Start earning money as the girl next door

Chapter 379 Investing in Pixel Software

On March 2005, 3, Wenwen Jingjing Co., Ltd. conducted its first shareholder dividend since its establishment.

According to the company's 2004 annual report, at the end of last year the company had total assets of 1467 million yuan and net assets of 1215 million yuan.

For all the consolidated subsidiaries, the total profit attributable to the parent company is more than 1200 million yuan.

But in fact, most of the profits are spent by subsidiaries in the form of investments, or are retained in the accounts of subsidiaries.

The part that actually belongs to the parent company and can be distributed as user dividends is 376 million yuan.

Therefore, the company approved a dividend of 300 million yuan based on last year's profit status and without affecting the company's continued operations.

Dare to pay so much dividends.

The main reason is that not only did it receive venture capital financing this year, but the profitability of the company's projects was far better than last year.

The first quarter has not yet ended. In fact, the total profit in the first quarter of this year exceeded 1000 million yuan.

Therefore, distributing 300 million yuan in dividends to improve the lives of individual shareholders will not affect the overall development of the company.

Zhao Han and Liu Mengcheng didn't care because they had royalties.

However, Chen Wenwen and Chen Jingjing only received salary and no equity dividends before. However, they did not have much cash on hand, and their personal financial situation was still tight.

Therefore, dividends can be regarded as easing the financial situation of Chen Wenwen and Chen Jingjing.

Chen Wenwen holds 1.9% of the equity, with a dividend tax of 5.7 yuan. As a non-listed enterprise, there is no dividend tax exemption, and the dividend tax is uniformly 20%.Even so, the dividends Chen Wenwen can receive are equivalent to one more year of salary.

Chen Jingjing holds more equity, 4.5% of the equity, with a dividend of 13.5 yuan, which is equivalent to two years' salary.

Liu Mengcheng's dividend is 7.5 yuan before tax, well, it's nothing compared to the royalties she can get now.But she was quite happy to receive real money dividends.

As for Zhao Han, the big winner is still 273 million yuan, pre-tax dividends.The dividend tax is 20%, and after tax, you will get 218.4 million yuan.

Of course, more than 200 million yuan in cash is not enough to cover up the heat.Zhao Han has a project to invest in.

……

"Hello, first time meeting you! I have long admired you!" Zhao Han happily entertained Liu Kun, the founder of Pixel Software Company, in the company's headquarters office.

"Hello, Mr. Zhao!" Liu Kun is not a reader of online literature. He doesn't know Zhao Han's name. He was driven here from the capital because of... the cooperation in adapting the copyright of Jin Yong's martial arts novel to an online game!

People don’t think Wenwen Jingjing Technology Company is awesome, but they think Jin Yong’s copyright may be an opportunity!

Pixel Software was established in 2002. Since its establishment, some games with good reputation have been released. "Sword and Demon Sealing Record", "Sword and Sword Sealing Demon Record: Ancient Legend", "Sword and Sword Sealing Demon Record", etc. are limited by the pixels and image quality of computers of this era, and cannot compare with the art level of those later games.

But in fact, in this era, Pixel Software is indeed considered a game company among domestic game manufacturers that is very dedicated to making games and has a very unique personality.

Almost every game has a strong sense of arcade combos and strikes.

Before Liu Kun founded Pixel Software, his team made a stand-alone hit "Qin Shang" for Target Software.

This game was both a critical success and a hit. Due to the impact of piracy on the domestic market, pirated copies cost 5 yuan a disc, making it impossible to sell the original version soon after it was released.However, the overseas sales were good, and it was a quasi-AAA masterpiece of the year. Overseas players commented that it was "the historical version of Diablo." Of course, this evaluation is just a random comparison made by foreigners who do not understand Chinese culture.

The art style of "Qin Shang" has had an impact on many games, such as "Legend of Blood", which was developed by South Korea and is very popular in the Chinese market. The art style almost imitates "Qin Shang".

Later, some people said that the art style of Pixel Software's "Sword and Sword Sealing Demon Record" and "Sword and Sword Online" is like "Legend". This is really outrageous.

"Legend of Blood" imitated the art style of "Qin Shang" developed by the Pixel Software team at the previous Target Software company.

Of course, "Legend" is a big hit, and "Sword Online" is actually more well-made, but it can't make a splash, which has to be lamented.

It can be said that pixel software has been tepid since its establishment.It was precisely because Zhao Han had heard of Pixel Software that he had the intention to cooperate this time.

"What I know about your company is that the industry is full of praise for the fighting design and art style of some of the games you have developed."

Zhao Han thought for a while, "For the enjoyment of the fighting design, I would like to seek cooperation with your company to adapt the online game version of Jin Yong's martial arts novel!

Currently, the copyrights for fan adaptations and game adaptations of Jin Yong’s martial arts novels are our company’s exclusive agent!

The IP of Jin Yong’s martial arts novels will increase its appeal to players.

In addition, we can also provide funds for game development.However, I hope to inject funds in the form of buying shares in your company! "

"Yes!" Liu Kun agreed to become a shareholder without hesitation.

