As Chinese New Year's Eve approached, Hujiang, a first-tier city in China on the coast of the East China Sea, was also shrouded in wet and cold first snow. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Pudong, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park is full of dead silence. The vast majority of Internet companies have already taken holidays in advance, and some have even advanced them by half a month - at the cost of no year-end bonus.

The intensity of the Internet winter is not inferior to the severe cold of the climate.

Only a very small number of Internet companies that have bucked the tide and set foot in the entertainment industry are still insisting on working overtime.

Shengda Network, President's Office. Chen Tianqiao wrinkled his brows, looked at the snowy scene outside the window, and was quite worried about the future of the online game "Dragon Clan" he handled. Although the year-end report has not yet come out, through the sporadic data of each day, he can feel that the operation of the game is not as good as he expected.

In particular, it is not as good as the peer "legend" who only takes the first place - the time difference between the two charges is less than a month, so it is said that there should not be such an obvious first-mover advantage.

"Mr. Chen, this is the report you want." The female secretary put a document on his desk and walked out with a wince. No one wants to mess with Chen Tianqiao who is in a bad mood.

Chen Tianqiao flipped through the file and glanced at the most important data.

"Why are you still 50,000 recharge users? It was 40,000 on the first day of winter vacation, and it didn't rise much at all. ”

He did the math in his mind, in order to catch up with the first-mover "legend", the dragon clan launched a 35-yuan monthly subscription mode, which is said to be more attractive to hardcore players who have been online for a relatively free time.

During the public beta, it barely reached the peak of 100,000 people online at the same time, and the number of registered accounts exceeded one million like Legend. It's a pity that the current real revenue data tells Chen Tianqiao: the customer's paid conversion rate is really pitiful. At least 90% of players who played the open beta abandoned the game after charging a fee.

It's only 2001 now, and there are no "free online games" in China. In any game, point cards will be collected at the end of the open beta, and there is no such thing as a "professional locust player on continuous migration". Therefore, the phenomenon of "abandoning the game when you pay for it" is not because players run to play other games that have not yet been charged, it must be because there is a problem with the "dragon family" itself.

A few months ago, in order to win the famous "Dragon Clan", he spent far more than Gu Cheng won the "legend" - Chen Tianqiao gave 3 million cash, and also sold 40% of the net profit to Dongyi's software developer, and also let the Wanwan company Hongji Theater take a stake in his Shanda Network, accounting for 40% of the shares.

In other words, even if the "Dragon Clan" makes a lot of money, among all the future gains, he Chen Tianqiao and the old brothers who originally held shares in Shengda will only account for 36% of the benefits.

In this way, the "loss of power and humiliation of the country" and the "compensation for land cession" have not yet made a big profit.

More than 50,000 paying users, in the first 10 days of the winter vacation, only brought about 2 million yuan of revenue to Shengda. In addition, this game sells monthly cards, and it is very likely that the income in the next 20 days is not as good as the first 10 days.

Chen Tianqiao estimates that if he doesn't do something, even if he counts the follow-up climb and the popularity of online games, the stable revenue that "Dragon Family" can bring him in the future will only be 5 million per month and 60 million a year.

Removing one-third of the hard cost and two percent of the publicity fee, the net profit is definitely less than 2 million a month. Dongyi people will take forty percent, and the major shareholders of Wanwan will take another forty percent, and he and his brothers can leave 700,000 net profits. It will take a year to recover the one-time investment in the early stage.

Who knows how long an online game will last to make money?

Watching the "Legendary Entertainment" in the neighboring city eat and drink spicy food, and monopolize three or four million net profits in the first month, Chen Tianqiao was not reconciled.

"No, it's absolutely not going to work." Chen Tianqiao's eyes were bloodshot, and he read the report three times from beginning to end, and finally grasped a question, "Why is the conversion rate of public beta users in third- and fourth-tier cities so low?" Is it because the point card recharge channel is not sinking enough? I heard that Gu Cheng is engaged in the 'Internet café owner recharge system', should we also follow the trend of copycats? ”

Chen Tianqiao's brain was still alive, and he dared to gamble, so he immediately made an internal call and called his wife Luo Xianxian to discuss something.

The management of Shengda Network is also a typical husband and wife team, Chen Tianqiao is the CEO, managing strategy and grasping the general direction; Luo Xianxian is the COO and pays attention to the details. Just like Zuckerberg/Shirley a few years later. The Sandberg combination is pretty much the same.

"What's the matter, with a sad face, isn't the game profitable?" Luo Xianxian entered the door, and as soon as she saw Chen Tianqiao's indignant expression, she tried her best to persuade her to explain.

Chen Tianqiao put his thoughts and thoughts: "I am ready to imitate the strategy of Legendary Entertainment, copycat an Internet café owner recharge system, what do you think?" At present, the conversion rate of paying users in third- and fourth-tier cities is too low! Our conversion rate in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen is not weaker than the legend, but we have suffered a big loss in the secondary market! ”

Luo Xianxian frowned and said worriedly, "Wouldn't it be too risky?" We don't have any technical accumulation in this area. It will take at least a few months to develop, and the cost of promotion must be quite a lot - I heard that Legend Entertainment spends millions of dollars every month on the marketing fee on the recharge system. ”

"What do you think?" Chen Tianqiao was bored for a while, took out a cigar, lit it in front of his wife, and took a puff.

