Top of the big era

"I'm afraid it's not enough."

Don Mattrick shook his head, not satisfied with this arrangement.

"Then what do you mean..."

Zhou Buqi's expression became complicated.

It seems that there are huge differences in the current competition between the two different routes in the game industry, and it is not enough to suppress the ideological tendency of friend studios.

Don Mattrick sighed and said helplessly: "Zhou, all of us know that you started the trend of social games. Friend Studio was originally the largest social game studio in the United States in this field. But Because we have determined a development route focusing on mobile games, Friend Studio has lagged behind in the social market."

Zhou Buqi said firmly: "Social games are just McDonald's fast food, and countless people are buying it, but only the food in the palace is the goal that people aspire to. Only large-scale games can give players all-round, perfect and shocking enjoyment. No one Indulge in fast food and gain long-term pleasure.”

"What about the friend studio?" Don Mattrick hesitated for a moment, but still did not give his answer. He left the choice to Boss Zhou. He just mentioned the current operating difficulties of the game division. "Different game development ideas have caused a certain amount of confusion in the game division. For a company, it is best to have a clear development direction and pursue it unswervingly. Confusion in people's minds will cause management chaos.”

Zhou Buqi smiled and said, "Just tell me what you think."

Don Mattrick took a deep breath and said seriously: "I should sell my friend's studio. I have three reasons."

"Tell me."

"First, the advantages of the external environment. Now the global game industry is in a cold state. Only social games are booming and are most recognized by the capital market. Not only the capital market, but also the entire game industry... no one can have such a strong reputation as you. Firm, decisive and clear understanding of the industry.”

"That's true!"

Zhou Buqi was unambiguous and openly admitted that he was indeed sharp and unique, and could make the most accurate judgment between current traditional games and Internet games.

Lu Qi also smiled and complimented: "That's for sure. Social games are what you create. No one understands social games better than you."

Don Mattrick said: "Yes, so there is a big trend in the game industry now, which is to follow the trend of social games. Including EA, we also hope to be able to lay out in this field."

He had been a VP at EA before, and he knew it all too well.

When Zhou Buqi heard this, he was immediately very interested, "Really? EA wants to acquire a social game studio?"

Don Mattrick said: "Yes, this is EA's consistent strategy, to reduce expected industry risks through acquisitions and avoid being eliminated by the times. Not only EA, almost all large game manufacturers are interested in social games . It’s just that the current social game studios are too popular and very profitable. For most companies, they are simply unaffordable.”

Seeing Zhou Buqi's silence, Lu Qi then asked, "What about the last two points?"

Don Mattrick said: "The second point is that due to its own reasons, the development of Friend's Studio is not going smoothly. Except for the great success of "Happy Farm", the effects of other adapted games are not very good. American culture is different. If we adapt social games from Friends to Facebook, it would be really difficult to adapt to American players without the planning and adaptation of some professional game professionals. And we have not arranged the best game planning on Friends. Studios are all developing mobile games for mobile devices.”

Zhou Buqi nodded, "In the final analysis, it's still talent."

"Yes, talent. Because we here pay more attention to the development of mobile games and relatively despise social games, game talents in the industry will prefer other social game companies instead of friend studios when choosing employment."

"What about the third point?"

"The third point is the group strategy. As you said, it is best not to be both an athlete and a referee. Several of the best social game studios in the United States have basically developed their business in China. For example, Zynga went to China last year to acquire a social game studio to complete its layout in China. If we give up our friend studio, we will give up the direct competition with Zynga. By then, social game companies like Zynga will It will be more convenient to cooperate with Ziweixing’s platform.”

"Okay, there's a good reason!"

Without much thought, Zhou Buqi concluded that Don Mattrick's judgment was correct.

it's actually really easy.

He is not optimistic about the future of social games!

Now is the most prosperous era of social games. Shipping and selling friend studios at this peak time not only has strategic and business advantages, but also makes a lot of money financially.

Don Mattrick was very happy, "You agree?"

“Social games have no future, now is the best time to start!”

Zhou Buqi gave clear and clear opinions.

For management, it is normal for leaders to encounter conflicts with many different opinions from their subordinates.