The reason is that the core asset of his game company is people, which is himself and some development teams. If you are not happy, the company will be left to you, and we will run away with the bucket.

This was the case at Target Software before. We had a very unhappy relationship with Target's management team, so Liu Kun and others ran away and established Pixel Software on their own.

In a sense, Pixel Software has no assets, its main value is the team that makes games.

They are not disgusted with the investor's investment.If you are happy with each other, continue to cooperate. If you are not happy, it will be nothing more than leaving the company and setting up a new company.

"In this way, I will give your company a valuation of 2000 million yuan. I will personally invest 200 million to get 10% of the equity. Wen Wenjingjing's company will use the copyright of Jin Yong's "Swordsman" game for 100 million, which counts as 10% of the equity. In addition, we Invest another 400 million yuan in cash and obtain 20% of the equity. What do you think?"

Zhao Han asked, "After the game is launched, Wenwen Jingjing Technology Co., Ltd. will provide server resource support, recharge channel support, and publicity and distribution resources. In the end, the game recharge split will be [-]/[-], us [-]%, and your company [-]%." become."

"No problem!" Liu Kun calculated and found that his team still holds 60% of the shares. Basically, they are advancing and retreating together. Giving up 40% of the shares will not affect the decision-making power.

The advantage is that it has the copyright authorization for Jin Yong's martial arts novels and 500 million yuan in cash, which can be used for game development.

Pixel Software Company, since its establishment in 02, has developed a total of three games, two stand-alone games and one online game.

The quality of the games is acceptable, and the average is one game a year.

In a sense, Pixel Software is good at developing games, but not so good at operating games.

This is the reason why "Swordsman Online" was handed over to Sohu Changyou for operation, and Sohu's operation level is not good either.

The lack of clarity is the reason why Pixel Software has been in turmoil since its establishment.

Chapter 380 "The Swordsman" is adapted from the online game

"In the future, we will send people to your company to learn game development experience, is that okay?" Zhao Han asked.

"Okay!" Liu Kun was very happy.

Game development is not an undisclosed secret. Whether or not you can develop a good game is essentially a metaphysics, not just a technology.

"But why not authorize more Jin Yong copyrights to us?" Liu Kun was already very happy after receiving the game development rights for "Swordsman". However, thinking about Jin Yong's other popular copyrights, he couldn't help but ask road.

"Come one by one. With your current strength, can you develop a game?" Zhao Han asked.

"Yes!" Liu Kun admitted that his company is only a small studio with a small team of dozens of people. To develop an online game, it already requires the strength of the entire team.

"After the development of "Swordsman" is completed, we will also have more cooperation in the development of Jin Yong games." Zhao Han said.

The reason why we only license one game is to test the other party’s strength and sincerity.

I hold a bunch of copyrights for Jin Yong’s martial arts novels, and I also need to find multiple game development companies as backup tires. I can’t tie myself to one company.

In case the game "Swordsman" does not come up, "Dragon" and "The Condor Trilogy" can be developed.

In fact, in terms of Jin Yong's martial arts IP value, the most popular one should be "Dragon", followed by "Swordsman" and the Condor Trilogy.

The copyrights of other Jin Yong novels are less popular.

"I will not interfere with the specific development of "Swordsman". However, I would like to make a few requests. According to the development of current computer hardware, the art graphics of the game should be appropriately advanced. 2D is also possible, but the art graphics must be exquisite. , it doesn’t necessarily have to be 3D.

As long as the painting style of 2D is delicate, it should be the same or have vitality, but the battle scenes should have some gorgeous special effects. For example, the image quality in arcades is actually just like that, but the character design and painting style must be optimized to make the fighting pleasing to the eye. "

Zhao Han said, "It would be bad if the battle scenes were as dull as in "Legend".

I think different martial arts schools should have different special effects.

A powerful ultimate move should be released like an arcade ultimate move. It is powerful, so it takes a long time to hold it in, and the special effects are gorgeous and beautiful! "

"Yeah! We actually attach great importance to art and fighting special effects." Liu Kun is an artist himself.

The reason why pixel software is named after pixels is that the painting style of computer games in the past was pixel style. The graphics card was too poor and the image quality that could be seen was average. Therefore, the art had to be polished pixel by pixel.

Later, with the development of computer technology, the painting style became more and more high-definition and delicate. In the past, the pixel style became a retro style.

The name Pixel Software is a tribute to the past years.

"Also, the operation of the game should be simplified. You can be gorgeous, but don't make it too complicated. If the game is completely difficult to operate, the market size will be reduced."

Zhao Han said, "The ultimate move is gorgeous, beautiful and powerful! But all the ultimate moves can be released using shortcut keys."

"Um..." Liu Kun was a little hesitant, mainly because he still had the idea of ​​​​making a AAA masterpiece. Such a novice-level operation undoubtedly made him feel a little embarrassed.

"You can add some movement and dodge." Zhao Han said, "For high-difficulty monsters, players with insufficient levels must roll, dodge, block, and seize the opportunity to fight across levels to defeat monsters.

Novice players, with enough mouse and shortcut keys, and enough supplies of red and blue medicines, can beat the monsters with their health bars.

