Huang He was not very interested in chatting with these future esports gods, although in another world, these esports gods were idols in Huang He's heart.
But at his current position, Huang He's heart had quietly changed.
Gods? Did they have as much money as him?
Cough, cough, this might sound a bit blunt, but this was how Huang He's mindset had shifted.
So, Huang He left Leng Zhimeng to chat there, and with his translator, followed the directions to find Blizzard's room. He knocked politely, and a voice speaking English came from inside.
"Chairman, they said they do not accept any media interviews, nor do they accept interviews regarding Warcraft 3!" the translator whispered.
"Then tell them I'm not here for an interview, I'm hoping to be the agent for Warcraft 3 in mainland China!" Huang He said.
"Yes!" The translator relayed the message. After a moment, the door opened, and a foreigner with a slightly red nose opened it, looking at Huang He with curiosity. "Chinese, do you really want to be the agent for Warcraft 3?"
"Of course!" Huang He nodded.
"Interesting!" The foreigner laughed heartily and led Huang He inside, then introduced himself.
Huang He was lucky; this foreigner was actually the president of Blizzard, Allen Adham.
Originally, as the president of Blizzard, Allen Adham would not have appeared at a small event like the WCg, perhaps sending a department head would have sufficed. However, Allen Adham was not only a company executive but also an esports enthusiast who loved his own games. He came not for Blizzard's work, but purely to enjoy the fun brought by esports competitions.
Then Huang He encountered him.
This had an advantage: it bypassed the layers of communication within the company, allowing for direct communication with the person in charge.
"You say you want to be the agent for our Warcraft 3!" Allen Adham said, his red nose prominent. "But there hasn't been any news about Warcraft 3 released yet, and you couldn't possibly know any information. Do you think this will be a game worth your agency?"
Regarding this question, Huang He did not boast about how great Warcraft 3 would be or its historical significance in gaming history. Instead, he said, "To be honest, I truly know nothing about Warcraft 3, and I have no confidence in this game itself."
"Then why do you still want to be its agent?" Allen Adham asked, even more confused.
"Because I have confidence in Blizzard!" Huang He said loudly. "I have played all of your company's games, and I find every one of your products to be so interesting. I've discovered that fun and depth are almost ingrained in Blizzard's genes. Therefore, I believe that any game produced by your company will surely be an absolute masterpiece in the entire gaming market!"
"Before you release the mobile version of Diablo..." Huang He said this to himself.
"Oh, my friend, I know you are flattering me, and you make me feel a bit embarrassed!" Allen Adham said, acknowledging that Huang He was flattering him, but he was clearly very pleased.
In fact, whether good or bad, people are very receptive to flattery. If they aren't, they are probably not normal people, and it's best to stay away from them.
"However, Mr. Huang, although your flattery is pleasant to hear, you might not know that we have been cooperating with your country's Omei Electronics. Our company's products are all represented by Omei Electronics, and we have a deep friendship. I personally do not wish for such a friendship to be broken!" Allen Adham said.
"Omei Electronics, I know this company!" Huang He said calmly. "It is currently the top single-player game distributor in the country, but this company is internally in disarray. Especially since I heard they are preparing to enter the online gaming market, but they have no experience in online games. Furthermore, their company's cash flow is very unstable, making them probably not a good choice!"
"Mr. Huang, speaking ill of others behind their backs is not a good habit!" Allen Adham was a bit displeased. "At least our cooperation with Omei Electronics has always been very pleasant!"
"Then may I ask, after Omei Electronics became the agent for Warcraft 2, how much revenue did they earn in mainland China?" Huang He suddenly asked.
"Mr. Huang, that is not a question you should ask; it is our company's trade secret!" Allen Adham became even more displeased and was even preparing to see Huang He out.
"As far as I know, Omei Electronics, in 2001, distributed a total of 19 different games, including masterpieces like Diablo 2 and Half-Life: Counter-Strike. Yet, their entire year's operating revenue was only 30 million RMB. I think the revenue from your company's products might have been less than 10 million RMB, and what you could finally receive in total would be less than 3 million RMB, or about 400,000 US dollars!"
"..." Allen Adham's expression became even more grim, because in reality, he had only received less than 200,000 US dollars. Therefore, Allen Adham never took the Chinese market seriously, because in his impression, the Chinese market was fundamentally incapable of making money.
"But I am different. I can add a zero to this number!" Huang He made a zero gesture.
Add a zero!
Allen Adham was instantly moved. The negative impression he had of Huang He instantly disappeared, and he said, "Mr. Huang, I don't like people deceiving me!"
"I also don't like people deceiving me, so I never deceive others!" Huang He nodded with a smile. "2 million means 2 million US dollars."
"However, as far as I know, your Chinese market cannot possibly sell 2 million US dollars worth!" Allen Adham shook his head. "Even if Omei Electronics did not seriously market our products, the difference would not be tenfold. After all, our prices are simply too expensive for Chinese players."
"You don't need to worry about that!" Huang He waved his hand. "The 2 million I'm talking about is for a buyout. That is, I will give you 2 million US dollars right now and buy out the agency rights for this game in China. As long as you agree, your company will immediately receive 2 million US dollars!"
Faced with such temptation, Allen Adham could not refuse. He unhesitatingly cast aside Omei Electronics, with whom he had deep feelings, and said, "As long as your company can pay 2 million US dollars, you can obtain the agency rights for Warcraft 3 in mainland China."
"However, Mr. Allen, I actually have a small request," Huang He said with a smile.
"What request?"
"As you know, current Chinese law does not allow foreign Battle.nets to enter the market, so your company's Battle.net cannot enter the Chinese market. But for a multiplayer game, not being able to connect to Battle.net will greatly reduce the game's playability. Therefore, I think our company can develop a Battle.net to replace the function of your company's Battle.net!"
"Of course, this Battle.net function is only temporary and can only be used for the Chinese version of Warcraft 3. If our country's laws relax the restrictions in the future, then your Battle.net can still enter. This is just an interim measure!" Boss Huang said sincerely.