Top of the Great Era

Chapter 3181 Two Mobile Games
Changyou’s summary meeting has almost become a commendation meeting.

The biggest recognition, of course, was for League of Legends, which generated $15 billion in revenue for Changyou in the past year. The game team received a super gift package with a total prize of $5000 million!
It includes more than 300 people from multiple teams including design, art, development, technology, testing, operations, and marketing.

The one who received the highest prize was $450 million, and the one who received the least received a reward of over $3.

Zhou Buqi was very satisfied with this reward plan.

Because this game is mainly popular in the Chinese and Korean markets, the recipients of the awards were mainly domestic development and operation teams, and the money was given to their own people.

At the summary meeting, the topic was also expanded around "League of Legends".

Co-CEO Ren Yuxin said, "The success of League of Legends proves the correctness of this creative direction. The most important task this year is to launch the mobile version of League of Legends, focusing on the Chinese and Korean markets first and making a good mobile game product."

Mattrick, co-CEO in charge of the European and American markets, was embarrassed by this.

Because this is his weakness.

China and South Korea have already developed the mobile version of League of Legends, but the European and American markets have not even developed the PC market. On the surface, European and American players prefer DOTA2. However, the total revenue of DOTA2 in Europe, America, Latin America, and Australia is not much higher than that in Asia.

Mattrick said: "It's mainly because of the difference in gaming culture. I've been to dozens of Internet cafes in the capital these days. When I go to an Internet cafe, I find that people mainly play multiplayer competitive games, either League of Legends, DOTA1 or DOTA2. Europe and the United States... especially the United States, are not like this at all."

Zhou Buqi didn't want to embarrass him, so he smiled and said, "Internet cafes in the United States are different from those here."

Mattrick said, "Yes, the Internet cafes here are surprisingly advanced! Many of them have even been renamed 'Internet cafes', which are a combination of Internet cafes and coffee shops, with more beautiful decorations, more advanced machines and chairs and sofas, a cleaner and more elegant environment, hundreds of machines and more than a dozen staff members. The service is really great, really shocking, and really leading the world!"

Ren Yuxin smiled and said, "It's a trend that came from South Korea. It has indeed greatly promoted the culture of Internet cafes."

Mattrick sighed, "It's not the same in the United States. The Internet cafes are too small, cold and damp, just like those adult movie and video halls in the past... In fact, many Internet cafes were converted from adult video halls. They are very small, and a dozen machines are considered a lot in an Internet cafe. And the Internet environment is very poor, and there are often some black people and illegal immigrants. The conditions in Europe are better than those in the United States, but compared with the Internet cafe culture in China and South Korea, it is really far behind."

Zhou Buqi understood what he meant, "So multiplayer competitive games are related to Internet cafe culture?"

Mattrick said confidently: "It is related! It is very related!"

Ren Yuxin nodded. "Many times, these games are not just about playing games, but also about getting along with each other. High school students, college students, and even many old friends who have graduated and worked for many years, also like to get together to play Dota online. This is indeed a culture."

Mattrick said: "The gaming culture in Europe and America is still mainly based on 'cars, guns and balls'."

Zhou Buqi said "hmm".

"Cars, Guns and Balls" refers to racing games, shooting games and sports games.

This is actually the bulk of Changyou’s revenue.

In the past year, Changyou's global revenue exceeded US$140 billion, of which capital income (investment) exceeded US$25 billion, and revenue from the three major game categories of "cars, guns and balls" exceeded US$60 billion.

Zhang Chaoyang, the vice chairman of Changyou, sat to Zhou Buqi's left. He said: "From the general trend of the financial report, we can also make a simple judgment that the development trend of games is the interaction between people. The revenue growth of online games is much faster than that of stand-alone games."

After a pause, Lao Zhang continued, "Behind Changyou are the genes of Ziweixing and Sohu, and the genes of the Internet. Changyou's core strategy is to make Internet-related games. Stand-alone games can be a golden signboard, but they are not the main direction for generating revenue."

Zhou Buqi wanted to laugh at him for putting Sohu and Ziweixing together, but he couldn't slap him in the face in public, so he smiled and said, "The interaction between people is the manifestation of the charm of games. Multiplayer competitive games can be said to be the best type of games to stimulate player interaction." Don Mattrick immediately stated, "That's right, so I can guarantee that this year I will create a world-class multiplayer competitive shooting game... and it will be a mobile game. In Internet cafes in Europe and the United States, players still play more shooting games."

Ren Yuxin agreed: "It must be a mobile game!"

PC shooting games have no chance. CS, as the most classic multiplayer online competitive shooting game, has been popular for 20 years. China and South Korea have also imitated CS and launched a series of similar games. For example, CrossFire, the second most profitable game in the world in the past year, is actually a multiplayer competitive shooting game developed by imitating CS.

There is no chance to compete with Cross Fire.

Then we must seize this market on the mobile gaming side!

As early as the beginning of last year, Zhou Buqi had actually made the decision to invest a total of US$6 million to US$8 million in development funds and mobilize six game studios to develop two mobile games.

One is to imitate "League of Legends" and launch a mobile game version. All three game studios are in China;

One is imitating CS and Cross Fire and launching a mobile game version. One game studio is in the United States, one in the United Kingdom, and one in South Korea.

This is a request that was not made at last year’s summary meeting last week.

A year later, both CEOs stood up and raised their flags.

Ren Yuxin said: "The three studios have developed two relatively successful products. Next, internal evaluation and confirmation will be carried out. It is expected that the total development cost of the mobile version of "League of Legends" this summer will not exceed 2 million US dollars, which is 55% less than expected... By the way, the name you gave it is "Honor of Kings"? "

"Yeah, just whatever I thought."

Zhou Buqi cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed.

Ren Yuxin smiled and said, "I think this name is good. According to the plan, the internal test version will be launched in June, and the official version should be released in September."

Zhou Buqi was very satisfied.

Vice Chairman Zhang Chaoyang also praised him highly.

Don Mattrick, who is responsible for developing the shooting mobile game, is in an awkward situation. His three game studios are all overseas, and their work efficiency cannot be compared with that in China. The most efficient one is actually the studio in South Korea, but he is not very satisfied with the design there.

Mattrick said: "Shooting games may be more complicated. Europe and the United States pursue shooting games that are more exciting and realistic. Asia's understanding of shooting games seems to be different. The game mechanism of CrossFire is not suitable for European and American players."

Zhou Buqi glanced at him and said decisively: "Then transfer the Korean studio that develops shooting games to Ren Yuxin. You will be in charge of the other two studios. You must develop a multiplayer competitive shooting mobile game that will be popular in the European and American markets."

Mattrick took a deep breath, not daring to procrastinate or explain any more, and quickly assured: "No problem, this year... this year we can definitely develop such a game!"

The gaming industry is not a big business.

This past year, the gaming industry's total revenue was less than $900 billion.

With more people playing mobile games, naturally fewer people are playing other types of games.

Zhou Buqi said coldly: "The data has proved that our previous judgment was correct. In the overall market of the game industry, the share of social games is shrinking rapidly, the share of console games and handheld games is also decreasing, and mobile games are dominating the entire game industry. Changyou's focus cannot change, and mobile games must still be the core strategy! This point cannot be lost! Whoever fails to do this will step down!"