Unable to adapt was mainly from the fear of the hero’s image not fitting overseas players’ tastes and being unable to be localized.
Buying IPs could indeed solve this problem. However, if it was to purchase international famous IPs, Pei Qian was afraid that it would be too high-handed and kill IOI instantly. Then, he would not be able to spend money overseas as happily.
It was better to buy the smallest IPs and toy with IOI slowly. Using a blunt knife to slice the meat away little by little, it was much better for the fight.
Ye Zhizhou agreed, “Alright, we’ll choose some more value for money and not so well-known character IPs. We’ll report to you again after some time.”
…
Ye Zhizhou looked at Lin Wan and Wang Xiaobin excitedly after he hung up the phone. “Boss Pei decided! As expected, that is the right answer! We are unbeatable in deciphering Boss Pei’s intentions when both of our gaming departments join forces!”
The Lin Family looked at the materials in her hands. “Don’t celebrate prematurely. There is still a lot of work to be done. The United States has so many superhero characters; how are we to choose? Which one of these is suitable for Europe?”
Everyone could feel headaches approaching looking at the long list of heroes’ names in English.
The appearance of superheroes could be traced back to the early 1930s. The list had grown astronomical throughout the decades of development.
Everyone had difficult choices to make:
The heroes that everyone knew were very expensive. Boss Pei decided not to buy them.
No one knew the cheaper heroes so how were they to decide if the international players would like them or not?
Who knew that these not so well-known heroes were not so well-known because they were developed at an inopportune time or because they were failures that no one liked?
It would be okay if it was the former, but if it was the latter, then it would be a waste of money by GOG to purchase such trash.
“Let’s not think about the two biggest comic companies. They should be bought by all the big corporations for hundreds of millions of US dollars. We will not be able to obtain any advantage,” Ye Zhizhou said.
“Moreover, their conditions will be very strict. What we can buy will probably just be for the game copyrights. Buying some lesser-known character IPs may work, but there would also be restrictions, and their prices might not be acceptable to use. Their price-quality ratios would be worse.”
“Let’s not consider them then; let’s continue on.” Lin Wan said.
“We… seem to be able to buy the third-largest comic company in the United States. There was news two days ago that they are going bankrupt,” Ye Zhizhou said after he continued reading for a while.
Lin Wan instinctively felt something wrong and asked, “The third-largest comic company is going bust? What is their market share?”
Ye Zhizhou: “Less than 5%.”
Lin Wan: “…”
Wang Xiaobin was taken aback as well and complained. “If the third-largest comic company does not even have 5% market share, then does that mean the United States only has three comic companies?
“Of course not, but that is what was indicated in the materials,” Ye Zhizhou replied in a jolly manner.
“I can only say that it is the current status of the industry. The first two comic companies are humongous and have about 40% market share each. The third to the tenth companies share 10% of the market while the rest is shared by even smaller companies.
“These two companies have too many superhero IPs; the market is only so big. They release comics and movies. They are of totally different leagues from the other companies.”
Lin Wan nodded. “Um, typical 80/20 market share. The big companies own 80% of the market share.
“No wonder, ‘third-largest comic company in the United States’ may sound scary, but in fact, they only hold less than 5% market share. Moreover, they have to fight with the two big giants before them. They must find it very difficult to fight. It’s no wonder they are going bankrupt.”
Ye Zhizhou took the laptop and quickly read the relevant information. “Yes, traditional comic styles are no longer popular. These huge comic companies earn money from movies. The comics are like huge inspirational storage where they could obtain materials at any time for a steady flow of movies.
“However, it would just be even more difficult for those that had a small market share but not able to afford to make movies.
“This Hurricane Comic Company has a few good points. They don’t only use superheroes as materials. They are more diversified. A more diversified image is better for GOG as it would mean they have more choices.
“They have a few IPs that seem to be able to fulfill westerners’ taste… for example, Purgatory Duke, Mutants, and Robocop.
“There was one thing very important: they had an international IP image… 20 years ago!
“The Multifaceted Man was made into a movie in 1993. They were nominated for many Oscar categories, but they did not win it. They invested 27 million US dollars and obtained a global box office of 340 million US dollars. It was top 4 in grossing for that year. The main actor’s remuneration increased twenty-fold after he finished filming this movie.
“However, Hurricane Comic Company was not the investor so they did not obtain much benefit. That was its last glory. Their popularity was on a decline after that.
“It’s just that… the good part is the character IP of the Multifaceted Man is still rather popular. Many westerners should find him familiar. More than half of Hurricane Comic Company’s value is on this IP.
“It might feel like we are picking up from the trash, but I have to say that this trash feels rather worthwhile.”
Chapter 610 - ZZ Cup Performance Competition
Lin Wan nodded. “Okay, that’s it! Let’s buy this company once and for all. We’ll keep all their copyrights and develop them slowly. It will be more cost-effective.
