on.

But for no apparent reason, everyone felt a chill run down their spine, as if the temperature had dropped several degrees instantly.

The office remained silent for a full five or six seconds.

Wu Zhixuan adjusted his glasses and leaned forward, almost touching the projection screen.

Zheng Yong, who had been slumped in his chair, now sat up straight.

Zhao Yongqiang, who had just been relaxed, opened his mouth wide and stared intently at the projected image.

honestly,

Before seeing this PPT.

Including Wu Zhixuan,

Everyone had some doubts about Lu Chen's bold idea of ​​making MP4 players.

Being good at games doesn't mean you can succeed in new fields.

Zheng Yong and Zhao Yongqiang, who work in this field, know best how deep the water is in here.

Supply chain, factory, quality control, marketing, distribution channels...

Every step could be the death knell for the Z1.

However, when Lu Chen took out this picture...

All doubts and concerns disappeared.

What could be more convincing than this product image?

Although the project only exists on PowerPoint presentations and there isn't even a prototype yet.

But everyone felt they were already halfway to success.

Even Zheng Yong and Zhao Yongqiang, two veterans who have been in the business for many years, are involved.

At this moment, I was also captivated by the pictures of the Z1.

"So beautiful!"

"This color is so beautiful."

"These curves! These rounded corners! They're absolutely perfect."

"It doesn't feel like a product; it's a work of art!"

"I didn't expect that Boss Lu had any knowledge of product design."

It's not that they haven't seen good designs before.

I never expected that I would end up in a company whose main business is gaming.

They actually managed to produce product designs that rival the world's best.

Hearing the undisguised praise from the two practitioners.

Lu Chen's mouth was so taut it looked like a crooked dragon king.

The appearance of the Z1 is based on the iPhone 5C, which was released in 2013.

This is an Apple design.

Lu Chen was merely standing on the shoulders of giants, making minor modifications.

Remove the most recognizable Apple circular button at the bottom.

It has been changed to the three navigation buttons found on Android.

Lu Chen positioned the Z1 as youthful, individualistic, and fashion-conscious.

The main user group is college students and urban white-collar workers aged 18-28.

The iPhone 5C perfectly meets these requirements.

Therefore, Lu Chen used it without any psychological burden.

The schematic diagram was also designed by Tao Manwen.

Lu Chen spent several days figuring it out, using both gestures and drawings.

Although Tao Manwen is not an industrial design major, he can still manage to draw a schematic diagram.

However, seeing everyone's shocked expressions...

Lu Chen knew then that the effect was outstanding.

"This... Boss Lu, are you sure you want to use it to make MP4s?"

Zhao Yongqiang stammered.

But his eyes never left the projection screen.

"What's wrong? Are you having trouble?"

Lu Chen asked.

"This is such a waste!"

The appearance! The design!

Why would we still make MP4 players?

You could just turn it into a phone!

This model is perfect!

Look at its rounded appearance and unibody design.

It was created specifically to fit the palm of your hand.

The three-section structure of the front speaker, screen, and buttons is simply the golden ratio!

I bet...

Once it's made, it'll be a huge hit all over the country!

Zhao Yongqiang suddenly started gesturing wildly and talking on the spot.

"Forehead……"

Lu Chen didn't reply.

I wondered how he knew that the design was based on a mobile phone.

"Boss Lu, you have to listen to me!"

This is a groundbreaking product!

Seeing that Lu Chen did not agree immediately.

Zhao Yongqiang became even more agitated, spitting as he spoke.

"Alright, alright, Engineer Zhao, sit down and talk."

Lu Chen pressed his hand down, signaling Zhao Yongqiang not to get agitated.

Zhao Yongqiang plopped back into his chair.

But his gaze remained fixed on Lu Chen.

His eyes seemed to say, "I won't give up until you agree!"

Lu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowly explained:

I understand your desire to make mobile phones.

But the objective conditions don't allow it.

"What conditions are not allowed?"

"I have no money."

Lu Chen spread his hands and shrugged.

"this……"

Zhao Yongqiang was surprised by Lu Chen's reason.

Then, like a deflated balloon, he slowly slumped into the chair.

"At most, we only have 15 million in funds available."

This amount of money is barely enough to manufacture MP4 players.

However, manufacturing a mobile phone requires at least 100 million yuan in capital.

So we simply can't manufacture them at this stage.

Lu Chen shook his head helplessly.

Zhao Yongqiang looked utterly hopeless and stopped listening to what Lu Chen was saying.

"However," Lu Chen said, using his traditional skill, "don't be discouraged yet."

Lu Chen walked to the screen and took a picture of the Journey Z1 on it.

"Eat your food one bite at a time."

Let's use this design to build the Conqueror Z1 first.

Use it to open up the market, build a brand, and make enough money.

We'll start making phones right away!

"But this design has already been used."

"Since I can produce the first one, of course I can produce the second one; "

The next one will definitely be even better than this one!

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yongqiang sat up.

"Absolutely true!"

Subsequently,

Lu Chen sat back in the boss's chair, his expression returning to seriousness.

"Alright, everyone, let's refocus our attention on the Conquer Online Z1 project itself."

First of all, I want to emphasize one point,

The development time for the Z1 was very tight.

It will basically take about two months.

He surveyed the crowd with a sharp gaze:

"The Plants vs. Zombies game is expected to be completed in two months."

The revamp of older games will also be carried out simultaneously;

We're aiming to do this after the game development team completes its development.

Journey Z1, as a domestic game platform, was launched simultaneously on the international App Store.

So if you have any questions, try to raise them on the spot.

Let's solve this together.

Zheng Yong, with his legs crossed, had regained his composure.

He explained the next steps in the plan.

"I'm basically fine on my end."

First, I'll go to Guangzhou and other places to check out the supply chain.

Check how many PCB motherboard, battery, and capacitive screen suppliers there are.

Let's take another look at Foxconn in Shenzhen.

After all, our requirements are quite high; I don't know if they can meet them.

It was Zhao Yongqiang's turn.

He became serious and explained his task.

"MP4 already has mature design solutions."

Although we added a capacitive screen, it's not a big problem;

Moreover, judging from the design drawings...

The back and mid-frame are covered by a single polycarbonate shell, and the battery is non-removable.

All the parts had to be crammed in.

The overall design is compact, but there may be issues with the layout of the various components.

I'll try to find a solution.

After listening to both sides' statements, Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction.

No wonder they recruited this talent with a high salary.

The boss only needs to state his or her requirements.

Those below can then complete the task by breaking it down layer by layer without any compromise.

That's what it means to be a boss.

"Um... I have a problem here."

Sitting in the corner, Wu Zhixuan, who had fallen out of favor, silently raised his hand.

"explain!"

Lu Chen said with a sense of disappointment.

"MP4 players cannot use memory cards, so there is no signal."

Users cannot always use WiFi to connect to the internet;

How will we charge for the games we have built in?

Wu Zhixuan's mindset is still stuck on games.

However, his seemingly outrageous question is related to the largest source of revenue for Journey Technology.