chsdbacks Chapter 140 Blizzard Entertainment
Chapter 140 Blizzard Entertainment
At 10:00 AM, in front of Blizzard Entertainment.
This is an unassuming two-story office building with a light yellow exterior. A dozen or so cars are parked in the parking lot. The sign at the entrance is small, with white lettering on a black background: Blizzard Entertainment.
Ling Yun, Sophia, and Zhao Hu got out of the car. Sophia carried a briefcase containing a draft contract and a USB sample. Zhao Hu stayed in the car, but the window was open, allowing a view of the entrance.
The receptionist, a young woman, was answering the phone. "...Yes, the Diablo expansion is under development..."
Upon seeing Ling Yun, she hung up the phone. "Who were you looking for?"
"I have an appointment with Mr. Mike Morhaime. This is Ling Yun."
"Please wait a moment."
Two minutes later, a man in his forties strode out. He was wearing a dark polo shirt, jeans, and his hair was a little messy. He was Mike Morhaime, one of the founders of Blizzard Entertainment.
"Mr. Ling, welcome." A firm handshake. "Let's talk in the conference room."
The meeting room was small, with sketches of StarCraft units drawn on the whiteboard. Some design documents were scattered on the table.
Another person was already waiting: Frank Pierce, the co-founder.
"This is a project we're developing," Mike said, pointing to the whiteboard. "StarCraft, expected to be released by the end of this year."
"I've seen the demo video." Ling Yun sat down. "It was amazing."
"Thank you," Frank smiled. "We've invested three years of our time."
Sophia opened the briefcase and took out the Star System laptop.
"This is the version we've optimized for the game." She turned on the computer and demonstrated the graphical interface. "The DirectX compatibility layer is complete, OpenGL support is full, and memory management has been optimized for large scenes."
Mike and Frank leaned closer to take a look.
"How's the frame rate?"
"On the same hardware, it's 10% to 15% faster than Windows." Sophia brought up a benchmark program. "This is a comparison we did using the Quake engine."
Two sets of data are displayed on the screen. The average frame rate for the StarCraft system is 87, and the average frame rate for Windows is 76.
"That's good." Frank nodded. "But what about the porting costs? Our code is written for Windows."
"We have specialized porting tools," Ling Yun said. "Most of the code can be automatically converted. For the parts that need to be rewritten, we can provide engineers to assist us."
Mike and Frank exchanged a glance.
"Let's talk about terms," Mike said.
Sofia presented a draft contract.
"We hope to launch StarCraft on the StarCraft system first. After a three-month exclusivity period, we can release a Windows version."
"Why should we accept exclusivity?" Frank asked.
"Because we will invest promotional resources," Ling Yun said. "Pre-installation, GG, bundled sales. If it's just a regular port, the game might get lost in the massive amount of applications on the Star System. But if it's a launch, we will promote it as a priority."
"Promotional力度?"
"We guarantee one million sets of promotional exposure," Ling Yun said. "In addition, we offer a minimum sales guarantee of two million sets."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
Two million copies. At fifty dollars per copy, that's one hundred million dollars in sales. Even in 1997, that was top-selling game.
"What does 'guaranteed minimum' mean?" Mike asked.
"Regardless of the actual number of units sold, we will share the profits based on two million units," Ling Yun explained. "For example, if the profit-sharing ratio is 20%, we will prepay ten million US dollars. If the actual sales exceed two million units, the excess will be shared proportionally."
"What if the actual sales volume is less than two million?"
"Prepayments are non-refundable," Lingyun said. "We will bear the risk."
Mike and Frank discussed it in hushed tones.
"This offer...is very attractive," Frank said. "But we have to consider the parent company. Blizzard is now a subsidiary of Davidson & Associates, and large contracts require their approval."
"I understand," Ling Yun said. "We can sign a letter of intent first. After the parent company approves it, we can sign a formal contract."
"There's another problem," Mike said. "The porting will take time, and our development schedule is very tight."
"We will provide an engineering team for on-site development, and we will bear all the costs," Ling Yun said. "Our goal is to release the Starry Sky version three months before the Windows version."
"Okay," Mike nodded, "but the game quality must be guaranteed. We won't lower our standards to meet deadlines."
"Of course," Ling Yun said. "All changes must be approved by you."
With the basic framework agreed upon, Sofia began to refine the terms.
A minimum of two million units will be guaranteed, with a 20% revenue share and an advance payment of ten million US dollars.