“The Multifaceted Man’s image could be used to push since many foreigners are familiar with this character. We’ll tie GOG and the Multifaceted Man firmly together. The effects might even be better than having celebrities.
“We’ll inform Tengda Games to do their best to develop the hero that is the Multifaceted Man. We will then publicize on the international servers with this hero!”
…
In the evening…
The DGE Club, solo relaxation time…
Huang Wang packed his things, preparing to move.
He had no choice. He was too noisy when he did his live-stream and was being abandoned. Zhang Yuan prepared a room with good soundproofing upstairs for him especially for the live-stream.
Most of the others now know about Huang Wang’s contract. They had different reactions to it.
Some of them were envious and wanted to try live-stream as well. As internet-addicted teenagers, the temptation of earning two million yuan a year was simply too great. They could also gain good reputations.
Some were not very interested. Take Jiang Huan, for example. He felt that he was well-taken care of by the club, and it would not matter if he had more or less money. His mind was all focused on the game.
However, everyone was still happy for him even though they complained that Huang Wang was too noisy and drove him upstairs.
They were all internet addicts when they first arrived. They ate, lived, and trained together and had developed a comradeship.
Huang Wang was akin to being the first person who tried crab. He found a way for everyone so that everyone would have more choices in the future. It was not a zero-sum game for the players. The value of all players increased after the DGE Club became famous.
Old Zhou surfed the web pages casually while waiting in line. He had Huang Wang’s live-stream on Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform open at the same time.
Sure enough, Huang Wang was working in a fancy way and showing off his muscles again. However, his popularity soared again!
&nbs
p; The platform resources he enjoyed before and after signing the contract were worlds apart. Huang Wang was popular before signing the contract. His popularity soared again with the platform behind him, with a little bit of fraud and popularity rating.
The live-stream platforms were meant to ‘create celebrities’ after all. These live-streamers would definitely be able to be promoted to popularity as long as they had enough topics and effects!
In addition, Old Zhou’s keen eye also discovered that there were several official certified labels on Huang Wang’s live-stream channel:
Captain of Team Two from the strongest DGE Club/Great Master Performer/Invincible in Offline Matches/There’s fire where there is smoke…
There was even DGE Club’s logo at the bottom, which was rather pretty and gave a lasting impression.
Obviously, Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform was working hard to connect Huang Wang and the DGE Club, creating an invincible image of the DGE Club in the minds of fans.
Previously, if they were to search the keyword ‘DGE Club’, they would basically not be able to find anything useful. The club did not make an official website because there was no need for it.
However, searching ‘DGE Club’ now would get them a long list of results immediately!
The first result would be the live-stream of Huang Wang. The second would be Wikipedia. After that would be posts on various platforms and forums as well as news from many websites.
“First Place Amongst GOG Club Is Unexpected?”
“Unveiling the Mysterious DGE Club”
“The Captain of Team Two From DGE Club Signs with Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform…”
“This Club Trashed H4 Club Previously, Pang Ling: In despair”
“DGE Club: GOG’s Official Secret Weapon?”
“The Mysterious Training Method of DGE Club: Leaked”
“There are Rumors that Huang Wang was a Boxer who Transited to Esports, is It True?”
“Shocking! Local Whale Smashed Ten Rockets, the Live-Streamer actually Did This…”
Old Zhou knew immediately that it must be the work of Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform when he saw these results! It was necessary to maximize the commercial value since they had now signed Huang Wang up and sponsored the DGE Club.
Some of these contents were deliberately made by Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform to generate enough heat and discussions on the internet. Some contents shamelessly used marketing titles.
However, they had to admit that its effect was immediate. A mysterious and powerful image of the DGE Club was established in the hearts of the audience!
Moreover, it was difficult to distinguish between true and false information. Some true information was taken as false information.
Many people felt that GOG raised their own club that required them to work out every day? They even trashed H4? That was absolute nonsense!
It made no sense that they were so much stronger than the other clubs even if they were to raise a club! Unless it was by the official game!
There was also some false information regarded as true.
Some fans who were just watching the commotion photoshopped a boxer’s credentials for Huang Wang. It put Huang Wang in the boxing ring. They photoshopped so realistically that many people couldn’t say it’s fake.
As a result, every time Huang Wang linked up in the game, audiences would ask him to show his muscles. Some even asked him to punch a few fists.
Huang Wang repeatedly emphasized that he was not a boxer, but he could not stop the bullet screen comments from deceiving people repeatedly.
In the end, Huang Wang could only give up on the treatment and simply change his live-stream room to ‘Former Boxer who Tortured Professional God-like Players’.
As a result, more viewers got caught in the bait!
Sometimes, even Huang Wang felt that this world was simply too magical.
…
At the same time, ZZ Live-Stream headquarters in Guangzhou…
Vice President Liu Liang was furious. The heads of several departments stood with their heads bowed, not daring to breathe.