Looking at his young and beautiful wife, Chen Tianqiao can always calm down. Luo Xianxian's words always reminded him of their most difficult days: two years ago, at the age of 26, he met Luo Xianxian, a 24-year-old fresh graduate, and quickly got married after two months of love, and then quickly started a business and opened Shengda. At that time, he was so poor that he didn't even have the money to set up wine and buy a wedding dress.

No matter how bitter it is now, can it be even more bitter than it was at the beginning?

Luo Xian persuaded softly: "Tianqiao, you must not forget your original intention and be greedy for more things. A year ago, you would have been content with 2 million. Now we can completely recover the initial investment by staying up for another year, and we can become a multimillionaire after two years, but you are not reconciled? If luck favors us a little more, we can keep the dragon game hot for three years, and we will be billionaires. ”

Chen Tianqiao swallowed a mouthful of bitter saliva, struggled for a long time, and slapped his thigh fiercely: "If there is no legendary entertainment, this 'other people's child' comparison, of course I am satisfied with earning tens of millions a year." But now that I'm being compared like this, I'm not reconciled! ”

Luo Xianxian thought about it for a while, and changed his words: "Then let's do it, even if you insist on doing that, let's also pilot it on a small scale first, pick a few third- and fourth-tier cities where the current paper point card channel is lagging behind, and push hundreds of Internet cafes to see how the conversion rate is." The effect is good, let's learn the legend, and spend millions of dollars on marketing every month; If it doesn't work well and doesn't help the sales data, just give it a break. ”

Chen Tianqiao anxiously highlighted a string of smoke rings: "You women! It's just that the hair is long and timid! This kind of preemptive thing, it will drag on for two or three months if you try it, and others will already occupy the blank market! ”

"Then what do you say! Every day, you are full of grand strategic fantasies, do you know how much movable funds are in the company's cash account for you to toss? Do you know how many banks' credit managers pointed to my nose several times and asked, "Didn't you hear that your Shengda is profitable?" How to borrow more and more and borrow more! ”

Luo Xianxian said and cried, hating her husband's inappropriate family.

Chen Tianqiao was finally made out of temper.

After Luo Xianxian finished crying, wiped her eyes, and sighed: "That's it, what you said makes sense, I gave you an extra thought-don't you just want to try it as soon as possible to see if the recharge system can improve profits?" It's too late for us to develop and promote it ourselves, so can't we borrow one? Let's pay directly and borrow the Internet café of Legend Entertainment to try out the recharge system! If the effect is good, we will develop it ourselves, or sign a long-term contract with Legendary Entertainment, this is all right? ”

Chen Tianqiao was stunned by Luo Xianxian's brain hole: "You can think of this kind of bad idea?" Legendary Entertainment and we are incompatible, they can't see our jokes yet, how can they lend it to me. You're bringing shame on yourself! ”

"How do you know if you can succeed if you don't try? Maybe people don't care at all and don't take you as an opponent. Even if you bring shame on yourself, it is not a shame for you! I'll lose this face! Luo Xianxian put down this cruel remark, and didn't give her husband a chance to speak, and left the office directly.

Chen Tianqiao felt a wave of humiliation rising all the way up from the spring point on the soles of his feet, straight to the Baihui point on the Tianling Gai'er, but he couldn't open his mouth to stop his wife.

……

Three days later, on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Luo Xianxian took a bus to Qiantang in Linshi City, and found the legendary entertainment company according to the map.

Before she came, she called to confirm that there was someone on duty during the Chinese New Year, so she didn't worry about it.

Looking at the layout of the commercial and residential buildings in the lakeside garden, Luo Xianxian secretly wondered in her heart: "Is it the grass platform team that opens in this kind of commercial and residential building?" The game is so much bigger than Tianqiao? ”

The little heart that had just risen was immediately put away by her and went upstairs cautiously. A front desk lady received her very kindly, and after asking her identity and intentions, she led her to a small office next door.

A small office separated by glass panels, less than 10 square meters, there is not even a water dispenser in the house, and the drinking water has to be fetched by the conference room next door.

But what shocked her the most was the girl sitting behind the desk.

Luo Xianxian asked herself that she was also a beauty with seven or eight points, although she was not ranked in the entertainment industry, but considering that most of the women in the Internet circle were ugly, she was known as the "No. 1 beauty in the Internet circle". And she is 26 years old this year, which also makes her quite self-conscious, thinking that there will be no other woman in China who can achieve the C position of a large company at such a young age.

Now when she saw the girl in front of her, she immediately withered.

Nima! The girl in front of me is only 20 years old at most, okay! I also let the other beauties in the circle pretend to be forced!

I saw that the girl nodded with a smile: "Mr. Luo of Shengda Network, right?" Fortunately. My name is Pan Jieying, and I'm the person in charge here. I wonder if you have any cooperation you would like to talk to me about this time? ”