NOVPUB
Chapter 1114: Chapter 973: Birth of a Giant
Immediately.
European and American media quickly published the news.
"ERV’s high-profile valuation of fifty billion US dollars, this financing round of ten billion dollars, holds only twenty percent of the shares, has ERV overestimated itself? Overestimated ’Warfire’?"
"ERV’s chairman is uncompromising, and more than a dozen companies have returned without success."
"Apple Inc. says: Unable to accept such a high offer!"
"If ERV’s financing succeeds this time, the next internet giant is about to be born!"
"Is this financing or extortion? What makes ERV worth so much?"
"..."
Major media from various countries also followed suit.
Public opinion on ERV’s high valuation was mixed, with most finding it incredible. Sequoia Capital had valued it at just over a hundred billion US dollars. You multiplied it by four or five times in one go, who could bear it?
It was completely a lion’s mouth wide open, and spectators from different countries also felt that the chairman of ERV was brain-dead, with such high quotations that those companies would agree was absurd—anyone who agreed was a fool.
But.
With this opportunity.
ERV once again became the focus, and many who no longer played games, seeing this gaming company’s market value break through ten billion US dollars based on one game alone and self-valuing at fifty billion, also curiously tried it out.
Then.
It became unstoppable.
In just one day, ’Warfire’s registered players increased by five hundred and twenty thousand, and in the evening, ERV even made a server-wide announcement, breaking the record for the highest number of new registered players in a single day.
It hurt quite a few people.
Even Tang Qing in the Shanghai Stock Market couldn’t help but be moved.
Why do celebrities have so many scandals? So much hearsay, because with public opinion, with attention, there are hot topics, there are names, and fame represents bright red cash.
Those without scandals.
Also had to create a couple, or partner up as a boyfriend and girlfriend, then just split up afterward—Tang Qing did not dislike this, but he found those celebrities who divorced frivolously annoying.
Since Tang Qing’s strategy had always been steady development, although Fighter Controlled Company’s actions were bold, they did not exert much effort in the media; otherwise, Tang Qing could have made the Fighter’s companies dominate the headlines every day.
The next day.
Everyone sat down at the negotiation table again.
Close to noon, there was still no result from the negotiations, Fighter remained uncompromising, and so, the media went wild again, dominating headlines across countries with ’Warfire’ registering users breaking records again, reaching five hundred and fifty thousand.
The third day. 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
’Warfire’ recorded users broke another record, reaching six hundred and ten thousand.
"..."
Various companies were frustrated.
In just a few days, ’Warfire’ had gained over a million players, which was essentially using them to create a buzz, yet it didn’t seem like it, or rather, it was an unexpected harvest for ERV.
ERV’s chairman didn’t seem to mind going the distance with them.
Journalists were even happier because there was news every day. As long as ERV stuck to the fifty billion US dollars without wavering, whether successful or not, it could be prominently featured and annoy those big companies.
...
The fourth day.
Negotiations failed.
At this point.
Various companies also found themselves in a dilemma.
Fifty billion US dollars.
It rеаlly was exorbitantly high.
They couldn’t press the price any lower, and the other side didn’t lack money, leaving them helpless—if the negotiations were prolonged, the variables were not only numerous, but the price could possibly go up, just as ERV’s chairman had said.
Give up.
Reluctant.
Buy.
Painful.
"Is there really no way to get ERV to lower their price?" The president of Sony in Japan lightly tapped on the table.
The first vice president shook his head.
"’Warfire’ has no competitors in the market; all who followed suit perished because they couldn’t update gameplay and models as quickly as ERV. Players compared and would not come back for a second play."
"The key is that ERV has no debts and very high profit margins, which is why we are keen on it. Honestly, such an unrivaled development model doesn’t leave them with many weaknesses."
Such a company.
First, it has money, low operational costs, absolutely cannot be dragged down, and can only get stronger the more it is dragged.
Second, you can’t support rivals to fight them because they’ve tried, and nothing worked; as long as ERV maintains its current pace, without self-destructing, everyone can only watch them prosper.
Third, they have a single shareholder; now holding a hundred percent, like a turtle shell, they couldn’t lay a finger on them. Their chairman also seemed to have no bad habits, and hardly attended any banquets.
"So we just let them extort us?" The president was discontent.
The vice president gave a wry smile, "For now, it seems so. Cooperation is feared the most when one side holds absolute power, and ERV is such a company. We really can’t grasp them."
"By the way, didn’t the chairman of ERV say he needed some help?"
"Yes, but we don’t know what it is. He said only the board members knew. I must say, he is a master of psychology, dominating the negotiation process. Should we continue with this investment?"
"Heh, continue, why not?"
"And this valuation."
"Wait... maybe others will make a move." Saying this, the president of Sony smiled slightly; they were a Japanese enterprise, and the United States was not their home ground. If others wanted to suppress the price, there would definitely be targeted moves.
