The most crucial point is that we are merely junior players in the gaming industry. We have no flagship products to showcase. What can we possibly present at a game expo?" The barrage of questions made Li Bu'er uneasy.
Thirty thousand US dollars was not a small sum; it was enough to sustain their company.
What's more, someone beside him insinuated, "Don't forget Wemade. If this escalates, who knows how much of that thirty thousand will actually reach us." Li Bu'er's expression darkened, his face a mask of indecision.
He felt a strong sense of unwillingness but decided to try for more. "Let's not rush into signing the agreement just yet. This decision will determine whether we feast or starve for the next year. We'll head to Lotte Hotel to see what's what. My stance is simple: the highest bidder wins. We'll choose a capable partner."
Only then did everyone calm down. In their current state, they were just an obscure small game development company in Korea, with no notable products.
Meanwhile, the Shengda team in Seoul heard about the game expo at Lotte Hotel, and everyone's expression changed drastically.
They had already spent a considerable amount of time in Seoul, enduring numerous hardships just to secure a distribution agreement with Li Bu'er.
But who would have thought that a game expo advertised in a newspaper could disrupt their plans so thoroughly?
"President Chen, what do we do? Our funds are running out. Now, A Gatos isn't signing a distribution agreement with us. What are they thinking?"
"Exactly! We've already offered them everything. For this obscure game alone, we're spending thirty thousand US dollars. This is the last of our company's assets. We have no money left, President Chen. Are we going to fight to the bitter end?"
Their words were filled with a sense of despair, with no clear path forward. All their hopes were pinned on "The Legend of Mir 2," but at this critical juncture, they received a notification to pause.
President Chen felt helpless. Damn it, asking for favors was always so demeaning. It's better to have money and be respected. He wondered what they were doing at the game expo in Lotte Hotel. Were they looking to distribute games?
There were many popular games in Korea right now, but "The Legend of Mir" was considered only a moderately niche game. He hadn't expected A Gatos to participate in this expo, and President Chen felt an inexplicable worry.
"How about this? Let's take this opportunity to relax a bit and, at the same time, find out who exactly is making waves at Lotte Hotel," President Chen said, taking a deep drag of his cigarette, his words shrouded in smoke.
...
"Boss Zhang, this is the situation. Sister Ning Ning and I have arrived in Korea. However, we've already inquired about the game you mentioned. It's developed by a small company, but they seem to be in contact with a domestic company. Rumor has it they've reached a preliminary cooperation intention."
Guo Jiajia reported her and Gao Ningning's activities in Korea to Zhang Tianxing, focusing on their market research and questioning Zhang Tianxing's judgment, as "The Legend of Mir 2" ranked poorly in Korea.
Gao Ningning had been doing nothing but playing games in her room for days, trying to discern the game's playability.
Despite "The Legend of Mir 2" not ranking high, its simple and intuitive controls made it quite enjoyable.
Gao Ningning couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity. This Boss Zhang sometimes had good foresight. Although the ranking wasn't great, the game seemed decent, and with Boss Zhang's strong recommendation, Gao Ningning naturally paid attention to "The Legend of Mir."
To be honest, she had long wanted to prove him wrong, but every time she tried, she ended up being the one left with a bruised ego.
"Sister Jiajia, what should we do next? As far as I know, A Gatos is preparing to sign an agreement with someone," Gao Ningning said with a wry smile. In her opinion, with both companies having reached a cooperative intention, a cooperation agreement was highly likely to be signed.
It seemed their trip would be in vain, and Guo Jiajia's elaborate efforts would be wasted. This was a case of "man proposes, heaven disposes." This time, Boss Zhang had lost the battle and the woman.
Now, she and Guo Jiajia had made a wasted trip to Korea. Guo Jiajia's significant investment was likely for naught.
Forget it. Gao Ningning decided to grudgingly find a decent game to take back, just to show Boss Zhang her own judgment. She cast her gaze towards a game called "Millennium."
However, Guo Jiajia disagreed. She was currently devising a plan. In Guo Jiajia's words:
"As long as they haven't signed the distribution agreement, I will strive for it. Boss Zhang's assignments must be completed. I must prove Boss Zhang wrong. I will accomplish all the tasks he assigned, solely to prove that Boss Zhang's foresight is not infallible."
She hoped Boss Zhang wouldn't give her the opportunity.
Guo Jiajia was using this opportunity to showcase Tianxing Investment Company's strength to Korean game companies.
"This Tianxing Investment Company is a new entity. I didn't expect them to have such capabilities."
"I know about Tianxing Investment Company. They are definitely newcomers, but their two recent investments have been remarkable, setting successful precedents in the investment world."
"It's just that seeing them in the gaming industry is unexpected. It seems Tianxing Investment Company has ambitious plans."
The game companies present were not afraid of newcomers; they were afraid of companies lacking strength. Newcomers were preferable, as they could wield more influence and thus secure greater profits.
If the other party was a fierce newcomer, then concerns about the cooperation model would arise. A powerful newcomer wouldn't necessarily oppress the local players, but if their strength was too great, the local players would receive a smaller share of the profits.
In the cooperation, they would be in a subordinate position. Therefore, their emotions were conflicted. They hoped Tianxing Investment Company had some strength but not too much.
Ideally, they would be a newcomer with some strength, allowing them to maximize their profits.
The information they had gathered domestically aligned with their wishes: Tianxing Investment Company had strength, but it was a burgeoning company. This was perfect. They could leverage Korean games to establish a foothold in China. However, it now seemed that Tianxing Investment Company had high standards, holding a game expo, and aiming to distribute a popular Korean game.