Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 773 Little Ma's Reflections

On October 29, 2016, the Staples Center in Los Angeles witnessed the ultimate showdown of the League of Legends S6 World Championship.

In this highly anticipated esports event, Samsung Galaxy (SSG) defeated South Korean powerhouse ROX Tigers 3-1 to lift the Summoner's Cup, the symbol of ultimate honor.

On the day of the finals, 1000 million people watched online simultaneously, and the champion's prize pool reached a staggering $268 million.

However, for the China region, it was a night full of regrets.

The highly anticipated EDG and RNG teams both failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals, sparking strong dissatisfaction among LPL fans.

Baidu's LOL forum was instantly overwhelmed by angry netizens, transforming into a new "stress-relief forum":
"Mad Dog? Just a coward who cries after losing."

"Look at DLG, they've made it to the finals, while some teams are going home in the quarterfinals. It's hilarious."

"Weren't you all smiles during the draw? Looking down on H2K? Turns out you got treated like a bot."

"I thought that with Faker's retirement, the LPL would be the next big thing, but it turns out they couldn't even make it to the semifinals."

"Forget it, it all depends on DLG now. They have to redeem themselves in the Glory of Kings world after losing face in League of Legends!"

These fiery comments truly reflected the disappointment and anger of LPL fans at the time.

With DLG team advancing to the finals of another game, Honor of Kings, in an international tournament, players' expectations have shifted.
October 30, 2016, Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest).

The G-series global finals of "Glory of Kings" have begun, marking the start of a peak battle that will be recorded in the annals of esports history.

On one side is T1, led by legendary player Faker – this newly established division of SKT at the beginning of the year, fought its way out of 36 top teams with unstoppable momentum and made it to the finals in its first appearance.

On the other side is the defending champion DLG. On their way to defend their title, they have defeated countless strong opponents. This time, they are determined to defend their glory and keep the championship trophy, which is watched by hundreds of millions of players around the world, in China.

This is the first time in two years that SKT and DLG have faced off on a brand new stage – a match between the genius mid laner Faker and the ingenious support Joker, and between a veteran coach and a championship-winning coach.

The clash between old and new champions, the battle between geniuses, and the contest of tactical systems—each topic is enough to ignite the global esports scene.

With the combined promotion from domestic and international media, the event's popularity soared to its peak, making it an undisputed global focus of esports.

Before the competition even started, the number of online viewers worldwide had already exceeded 2000 million, and this was just the beginning.

After five thrilling and intense games, DLG finally defeated SKT.T1 with a score of 3:2, successfully defending their title!
When the entire DLG team lifted the championship trophy, the entire Bird's Nest stadium erupted in cheers, and the cameras of esports media from around the world were all focused on this moment.

On the other side, the young Faker paused and looked back as he left the field, his eyes slightly red, his gaze fixed on the trophy that was so close yet unattainable.

This scene was captured precisely by the on-site photographer and titled "One Step Away," creating a stark contrast to the classic image of Messi gazing at the World Cup trophy in 2014. It made headlines in global esports media the following day.

One minute on stage requires ten years of practice off stage. Countless days and nights of striving for perfection are all for a fleeting moment of brilliance tonight.

In esports, only the winner takes all!
Although the runner-up prize money far exceeds that of the 16th place, in the players' minds, everyone else is just a supporting character.

DLG team has once again been crowned king in Honor of Kings, the world's most watched game.

For some sponsors and clubs, what they are more concerned about is the new tournament format for "Glory World" announced by Zhang Chao, president of Beyond Esports, at the end.

That is, in order to maintain the hype, next year's finals prize money will be increased, there will be regional support plans, a secondary league, and a promotion and relegation system.
A complete esports ecosystem is taking shape, with games, events, and the economy forming a positive cycle.

With a command from Sun Ziwei.

Reports about various game highlights, key moments, extremely generous prize money, and high returns for participating team sponsors regarding the World Cup have begun to sweep across both domestic and international markets, generating a tremendous sensation.

This made "Glory World" one of the most talked-about topics globally at the end of October, even surpassing the popularity of the NBA for a time.

It even attracted the attention of state media, who gave it positive coverage, especially announcing that "Glory of Kings" might be selected along with "League of Legends" as one of the demonstration events at the Jakarta Asian Games.

This marks the first time that esports, which has traditionally been considered lowbrow in China, has been officially recognized.

DLG's victory also unexpectedly made a company famous overnight – its exclusive sponsor, "Pang Donglai," a retail company that was originally only well-known in Henan and only became known in Beijing at the beginning of the month.

In League of Legends, the Chinese team suffered a crushing defeat, while DLG once again claimed the title in Glory of the World.

As one gains at the expense of the other, the two similar games quickly drifted apart once again.

On the other side, Chen Tong and Qi Mengmeng were not idle either, with Bi'an Film and Television and Bi'an Flower Cultural and Creative quickly following suit.

The day after the finals, the third season of the animated series "Glory World" was released globally. With the high ratings of 8.9 and 8.4 on Douban for the first two seasons, the epic storyline and excellent production of the new season once again ignited the enthusiasm of players around the world.

