bestfiction Chapter 293 Industry-wide Encirclement
Chapter 293 Industry-wide Encirclement
The news that TUTU's daily active users had exceeded 80 million was like a bomb dropped into the internet community.
The next morning, the headlines in the technology sections of major media outlets almost all revolved around the same theme—
[TUTU's daily active users surpass 80 million, propelling Tutu Technology into the ranks of top-tier internet companies]
From Zero to 80 Million: A One-Year Miracle for Tutu Technology
[Lu Ran: From musician to internet upstart, what's his next goal?]
Data is the most persuasive language.
Eighty million daily active users—six months ago, no one would have believed that a company that had only been established for a year could achieve this.
But now, it is clearly laid out before everyone. Behind the cold, hard numbers is a rapidly rising internet upstart.
Moreover, this number is still rising.
Three days after the finals ended, TUTU's daily active users surpassed 85 million. On the fourth day, it reached 88 million. On the fifth day, it reached exactly 90 million.
Ninety million.
This number has already surpassed the daily active users of many once-large apps.
Although it still lags behind Tencent and Weibo, at this growth rate, catching up with them is only a matter of time.
In particular, the gap with Weibo has been further narrowed.
Some people in the industry are starting to get restless.
The first to get restless was Wang Huabing of Weibo Technology.
He sat in his office with a data comparison chart on the screen in front of him—over the past three months, Weibo's daily active user growth curve was almost flat, while TUTU's curve was a wave-like line, which had once declined significantly, but now it had surpassed its peak.
Based on the current trend, it should be in about six months.
Six months later, TUTU's daily active users will surpass Weibo's.
This conclusion was stated in the report submitted by the data analysis department this morning. After reading it, Wang Huabing felt a sense of powerlessness.
"Mr. Wang," the assistant said cautiously, standing beside him, "the data analysis department said that this forecast is based on linear extrapolation from existing data. If TUTU's subsequent growth falters—"
"If?" Wang Huabing interrupted him, his voice somewhat cold, "Do you think they look like they're experiencing sluggish growth right now?"
The assistant opened his mouth but didn't say anything.
It certainly doesn't look like it.
After the finals, TUTU's popularity did not decrease; on the contrary, it increased.
The song "Tomorrow Will Be Better" went viral on various platforms, and TUTU, as the platform that premiered it, naturally reaped the biggest traffic benefits.
With its disaster relief fundraising efforts being praised by state media, TUTU's brand image has transformed from an "entertainment platform" to a "socially responsible platform."
This kind of transformation cannot be bought with money.
"What about Tencent?" Wang Huabing asked. "What's their reaction?"
"Tencent... isn't making any big moves for now." The assistant flipped through his notebook. "Chen Mo is supposedly in contact with Sakura Games, but it's unclear what the details of the negotiations are."
Wang Huabing frowned: "With Sakura Games? Didn't Tencent reject them before?"
"They rejected it. But I heard that Sakura Games' offer this time is much more generous than before—shareholding ratio, profit sharing, technology sharing—all terms are negotiable. And..." the assistant paused, "Sakura Games has been waiting for Tencent to relent."
Wang Huabing remained silent, leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing.
If Tencent partners with Sakura Games, what does that mean? It means that Sakura Games' channel resources from over a dozen small and medium-sized companies, combined with Tencent's size and user base, would create an almost insurmountable moat in the gaming market.
At that time, no matter how many users TUTU has, it will be hampered by a lack of game content.
After all, users come to TUTU to play games. If there aren't any good games to play on TUTU, users will leave sooner or later.
"Interesting," he murmured to himself. "This game is getting bigger and bigger."
He paused, then asked, "What about Perfect World? What's the progress of their collaboration with EA?"
"It's said that the first collaborative product is already under development and is expected to launch in the first half of next year. It's a massively multiplayer online game, a direct competitor to 'Seven Heroes Jianghu'."
Wang Huabing raised an eyebrow.
Direct competitors.
This means that EA and Perfect World are also targeting TUTU. It's not a coincidence, it's deliberate. Taking advantage of Lu Ran's injury and before TUTU has fully established itself, they're directly using their products to compete.
I just don't know if it will turn out as they wish.
"Also," the assistant added, "Sakura Games is reportedly preparing to bring several of their classic Japanese games to the Chinese market. One of them, an action game called 'Samurai Warriors,' has been very well received in Japan, with monthly active users consistently exceeding five million."
After listening, Wang Huabing suddenly laughed.
There was a hint of schadenfreude in that smile, and a touch of sympathy for the plight of the rabbits.
The Weibo accounts that were initially thought to be the main characters are now almost marginalized in this gaming war.
"It seems," he stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky outside, "that everyone is using Tutu as a target."
EA, Sakura Games, Perfect World, Tencent, and even their Weibo accounts—everyone is eyeing TUTU, and everyone wants to take a piece of its flesh.
With 80 million daily active users, it's a number that no one can ignore.
"Mr. Wang," the assistant asked tentatively, "should we...do something as well?"
Wang Huabing thought for a moment and then shook his head.
"Let's watch for now," he said. "Let them fight. We'll clean up the mess after they're done."
The assistant nodded and left.
Wang Huabing stood by the window, his hands in his pockets, gazing at the distant, faintly visible buildings, but his mind was preoccupied with something else—Lu Ran, that young man, what exactly did he want?
He had been thinking about this problem for a long time, but he still couldn't figure it out.
While it's true he's trying to make money, many of his actions don't resemble those of a typical businessman. Personally delivering supplies to disaster areas, organizing charity performances while in a wheelchair, and making all donations transparent and open—these are things someone solely focused on profit wouldn't do.
