socalfunplaces Chapter 333 Concerns about EA
Chapter 333 Concerns about EA
Lu Ran stood by the window for a while, his mind starting to wander to another matter.
The impact of "Dynasty Warriors" after its release was less than he had anticipated.
It's not that "Samurai Warriors" isn't good enough, but rather that "League of Legends" has a deeper foundation than he thought.
Players who have been playing League of Legends for more than a week have already invested time and effort into the game.
They became familiar with the hero's skills, memorized the equipment attributes, and learned basic controls and awareness.
It would be too costly to ask them to give up these things and start playing another game from scratch.
It's not that I can't play it, but that I won't completely abandon League of Legends to play it.
Therefore, although the user activity of "League of Legends" is fluctuating slightly, the overall trend is upward.
Those players who went to try it out, after playing "Dynasty Warriors" for a few days and feeling that it was enough, will come back to continue playing ranked matches, climbing the ranks, and playing with friends.
As long as this core base remains stable, League of Legends will not lose.
But Lu Ran's current concern is not the Sakura Game.
What he's worried about is EA.
Sakura Games is a Japanese company, and its games have a strong Japanese style.
Beautiful graphics, rich storylines, and nuanced character development are all characteristics of Asian games.
But EA is different.
EA is a Western company, and the games they make are a different kind of game.
Western game companies have far more experience in large-scale games than Asian companies.
The games they create have more refined graphics, larger maps, more detailed models, and more realistic physics engines.
Asian games rely on their heritage and culture, while Western games rely on technology and industry.
There are two approaches, and it's hard to say which is better or worse, but Western companies do have an advantage in certain types of games.
For example, in genres like shooting games, racing games, and open-world games, Asian companies have been working on them for many years, but it's still difficult for them to catch up with the top European and American companies.
It's not that the technology is lacking, it's the gap in the entire industry chain.
Europe and America have decades of experience in the game industry, with mature standards and processes for every aspect, from engine development to art production, from sound design to motion capture.
Asian companies can excel in one area, but to be top-notch in all areas requires time and experience.
According to Chen Mo, the game EA collaborated on with Perfect World is a massively multiplayer online shooter.
Shooting games are exactly EA's forte.
They've been making shooting games in the European and American markets for over a decade, from Battlefield to Titanfall, each one a benchmark in the industry. Their technical expertise, development experience, and art standards are all top-notch.
If they bring their experience and technology to the Chinese market, the products they make will be just as good.
Lu Ran walked back to his desk, sat down, turned on his computer, and searched for EA's business strategy in the Chinese market.
There weren't many news items, but each one made him frown even more.
EA announces strategic partnership with Perfect World to jointly develop the Chinese market.
[David Morrison, Head of EA China: We are optimistic about the potential of the Chinese market and will invest top resources to create products suitable for Chinese players.]
[Perfect World's Technical Director: The collaboration with EA is progressing smoothly, and new products will be available to players soon.]
Lu Ran read through the list one by one, feeling increasingly pressured.
It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I feel this battle will be difficult to win.
Although Sakura Games' "Samurai Warriors" had good stats, Lu Ran was still unsure of its capabilities.
He knew League of Legends would win because his past experience told him that MOBA games have much higher user engagement than other genres.
But EA makes shooting games, which is not in the same category as League of Legends.
No matter how well League of Legends is made, it can't stop users of shooting games from playing shooting games.
Just like if you open the best noodle shop in the world, you can't stop people who like rice from eating rice.
It's not that your noodles are bad, it's just that the person doesn't eat noodles in the first place.
Therefore, the threat posed by EA's game to Tutu Technology is different from that of Sakura Games.
Sakura Games is directly competing with League of Legends for users; they're vying for the same demographic.
EA is poaching another group of people who don't play League of Legends much to begin with.
If EA makes good products and retains that group of users, and they gain a foothold, then they can turn around and erode the users of League of Legends, making the situation even more complicated.
Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, rested his right leg on a footstool, and stared at the ceiling for a while.
He recalled those years in his previous life when many MOBA games that claimed to be "League of Legends killers" ended up dying miserably, but other types of games, such as shooting games and battle royale games, did steal a lot of users from League of Legends.
It's not that League of Legends isn't fun anymore, it's that users want a change of pace.
You've been eating noodles all year, and sometimes you crave rice.
This is the law of the market.
No game can occupy a user's time forever; users will always look for new things.
But what Lu Ran can do now is not to stop users from finding new things, but to make League of Legends good enough so that users want to come back for noodles after finishing their rice.
As long as League of Legends doesn't lose its core user base, the game can continue to thrive.
As long as League of Legends continues to exist, Tutu Technology will have the opportunity to do more.
Lu Ran picked up his phone and sent a message to Zhou Mingzhe: "Brother Zhou, any new information from EA?"
Zhou Mingzhe replied quickly: "I was just about to tell you about this. I just received news that the game EA is collaborating on with Perfect World has started small-scale internal testing. Apparently, the graphics are top-notch, and the system requirements are also very high. Ordinary office computers can't run it; you'll need a dedicated graphics card."
Lu Ran frowned slightly when he saw the message.
The high configuration requirements indicate that EA has not lowered its standards to cater to the Chinese market.
They directly adopted the high-definition, high-configuration model from Europe and America.
This is a risky move.
The computer configurations of players in China vary greatly, with many still using old computers from several years ago.
If EA's game system requirements are too high, it will deter a large number of players.
But this was also a brilliant move.
Because those players with high-end configurations are precisely the core game users.
They are willing to upgrade their computers, spend money on equipment, and spend time playing games in order to play a good game.
These users are of much higher quality than those who casually play around on their office computers.
EA is pursuing a premium approach, focusing on user quality rather than quantity.
Lu Ran replied to Zhou Mingzhe: "Keep an eye on it. Let me know if there are any new developments."
"clear."
Lu Ran put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.
Sakura Games' "Samurai Warriors" is still generating buzz, and EA's new game is already on the way. One relies on user numbers, the other on user quality; two different paths, two different strategies, neither of which is easy to contend with.
But Lu Ran knew in his heart that as long as they got past the EA hurdle, TuTu Technology would be on a meteoric rise and soar to new heights.
It's not that he's afraid of EA, but rather that EA is the touchstone for testing the true quality of Rabbit Technology.
Sakura Games is strong, but it does what Asian companies are good at.
EA is different; EA does what Western companies do best.
If Tutu Technology can compete head-on with EA without falling behind, then it will truly have the strength to rival international giants.
At that time, it will no longer be "TuTu Technology has gained a foothold in the Chinese market", but "TuTu Technology has international competitiveness".
These two concepts are worlds apart.
Lu Ran stood up, supporting himself on the table, and slowly walked a few steps around the office.
My right leg still hurts a little, but it's not as excruciating as it used to be.
The doctor said the bone is healing very well, and the cast can be removed in another week or two.
After the cast is removed, rehabilitation training is needed, and it should take about a month before you can walk normally again.
One month.
Lu Ran silently counted the time in his mind.
A month later, ranked matches in League of Legends should have been launched, and the data should have stabilized.
The popularity of Sakura Games' "Samurai Warriors" should decrease somewhat, as EA's new game may still be in the testing phase and won't be rolled out across the board anytime soon.
By then, he should be able to extricate himself from these trivial matters.
He happened to owe Shen Yuege a promise, so he could start preparing.
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