He didn’t believe that companies like Apple and Microsoft would just concede here.
Once there were more movements.
You just need to follow up with a little support.
"Yes."
...
United States.
Boston.
IDG Group Headquarters.
The chairman, McGowan, who was well into his fifties, personally called Winters. Winters was surprised because McGowan seldom interfered with company affairs—it was all handled by the president, and you wouldn’t see him in meetings twice a year.
"Winters, do you think it’s worth it?"
"I...I think it’s hard to convince him to lower the price," Winters cautiously replied. With such a huge deal at stake, his slight shoulders couldn’t bear the responsibility if anything went wrong.
For a moment.
He even wondered if the president was setting him up, trying to pass the buck.
"Don’t worry, I’m just asking. Share your thoughts," said McGowan.
Winters breathed a sigh of relief.
"Chairman, from my personal perspective, I’m very optimistic about ERV. Their chairman gives me the impression that there’s nothing in the world that could stump him, which could be seen as arrogance.
Yet, this arrogance isn’t off-putting, and it’s backed by solid achievements and capabilities. I really admire him and believe that what he says can definitely be achieved," Winters responded.
"Five hundred billion?"
"Eh... Yes." Winters reluctantly nodded. He didn’t evade this time; as the person in charge of the first cooperation between IDG and ERV, he had a natural approval of ERV.
"Mm, I’ve got it."
After speaking,
McGowan hung up the phone.
Then he said to the IDG chief executive officer in front of him, "Let’s begin. Since you also think we can gamble on ERV, let’s go for it, we won’t lose much at worst."
"Yes."
...
The fifth day.
That is, the morning of September 17.
Just when some people wanted to watch the drama unfold.
A piece of news.
Exploded in the media.
------IDG Group proudly announced that it had reached an agreement with the chairman of ERV to purchase 4% of ERV’s stocks for two billion dollars, including five hundred million in cash, and stocks of IDG Group worth one and a half billion.
As soon as the news broke out, there was an uproar.
This indicated.
IDG believed ERV was worth the price and had first secured a fifth of the stocks on sale.
So,
what about the other companies?
"What? Is McGowan senile?" the president of Sequoia Capital said shockingly.
"What do we do?" asked a representative in New York.
"I don’t know, I have to consult the Board of Directors, I hope it’s still timely. Only 16% left, if others buy it up, we’ll be in an awkward position, you go to ERV headquarters and wait for further instructions."
"Yes."
Companies immediately began discussing countermeasures.
But before long, the second piece of news made them restless again.
----Apple Inc. invested two billion dollars to acquire 4% of ERV stocks, this fund will be paid entirely in cash, and the contract will be signed tomorrow morning.
IDG and Apple Inc. jointly recognized the valuation of ERV.
Like the last straw, it pressured everyone’s minds; only 12% was left. They couldn’t hesitate any longer. They had to act fast or give up, and so... Fighter’s phone rang nonstop.
Knowing that these guys were planning something underhand.
Tang Qing was naturally not going to sit and wait for death; he had no interest in playing business battles with these guys, which not only looked bad but could hurt relations. Thus, the strategy began.
McGowan.
The first strategy target, Tang Qing revealed some of ERV’s ’secrets’ and strategies, eventually convincing McGowan to take a gamble.
Steve Jobs.
The second strategy target, Apple currently had a market value not yet reaching a hundred billion dollars, far from a trillion, and given Jobs’s pride, it was not so easy to persuade him.
But, under Fighter’s strategy, Jobs agreed. ERV had nothing that could threaten Apple, but Tang Qing knew Apple was going to launch their first generation iPhone next January.
Jobs’s pioneering touch gesture opened a new epoch for mobile phones, propelling Apple into a brand new realm.
At that time,
It was still four months until the first press conference,
But nine months to the launch of the iPhone 1; the engineering prototype had, of course, already been made, and everything was in the final stages of optimization, while ERV offered something that Jobs found very interesting.
---Mobile games.
Silly mobile games, there was no helping it—the current configuration of Apple’s phones was too low, they could only handle games like Happy Elimination; Jobs indeed had boldness, staring at Fighter for two minutes.
He finally agreed.
Having dealt with these two,
The conspiracies being prepared by others suddenly became useless.
...
September 20.
After days of negotiation,
The remaining 12% of the stocks were distributed.
Thus, apart from Fighter, ERV now had ten shareholders, which included IDG Group, Apple Inc., Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, Toshiba, Qualcomm, IBM, Sequoia Capital, and Google.
Thus,
ERV’s strategic financing drew to a close.
The Associated Press headline the next day, "The Birth of a Giant," made ERV dominate the financial headlines worldwide once again, with many people looking forward to what this company would look like when it went public.