While he claims to want to do charity work, his business acumen is ruthless. The terms he offered during negotiations with EA, and his tough stance during negotiations with Sakura Games, every move he made precisely targeted his opponents' weaknesses.
Making money and getting things done are strangely intertwined in him. He can shrewdly calculate every penny's gain and loss like a capitalist, yet he can also do what he believes is right without regard to cost, like an idealist.
This contradiction made it impossible for Wang Huabing to understand him.
"Lu Ran, oh Lu Ran," he murmured to himself, "what kind of person are you, really?"
No one answered him.
It wasn't that Wang Huabing didn't want to participate in this encirclement and suppression, but because of previous strategic mistakes, the company could only provide him with very limited support. And the small company they had previously regarded was about to grow into a behemoth.
He could only wait, wait for Rabbit Technology to make a mistake, and wait to deliver a fatal blow to Lu Ran when he was low on health.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that Lu Ran not only had a resurrection armor and an invincible body, but also the famous sword, Si Ming.
...
Meanwhile, Tencent's East China branch.
Chen Mo sat in his office, an email he had just finished writing displayed on his computer screen.
Recipient: Sakura Games Overseas Business Department.
Subject: Preliminary intentions regarding strategic cooperation.
The email was written with restraint, offering no promises or guarantees, but simply expressing a willingness to explore further, building on previous communications. The wording was polite but distant, like a tentative first meeting between two strangers.
He read it once, then read it again, then deleted the last paragraph, rewrote a few lines, and finally pressed the send button.
After sending the email, he turned off his computer, leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
He knew very well what the email meant.
For Tencent, partnering with Sakura Games is both a strategic move and a risky one.
Sakura Games has channel resources from more than a dozen small and medium-sized companies, a mature product line in the Japanese market, and a rich IP reserve—all of which are valuable to Tencent.
But what is the price?
The price is that Tencent has to open up its ecosystem to Sakura Games to some extent.
Account interoperability, data sharing, joint operation—these sound appealing terms are all about exchanging interests.
He is willing to exchange, but not unconditionally.
He thought of Lu Ran, and the young man sitting across from him when they first met, with a gentle smile but a firm look in his eyes.
"President Chen," Lu Ran said at the time, "cooperation is possible, but not in the way you do. You want distribution channels, I want autonomy. If you can't give me autonomy, then there's nothing to talk about."
That young man knew what he wanted from the very beginning.
That's why he was able to refuse Tencent, EA, and Sakura Games.
It wasn't because he didn't want those resources, but because he knew that some things were more important than resources.
Chen Mo sometimes wondered what kind of person Lu Ran would be if he worked for Tencent. He would probably be someone who would give everyone a headache—capable, thoughtful, but uncontrollable.
This kind of person can't stay at Tencent.
So he went out and started his own business.
And as it turned out, he did a good job.
"Mr. Chen," the assistant knocked and entered, "Sakura Games replied to the email."
Chen Mo sat up straight and opened his email.
The email was very short, only a few lines.
"Mr. Chen Mo, I am very pleased to receive your email. We are ready to arrange further communication at any time. We look forward to cooperating with Tencent."
The wording was polite, but the eagerness of a loyal dog could be seen between the lines.
After reading the email, Chen Mo did not reply; he simply closed the email window.
Not urgent.
Let Sakura Games wait a bit longer. When they become more anxious, the terms will be easier to negotiate.
What he cares about more now is the TUTU.
Ninety million daily active users—this number is enough for Tencent to take seriously. It's not seen as a negligible competitor, but as a potential threat that needs to be acknowledged.
He picked up his phone, found Lu Ran's number, hesitated for a moment, but still didn't dial it.
It's not the right time.
If we call now, what will Lu Ran think? He'll think Tencent is trying to get close to him when he's at the peak of his career, and that Tencent is a fence-sitter, switching sides.
Wait a minute.
It's not too late to make this call when TUTU's growth hits a bottleneck, when Lu Ran realizes that going it alone has its limits.
"Mr. Chen," the assistant knocked and entered again, "there's one more thing. Perfect World's new game is reportedly in development, similar to 'Seven Heroes of the Jianghu.' EA is providing technical support, so the quality should be quite good."
Chen Mo nodded, showing little surprise.
This was expected. EA's collaboration with Perfect World is aimed at the Chinese market.
To gain a foothold in the Chinese market, a competitive product is essential. "Seven Heroes: Jianghu" is currently TUTU's flagship product, boasting a stable daily active user count of over 20 million, making it a mainstay of TUTU's game center.
If a similar product can suppress "Seven Heroes Jianghu", TUTU's game empire will collapse significantly.
This is business competition. There is no mercy, no leniency, only profit and victory.
"Also," the assistant continued, "Sakura Games is reportedly preparing to bring 'Samurai Warriors' and 'Ninja Gaiden' to the Chinese market. If these two games are released, they will directly impact TUTU's game center."
After listening, Chen Mo remained silent for a moment.
With two mature products, plus the collaborative product between EA and Perfect World, and Tencent's own Half-Life – TUTU Game Center, the company is facing not just one competitor, but a whole group of competitors.
TUTU's only remaining options are "Seven Heroes: Jianghu" and the newly launched "Three Kingdoms Kill." While "Seven Heroes: Jianghu" is performing well, it's not enough to sustain the business alone. "Three Kingdoms Kill" is still in closed beta, with daily active users just surpassing 50,000, so it can't be relied upon in the short term.
If TUTU doesn't have new game products to counter this siege, then its peak of 90 million daily active users may be its highest point.
"Interesting." Chen Mo leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips. "This battle is getting more and more interesting."
...