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

Lu Chen was holding a first-generation iPhone that he had recently bought online.

On the iPhone's home screen, there was an app that seemed out of place with its surroundings.

This is a small, round, red bird with its thick eyebrows twisted into a "V" shape.

Below it is written "Angry Birds," indicating its name.

Because it was released on an overseas platform, the game content has been translated into English.

At this moment, Lu Chen could clearly hear his heart pounding, and his fingers trembled slightly.

"Boss, open it and take a look."

"Yes, it took us so many days of hard work to make it."

"I wonder if there are any bugs?"

"Get out of here if you're so cynical!"

Everyone chimed in, urging Lu Chen to quickly open the game and give it a try.

Lu Chen took a deep breath and gently tapped the icon that represented the company's future.

The phone screen went blank, then displayed a large "Z", which is the logo of Journey Technology.

Immediately afterwards, upbeat and playful background music began to play, with three birds of different shapes—yellow, red, and blue—located in the center, and a large "play" button below them.

The classic game that accompanied countless people's childhoods, Angry Birds, is finally presented to everyone in its entirety.

Almost by muscle memory, Lu Chen quickly skipped the tutorial level and entered the new game.

Birds, slingshots, houses, green pigs.

Simple elements come together to create a harmonious picture.

The game's cartoon-style scenes are so captivating that you'll fall in love with them at first sight.

With a gentle pull of the slingshot, and a playful "Ah-hey!" is heard as the red bird traces an arc, successfully crashing into the house and eliminating the green pig hiding under the wooden plank house.

Game score settled, three stars to pass!

This is almost exactly the same as what Lu Chen played before!

Lu Chen put down his phone, stood up, and glanced around at the tense crowd surrounding him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby announce!"

Angry Birds development is complete!

This is the first mobile game developed by our company, Journey Technology, but it's just a small beginning.

I believe that we will definitely grow bigger and stronger in the future and create even greater glories!

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone stopped suppressing their emotions.

"It's done!"

"It's finally done!"

"I knew it would be fine!"

"Waaaaah... I revised it over a dozen times!"

"Ah, finally I can get a good night's sleep..."

In an instant, everyone finally released the emotions that had been suppressed for more than ten days.

Lu Chen then pressed his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Alright, alright, the game development is complete."

I know how hard everyone has worked.

But we still have one last hurdle to overcome!

We still need to be tested by players worldwide.

Whether a game is good or not, the players have the final say!

So if you have anything else to say, save it for the victory celebration!

"Time to go home!"

As soon as Lu Chen announced that he was leaving get off work, the employees scattered like birds and beasts.

Soon, the bustling activity at ZhengTu Technology, which had been going on day and night, fell silent.

At this moment, Lu Chen finally couldn't hold on any longer.

Even though he didn't do any of the work himself.

However, he was responsible for overseeing every detail of the Angry Birds development process.

Dragging his heavy steps, he slowly made his way back to his office.

He threw himself onto the boss's chair, and within minutes, Lu Chen's eyelids began to droop.

Soon, a snoring sound came from the office...

……

With the game development complete, the rest of the work became much easier.

In the past few days, the office has regained its usual pleasant atmosphere.

Lu Chen calmly submitted the Angry Birds installation package to Apple for review.

After all, Apple's ecosystem is notoriously closed, and every app that is listed in the App Store needs to be reviewed by Apple.

Lu Chen and the others discussed the pricing of Angry Birds and gave it careful consideration.

In the end, Lu Chen decided to price it at $0.99.

This price is the lowest price allowed by the Apple App Store.

After all, this is the most important start for the company, so Lu Chen has to be cautious.

In Lu Chen's view, Angry Birds, as the pioneering work of Journey Technology in mobile games, only accomplished one thing.

The goal is to raise awareness and recognition of Journey Technology!

So Angry Birds doesn't aim to make a lot of money; it only aims to get more people playing the game.

This is Lu Chen's purpose.

……

Time quickly came to June 11th.

America, across the ocean.

Today, the iPhone 3G officially went on sale!

This is Apple's first phone to support 3G.

Along with the phone came the new iOS 2.0 operating system.

The biggest selling point of the new system is that it comes bundled with a new App Store!

This is yet another heavy blow from Apple to Nokia, Motorola, and other feature phone manufacturers.

The App Store's vast array of apps offers endless possibilities for the iPhone.

Users can enjoy the fun of different applications simply by downloading and installing them with a few taps.

And Lant was one of those who found enjoyment in it.

Lant is in a university classroom.

He secretly used the latest iPhone 3G that he had queued up early in the morning to buy under his desk.

Thanks to the higher network speed of 3G, it is extremely convenient for Lant to listen to music and download applications anytime, anywhere.

He no longer has to download his favorite content to his computer every day and then transfer it to his phone.

The emergence of app stores opened up a vast new world for him.

It has almost countless applications, which dazzled him!

A class period had passed, but Lant was still engrossed in the new experiences brought to him by various applications.

Even after returning to his dorm, Lant still hadn't put down his phone.

But the novelty always wears off.

New features are certainly interesting, but they lose their novelty after you've tried them once.

Lant idly browsed the app store, hoping to find something interesting.

Just then, a small red bird came into his view.

"Angry Birds?" Lant scratched his head. "What's that?"

He then opened the application details page.

"A revolutionary game that brings you an unparalleled gaming experience."

Innovative gameplay and countless maps await your exploration.

This is a contest between a flock of birds and a group of pigs. Do you dare to take on the challenge?

Below are some screenshots from the game.

The introduction and pictures immediately piqued Lant's interest.

Is this game really as exaggerated as he says?

How dare they claim to be subverting tradition!

Without hesitation, Lant pulled out his credit card and paid for the download.

After all, it's only $0.99, so you won't lose out or be cheated.

After successful payment, the game was downloaded and installed quickly.

Lant's finger eagerly tapped the seemingly angry little bird.

The game enters the initial page, and cheerful music plays from the phone, with three birds—yellow, red, and blue—arranged in order.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lant clicked the "play" button.

The game then enters a cutscene.

The animation tells a short story about a group of pigs who, taking advantage of the absence of birds in their nests, secretly steal the precious eggs that the birds cherish, and then laugh at the birds for being so foolish.

So the birds got angry and vowed to take revenge on the pigs.

But the pigs hid under the house, so the birds had to use their slingshots to destroy the house and kill the pigs.

"It's quite interesting."