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

"Alright, alright, let's get back to the point. What did you want to see me about?"

Lu Chen cleared his throat and sat up straight.

Seeing that Lu Chen was finally acting serious, Susie sighed helplessly.

"Boss Lu, the sales figures for Angry Birds for this month are in."

"Oh? Let me see."

The moment to test the results has finally arrived!

Lu Chen took the folder from Susie with a serious expression.

The folder was in his hand, but Lu Chen hesitated to open it.

Reborn, it's the culmination of a month's hard work and the combined efforts of several people in the company.

They pinned all their hopes on these small sales figures.

After all, the sales figures for Angry Birds directly determine the company's survival!

If sales are good, it proves that the company has been revitalized, and that Lu Chen's guidance was effective, turning the company from a desperate situation into a new path.

If sales are poor, I'm sorry, the company will be closing down tomorrow!

Because the company is completely broke.

After that, Lu Chen gave up on starting his own business. He made a good living by taking advantage of information asymmetry to buy houses and speculate in stocks.

He didn't want to ask his family for money anymore and invest it in the company's bottomless pit!

Lu Chen took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and turned to the first page.

The homepage prominently displays Angry Birds' sales figures.

32.6 million!!!

32.6 downloads in one month!!!

This is a paid app that costs $0.99!

Lu Chen pinched his thigh hard, somewhat incredulous.

It wasn't until he clearly saw the words "32.6" written in black and white on the paper that Lu Chen came to his senses. This wasn't a dream!

At the same time, a huge weight that had been pressing on Lu Chen's heart finally collapsed.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Lu Chen suddenly stood up and excitedly said "good" three times in a row.

Keep in mind that this was in July 2008, before Android phones were even available on the market, and Angry Birds was only available on the iPhone platform.

Moreover, iPhones are still a novelty now, and their ownership rate is not as terrifying as it will be in later years.

According to conservative estimates, by August 2008, the first-generation iPhone had sold approximately 1.4 million units.

With the solid foundation laid by the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G was an instant hit upon its release.

Sales are projected to reach 300 million units in the first month.

Therefore, the cumulative number of users has reached 440 million.

Angry Birds sold 32.6 units!

This means that almost one in ten iPhone users will pay to download Angry Birds!

ZhengTu Technology's desperate gamble, risking everything, has paid off!

"Great! That's fantastic!" Lu Chen pumped his fist. "Susie, let's tell everyone the good news right away!"

"good!"

Seeing Boss Lu's excited expression, Susie understood that the company had truly been revived.

Taking two steps at a time, Lu Chen almost jogged to the employees' office area.

"Everyone, please stop what you're doing. I have something to announce!"

Lu Chen stood in the center of the room, holding a folder aloft in his right hand.

Everyone put down what they were doing and looked at Lu Chen with puzzled expressions.

"Today, the sales figures for Angry Birds, a game that's been online for a month, are finally in!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions instantly turned serious.

"Guess how much?"

Lu Chen deliberately did not give the answer directly.

"Boss, how much is it?"

"Yes, hurry up and tell me! I'm so impatient!"

"Grandpa and Grandma, please bless me! Sales must be great!"

Tao Manwen clasped her hands together, repeatedly praying for blessings, and didn't even dare to look at Lu Chen.

Seeing everyone's eager expressions, Lu Chen stopped keeping them in suspense.

"Angry Birds sold 32.6 units in one month!"

Lu Chen loudly announced the sales figures for Angry Birds.

"How much? 32.6?"

"Is this a lot or a little?"

"Yes! I knew we could do it!"

"It's done! Conquer Online Technology has finally survived!"

"So can someone explain to me whether it's more or less...?"

In an instant, the floor where ZhengTu Technology was located erupted in unprecedented cheers, as if they wanted to lift the roof off!

Jiang Chang and He Tao, two young men, swung their fists and jumped up, almost hitting the ceiling.

Xue Meng, Ji Wenjie, and Chu Yu also celebrated with each other.

Even Wu Zhixuan's solemn face was filled with smiles.

Only Tao Manwen was still in a daze.

"Angkor, please explain this to me."

Tao Manwen said weakly.

"32.6 certainly means high sales."

Wu Zhixuan explained to Tao Manwen.

"This means we can make a net profit of 157 million yuan a month just from Angry Birds!"

Wu Zhixuan, a programmer, has already calculated how much money ZhengTu Technology can make.

"Look, 32.6 sales multiplied by the price of $0.99, and then converted to RMB, is about 224 million in sales revenue."

"But Apple still takes a 30% cut!"

So we can actually earn 157 million!

Wu Zhixuan explained in detail.

"Oh, earning over a million a month is indeed a lot. We couldn't even pay our salaries last month."

Upon hearing Wu Zhixuan's words, Tao Manwen suddenly understood.

The office was filled with a joyful atmosphere, and Lu Chen nodded with satisfaction.

It seems that with the success of Angry Birds, the employees have finally regained their former enthusiasm.

Lu Chen felt it was time to add fuel to the fire.

"I think I can finally fulfill my promise to everyone about the celebration banquet I made before!"

Susie, go book a restaurant. We're drinking until we drop tonight!

Lu Chen waved his hand and set the date for tonight's celebration banquet.

……

Time flew by and it was evening.

The company team arrived at the restaurant in an orderly fashion.

Once the food and drinks were served, the atmosphere in the private room quickly became lively.

After all, people are in high spirits when they have good news.

Especially at a time when everyone works together to achieve results.

Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere, Lu Chen prepared to say a few words.

"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me."

When the boss speaks, no one dares to disobey, and the private room immediately falls silent.

"The success of Angry Birds is not my achievement alone, but the result of everyone's joint efforts!"

I would like to thank everyone for staying with us during the company's most difficult time.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the company.

I know that everyone came to ZhengTu Technology out of a love for games.

Angry Birds is just the beginning!

Journey Technology will create even more interesting games in the future!

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the private room.

These words resonated deeply with everyone.

Indeed, joining the game company in 2008 meant I had at least a passion for games.

Although the company has only been established for a short time, it has experienced many ups and downs along the way.

Lu Chen continued.

"Our company, Journey Technology, will not even be limited to the gaming field."

We will gradually explore smartphones, chat software, video websites, and more!

Future Journey Technology is China's Apple, and Hangzhou is the Silicon Valley of the future.

I am confident that I can lead Journey Technology to become a great company!

Perhaps it was the success of Angry Birds that inspired Lu Chen.

Let him express all his ambitions for the future at the dinner table.

The employees present were surprised by the grand promises Lu Chen made.

This is nothing.

Do you know how arrogant you are?

They've barely achieved some success before they're already thinking about taking off.

Having finished discussing abstract concepts, Lu Chen decided to get down to practical matters.

"Our first mobile game project was a success, so of course we won't let everyone down!"

I've decided to reward everyone with an iPhone 3G.

We'll also give everyone an extra month's salary as a bonus!

The applause grew even louder.

Sure enough, small amounts of money are the most touching.