Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

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It's absolutely impossible for them to compete with Steam for supremacy.

It's easy to figure out with a little thought.

The latest GTA 6 has been released. Chinese players can buy it on Steam, but not on the Spark platform. How frustrating is that?

Just like for a long time before.

Before VPN software was blocked in China, it was easy to find some circumvention tools. However, once the government started to regulate it, people who wanted to bypass the firewall could still find these tools.

However, the number of users covered has also decreased sharply.

Lin Li must find a way to completely solve this problem.

to this end.

Lin Li made three plans.

First, it was the acquisition of GOG.

This wasn't something Lin Li came up with on a whim; it was an idea he'd had for a long time.

GOG platform.

It is a game platform created by CD Projekt Red, the parent company of CD Projekt, also known as the Polish "CD Projekt Red".

Its name "GOG" is an abbreviation for "Good Old Games".

The decree is for classic old games.

Of course, this platform not only sells classic old games, but also supports the optimization and porting of these games, ensuring that they can run on the latest operating systems.

Of course, most players' impression of GOG may still be based on the fact that the owner of GOG said that games on GOG would not be protected against piracy.

This also means that you can buy a game on GOG and then get a refund.

After receiving the refund, you launch the game.

You can continue playing.

It's truly a conscientious act.

However, this sense of conscience is clearly misplaced; the players who are truly willing to spend money are precisely those who care about these things.

In the past, with the development of Steam and EPIC.

After a brief period of glory, GOG's market share declined rapidly.

By 20, after CD Projekt Red's release of 2077, the GOG platform had even fewer resources available.

It was almost in a state of semi-death.

Based on this, Lin Li felt that when Bao Si was born in 2077, he could seize the opportunity to propose the acquisition of GOG.

If the acquisition is successful, it will be a boost for Xinghuo.

After all, GOG has a lot of old games and has accumulated a lot of users who like old games. These users have a relatively low overlap with the existing Spark Games users.

Furthermore, with the increasing number of remastered games from Spark Future.

It also needs to attract more veteran players and nostalgic players.

Therefore, GOG still has meaning for Spark.

However, it now seems that besides its user base, GOG has another use for Spark: it serves as an outsider that can help them learn from others.

If we really have to do that.

Xinghuo still needs to go through many detours to retain GOG's status as an overseas gaming platform while also securing its operation and revenue.

It looks like a complicated operation.

But for professionals, this is not a difficult operation.

Besides.

As an international company, setting up an overseas subsidiary to spin off the business of the Xinghuo platform is one possible solution.

Chapter 365 Stupid Thief

although.

This looks a bit like transferring something from one hand to the other.

But what Xinghuo wants is something formalistic; as long as the State Administration of Press and Publication approves, then it's not a big problem.

and.

This thing is just like a nuclear bomb.

When you don't have it, you panic, but even if you do have it, you might not use it.

in short.

If that damn Muli Technology were to suddenly become incredibly powerful and expose Xinghuo's practice of selling games to players using accelerators, and then have the ability to generate buzz about it in Western media circles...

That spark was really feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Because this is something that you understand, I understand, everyone understands, but on the surface it is a violation of the rules.

This has really blown up.

The State Press and Publication Administration can't pretend not to see it, and things will get tough when that happens.

However, if Spark has already completed the acquisition and acquired an overseas gaming platform, or has created a platform through other means, then there's no problem.

If you really mess this up, I'll revive the overseas platforms so players won't even need to switch accounts; they can just download the overseas version directly.

It's even better than the current accelerator mode.

and.

Are there any precedents for this?

There is.

It's EPIC.

In its previous life, Tencent held a 40% stake in EPIC. If that stake were higher, like Riot Games' stake in League of Legends...

If Riot Games created a gaming platform in the United States.

So, can this gaming platform be under the jurisdiction of China?

This answer is difficult to comment on.

High probability is not.

In addition, there was a lesser-known platform in my previous life called Red Fox Games.

It's a gaming platform established by a Chinese person in Vancouver. They can openly sell games without a license, even though it's not well-known.

and so.

This is really not a problem.

It's only because the spark was too big that it became a problem.

Another reason is that before today, Lin Li really didn't expect that Americans would come to stab this.

Fortunately.

This matter is difficult to handle, but not that difficult either.

After the deployment was completed.

Lin Li returned to his normal work process.

~~~

be honest.

The current efficiency of Spark is quite good.

That afternoon.

The Spark operations department then provided Lin Li with information about Muli Technology.

This Muli Technology is very interesting.

After a series of investigations, it was finally discovered that the company was actually a shell company.

Its largest investor is.

A US-based foundation focused on venture capital in the gaming industry.

Griffin Gaming Partners (GGP)

This venture capital firm, GGP, is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Founded in 2017.

It is a venture capital firm that invests in game content, software infrastructure, social platforms, and game-related Web3 companies, with assets under management exceeding $10 billion.

EA, Blizzard, and Microsoft are among his investments.

March of 2019, which is this year.

Its second fund was oversubscribed, raising more than $7.5 million.

As a venture capital fund focused on the gaming industry, GGP immediately began operations after receiving the $7.5 million funding.

Some of them, in pursuit of short-term gains, invested in the gaming market.

The project that received the most investment was Marvel Alliance.

Along with this news came another piece of news that left Lin Li speechless.

That was the urgent investigation by the United States following the Spark.

They found out.

The ransom notes that Spark America has received recently may be related to this matter.

Because the content of these extortion letters was exactly the same as the situation Lin Li encountered.

The first extortion email was received a week ago.

The email simply stated that Xinghuo should pay them, or they would be in trouble.

Spark America naturally didn't care about these inexplicable letters.

Two more days passed.

Perhaps the extortionists found that Xinghuo was not responding, so they sent another email, this time with a clearer threat, explicitly stating that if Xinghuo did not give them money...

They want to prevent games from the Xinghuo platform from being sold in China.

But... even after reading this letter, the executives at Spark America still felt baffled. Do you want to listen to what you're saying?

Are games from the Xinghuo platform not allowed to be sold in China?

Do you even know that Xinghuo is a company under China? You're crazy.

And so another day passed.

When the US still didn't respond to the Spark, the extortionists got desperate.

Perhaps suspecting that their emails hadn't been received, this time they used a printed extortion letter, which they slipped into the mailbox in front of the Xinghuo Building that evening.

The message was very complete, not only copying the contents of the previous two emails, but also stating directly that if Spark did not respond within 24 hours, they would really take action!

By this time.

Spark America finally took this letter seriously. Because it was a paper email, Spark America immediately accessed the surveillance footage.

Yes.

Spark is being monitored in the United States.

That was after Lin Li installed a comprehensive early warning system for Kyoto Animation.

This applies even to outsiders.

Within Xinghuo, security is naturally a top priority.

Although the entire headquarters of Spark America is only 7 stories high, there are cameras not only inside Spark, but also around the roof.