"I can't accept this proposal!" Tony directly refused. If he agreed to this plan, Bill Gates would probably eat him alive.
"Of course! I can give you all a list of our alliance members, and you all can choose which companies to advertise based on your preferences! " 51 Search's representative said. "But there is something I must tell all of you. 51 Search is very important to our customers, and that's why our advertising experts came up with this solution. "
"If you all choose other advertising platforms, you will spend the same amount of money, but the results will be different. 51 Search will not be responsible for this!"
"Alright. I understand!" Tony nodded. How could he not know that the 51 search plan was indeed meticulously made, but it really couldn't be used.
"Also!" The representative suddenly said. "Actually, I feel that using our alliance is a way out. Money will not make enemies!"
"I need to report this to the Chairman!" Tony became serious. He called Bill Gates and reported the situation to him. He asked Bill Gates what he should do.
"You make your own decision!" Bill Gates replied.
"Seems like I have to be the scapegoat!" Tony sighed.
If Bill Gates wanted to refuse, he could have just ordered Tang Wulin to do so. However, he said that Tang Wulin had to make the decision himself. It was obvious that he wanted to bite the bullet and advertise on the Da Qian System. However, he didn't want to be questioned. Hence, he wanted Tang Wulin to take the blame.
"Sigh … an outstanding subordinate should be the scapegoat for their leader!" Tony nodded and agreed to 51 Search's proposal. Then, he signed the proposal, and 50 million USD of publicity funds were all invested in it.
"This is a wise decision!" The other party praised Feng Yu. Then, he thought of something and asked. "Oh, I still have something to ask you all. Since you all are here, let me ask you. Is Microsoft willing to join our advertising alliance?"
"Hahaha …" Tony laughed awkwardly and did not reject the offer. He also did not call Bill Gates. Instead, he left.
51 Ad Alliance is very supportive, and soon, "Super Sunny Mario" is advertised on all platforms, just like "Warcraft 3".
Most people don't feel anything, but those who know the inside story are shocked. Did Daqian and Microsoft announce a truce?
Daqian and Microsoft did not explain this. One is advertising, and the other is making money. They are all businessmen, and they don't have to fight for money.
The Mario sequel that was released five years later was still very attractive. Many related games became popular, and the number of people who made an appointment to buy "Super Sunshine Mario" in the box game store also continued to increase.
Soon, the number of pre-orders exceeded 1 million, followed by 200 million pre-orders. By August 15th, there are 3 million pre-orders.
If the actual sales are 150% of the pre-ordered sales, "Super Sunny Mario" should sell around 4.5 million copies in the first month.
Although this result couldn't be compared to Warcraft 3, Super Sunshine Mario's main focus was on consoles. It was already very good that it had such huge sales on PC.
Microsoft's top management is satisfied with this result, and Tony, who signed the advertising contract on behalf of Microsoft, is relieved. But Microsoft's battle is not over yet. Microsoft suddenly realized many people are complaining about how difficult it is to buy Microsoft's credit cards in the forum and comments section.
In an era where there were no payment tools, payment cards were the best solution for online consumption.
That's why Microsoft chose to top up their website by selling cards in their gaming box store.
Logically, there should be no problem with Microsoft's card sales. After all, there are 20,000 franchisees in the world. Although many of them had closed down, there are still 18000 franchisees. Microsoft's card sales will be done once they place their cards in these franchisees' stores.
But the franchisees are not willing to buy the credit cards. When Microsoft approached them to sell the credit cards, all the franchisees rejected.
At first, Microsoft thought the franchisees are afraid of the cost of the credit cards. That's why they are willing to sell the credit cards first before paying for the credit cards.
But still, no franchisees are willing to sell the credit cards. Even on August 15th, the franchisees still refuse to sell the credit cards. This is also why the Deputy Secretary is too busy to deal with the advertising.
What's going on?
Is the Daqian trying to sabotage Microsoft again?
The Deputy Secretary is a man of action. He immediately investigated and found out the truth.
The reason why the franchisees rejected Microsoft's offer is simple. They hate the online store and can't wait for the store to close down.
After all, there are only so many players in the world. Once they buy the game online, they will not buy it offline.
On the other hand, the online game store had completely opened up a channel for merchants. The franchisees wouldn't be able to get a single bit of profit. The result was that the franchisees, who were already in a bad situation, would suffer even more. Their income would definitely plummet.
The franchisees will not be willing to cooperate with Microsoft to sell the credit cards and risk their own lives.
What's worse is that Microsoft knows all the franchisees are on their side. That's why they sold the credit cards at 10 RMB for 10 RMB, and the franchisees did not get a single cent.
The franchisees will get 20% of the profits from selling a game offline, and they will get additional profits from selling the game offline.
As long as the online store of the box game was released, it would be the end of all the franchise stores.
If Microsoft's backstabbing in the past was to make the franchisees suffer, then this stab will stab them in the heart.
For more than ten days, Microsoft had been negotiating with the franchisees, hoping they will listen to them. But the franchisees want 20% of the profits from Microsoft's credit cards, or they will not sell the credit cards in their stores.
This made Microsoft unhappy. At the same time, they are wondering why the franchisees of the Steam gaming store are not rebelling.
Hmmm … Microsoft seems to have forgotten that most of the franchisees in the Steam gaming store had been snatched away by them. The remaining 1,000 franchisees had fewer competitors, and at the same time, they are taking on the role of the game's transit station. These franchisees can make money by delivering food. That's why they did not object to Microsoft's offer.
Wait. Could all of this be part of the Daqian's plan? To launch the online store, the Daqian will give all the franchisees to Microsoft?!
Microsoft's top management got goosebumps when they thought of this.
In the end, Microsoft gave the franchisees a 5% cut of the credit cards and told them to either sell the credit cards or sue them for breaching the contract.
According to the contract, Microsoft has the right to ask the franchisees to sell the game they want. If the franchisees cannot sell the game, they can refund the franchisees. But Microsoft has the final say on whether the franchisees will sell the game or not.
In the end, the franchisees were forced to sell the credit cards. But some of the franchisees resorted to underhanded means. For example, they bought 10000 credit cards and only sold 100 of them before announcing they are out of stock.
In any case, only less than 500,000 players actually paid on the first day of "Super Sunshine Mario", even though they had pre-ordered 3 million yuan.
Even so, Microsoft's nightmare is not over.
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