"yd Company refused to cooperate because they chose Feilong Live," Feng Jie said with great annoyance. "President Ye, this was my mistake. Ou Minghan called me earlier asking if Taoxun was going to represent 'Star Conquerors,' and I mistakenly thought the information wasn't important, so I told him. I didn't expect him to snatch Taoxun's agency..."
Ye Zhi was surprised. Ou Minghan had actively poached their business this time, which she truly hadn't anticipated.
"It's not your fault this time," Ye Zhi said, frowning slightly. "This matter has already spread online. Even if you hadn't said anything, he could have found out the result by inquiring with yd Company. However, I'm very curious why yd Company gave up on Taoxun and chose Feilong Live?"
"I've already asked," Feng Jie replied. "yd Company said that Feilong Live is currently more popular and offers yd Company a higher agency fee. Furthermore, Feilong Live also promised to provide yd Company with significant resource tilting in the future."
Ye Zhi: "...Companies with such short-sightedness, if they don't cooperate, then so be it."
"President Ye, what should we do next?" Feng Jie asked.
"Just wait a moment," Ye Zhi said, and then she got up and opened the nearby filing cabinet.
Recently, her focus had been on the game 'Star Conquerors,' so she had labeled and placed the game and yd Company's information in a conspicuous location.
Ye Zhi took out yd Company's file and brought it back to her desk to open it. The documents were densely filled with her notes.
Ye Zhi flipped through, quickly finding the page she had bookmarked.
"yd Company once had some employees leave to establish a separate studio," Ye Zhi said after a glance, then looked up and asked, "Are you aware of this?"
"I've heard of it," Feng Jie said. "yd Company's two founders are Yvain and Daniel. They were university classmates, and 'Star Conquerors' is their joint creation.
However, they had a disagreement in their philosophies. Yvain believed games should be challenging, and players who weren't skilled should practice. Only high-level competition is visually appealing and can bring players a greater sense of accomplishment.
Daniel, on the other hand, believed that games should lower the barrier to entry. Only by simplifying complex operations could they attract more casual players, allowing them to experience the fun of the game.
A year ago, the two had a falling out. Daniel took a portion of employees who agreed with him and left to establish a studio called Phoenix.
However, I heard that Yvain has been suppressing this studio everywhere, and their game has been in development for over a year without being released."
Ye Zhi nodded slightly. This was similar to what she had learned.
"Contact this studio," Ye Zhi said. "Find out what type of game they are developing, how far they've progressed, and what difficulties they are currently facing."
Feng Jie understood. "President Ye, are you planning to represent the game developed by Phoenix Studio?"
"No," Ye Zhi shook her head slightly. "Just getting an agency right doesn't hold much meaning. If it's suitable, let's buy this studio."
Feng Jie: ...
As expected of you, President Ye. However, this is truly a foolproof method to solve many problems. Taoxun is a wealthy company, and buying a studio is not an issue.
"Alright, I'll get it done right away," Feng Jie agreed.
Soon, large amounts of press releases about Feilong Live's agency for 'Star Conquerors' appeared on major social media platforms.
Seeing these press releases, Ye Zhi understood that yd Company and Feilong Live had already signed an agency contract. Thus, Ou Minghan felt he had won a round and couldn't wait to show off.
She clicked on the press releases, and indeed, none of them mentioned Taoxun Games.
The general gist of the press releases was that Taoxun Games had taken an interest in 'Star Conquerors' and proactively sought to negotiate agency rights, but yd Company, with its discerning eye, recognized the better development prospects and future of Feilong Live.
Ultimately, Feilong Live, with its greater sincerity, snatched the agency rights for 'Star Conquerors' from Taoxun Games.
After reading the press releases, Ye Zhi found it quite amusing. Ou Minghan was so eager to declare his victory; it seemed he was genuinely happy this time.
After all, he had only bought press releases this time and hadn't hired internet trolls to praise him in the comments.
Ye Zhi scrolled down and briefly scanned the comment section.
[I've been a 'Star Conquerors' player for three years. I actually agree with yd changing agents, as Que Yi is too much of a scam. However, why did yd find a live-streaming company to represent the game? Shouldn't they have found a more professional game company?]
[Although Feilong Live has been quite popular recently and has shown sincerity by forming a game department for 'Star Conquerors,' the other party is Taoxun Games! Taoxun is a massive company. Doesn't yd feel like they're losing out by not choosing Taoxun?]
[As a pervert and gamer, I honestly like Feilong Live because it accompanied me through those lonely late nights. But if you ask me to tell others that I watch game competitions on Feilong Live, I find it hard to say. I don't want to be mistaken for a pervert.]
...
Most of the comments expressed doubt towards Feilong Live. Ye Zhi found it amusing. Ou Minghan probably didn't hire internet trolls, assuming the comments would all be praising him.
While imagination can be vivid, reality is often harsh. She wondered what Ou Minghan's reaction would be upon seeing these comments.
Not long after, Ye Zhi found out the answer.
Because these press releases were quickly followed by a large number of internet trolls, all praising Feilong Live and Ou Minghan. The normal comments were submerged by the trolls.
Ye Zhi tutted. Ou Minghan was too fragile. Let him be happy for a bit longer, as he wouldn't be happy for much longer anyway.
*
After Feng Jie contacted Phoenix, he quickly reported back to Ye Zhi.
"President Ye, I was contacted by Daniel himself this time. His studio currently has two problems: a lack of funds and a lack of a good platform."
"Isn't that convenient?" Ye Zhi smirked. "I have both. However, I still need to see the quality of the game."
"Daniel provided an internal demonstration video of the studio to Taoxun," Feng Jie said, handing her a USB drive. "President Ye, you can watch it first."
Ye Zhi nodded and clicked on the video. After watching it, she fell into silence.
Seeing her silent, Feng Jie said beside her, "President Ye, Phoenix's game is much simpler compared to Star Conquerors, but this is also its advantage.
I've also been exposed to Star Conquerors. Players need to build structures themselves, produce the required units, and research skill upgrades. Although the freedom is higher, the barrier to entry is too high for casual players.
This new game is different. Players only need to control the hero units on both sides of the battle. Each hero has different skill settings. This, while lowering the barrier, does not reduce the game's fun."
Ye Zhi returned to her senses. "I didn't say the game was bad..."