“Every one of you is useless! You can’t even do shit! I told you a long time ago to pay more attention to the potential of live streamers from GOG, didn’t I? What have you been doing?
“Didn’t you realize that he was a good sapling when Huang Wang had already been in live-stream with Pang Ling for several days? If you had realized it earlier and signed him up, then what could Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform have done?
“Great, now, Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform obtained so much traffic because of this live-stream publicity. Are we passive now?
“I’m so pissed off!”
Liu Liang calmed down after scolding. “Have you found the contact details of the person-in-charge of the DGE Club?”
One of them nodded. “I’ve sent it to you.”
Liu Liang waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, scram! I’ll deal with it personally!”
The in-charges left in bad taste.
Liu Liang still felt like his anger had not been dissipated. Such a promising sapling was taken away by his competitor, Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform. It was his worst fear. How could he not be angry?
The key was that there was sufficient time to react. They should have realized his potential when Huang Wang and Pang Ling were in the live-stream. This gang of rice bugs only knew how to be passive and did not notice it at all.
Fortunately, there was a way to remedy it. Liu Liang decided to handle it himself.
He heard that Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform had sponsored the DGE Club and was frantically promoting the concept that ‘the DGE Club is the strongest team’.
It would be amazing if this concept could really be hyped up.
Players adored the strong. There was a huge difference between the first line professional players and the super top professional players.
The most embarrassing thing was that Liu Liang realized that many of the eye-catching news broadcasted by Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform were actually true!
The DGE Club was really a team raised by Tengda and had actually trashed all the clubs in China. There really was a fitness training program amongst their training!
It really wasn’t Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform bragging.
Liu Liang also realized many topics could be hyped up! Popularity was everything in live-streaming. The live-streaming platforms had to do everything permissible by law to attract the attention of audiences.
Ready-made popularity was served to them on a platter; what reason was there not to obtain it?
Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform had preemptively sponsored the DGE Club and tried to bundle the DGE Club with their live-streaming platform.
Fortunately, it was not an exclusive sponsorship. ZZ Live-Stream still had a chance.
Liu Liang looked at the time. It was a little late so it seemed to be impolite to call now, but the situation was urgent so he could not care so much.
The phone call was connected in no time.
“Hello, is this Manager Zhang of the DGE Club? I’m Liu Liang, the vice president of ZZ Live-Stream. I want to talk to you about sponsoring your club!” Liu Liang explained his intention with sincerity.
However, Zhang Yuan was silent for a moment at the end of the phone. “I’m sorry, Boss Liu, you are a step late.”
Liu Liang’s heart dropped. “What’s the matter?”
“Our club has regulations. We can accept three sponsorships at most, and we can only accept one sponsorship from each industry. Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform has sponsored us for one year.
“If you want to sponsor us, you have to wait until this time next year,” Zhang Yuan explained.
Liu Liang thought he was struck by lightning. Only three sponsors? And only one from each industry?
That’s crazy! Who would not want more money?
The other clubs had never rejected advertisements. They did not hesitate to print everywhere on their unifor
ms. It was a good thing to be able to get more money with just the printing of a logo; why the hell not?
It turned out that they could not even sponsor the DGE club now!
He had never seen this situation in his life. Liu Liang was caught off-guard. He had another option, which was to sign with the other players of DGE since they were very strong as well.
However, it was obvious that none of the other players were able to produce such a good effect. They might not be able to bring about the intended popularity.
Moreover, they would not be able to rival Waiwai Live-Streaming Platform since they were not a sponsor of the DGE Club even if they did.
Liu Liang cursed at those idiotic and useless in-charges.
“Boss Liu, if there is nothing else, I’ll hang up first. Let’s keep in contact again in the future,” Zhang Yuan said.
“Manager Zhang, please wait!” Liu Liang stopped him. He knew very well that there had to be some other way to keep the popularity up! If he were to give up without as much as a fight, then there was no need to think about all the popularity related to the DGE Club.
However, so to how to go about it…
Liu Liang suddenly had a eureka moment. He remembered a piece of information he learned when he was asking the in-charges of other clubs.
“Manager Zhang, as far as I know, the DGE Club is playing mock competitions with the other clubs right?”
“Yes,” Zhang Yuan replied.
“We, ZZ Live-Stream, have decided to host an online game and are inviting all the clubs to participate!” Liu Liang continued after thinking. “It’s called the ZZ Cup Performance Competition!”
Chapter 611 - The Philosophy of Tengda Lifestyle Application
“The rules of the competition are very simple. Make a schedule according to the participating teams and try to win as much as possible. The winner could be scored by the spectators and a comprehensive ‘performance index’. The higher the index, the more bonus there would be for the game!
“Of course, there would be nothing if they lost in performance.
“The minimum for a game is 50,000 yuan with the maximum as 100,000 yuan. The bonus will grow with higher scores. There would be six games a day for a total of 10 days. If there were still bonuses left, they would all be given to the team with the highest score.
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