Another 2 million in the coffers

"Danian, how many players were online simultaneously in our game?"

"200,000."

"Well done, another record broken."

Chen Tianqiao, the CEO of Shanda, called his president, Chen Danian, into his office. While they praised their achievements on one hand, on the other, they had concerns.

"What's going on with Westward Journey? How did their concurrent players suddenly skyrocket to over 100,000?"

"That...," Chen Danian was also perplexed.

Even though WJO had a different game style compared to The Legend of Mir 2, both were online games and, hence, competitors. WJO hadn't garnered much attention before, but now, with 100,000 simultaneous players, it was becoming a formidable opponent.

It was worth noting that The Legend of Mir 2 had only reached 150,000 players recently. Moreover, WJO used to have only a few thousand concurrent players. In just a month, it had surged to 100,000.

Comparatively, The Legend of Mir 2 currently had 200,000 concurrent players, but it used to have 150,000. So, in essence, their growth was 50,000, while Westward Journey had grown by 100,000.

"Westward Journey is backed by NetEase, and NetEase's portal site has been promoting it heavily in recent months," Chen Danian explained after some contemplation.

"Indeed, NetEase has substantial traffic through its portal, but the conversion rate of portal traffic to game players has never been high. We've also advertised on portals before, but the results were subpar. Besides, NetEase had already heavily promoted Westward Journey in the past, and it hadn't taken off. Yet this month, Westward Journey suddenly skyrocketed. Danian, haven't you looked into the reasons behind this?"

"That can be attributed to Stephen Chow's 'A Chinese Odyssey' No one expected that a movie released five or six years ago would suddenly become a sensation. NetEase's Westward Journey also benefited from the success of 'A Chinese Odyssey'."

"I'm not so sure about that," Chen Tianqiao shook his head. "Westward Journey wasn't popular earlier, and now it's booming, and it seems no one is driving it behind the scenes."

"There is someone," Chen Danian said directly. "It's a website called 5173.com."

"Isn't that the site for buying and selling virtual items?"

"Yes, initially, they focused on virtual item transactions, but later, they expanded into the gaming portal direction. Their main business now is collaborating with major game companies to promote and package various games."

"That's impressive. This gaming company has a very precise positioning," Chen Tianqiao praised. "Let me take a look."

Chen Tianqiao visited 5173.com on his computer and casually browsed it. Even without checking the IP traffic, he said, "Impressive, this website's game guides are even more professional than our own."

"That's why many players visit 5173."

"Danian, I'm curious. Since you knew about this, why didn't you collaborate with this website?"

Chen Danian was Chen Tianqiao's younger brother, and he highly regarded his brother's capabilities.

"It was a mistake on my part," Chen Danian admitted. "In the beginning, 5173 approached us, offering to promote Legend. However, they asked for a flat fee of 1 million. At that time, they were just a startup website, and they hadn't demonstrated any remarkable promotional capabilities, so I declined."

"And then?"

"Afterward, they collaborated with Westward Journey. After two or three rounds of promotion, they increased Westward Journeys' concurrent players to around 30,000. So, I was ready to start negotiations with them. But, can you guess what happened?"

"What happened?"

"The head of that website suddenly hiked the price from 1 million to 2 million."

"Hahaha..."

Chen Tianqiao laughed heartily. "So, that's why you haven't contacted them recently?"

"Sort of."

"Danian, how did you become so stingy?"

Chen Tianqiao shook his head. "Their promotional business is powerful; naturally, they have the audacity to raise their prices."

"But raising the price abruptly isn't right."

"Even if it's not right, think about it. By investing 2 million, you can increase your concurrent players by 100,000. Would you be willing or not?"

"This..."

Chen Danian fell silent.

Did this even need to be said? Of course, he would be willing.

With 100,000 concurrent players, their annual revenue could reach several billion, even after deducting the costs, they could still earn over 200 million.

Exchanging 2 million for over 200 million was an incredibly lucrative deal.

Of course, even considering the baseline, it wasn't possible for 5173 to instantly add 100,000 concurrent players to The Legend of Mir 2. Even if they could add 50,000 or, at the very least, 30,000, it would still be a substantial gain.

"Alright, let's not dwell on this issue. Get in touch with 5173 again."

"Okay."

Chen Danian nodded.

In truth, Chen Tianqiao didn't need to say it; he was already prepared to contact 5173 again.

As for why he hadn't acted earlier, it was just due to some frustration.

But looking at it now, what was there to be upset about? They were genuinely capable, and they had something he needed.

If they collaborated, it would be a win-win situation.

...

"Boss Chen, here are some of the new employees."

"Hello, Boss Chen."

"You've all worked hard. If you have any difficulties, please talk to Manager Zhang."

"It's not hard at all."

"Thank you, Manager Zhang, for showing us around the company."

"You're welcome."

After giving instructions, Chen Yu and Zhang Jianming entered the office.

"How have these past few days been for you?" Chen Yu inquired.

"Quite good. The new recruits are decent students from our school. They are quick-witted and hardworking," Zhang Jianming replied.

"You seem worried that Director Li might send us some oddball candidates."

"Hehe, I'm just looking out for the company."

"Enough of that. How's the situation with Shanda?"

Chen Yu scratched his head. The new employees didn't require exceptional technical skills, and he didn't expect them to handle major tasks. After all, it was a favor, and any student sent by Director Li who knew their way around a computer was accepted. Hiring such ordinary employees was straightforward.

"Hey, I was just about to tell you about it. You've guessed it right. Shanda has indeed contacted us."

"Oh? Tell me more."

"They agreed to collaborate at the previous price."

"I see," Chen Yu nodded. "I knew they would come."

"Should we send them a fax later... Oh, Chen Yu, what are you thinking? You're not planning to raise the price again, are you?"

"Uh..." Chen Yu felt a bit embarrassed.

Moments ago, he actually did contemplate a price increase. However, seeing Zhang Jianming's expression, Chen Yu abandoned the idea. "Never mind, let it be 2 million. We don't want to alienate Shanda. Who knows, we might have future collaborations."

"Exactly, I was thinking the same. Besides, 2 million is not a small sum."

If you added the previous 2 million from NetEase, it meant they had earned 4 million in a short time, which was faster than robbing a bank.

"All right, let's prepare the contract and send a fax to Shanda later."

Currently, Chen Yu's preferred method for contract signing was through fax. Of course, for greater precision, in-person signings were more effective. However, for the sake of expediency, Chen Yu opted for fax.

Although signing contracts via fax could introduce some complexities, as long as both parties fulfilled the agreement, it generally posed no significant issues.

"Sure."

"By the way, has Director Li visited us here?"

"No, he hasn't."

As the company expanded, so did the accompanying tax issues, which were a substantial expense. If they could secure some tax incentives, it would be ideal.

"Okay, if he does come, notify me immediately."

As they spoke, Chen Yu's phone rang.

Speak of the devil, and the devil appears.

It was Director Li's call.