188: Chapter 188 Qin Mo's Choice: Let's take down the whole world!

"Tencent moved way too fast."

"Exactly. It's only been a few days since the Opening Match of the third split of league of legends, right? And they've already secured all the famous games globally that have esports attributes?"

"It's too exaggerated. If it were just dota 2 and CS, they certainly couldn't beat league of legends, but by taking all other potential esports games, this market share is just too insane."

"I just checked. Top consumer brands, peripherals, computer hardware, energy drinks, sports brands, car brands, and so on, have all already signed with this Global Esports Alliance. No wonder league of legends can't get any contracts."

"The broadcast platforms and offline venues for the third and fourth splits of league of legends should have been prepared long ago, so Tencent can't snatch those away. But after the Global Finals end, if league of legends still wants first-tier broadcast platforms and top-tier offline venues, I'm afraid they'll face significant resistance!"

"That's why this move by Tencent is an open conspiracy. If league of legends esports wants to continue developing, it must join them. A tournament without first-tier brands and without large capital sponsorship simply cannot be sustained."

That day.

Almost all discussions on the global internet were about this Global Esports Alliance platform of Tencent.

At first, some players didn't understand why league of legends had to join to survive, but as others explained it, these players understood the reason.

Because the scale was too massive, Tencent's platform monopolized all the top resources in esports, and it was very difficult for league of legends to ignore it or bypass it.

After all, to achieve that, the popularity of league of legends' own tournaments would have to crush the combined popularity of all other tournaments, only then could they make these capitalists choose them.

But that was too hard to achieve; it was simply impossible to accomplish.

Therefore, there was only one path in front of league of legends: cooperation!

Yet at this moment, although they knew league of legends might have no choice, many league of legends players were still somewhat unwilling. They felt, why should esports, which became red-hot because of league of legends, need to bow down to them?

Right now, the other tournaments haven't even launched yet; it's not certain whether they will have such high popularity. Isn't Tencent being too confident?

However.

Although many league of legends players thought this way, they also knew that the current situation was indeed somewhat unsolvable.

Tencent was forcing league of legends to stand on the opposite side of the global gaming industry. Blizzard, Valve, Activision, and other game manufacturers had all chosen to cooperate with Tencent to develop esports. If you insist on doing your own esports, isn't that just looking for trouble?

Cooperation, and everyone is happy.

Refuse to cooperate, and that means being enemies with the whole world, using the popularity of a single game's esports tournament to go up against the popularity of all other esports games!

...

A few hours after Tencent officially announced the Global Esports Alliance.

Shanghai.

Langchao Group.

The flat-floor conference room, which was rarely used, was convened once again. It was even late at night, and the stars were twinkling outside the window.

Originally, Qin Mo intended to discuss this matter tomorrow.

But he didn't expect.

Just half an hour ago, Tencent had already sent an email to all the executives of Langchao Group, inviting league of legends to join the Global Esports Alliance.

In the email, Pony Ma made significant concessions.

The Global Esports Alliance could provide all resources to assist league of legends tournaments in becoming the hottest esports tournaments globally, and for the game league of legends, the profit-sharing he requested was also the lowest among all cooperating games.

Must say.

Pony Ma made sufficient concessions, which made quite a few management executives feel tempted.

However, the specific choice still depended on Qin Mo.

After all.

Although Langchao Group had undergone several rounds of financing, giving quite a bit of say to outside capital, it was only a say; Qin Mo had not yielded the final decision-making power by even a fraction.

After receiving the email, many executives were indeed unable to sit still, and Qin Mo had to convene an emergency meeting. If he didn't give his decision, these people probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"I have inside information that Tencent is about to start promoting the dota 2 Global Finals. Their target for promotion will be the global internet population, not just dota 2 players."

"They want to promote the dota 2 tournament into an esports event that the whole world can accept and watch. If they succeed, its popularity won't be lower than ours. We really don't have to take the risk."

In the corner of the round table.

The person speaking was wearing glasses, with quite a few wrinkles on his face and a few white hairs. Old Li was one of the most famous angel investors in Great Xia. After Douyin initially became a hit, he assisted Douyin in conducting its first round of financing.

After he finished speaking.

Others spoke up one after another.

"Pony Ma's move is indeed ruthless. Just now, Zhao Lei told me that the largest global broadcast platforms have all given up on renewing their contracts after our fourth-round tournament. Almost the entire year's top-tier tournament venues for next year have been monopolized by Tencent. We really have no choice."

"Capital is profit-seeking. They chose Tencent only because they value the prospects of the Global Esports Alliance. After all, so many games can't possibly fail to beat league of legends. If we don't cooperate, the road ahead will be very difficult."

"In other words, if the market scale of league of legends esports can exceed the scale of Tencent's esports alliance, they would be able to choose us?"

"That is indeed what is said, but how is that possible? The market scale of a single game's esports exceeding the combined scale of dozens of esports markets? Isn't that a pipe dream?"

Below the table.

The tone of many executives was somewhat desperate. They hadn't followed Qin Mo from the beginning of his entrepreneurship, so when facing this kind of predicament, they almost felt that cooperation was the only option.

Only Zhao Lei, Lin Xiao, and a few others looked in Qin Mo's direction without speaking, their eyes filled with nothing but trust. No matter what choice their boss made, they believed it would definitely be the best one.

At the head of the massive solid wood round table, Qin Mo sat sideways in his chair, holding his coffee, just looking out the window.

"You certainly moved quickly this time."

Muttering a few words, Qin Mo also rarely praised Pony Ma.

You have to know that in his past life, Tencent never achieved this accomplishment—uniting all esports game manufacturers in the world to form a true Global Esports Alliance.

But in this world, league of legends had only just presented the blue ocean of esports to the whole world, and Pony Ma had already made what was, for him, almost the most perfect decision.

If he didn't know that the popularity of league of legends tournaments could truly crush all other esports tournaments, Qin Mo would have no choice but to cooperate.

Pony Ma is truly worthy of being Pony Ma.

However.

The outside world still underestimated the popularity of league of legends esports tournaments too much.

This is just like in traditional sports, where all sports projects unite to pressure the World Cup, wanting to share the profits of the World Cup, but the attention and popularity of the World Cup are truly unmatched by all other tournaments combined.

Looking at it on paper, the market scale of the Tencent Esports Alliance would definitely exceed league of legends, because they had too many games inside. There were more complex games, simpler games, and even mobile games like Clash Royale!

The games in this esports alliance almost encompassed all esports game projects, for young and old alike, whereas league of legends, which looked like just a makeshift operation, could still be this popular.

It was impossible for these games' tournaments not to have attention.

But esports, esports.

The esports of which game—that is what is most important.

In the past life.

After the league of legends tournament was launched, the concept of esports truly became a global sensation.

"President Pony Ma, I didn't expect you to really think that esports is so simple, that it can just get popular casually."

"The dota 2 tournament hasn't even launched yet, and you already dare to pressure me and Langchao Group."

"I just wonder, when you see that the popularity and market scale of the Tencent Esports Alliance simply can't beat league of legends tournaments, what kind of expression will be on your face?"

After muttering a few times, Qin Mo smiled and sat up straight.

He looked at all the executives in the conference room.

Then he slowly opened his mouth.

"No need to discuss further."

"I have already made a decision."