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

Time flies.

The development of Conquer Online 1 has entered a truly intense phase.

Hangzhou Entrepreneurship Center

That floor used to be a rather empty office area.

It has now been quickly filled.

Within the open office area,

More than forty new members have joined the team, including newly recruited hardware engineers, structural designers, RF experts, and Android low-level developers.

They merged with the original team, forming a nascent mobile phone R&D team.

The air was filled with the mixed aroma of coffee and instant noodles.

The whiteboard was covered with intricate circuit diagrams and system architecture diagrams.

Debates have become the norm here.

The pros and cons of a technical solution, the trade-offs of certain interaction details, and the selection of a particular supplier.

to this end,

The arguments in the meeting room often continued until late at night.

Lin Bing and Hong Feng's office became the busiest place.

They are both Christians.

Study the technical details of the system.

Solving one engineering problem after another.

One is responsible for external affairs.

Frequent flights to Shenzhen, Dongguan, Beijing and other places.

Talk to suppliers and negotiate with factory owners.

Lu Chen attends the core project meetings every day.

However, he tried his best to let Lin Bing and Hong Feng make decisions on the technical details.

His role is more about grasping the overall direction and coordinating resources.

And make the final decision at the key points of disagreement.

At the same time, we continuously boosted the team's confidence.

It was late at night.

Lu Chen, Lin Bing, and Hong Feng will stand in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the office.

Looking at the myriad lights of Hangzhou.

Sometimes I feel,

We're like building a large ship to sail into uncharted waters.

Hong Feng took a big gulp of coffee.

"The design drawings are beautiful, but actually building them..."

Only then did I realize that every single screw requires meticulous care.

Lin Bing nodded and took over the conversation:

"Moreover, there is now the giant ship Apple in the sea."

There are also smaller companies like Meizu and HTC.

Therefore, our ships must be built to be sturdy enough.

otherwise,

Forget long voyages, it'll sink as soon as it leaves port.

Lu Chen also made himself a cup of coffee.

His eyes, however, were fixed on the flickering lights outside the window.

He said in a calm voice:

"Because the sea area is unknown, storms could strike at any time."

It only has a different meaning when it is conquered.

It is precisely because our opponents are strong that our success is all the more valuable.

Lu Chen turned his head.

Looking at his two comrades-in-arms, he said firmly:

Lin Bing, Hong Feng,

Journey 1 and ZUI are like our ship and sail.

right now,

The best sailors are busy at work, and the east wind is gradually rising.

All our struggles,

It's all for that moment!

He raised his coffee, took a sip, and said calmly:

"Next,

It is to witness our ship.

When will we set sail?

……

It's now mid-March.

The development of Conquer Online 1 is in full swing.

Lin Bing brought another piece of good news.

"Boss Lu, we've made progress on the game payment channel issue."

Lin Bing walked into Lu Chen's office with a document in her hand.

"I had dealings with people from the mobile industry when I was at Google,"

We recently got in touch; they seem very interested in us.

As mentioned before,

ZhengTu Technology encountered difficulties with in-game purchases in the ZhengTu Z1 game.

At that time, due to funding constraints,

ZhengTu Technology can only connect to large domestic SP (value-added service provider) platforms such as Kongzhong and Tom Online.

We will collaborate with both companies on a profit-sharing basis.

Moreover, the share of profits is only a pitiful 30%.

Fortunately, thanks to Wu Zhixuan's repeated efforts, the situation was resolved.

ZhengTu Technology took a 53% cut.

This was a compromise that had to be made.

But things are different now.

With the success of various projects of Journey Technology.

In addition, the production of Conquer Online 1 urgently requires funds.

And in order to align with the subsequent app store strategy.

Lu Chen then approached Lin Bing.

I want to ask him for help.

This will allow ZhengTu Technology to successfully become a SP (Service Provider).

Upon hearing this,

Lu Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked:

"How so?"

"China Mobile is willing to cooperate directly with us."

Let's become SPs.

Lin Bing handed the document to Lu Chen.

This is a preliminary cooperation plan.

Through the official mobile payment channels,

The split ratio is 15:85.

China Mobile takes 15%, we take 85%.

"85%?!"

Lu Chen took the document and quickly browsed through it.

"This is so much better than what we're doing through third-party platforms now!"

"It's not just about movement."

Lin Bing continued:

I'm also in contact with China Unicom and China Telecom.

The expected profit sharing ratios are roughly the same.

If all three of us reach an agreement...

Our income will increase significantly in the future.

Lu Chen carefully read through the cooperation proposal.

Becoming an SP requires certain qualification verification and a deposit.

But this is not a problem for ZhengTu Technology at present.

more importantly,

This is an officially recognized payment channel.

Its security and stability far exceed those of third-party platforms.

of course,

All of this is just a stopgap measure.

By the end of next year at the latest.

Journey Technology will develop its own payment channels.

We aim to obtain one of the first mobile payment licenses in the future.

By that time.

That will be the real explosion of mobile games.

You are fully responsible for this matter.

Lu Chen made a decision immediately.

"Finalize the contract as soon as possible, the sooner the better."

Our game revenue is growing every month.

Switching channels a day earlier means earning money for another day.

Lin Bing's actions were extremely efficient.

Just two weeks later, Journey Technology officially signed an SP cooperation agreement with China Mobile.

Another week later, the cooperation between China Unicom and China Telecom was also finalized.

The effect was immediate the month the payment channel was switched.

Susie couldn't hide her excitement during her report.

"Boss Lu,

The monthly revenue of the game "Zhengtu" in China has increased from 12 million yuan.

It surged directly to nearly 20 million.

The actual revenue received increased by nearly 70%!

Following this trend

"Our gaming business alone will generate over 200 million yuan in net profit this year."

She paused, turned a page of the document, and continued:

"In addition, the Conquer Online Z1 continues to sell well."

In the first three months after its launch, cumulative sales exceeded 900,000 units.

Combining the income of both,

The company's overall cash flow is currently very healthy.

It is fully capable of supporting the R&D investment of Journey 1 and ZUI projects.

And there are ample funds available for subsequent marketing and promotion.

Lu Chen nodded.

Unfortunately, the Z1's sales in the first three months were just a little short of one million.

However, this revenue is enough to prove the capabilities of Journey Technology.

Based on the proportion of income structure.

Gaming revenue accounts for more than half of total revenue.

It remains an important part of the funding sources for Journey Technology.

However, with the future launch of Conquer Online 1 and Conquer Online Z2.

We believe that revenue from the hardware business will increase significantly.

Journey can now openly and legitimately say that it is a technology company.

At the same time, it has stable cash flow support.

The development of Conquer Online 1 also has the strongest guarantee.

More than ten days later.

There was another knock on Lu Chen's office door.

Jiang Chang came this time.

He walked into Lu Chen's office with an excited expression.

"Boss Lu!"

Jiang Chang's voice was a little hoarse, but his eyes were shining.

"After three months of development, Minecraft is finally finished!"

The major bugs have been basically fixed.

The three important game environments—the Overworld, the Nether, and the End—have passed testing.

The basic infrastructure for multiplayer mode is also set up.

He took a deep breath and excitedly announced.

"My world is always ready to go online!"