Chapter 461
What is the concept of a forum with millions of visitors per month? This is a huge wealth, and it is possible to realize it.
Of course, this forum of a specific group has its limitations.
Who you sell your forum to is very particular.
First of all, this website forum cannot be sold to Internet companies like ordinary websites.
The users inside are all players who play DOTA, so it would be useless for other companies to take it over.
So buyers can only choose from game companies.
Secondly, not all game companies may be interested in DOTA.
After all, most companies in North America follow the mainstream and make console games, and PC games are still a small market branch.
After much calculation, the three most likely buyers are Guinsoo and Riot Games, Ice Frog and Valve, and Blizzard.
After Pencil Dragon made some calculations, Blizzard was naturally the first to be eliminated.
DOTA is a game based on "Warcraft". Going to Blizzard directly will make the other party think there is something wrong with you and sell me the IP derived from my game.
As for the ice frog, that's definitely not possible.
Pencil Dragon currently only has one player forum. Not to mention whether the bargaining chips in hand are strong enough, the ownership of the DOTA IP itself is controversial.
From Eul to Guisou, to Neichus and Ice Frog, they are all producers of DOTA, but Pencil Dragon is not even a member of the production team. He is just a forum operator and a non-staff member of the production team.
Strictly speaking, these four members are the owners of the DOTA IP, and Pencil Dragon cannot even get involved.
Before, he tried desperately to squeeze into the inner circle and thought of various ways to commercialize DOTA, but he was rejected by Neichus and Ice Frog. They were extremely disgusted with this matter.
Now that Pencil Dragon wants to sell the player forum, I think even mentioning it in front of Ice Frog will make him angry.
So now Pencil Dragon has only one choice, and that is Guisou.
Compared to the other two people, Guinsou was much easier to talk to.
Guinsoo was obsessed with World of Warcraft and stopped updating DOTA before Neichus and Ice Frog took over.
Guisou himself also realized that relying on the game "Warcraft" alone would not give DOTA a better future. He also knew that dreams cannot be eaten for a living, so he chose to join Riot Games.
Guinsoo not only officially established the MOBA gameplay of DOTA, but also changed the original map name to Dota Allstars, a name that continues to this day.
Pencil Dragon quickly figured out the key, and then began to actively contact Guinsoo.
Guisou quickly agreed to meet him, and the two made an appointment to meet at an Italian restaurant. After eating a steak, Guisou was convinced by the Pencil Dragon.
Because he knows that Riot Games has been short of funds recently and is looking for investment everywhere, and is about to find something.
Now Pencil Dragon proposes to use the player forum as an investment certificate, which is good for attracting investment. This can increase Guinsoo's voice in Riot Games and gain more shares.
The two sides quickly hit it off and reached an agreement.
The two packaged the entire Dota mod and the Dotaallstars.com website, and then established a company called dota-allstars, LLC (a limited company). The two became shareholders of the company and divided the shares.
After completing this step, Pencil Dragon came forward to negotiate with the two founders of Riot Games with this company.
Baker and Merrill were struggling with investment matters at this time, and they were a little confused when they saw Pencil Dragon coming to sell the website and DOTA IP.
"Why should we buy DOTA's IP?" Baker felt that people like Pencil Dragon could just be driven away. Moreover, Guisou was doing such little things behind his back, which made him a little unhappy.
“What we make is not called DOTA, it has its own name, it’s called League of Legends!”
Merrill had a different view on Baker's view. He had worked in a bank before, so he naturally had a keener business sense on this matter.
"I think this thing is still useful, Brandon." Merrill said happily, "We can have a good talk with them. Is this a bargaining chip that can be used?"
"Chips? What are they for?" Baker was a little surprised.
"We can use this thing to convince Mr. Edward Damon." Merrill was very excited. "We can tell him that the users of these forums are all potential users who can be converted into our games."
"Look, before our game is even produced, we already have a large user base. This saves us a lot of promotion costs."
Baker's eyes lit up, "It makes sense!"
……
Edward soon came to Riot Games again, listened to a new round of PPT explanations by the two founders, and watched the game's demo.
After the two explained their latest acquisition, Edward asked, "Will there be any copyright disputes with the DOTA forum and IP you mentioned?"
"After all, this thing is related to Blizzard, will they raise objections?"
"Also, is there any dispute over the ownership of the DOTA IP? Will other producers raise objections?"
Merrill said confidently: "No, the core developer of DOTA is also the founder of this model in our Riot Games, and this IP was authorized to us by him."
"As for Blizzard, even if they file a lawsuit, they have no chance of winning."
"DOTA itself is just a game mode based on "Warcraft" and has nothing to do with Blizzard. The game mode has no copyright."
Edward frowned and thought about it, and finally asked: "I have one last question. If a lawsuit does arise and you lose the lawsuit, won't my investment suffer losses?"
< br>
Merrill was stunned for a moment, and then quickly explained: "This is impossible."
"Then do you dare to sign a gambling agreement?" Edward asked, "If you sign a gambling agreement, I will invest for you."
