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

The last weekend of March.

Lu Chen arranged for the official launch of Minecraft.

at the same time,

Li Hao, a sophomore at Hangzhou University of Electronic Science and Technology, is sitting on a greasy plastic chair in an internet cafe.

The air was filled with the smell of smoke and instant noodles.

But he had no interest in whether the environment was good or bad.

My eyes are glued to a download progress bar that keeps moving forward.

85%...86%...87%...

"Faster! Faster!"

Li Hao's legs were shaking incessantly under the table.

Holding the mouse, I kept right-clicking and refreshing on the desktop.

As a result, the progress bar got stuck at 99% and wouldn't budge.

"Damn it! Are you kidding me?!"

Li Hao slammed his fist on the table with a "bang".

"Hey there! Just because it's not your computer doesn't mean you can keep messing with it!"

The network administrator's curses came from afar.

"bite--"

A notification sound like lightning rang out from the background.

The downloaded movie appeared in the folder.

I don't have time to manage the network administrator.

Li Hao looked around.

Seeing that no one noticed his actions.

He immediately pulled a blue Conqueror Z1 out of his pocket.

The data cable connects very quickly.

I opened my computer and sure enough, a drive letter named "Zhengtu Z1" appeared.

This is an 8GB version of the Conquer Online Z1, and there is less than 1GB of space left.

Li Hao quickly clicked on it.

Delete the files I downloaded last week.

Then copy the new data in.

Since the Journey Z1 came out.

Downloading things from the internet cafe every week became his unwavering routine.

After all, the internet in the school dormitory is as slow as a snail.

Downloading a high-definition movie takes all night.

It's better to spend two yuan to solve it at an internet cafe.

The copy progress bar has started moving.

Li Hao breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Recalling his experience of snapping up the Conqueror Z1 a month ago, Li Hao still feels lingering fear.

It was a Saturday in mid-February.

He was already there at six in the morning, wrapped in a down jacket, waiting at the entrance of the digital mall.

As a result, there were already more than thirty people ahead of us in line.

When the store opened at nine o'clock, he was practically squeezed in by the crowd.

Chaos erupted in front of the counter; some people nearly came to blows over the last machine.

When he finally held the blue Conqueror Z1 he had bought for 899 yuan in his hands.

It all felt worth it.

He discovered that he was using the Z1 to watch movies featuring attractive women.

From every strand of hair to every inch of skin.

Everything was clearly visible.

No more grainy screens!

In addition, the Journey Z1 features a capacitive screen.

With just a simple swipe, you can easily drag the progress bar.

Combined with excellent sound system.

It gave him an unparalleled immersive experience.

However, this caused hardship for the metal bunk beds in the dormitory.

It creaks and groans every night.

The transmission progress has finally jumped to 100%.

Li Hao unplugged the data cable and was about to log off when he suddenly remembered something and sat back down.

He skillfully opened his browser and entered a familiar website address.

This is a forum or online community he frequents.

It's called "Zhengtu Game Bar".

As a loyal user of the Z1.

How could you not have played the games built into it?

Whether it's Angry Birds, Fruit Swordsman, or Plants vs. Zombies.

They accompanied him through class after class.

Recently, news suddenly started breaking on the forum.

They say Conquer Online is releasing a new game.

Therefore, Li Hao only needs one opportunity.

Everyone comes to this forum to see if there are any new messages.

Open the Conquer Online game.

The title of the pinned post clearly states:

[Official Announcement] Minecraft is officially launched!

Another masterpiece from the Conquer Online game series, click the link to download!

Li Hao's heart raced, and he immediately clicked on the link.

The post was made half an hour ago, and there are already more than 300 replies.

[Original Poster (Official Conquer Online Account)]:

"Hello, players!"

Minecraft officially launched today (March 28th)!

This is an open-world sandbox game.

Here, you are free to create, explore, and survive...

The game is now available for download on the official website of Journey Technology!

The Android version is completely free!

The iOS version is also available on the App Store, priced at $9.99.

[Second Floor]: "First! Finally! I've been waiting ever since the official announcement a month ago; these past few days have felt like an eternity!"

[Third Floor]: "I've already downloaded and played it! It's amazing! The completely free building system. I've already built a simple hut in the game, and today I'm going to challenge myself to build a castle."

[Fourth Floor]: "Just wondering, what exactly is this game about? The description says it's just digging blocks and building houses?"

[Fifth Floor]: "The person upstairs is too young! The essence of this game is freedom! Play it however you want!"

[Sixth Floor]: "Just downloaded it and played for a while. The basic art style is pixel art, but did you know? There are shader mods and texture packs available for purchase in the game store! Trust me! Six yuan won't break the bank!"

[Post #156]: "How do I use the multiplayer mode? I want to play with my friends!"

Li Hao was thrilled.

He had heard from various game chat groups that Minecraft was under development.

The quality of Journey Technology's previous games made him very excited about this new title.

It's finally online now, and it's still free!

Without hesitation, he clicked on the official website link in the post.

Find the Minecraft download page.

The Android version is available for free download.

The iOS version will display "Download from App Store".

Li Hao clicked to download; the file size is approximately 80MB.

The download progress bar finished quickly.

He immediately copied the installation package onto the device.

Then I paid two yuan for internet access, grabbed my Journey Z1 and rushed out of the internet cafe, hopped on my bicycle and sped back to my dormitory.

His mind is now filled with that world made of blocks.

When I returned to the dormitory,

Two of my three roommates went out to play basketball, and the other was reading a novel.

Li Hao didn't even bother to say hello; he just plugged in his headphones and started playing the Journey Z1.

A new icon appears on the desktop.

A pixelated logo made up of grass blocks and stones.

The music begins; it's a simple and soothing melody.

Game start screen,

It offers the classic four options: "Single Player," "Multiplayer," "Options," and "Exit."

Li Hao clicked on "Single Player Game".

The interface indicates that the world is being prepared for generation.

He thought for a moment and then typed "Li Hao's World" into the World Name field.

Choose survival mode for the game, with moderate difficulty.

Then click Create.

The screen went dark and then lit up again.

The moment Li Hao's character randomly appeared on the mountaintop.

Looking at it at a glance,

Before us stretched rolling green grasslands.

In the distance, there are forests and mountains, and further away, the outlines of deserts and snowfields can be vaguely seen.

The wind blew, rippling the grass and rustling the leaves.

Li Hao felt as if he were in nature at this moment.

"This is...my world?"

He tried moving the character.

Use the virtual joystick on your left hand to control direction, and slide your right hand to adjust the view.

The game has no tutorial.

Li Hao had no choice but to control his character and wander aimlessly around.

I treated this game entirely as a scenic viewing experience.

We walked and stopped frequently, observing the scenery around us.

A dozen minutes later, Li Hao looked puzzled. Why hadn't they reached the end yet?

But his hands didn't stop moving.

Continue controlling the character to move forward for a while.

He discovered that the game map seemed to have no end!