In fact, each season of "Glory World" has its own purpose. For example, in the first season, when the game was called "Huaxia Glory", it was about expanding the Eastern worldview and shaping and rendering several popular characters in the game through data statistics.

However, the game developer, Beyond the Shore, planned to combine the Eastern and Western game elements, so changes were made at the end of the first season of the animation, introducing the suspense of another world. In the second season, "Glory World," which began its open beta, another world was introduced, with multiple forces unfolding. The ending culminated in the initial clash and confrontation of several major forces, abruptly concluding at a climax.

The second season could have broken 9 points, but the abrupt ending made countless fans of Honor of Kings grit their teeth in anger, causing the score to drop from 8.8 to 8.4.

This third season is a culmination of the previous two seasons, and its explosive popularity, fueled by the buzz surrounding the championship finale, was something that everyone in the industry could have predicted.

With the original team and its excellent production team, countless players around the world can once again experience an epic storyline and a plot that subtly echoes the real-world power dynamics, creating a highly immersive experience.

Cultural and creative products also sparked a buying frenzy – blind boxes, cards, and figurines were sold both online and offline simultaneously.

This time, the products from Biyuanhua involve several IPs from last month's competition, but "Glory World" is the most popular among them. As a result, even with the combined efforts of Card Game and Pop Mart, the production volume still shows signs of being insufficient to meet the demand.

Unlike some unscrupulous merchants who prioritize supplying overseas markets with their production capacity, and at the original price, their inherent tendency to worship foreign things is impossible to hide.

Domestic players are treated like stepchildren; various domestic distributors show out-of-stock items, while scalpers always have stock available. To buy a product in stock, you need to pay more than twice the price.

However, the management team of Biyuanhua, led by Qi Mengmeng, ultimately decided to adjust the product supply ratio to "80/20"—prioritizing the supply of 80% of the production capacity in China and only allocating 20% ​​to overseas markets.

This strategy unexpectedly triggered a "hunger marketing" effect in overseas markets.

It's important to understand that overseas consumers are inherently drawn to collectibles like blind boxes, which involve randomness.

When limited supply meets strong demand, a frenzy of buying spree is ignited.

The prices of popular figurines have skyrocketed in overseas markets, rising from a few dozen yuan at the time of their domestic release to thousands of yuan, with some limited editions fetching astronomical prices at auctions.

One of the art-grade collectible figures even set a six-figure record at auction.

Faced with the chaotic market phenomenon where products costing only a few hundred yuan can be sold at a markup of a hundred or a thousand times, Qi Mengmeng was once perplexed.

One late night, she finally couldn't hold back any longer and went to seek advice from the man who was both a teacher and a father figure to her.

“Every generation has its own ‘tulip mania,’ but we’re making money off foreigners, which is a good thing.”

Don't overthink it. The night is too short; let's get down to business.

After her master patiently and meticulously explained the principles to her, Qi Mengmeng finally understood.

During this period, the internet was flooded with reports related to "The Other Shore," and it monopolized almost all the buzz surrounding games.

The topic of League of Legends was completely overshadowed, and Little Ma rubbed his temples, giving a helpless, bitter smile.

Despite all the planning, no one expected that an esports event could have such a profound impact, even benefiting the entire industry chain and creating a synergistic effect.

In fact, the other side's approach is not new - film and game synergy and cultural and creative derivatives are all tricks that the industry has already played with.

However, "one force can overcome ten techniques," and the global success of "Glory World" took over the baton from "Ancient War," allowing the matrix-style approach of multi-business linkage to unleash amazing energy, even shaking the entire industry.

This can be seen from the valuation of "Bi'an Pictures" and "Bi'an Flower Cultural and Creative" in the capital market.

Beyond Pictures possesses a wealth of IP resources—including potential adaptations of its own games, goldmines of overseas copyright collaborations, and the added support of Jin Yong and Gu Long's martial arts universes.

What's most enviable is its subsidiary, Qidian.com, the most popular online literature platform in China, which is an inexhaustible treasure trove of IPs.

Douluo Continent, Battle Through the Heavens, Against the Gods, and A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality.
Even someone like him who never reads novels is very familiar with these breakout names, not to mention the constant stream of new hits every year.

Little Ma rubbed his temples, reflecting on his actions.

Judging from the result, he had to admit that he had made a mistake.

Over the past year, he has had the gaming division focus on optimizing operations. Although Fujii's side has paid attention to this, they have ultimately overlooked the essence of esports as a competitive sport and the national sentiment it carries.

If an LPL team can win the S6 World Championship, even if Tencent can't achieve the same level of success as the other side, it can at least get a share of the profits.

However, the reality is that LPL's consecutive defeats in the World Championship have dealt a huge blow to the confidence of domestic players.

Right now, the most urgent task is to strengthen the competitiveness of the LPL region.

There are some experiences from the neighboring region that can be learned from, but there are some strategies that Little Ma can't figure out.

He stared at his phone, thinking, "That kid will probably never call me again."

The Wuzhen Summit is coming up soon, should we talk to Chen Mo?

But wouldn't that make me seem too cheap? What should I say when we meet? Would it be too abrupt to talk about cooperation directly?
Thinking about all this made Little Ma's head ache even more.
(End of this chapter)