The two founders looked at each other, feeling a little excited. After hesitating for a moment, they both nodded in agreement.
Edward stood up directly, "My lawyer will come to you soon. As long as the gambling agreement is signed, the first funds will be deposited into Riot Games' account."
The two founders stood up excitedly and shook hands with Edward.
Edward walked out of the company with his assistant, sat in the car and started calling his boss.
"BOSS, those two guys agreed to sign the gambling agreement, what should we do next?"
"The next thing you just need to do is wait patiently and wait for the fruit to ripen on its own."
"Okay, BOSS."
……
"Wow, is a mountain really dug up here?" Mingyue looked at Bill Gates' mansion in surprise, and she was very shocked.
"It should be a half-excavated house built on the mountain." Qin Shaoyan explained.
"With so many trees, will there be a lot of mosquitoes?" Mingyue asked curiously.
Qin Shaoyan was startled. He had never paid attention to this issue when he came to stay as a guest twice before.
It stands to reason that being surrounded by mountains and rivers and surrounded by trees, mosquitoes should be inevitable, but he really didn't feel any mosquitoes.
However, Qin Shaoyan estimated that Bill Gates should have found someone to deal with it specifically. He spent 700 million on the decoration alone, just to make his stay comfortable.
Davis quickly clarified their doubts, "This mansion has a special treatment team that sprays pesticides to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Bill Gates spends millions of dollars every year on the maintenance of this mansion."< br>
"It's great to have money," Davis said with emotion again.
Qin Shaoyan couldn't help but marvel that Davis, an invisible billionaire, could feel luxurious. The gap between the wealthy classes in the United States is also quite astonishing.
Bill Gates personally met Qin Shaoyan and his party and invited him to have lunch.
In addition to people like Qin Shaoyan, there were also several executives from Microsoft and Facebook present.
The two parties got together not to have a meal, but to discuss the issue of changing the equity of Facebook.
In the end, Facebook was valued at US$10 billion, and Qin Shaoyan sold 10% of his shares to Microsoft at this valuation.
After multiple rounds of financing, Qin Shaoyan's equity in Facebook has been reduced to less than 30%.
However, Qin Shaoyan felt that it was still too slow and he wanted to speed up the pace of selling equity.
In less than a year, the biggest thunderstorm in the United States will explode. He is afraid that the funds will not be transferred out by then, and the United States, which has suffered heavy losses, may have the money confiscated.
Even if I can keep the money, I don’t know how long it will take to get it out. The longer it takes, the longer the nights and dreams. Not counting the losses caused by devaluation, changes in the international situation will also make funds dangerous.
Therefore, Qin Shaoyan simply does not have the time or conditions to wait until Facebook grows to a market value of 100 billion, and the United States will not let him, a foreigner, control the Internet public opinion platform. There is no telling when a bill will be passed and his shares will be confiscated.
Take your money and leave the market as early as possible, and then invest and develop your career to make money, which is still safer.
After completing the transaction, Bill Gates was even happier. Facebook has great development potential. It is definitely a profitable business to start now.
Bill Gates held a wine glass and chatted with Qin Shaoyan enthusiastically about the future development direction of Facebook. He hoped that Qin Shaoyan could continue to make suggestions for Facebook.
Qin Shaoyan also agreed, because there are still areas that require Facebook's cooperation in the follow-up plan, such as doing business, being friendly and making money, and everyone carrying the sedan chair.
"Mr. Bill Gates, can you do me a small favor?" Qin Shaoyan suddenly asked.
"Oh, John, if you need any help from me, just ask." Bill Gates was in a good mood and said generously, "I will definitely help if I can."
"It's just a small matter. I recently encountered an IP copyright dispute. Can you help me win the lawsuit?" Qin Shaoyan asked.
"No problem." Bill Gates agreed without hesitation.
"Thank you, Bill." Qin Shaoyan happily clinked glasses with the other party and said sincerely, "You are such a good person."
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……
On the way back, Mingyue was still calculating how much one billion US dollars would be converted into RMB, how many houses and how many kilograms of gold could be bought.
In short, there are many houses and many kilograms of gold.
"Wow, there are so many." Mingyue was still a little dizzy. She felt that this trip abroad was really an eye-opener.
I went to New York for the first time, participated in the bell-ringing ceremony of a listed company, walked around Times Square, and saw the truly free American streets.
I went to Silicon Valley for the first time, went to Hollywood for the first time, visited the Walk of Fame, and visited Disney Parks.
I saw Bill Gates and his legendary mansion for the first time.
Qin Shaoyan asked with a smile: "What do you think of the United States?"
Mingyue thought for a while, "It's not as good as expected, but it's indeed quite prosperous."
"Cherish what you see." Qin Shaoyan said with emotion, "I'm afraid you won't be able to see it in the future."
"Why?" Mingyue was a little confused.
"Because the foundation for maintaining prosperity is almost gone." Qin Shaoyan felt a little regretful, "There is an opportunity to make quick money, but it's a pity that I can't take advantage of it."
