Top of the Great Era

Chapter 3194 Platform Game
Zhang Chaoyang was very happy. "How about it? You agree now?"

Zhou Buqi said unhappily, "I don't agree, what's the use?"

"It works. Don't make me act like I'm trying to seize power." Zhang Chaoyang was in a good mood because he was sure that Sohu Video had a healthy track for development. "Don't consider me. Just look at your own opinion and decide whether to do this or not."

Zhou Buqi snorted, "I just controlled Li Zairong during the day, and you framed him at night."

Zhang Chaoyang smiled and said, "Don't blame me. This is mainly for the internal stability of Changyou. Changyou is developing so well now. After the fourth quarter financial report is released, the market value will surely reach 1000 billion US dollars. With such a good development momentum, we must not let some internal disagreements affect unity."

Zhou Buqi said "hmm".

Zhang Chaoyang went on to say, "There is one more thing you should not forget. The gaming industry is so small. Last year, the total revenue of the global gaming industry was less than 900 billion US dollars, and Changyou accounted for 17%. This market share is already high enough."

Zhou Buqi said calmly: "Don't worry about that. The gaming industry hasn't really exploded yet. If you want to play games, you first need to have gaming equipment. The first step is to popularize smartphones, and then mobile games will sweep the world. Now we are still in the stage of equipment popularization, so don't worry."

"There should be a better track. Film and television works not only allow Changyou to generate revenue by using the game content library, but more importantly, it is the best marketing method. There is nothing better than this." Zhang Chaoyang also got evidence, "The animated film "Angry Birds" produced by DreamWorks Animation was released in May this year. After the trailer was released, the effect was so good that it directly increased the activity of the game by 5%!"

"Oh? Got the data?"

Zhou Buqi's eyes lit up.

This is a project he is promoting. There are also animated films adapted from Talking Tom Cat and Sonic the Hedgehog, which are in production and are expected to be released next year and the year after respectively. There are also planned animated films adapted from games, such as Super Mario Bros. and Plants vs. Zombies.

These adaptation projects have all been signed and confirmed by Zhou Buqi. They are all based on the same model. As long as they are done, they can be filmed into a long series.

Zhang Chaoyang smiled and said, "Yes, it's very eye-catching! The game Angry Birds is a bit outdated, and its popularity has been declining year by year. As soon as the trailer of the animated film was released, the popularity of the game immediately rose again."

Zhou Buqi explained: "League of Legends and DOTA2 still have to be made into animated films. They can't be shown in movie theaters. Whether it's Angry Birds, Talking Tom Cat, or the later Plants vs. Zombies and Super Mario Bros., they are all educational games for young people with rich story backgrounds. This kind of subject matter can be adapted into family-friendly animated films. For League of Legends, it can either be made into a live-action movie or an animation."

“Is there still a theory for this?”

"You can't just do it blindly."

"Huh?" Zhang Chaoyang reacted, "You're still going to shoot Super Mario? Isn't that a Nintendo game? Are you making a movie for someone else?"

Zhou Buqi was both angry and amused. "To make a movie, you have to make money, right? 'Super Mario' is a world-class IP. Once this project is signed, it will be a cash cow for Ziweixing Global. It is a large series that can be filmed for a long time. It will be no problem to shoot seven or eight animated films in a row. You can't make a movie just to promote the game company, right? The movie company also has to make money. Besides, didn't I sign the overseas operation rights of the mobile game of 'Super Mario Bros.' to Changyou a long time ago?"

Zhang Chaoyang nodded, "Yes, it is indeed a super IP."

Zhou Buqi said: "There are not many super IPs like this. It must be a world-class national game. In the entire Japanese game industry, only 'Sonic', 'Pikachu' and 'Mario' are worthy of being made into Hollywood-level animated movies. Whoever can get them will make money. I have already got two."

"Didn't it cost a lot of money?"

"No, they are all the same, the same as the cooperation terms with Changyou. The game company publishes the rights, and the production company provides the funds. In the end, if the movie sells well, 25% of the profits will go to the game company. However, this is not the case with "League of Legends" and "DOTA2". These are not super IPs, and Changyou must invest in production."

Zhang Chaoyang said, "We can do this. League of Legends will cooperate with Netflix, and DOTA2 will cooperate with Peacock. Then let Sohu Video and your Twitch get involved. Everyone can share the production funds, and each company won't spend much money."

Zhou Buqi said: "That also needs to be differentiated. League of Legends made so much money for Changyou, and how much did DOTA2 make? If the two animations have the same investment amount, it would be unfair to the League of Legends team."

Zhang Chaoyang nodded, "Indeed, it should be reflected in the investment. Different treatment can stimulate enterprising spirit." "Last year, the profit of DOTA2 was one-tenth of that of League of Legends, right?"

Zhou Buqi has read the financial report and this is the data he remembers.

Zhang Chaoyang sighed, "Game operations in Europe and the United States are still more complicated. DOTA2 relies on the Steam platform for operation, with an annual income of 2.9 million US dollars, and Steam platform takes 30%. Changyou's money has to be divided with Blizzard and IceFrog 20%. In addition, the operating costs in Europe and the United States are much higher than those in Asia, resulting in low profits, less than 9000 million US dollars. The profit of League of Legends exceeds 8 million US dollars."

League of Legends is different.

This is a standalone game.

No need to rely on Steam or any third-party platform to operate, which means no need to be charged 30% tax. This game is mainly aimed at the Chinese and Korean markets, and the game industries in these two countries are not used to the most popular Steam platform in Europe and the United States.

Instead, it left huge profits for game manufacturers.

In addition, China and South Korea have better infrastructure and lower labor costs, which leads to lower game operation and maintenance costs. High revenue and low costs make the game "League of Legends" have an amazing performance on the profit and loss statement.

However, "League of Legends" needs to rely on Steam to be promoted in the European and American markets.

European and American gamers are accustomed to relying on one platform.

There is no market for independent games.

Even if some games are said to be independent games, they are actually platform games that rely on a platform.

This has led to a lot of suffering for game manufacturers. If they don’t rely on the platform, they will have no traffic and no exposure. If they rely on the platform, at least 30% of their income will be taken away...

Fortunately, Zhou Buqi was quick-witted and quick-handed.

He had already started.

Steam, the world's largest gaming platform, now belongs to Ziweixing International. In the past year, including membership fees and game commissions, the revenue exceeded US$50 billion and the profit exceeded US$20 billion, which is the highest net profit among Ziweixing International's many businesses.

Zhang Chaoyang gave him a meaningful look and said, "If Steam doesn't take a cut from DOTA2, the profit of this game will double."

"This has nothing to do with me. This is the trend in Europe and America." Zhou Buqi shirked the responsibility, and then became a little worried. "China has also learned from this. Every day, they complain that the 30% commission of iPhone is too high. They have set up an Android Alliance to take a 50% commission on mobile games. After the launch of "Honor of Kings", there will be more trouble!"

Zhang Chaoyang said: "Don't be afraid, you are the one who has the final say in the mobile phone industry!"

"Forget it, let's wait until they are sure about it." Zhou Buqi waved his hand, "Anyway, the production budgets of League of Legends and DOTA2 are different. If the profits differ by ten times, then the investment in the series should also differ by ten times. This is fair!"

It was the same in my previous life.

"League of Legends" has been made into an animation. It is a big production with an investment of $1 million per season. It has a compact plot and exquisite production, and can be called a masterpiece.

DOTA also made an animation, but the investment was much lower, only $1000 million, and the graphics and special effects were not so sophisticated. Fortunately, the plot is very good, and it can be regarded as a very good animation work.