At this time, there is a very incompetent and bureaucratic leader who is afraid of taking responsibility and gives an ambiguous and unclear opinion, leaving his subordinates to guess. When subordinates choose a direction to go in and find that they have made a mistake, the leader can shirk responsibility and say that he did not ask for it and that the subordinates were too low-level and misunderstood, and the subordinates will take the blame. If the subordinates do something right, it is the leader's credit and the leader's command is good.

If you encounter such a bureaucratic leader in the workplace, you will have bad luck for eight lifetimes.

There is also a better situation, that is, the leadership ability is limited and cannot make clear judgments, so subordinates can only make their own decisions. Once the wrong direction is chosen, the leader and subordinates will bear the responsibility together.

This is mostly the case for senior managers in the workplace.

It is impossible for the chairman, CEO, or president to be proficient in every piece of business, and cannot make accurate judgments every time, so the vice president in charge can only make the decision on his own.

Regardless of success or failure, we all advance and retreat together.

Another situation is that a truly "good leader" is never vague. He gives his opinions clearly and directly after detailed discussions every time.

This kind of opinion is not a hard-and-fast order. It has been clearly communicated and discussed with the subordinates, and a series of analytical reasons have been given, so that the subordinates can have a theoretical study.

Then, just execute it.

If after implementation, it is discovered that the wrong direction has been chosen, the first responsible person is the leader, who will bear the main responsibility, and there is no need for subordinates to take the blame.

There is no doubt that Zhou Buqi's style is a good leader who is clear-cut, organized and courageous.

Don Mattrick didn't need to feel the pressure of being stabbed in the back before he could do whatever he wanted.

Zhou Buqi asked: "If you sell your friend's studio, how much can it cost?"

"It should be able to sell for a big price." Don Mattrick was very happy, especially satisfied with Boss Zhou's style. "Last year, the revenue of Friend Studio was 180 million US dollars, and the net profit reached 92 million US dollars. US dollars. Zynga’s revenue is US$850 million, net profit is US$450 million, and its listing valuation is US$20 billion, which is about 45 times PE. According to this standard, the valuation of Friend Studio may reach... 40 One hundred million U.S. dollars."

"Ahem..."

Even though Zhou Buqi was well-informed, he couldn't help but exclaimed after being analyzed by this buddy.

$4 billion?

Depend on!

Damn it!

Can such a small studio be worth US$4 billion?

This capital market is really evil!

As long as you do the right thing and are pursued by the capital boom, pigs can fly to the sky. Only when doing business is linked to capital can it shine with unimaginable magic.

Don Mattrick said: "Of course, Zynga is now the number one in this field. It can have additional bonuses and the standards will be higher. But even so, according to the current market situation, it can still be worth US$3 billion. ."

Zhou Buqi waved his hand, "Just do it! Just do it! If it can really be sold at this price, let alone EA, it doesn't matter even if it is sold to Zynga!"

…

Next, Zhou Buqi will go all the way east, first to New York, then to London, and then to Manchester.

Manchester United will next face the Champions League quarter-finals. This is the highlight, and their opponent is the Premier League powerhouse Chelsea. In the quarter-finals, Manchester United defeated Marseille with a disparity of 6:1 in two rounds. Zhou Buqi didn't watch it. This time they faced Chelsea, so they had to go and watch it.

It's not just work, it's also a way to relax.

The current level of Manchester United is much better than that of the previous generation. They have strong players such as Bale, Robben, Rooney, Robin van Persie, Lahm, Neuer, Yaya Toure and so on.

Changes in the lineup will also bring about changes in the score. The results achieved by Manchester United at this stage in the previous generation do not have much reference value.

When watching football, it will be a completely new feeling.

However, before heading east, Zhou Buqi went to Oracle Arena to watch a Golden State Warriors game against the Los Angeles Lakers to see Kobe Bryant's performance.

As half owner of the Golden State Warriors, this is only his second time attending a home game.

Compared to football, he is really not interested in basketball.

However, Kobe's appeal is still so strong that many famous Los Angeles fans will come to San Francisco to watch the game. Zhou Buqi met such a person when he was watching football.

He was sitting in the front row, next to Zhou Shaoning, and this time he was mainly invited to watch the game.

Unexpectedly, when the game entered the second quarter, a staff member handed over a small note. When I opened it, there was a line in English: "Box No. 6, let's meet?"

Also signed below: Hugh Hefner.

Zhou Buqi had met him several times before. This man was a big celebrity in Vanity Fair in Los Angeles, the founder of Playboy, and a famous old porn critic.