"Making quick money is always risky." Mingyue comforted, "You are not short of money, so why take risks."
"That's right." Qin Shaoyan nodded in agreement.
Zhang Pingyi, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, turned his head and said, "It's a pity that you sold your Facebook shares so quickly."
"It's a pity, I can't do it if I don't sell it." Qin Shaoyan said seriously, "I will dispose of most of the shares in my hands before the end of the year, and only keep a little to wait and see, but it is probably of no use."
Zhang Pingyi was a little stunned, "You are really in such a hurry. Who would buy such expensive shares? Will Microsoft continue to take it?"
"It's enough to sell it to Microsoft for another 10%. Bill Gates won't buy it frequently in a short period of time." Qin Shaoyan shook his head, "I plan to let Fred buy it."
"Don't he have no money?" Zhang Pingyi asked doubtfully, "What did he buy for it?"
"He can mortgage his shares and then buy out my shares." Qin Shaoyan replied, "I gave him a plan and he said he would consider it."
"Buying the shares in my hands will help him retain the right to speak on Facebook. The shares will continue to increase in value, and I can quickly cash out. It's a win-win situation."
"Besides, there will be many uses for him in the future. Selling the shares to him will be considered as a favor that he owes me."
"Facebook is such a good tool. I'm a little reluctant to give up like this." Qin Shaoyan said with emotion. As he spoke, he sent a text message to someone on Facebook.
"The time has come, you can take action."
……
On Facebook, DOTAER Guardian is a senior gaming internet celebrity who likes to post some game information and strategies.
With many years of gaming experience and the collection of various game information, he has become a Facebook celebrity with 300,000 fans.
Thanks to the advertising sharing plan, his passionate career not only brought him a lot of popularity, but also relied on his status as an Internet celebrity to receive advertisements from some game manufacturers and gaming equipment, achieving both fame and fortune.
The guardian of DOTAER found an unusual private message as soon as he opened the email on the site today. After opening it and browsing it, his blood pressure suddenly increased.
As you can tell from his name, he is a die-hard DOTA fan and the highest-level member of the DOTA forum.
And what he saw today was related to DOTA. The person who sent him a private message was also a DOTA player and told the DOTAER guardian a shocking news.
According to reliable information, Guinsou and Pencil Dragon betrayed the entire DOTA players and sold the entire DOTA forum and IP to a game company.
And this company is imitating and plagiarizing DOTA, and has plagiarized a large number of various ideas and designs from players in the DOTA forum.
Minghuang is using everyone's property to enrich his own pocket!
How can I bear this!
The DOTAER guardian immediately wrote a post on Facebook to announce the news.
Of course, he did not do it recklessly out of anger, but after careful consideration. The person who broke the news to him not only accurately told what happened and the parties involved, but also the time and people.
The other party also revealed the company registration information of Guisuo and Pencil Dragon, as well as the contract to resell the company.
With such detailed evidence, DOTAER Guardians naturally started a group immediately.
Then he discovered that Facebook officials seemed to have followed suit and pushed his post directly to the top.
Immediately afterwards, countless players gathered here, and they were all so angry that they almost exploded.
Guisuo and Pencil Dragon, the two sons of the beach, are betrayed by Chi Guoguo.
Dota players flocked to the forum and kept posting questions about Pencil Dragon, asking him to respond.
Pencil Dragon was also confused, he had no idea what was happening.
He knew something was wrong when he saw the player's angry message, and his conspiracy with Guinsoo was leaked.
But this was done very secretly, so how could it be leaked?
But he didn't have time to think about who leaked the information, because a subpoena from a Seattle court had been delivered to his door.
A company called TNB claimed that they legally owned the DOTA brand IP and that Pencil Dragon and Guinsou had violated their legitimate rights and interests.
At the same time, the DOTAER Guardian on Facebook received a private message from a lawyer.
The lawyer asked whether he should sue Pencil Dragon and Guinsou to protect the legitimate rights and interests of DOTA players. At the same time, the lawyer promised that he would be free of charge for this lawsuit.
For no other reason than to teach these traitors a lesson.
The DOTAER guardians then launched a poll on Facebook to ask players if they wanted to sue.
Soon, tens of thousands of players participated, and almost all players supported the prosecution.
They also elected several player representatives to become the DOTA Players Committee and directly initiated a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Court of California.
The two founders of Riot Games soon learned the news, and they were immediately confused.
Because not only Guinsou and Pencil Dragon became defendants, Riot Games also received a summons from the court, and they also became one of the defendants.
"Fake, how come things are like this? What does it have to do with these players?" Baker was angry and helpless.
Regardless of whether the lawsuit will be successful or not, just dealing with the lawsuit requires money and energy.
Merrill's face turned pale at this time, "Oops, we are going to be finished."
"What?" Baker was confused, "What's wrong?"
"We can't lose our lawsuit, otherwise the company won't be able to survive." Merrill said in a broken voice, "Have you forgotten the gambling agreement?"
Baker's face turned pale at this time.
(End of chapter)