sjar Chapter 257 requires extra money?
Chapter 257 requires extra money?
After hearing this, Zhou Mingzhe felt a chill run down his spine.
Sakura Games' strategy is more sophisticated than EA's.
Originally, Lu Ran's Rabbit Technology was also part of their plan, but unfortunately they were turned away.
Now that so many companies are being acquired at once, Lu Ran's Rabbit Technology will also be in trouble.
Lu Ran didn't believe that after what happened yesterday, the other party wouldn't take action against him.
"That's a pretty ruthless move."
"That's ruthless," Lu Ran nodded. "And they did it openly and aboveboard, so nobody can say anything. After all, it's an investment, not a forced sale. Those small companies are short of money, and someone's offering them money; why shouldn't they agree?"
Zhou Mingzhe was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "So what do we do?"
Lu Ran thought for a moment, but did not answer immediately.
Sakura Games' move was indeed brilliant.
Instead of confronting you head-on, they will use a roundabout approach to encircle you.
By the time you realize it, they've already laid out their plan.
"Let's see," he finally said. "Let's see what their next move is. And by the way—" he paused, "let's inform Xingyao, Xingguang, and Xinghua to be careful. If Sakura Games comes knocking, don't rush to agree."
He paused, then added, "Don't rush to refuse."
Lu Ran wasn't sure if the other party would approach these companies to discuss cooperation, given their close relationship with him. But in business, there are no permanent friends.
If the other party wants to poach Lu Ran's employees, it's not impossible for them to negotiate cooperation with these companies.
Zhou Mingzhe nodded and went out to make a phone call.
Lu Ran sat back in his chair, gazing out the window, analyzing the current situation in his mind.
Sakura Games' move was indeed beyond his expectations.
But he didn't panic.
Two hundred million US dollars sounds like a lot, but in the vast Chinese gaming market, it's just a splash. The real big fish is yet to come.
and--
He suddenly remembered something, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Sakura Games wants to acquire small and medium-sized companies as a springboard to negotiate with large companies.
But will big companies necessarily agree?
What kind of personality does Tencent have? They're the kind of ruthless company that can slam tables and doors at EA. What's NetEase's style? They're the kind that smiles at you while negotiating, but then leave you with nothing. Perfect World may be smaller, but it's not stupid either.
Sakura Games wants to use dozens of small companies as bargaining chips to negotiate with these old foxes?
Naive.
He picked up his phone and sent a message to Zhou Mingzhe:
Please arrange a meeting for me with Mr. Li, as well as representatives from Xingguang and Xinghua. Let's find a time next week for a meeting between our companies.
Zhou Mingzhe replied instantly:
【Received. What's the theme?】
Lu Ran typed:
The theme is simply—Watching a Play.
For the next two weeks, Sakura Games didn't stop its activities.
In the first week, they invested in four more companies, totaling $70 million.
In the second week, three more companies were invested, totaling $50 million.
In just two weeks, ten companies invested a total of 180 million US dollars, and Sakura Games has already amassed a small number of shares in Dragon Kingdom game companies.
Some people in the industry have started to discuss this:
"What is Sakura Games trying to do?"
"Is acquiring so many small companies even useful?"
"Don't you understand? This is called layout."
"Strategy? Bush's ultimate strategy?"
"Just wait and see, the best is yet to come."
Sure enough, the real show began in the third week.
Sakura Games announced that it has joined forces with ten Chinese game companies it has invested in to launch the "Chinese Game Industry Alliance." The alliance's mission is to "integrate resources, develop together, and promote cooperation."
On the day the alliance was established, Sakura Games also released a major announcement—
They have reached preliminary agreements with three leading companies—Tencent, NetEase, and Perfect World—and will begin negotiations on joint promotion, technology sharing, and IP licensing.
The news caused an uproar in the industry.
"Holy crap? Tencent's joined in too?"
"Impossible, right? Doesn't Tencent hate being used as a pawn?"
"NetEase is involved too? What kind of move is this?"
"Perfect World is getting involved too? Didn't they just have a falling out with EA?"
"This alliance is defying the heavens!"
Lu Ran couldn't help but laugh out loud as he looked at these news articles.
Sakura Games' move was truly brilliant.
First, use small companies as stepping stones, then release the news that large companies are also joining, creating the illusion that it is an inevitable trend.
Once everyone believes they've successfully brought in major companies, they'll have even more leverage when negotiating with them.
But the problem is-
Will big companies really join in?
Or rather, are these chips enough?
As he was thinking, his phone rang.
It was Li Mo calling.
"Lu Ran, has Sakura Games contacted you recently?" Li Mo asked directly.
"Of course not," Lu Ran said. "They know I won't cooperate, so they've already blocked me. I reckon they'll try to get back at me next."
Li Mo laughed: "You have a good attitude. That's perfect, I just received their invitation, they want to discuss some kind of strategic cooperation. What do you think?"
"What's your opinion, Mr. Li?"
"I think they're trying to get something for nothing," Li Mo said. "They're using a small company as leverage to negotiate with us. But we're not stupid; why should we let them use us as pawns?"
Lu Ran nodded: "So, what does President Li plan to do?"
"Don't do it," Li Mo said. "Let's keep their lights on for now."
Lu Ran laughed: "No initiative, no rejection, no responsibility. Mr. Li, that's a brilliant move."
"Hey kid, how dare you talk like that?" Li Mo said with a laugh. "You're supposed to be a high-ranking member of Xingyao, yet you haven't even attended the meetings these past few days."
"Haha, with you here, it doesn't matter whether I go or not."
The two chatted for a few minutes and then hung up the phone.
Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, feeling cheerful.
Sakura Games' little scheme is probably going to fall through?
too naive.
If big companies were so easily manipulated, they would have been swallowed up by giants like EA and Nintendo long ago.
Now, let's see how the Sakura game ends.
Should we increase investment, or should we help the companies we've already invested in expand into new markets?
Lu Ran was also unsure of the other party's next move.
A week later, the news came.
Tencent announced that it will not join the "Dragon Kingdom Game Industry Alliance" for the time being, citing the need for "further evaluation of the cooperation value".
NetEase followed suit, announcing that "after careful consideration, it has decided not to participate for the time being."
Perfect World was more direct, stating that "there are currently no related cooperation plans."
All three companies refused.
Sakura Games was completely dumbfounded.
They invested $180 million and painstakingly planned for two months, but the big companies simply didn't take the bait.
The smaller companies that received the investments also started to panic.
What happened to the promised involvement of large companies? What happened to the promised resource integration? What happened to the promised collaborative development?
Now that all the big companies have left, who can we small fry rely on?
Suddenly, public opinion within the industry shifted dramatically.
"Was Sakura Games tricked?"
"Haha, I knew it! How could Tencent possibly give in so easily?"
"180 million went down the drain. I feel sorry for Sakura Games for three seconds."
"What's there to feel bad about? They're rich, they can afford to burn it."
"Even if you have money, you can't just burn it like that. This move is so embarrassing."
Lu Ran was in a great mood as he scrolled through these comments.
The announcements from just a few large companies made Lu Ran sense something amiss, especially Tencent's statement.
The gist of it is: You have to pay more!
...