Exclusivity period of three months.
The Star System provides porting support and promotional resources.
Blizzard guarantees game quality and coordinates marketing activities with the Star System.
"Furthermore," Lingyun said, "we are very interested in Blizzard's future projects. We heard you're planning Warcraft 3?"
Mike was surprised: "How did you know? This is still in the internal discussion stage."
"Just a guess," Ling Yun smiled. "If Warcraft 3 is being developed, we'd like to participate and create a special edition with a Star System, including exclusive content."
"This... needs further discussion," Frank said cautiously. "Right now, our priority is StarCraft."
"I understand." Ling Yun didn't press the issue. "Let's sign StarCraft first. If the cooperation goes smoothly, we can discuss the next step."
Next, let's talk about investing.
"We hope to invest in Blizzard," Ling Yun said. "We want a 10% to 20% stake, without interfering in operations, but we require that all of Blizzard's games be compatible with the StarCraft system."
Mike shook his head.
"We can't make that decision ourselves. The shares are held by the parent company, so we need to talk to Davidson."
"Can we arrange a meeting?"
"I'll give it a try," Mike said, "but don't get your hopes up too high. Davidson values control a lot."
"It's alright," Ling Yun said. "Let's establish a cooperative relationship first, and take our time with the investment."
At noon, I had a quick lunch at the Blizzard company cafeteria, which was covered with game posters, and the employees were discussing balance adjustments and story scripts.
It's clear that this is a company that loves games.
After the meal, we signed a letter of intent. Although it wasn't a formal contract, it was very binding.
Mike escorted them to the door.
"Mr. Ling, to be honest, we rarely accept such exclusive terms," he said, "but your sincerity has moved us."
"Because we believe in the value of games." Ling Yun shook hands. "StarCraft will become a classic, and the StarCraft system needs a classic."
"I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration."
"must."
Back in the car, Sofia immediately began organizing the meeting minutes.
"Mr. Ling, isn't a minimum guarantee of two million copies too high? The best-selling game in the US in 1996 only sold three million copies."
"StarCraft is different," Ling Yun said. "It will become the starting point for esports, and its sales will far exceed expectations."
"A ten million dollar prepayment, financial pressure..."
"It's my own problem, you don't need to worry about it." Ling Yun glanced at his watch. "Next stop, Sierra Nevada. When are we meeting?"
"10 a.m. the day after tomorrow."
"Okay. Let's go to the airport."
As Zhao Hu drove, Sophia asked, "What if Davidson doesn't agree to invest?"
"Then let's maintain the cooperative relationship." Ling Yun looked out the window. "With StarCraft launching first, other game companies will follow suit, and that's enough."
"Then the customization for Warcraft 3..."
"Let's talk it over slowly," Ling Yun said. "First, let them see the value of the Star System. Once StarCraft sells well on the Star System, they'll come to us on their own."
The car arrived at the airport, and the flight to San Luis Obispo took off two hours later.
While waiting for the flight, Lingyun called Alex.
"Is the USB flash drive sample ready?"
"Ready. Twenty, beautifully packaged."
"Send it to Blizzard Entertainment, to Mike Morhaime."
"Okay. The press conference is scheduled for April 15th in San Francisco."
"understood."
After hanging up the phone, Lingyun said to Sophia, "Prepare a game development support plan for small and medium-sized development teams, providing porting tools, testing support, and promotional resources. The minimum guarantee can be lowered, but the revenue sharing ratio should be increased."
"What is the purpose?"
"Build an ecosystem," Ling Yun said. "Large companies need a safety net, and small companies need opportunities; we're targeting both."
Sofia's Records.
Zhao Hu bought coffee.
"Mr. Ling, should we send someone to keep an eye on Blizzard?"
"No need." Ling Yun took the coffee. "Cooperation is based on trust. If we show sincerity, they will reciprocate with sincerity."
The boarding announcement came on.
The three walked toward the boarding gate.
On the plane, Lingyun closed his eyes to rest.
The first stop went smoothly.
A minimum guarantee of two million copies sounded risky. But he knew that StarCraft would eventually sell over ten million copies. The guarantee was high, but he wouldn't lose too much, especially since he still had his trump card up his sleeve.
This collaboration sends a signal: Star System values games and is willing to pay for high-quality content.
This will attract more developers. That's how the ecosystem is built up little by little.
He opened his eyes and looked out the window.
Next stop, Sierra Leone.