In short, the experience of ordinary players is the main focus, and difficult players also have a way out, and it is possible to challenge levels.All complex operations do not reflect power, but the timing of movement, dodge and defense.

The main difference between high-difficulty players and novice players is that novices are not very good at micro-manipulations such as positioning, dodging and defense, and consume a lot of supplies. Novices can be allowed to use financial resources to make up for the shortcomings of this lack of operation.For difficult players, the operation can help the weak defeat the strong and save a lot of supply expenses. "

When Liu Kun heard this, his eyes lit up and he said, "This is a good setting."

Zhao Han said with a smile: ""The Swordsman" must be inseparable from various magical secrets in martial arts, such as "Dugu Nine Swords", which can be set to be obtained by adventure and can be learned without limiting the player level.

The operation of ordinary players cannot be refined and only increases attack power.With expert operation and micro-control, "Dugu Nine Swords" can achieve positional dodge, critical hits, critical hits for low-level players, and high damage against high-level monsters with exquisite operations.

In the end, it takes painstaking and subtle operations to end the battle, do a little kindness, maybe get hit by a monster, and it's over.This kind of absolutely difficult thing is possible. "

After saying this, Liu Kun's eyes couldn't help but light up: "Yes, this is suitable for both refined and popular tastes. High-end players can find it challenging and have the joy of operation! Ordinary players can operate with the mouse and shortcut keys. I think this is exactly what I want." An online game to be developed.”

Pixel Software Company is not completely determined to develop stand-alone 3A games. In the domestic game market, in the stand-alone era, due to the proliferation of pirated software, domestic stand-alone games have not developed.

But by mistake, we embarked on the route of focusing on online game development.This kind of Internet opportunity has resulted in domestic game development capabilities that are definitely not weak. The commercial realization of many online games is ahead of the world.

At this time, Pixel Software was actually very determined to take the online game route, but it was struggling to figure out how to design an online game that could make money.

"After our game is developed, it will be operated for free. Ordinary players can register and play!"

Zhao Han said, “In addition, the operation is relatively simple, but the difficulty of the monsters in the game is very high.

In the early stage, players come out of the novice village, and there are only a few monsters for players to practice. The difficulty is as easy as that of ordinary online games.

After the Novice Village is released later, the monster level, for example, it seems to be level 10, but it is actually level 15 to 20 in difficulty.If the player is at the same level as the monster and fights the monster stupidly, the player may lose.

Cultivate the habit of micro-management among players from the beginning.

Without micro-management, the game will drop a little money to buy potion supplies, which is not enough.

In this way, players have three choices, one is krypton gold, and they use krypton gold point cards to buy supplementary medicine.Another is to improve your game operation level.

The third option is salty players. If they fight monsters that are 5 levels lower than themselves, the rewards they will drop will naturally be very small.

Also, after the monster kills the player, there must be various lines of ridicule. Different monsters have different lines of ridicule. In short, it is more irritating.

In this way, after some players are resurrected, they may spend money to buy more supplies and medicines to take revenge! "

Chapter 381 Boss Zhao’s opinion

Zhao Han has actually downloaded some 3A masterpieces because of their reputation. With the development of graphics card technology, the data capacity of later 3A masterpieces is also extremely large, and there are stand-alone games with tens or even hundreds of gigabytes.

But the picture quality of the game is comparable to that of some blockbuster movies, which is really hard to say.

But... those 3A masterpieces, as long as they involve combat, the subsequent operations have developed in a more complex and difficult direction.

Zhao Han has adjusted some games to the lowest difficulty level, which is also very difficult to pass. It must be said that subsequent stand-alone masterpieces are very unfriendly to those who are struggling with some games.

Later, the stand-alone game market was by default reserved for hardcore gamers.By default there are very few novice players, so it mainly pleases hardcore players.

But the subsequent stand-alone game market has been unable to beat the mainstream online game market compared to PC online games.

When it comes to the mobile game market, the operation is even simpler, and the market size of mobile games far exceeds that of PC online games.

To put it simply, the game discrimination chain started with arcade players discriminating against home console players.Later, because the arcade lost its market size, it did not continue to upgrade its hardware and software, and then gradually lost its Brahmin status.

Later, Game Brahman became home game consoles, that is, console gamers.Compared with PC stand-alone, console hardware is more specialized for games, so the experience of many games is even better than that of PC.

Therefore, many console players discriminate against PC stand-alone players.

PC stand-alone gamers, on the other hand, discriminate against online gamers.

Because there are many gameplays and difficulties in online games, it has been simplified a lot to take care of some novice users.

Later PC online game players discriminated against web game players and mobile game players.

Zhao Han feels that this chain of discrimination is unnecessary.

In fact, the more you stand in the position of Brahmin, the more niche you are, and the smaller the market size. In the future, it is the player group with a smaller market size that may be the first to be abandoned by capital in the future.

Those games with low game operation difficulty and low threshold will receive more capital and technology research and development support because of the market size.

This is not changed by the will of hardcore gamers.

Rather, the trend of the market is like this. The more difficult your game is, the better it will get a good reputation. Even if many players are tortured by high-difficulty games, they still don’t know what mentality to praise and attract more. Players fall into the trap.