Chapter 663 567 Qing Zhiyuan Arrived on Time!

……

As Final Fantasy became popular in the gaming industry, the successful Hironobu Sakaguchi did not slow down his exploration of unknown areas. He began to prepare for the filming of the FF series of the same name and to enter the online game.

Sakaguchi himself has always been an avid movie lover. A large part of the inspiration for the first FF came from the science fiction film The Terminator directed by James Cameron.

He has always longed for the opportunity to convey his other talents to more people through film.

In 2000, Square and Columbia Pictures cooperated in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which became the largest venture capital in the history of SQUARE.

This huge plan, with a total cost of more than 150 million US dollars, lasted a total of four years and more than 150 people were invested;

In order to ensure its success, SQUARE almost did its best, and many game development plans were suspended or changed.

It can be said to be Square's desperate work.

Although Qing Zhiyuan didn't quite understand what was so good about this, it has to be said that some Japanese people are really good at gambling, just like Masayoshi Son. I didn't expect that Masashi Miyamoto was also a desperate gambler.

But from Masashi Miyamoto's perspective, it seems understandable:

First of all, the Final Fantasy series of games has always been very popular, especially when Final Fantasy 9 and Pokeni were added, they fought a beautiful battle directly on the Dandelion game platform, with more than 10 million copies of the game sold, which would make anyone a little proud.

At the same time, they didn't rush in completely blindly, after all, Pokeni, a pioneer, had explored the way, and the film and game linkage was so delicious.

Paradox Club played this set very well.

Starting from Princess Mononoke, after being tied to Ghibli, the game and film industry both blossomed, and the Moon River Group founded by Qing Zhiyuan later, although it seems to burn a lot of money every year, it is also making a lot of money.

Who doesn't want to make hundreds of millions of dollars from a movie?

Who doesn't want games and movies to complement each other and make hundreds of millions of dollars?

Everyone would be jealous, right?

What's more, the technology of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is really amazing. In the world, Square Enix is ​​probably the only company that can make animated movies to this level just through 3D modeling and special effects.

But...

Masashi Miyamoto may not have thought it through. It stands to reason that Paradox already has the relevant technology, so why hasn't it invested in the field of full 3D animated movies yet?

As long as he thinks about it carefully, he will find the pitfalls here.

First, pure 3D animated movies. Except for Pixar, no other company has invested a lot of money to try. After Pixar was acquired by Disney, although it also rushed on this road, it actually took a trick every time, taking the route of fairy tales and family-friendly.

The Final Fantasy movie will obviously be more mature and deeper, and the audience age requirement is also higher.

What's more, this is a Japanese narrative method of science fiction, which may not be liked by audiences in Europe and the United States.

The story itself is not particularly excellent, it can only be said to be mediocre. In this case, the sense of science fiction and full 3D CG have become the biggest selling points of the movie.

In the absence of this market, Square was a complete pioneer.

Who would have thought that there was concrete underneath?

Square vomited blood and was almost smashed to pieces.

On July 13, 2001, "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" was officially released under the enthusiastic anticipation of all parties.

However, the audience full of expectations were disappointed to find that the plot of "The Spirits Within" was old-fashioned and inexplicable.

The total box office of the film was only 30.2 million US dollars three weeks after its release, and Square suffered a serious loss of 16.55 billion yen that year.

…

In order to investigate the management responsibility, the three major managers of Square were demoted, and Hironobu Sakaguchi was transferred from vice president to technical director in charge of software development affairs.

So under such circumstances, Masashi Miyamoto urgently sent a call for help to Sony.

After hearing that Square had a problem, Ken Kutaragi, the president of SCE on the Sony side, was immediately authorized to conduct acquisition negotiations.

"The most urgent task now is to let Square have the funds to start the project and get through this stage."

At the negotiation table, Ken Kutaragi persuaded earnestly, "We are going to acquire some of Square's shares."

This move is actually not a loss for Sony, and it can even be said to be quite profitable.

Being able to purchase a large number of Square's shares at a low price can not only successfully become the second largest shareholder and carry out deep bundling, but also expand Sony's territory.

Now winning over Square is equivalent to having an extra helper, and there will be an extra bargaining chip in the future war with Pokeni.

After saying this, Ken Kutaragi pushed the acquisition plan in his hand to Masashi Miyamoto.

Due to the sudden incident, Sony also held a meeting overnight and drafted an acquisition plan. The content was not much, almost the same as in the previous life.

It's just that the acquisition price will be lower. Sony hopes to acquire 20% of Square's shares at a price of 1,130 yen per share.

In other words, it will be about 100 million US dollars in the end.

Miyamoto Masashi frowned fiercely.

At this time, I feel regretful. If I had known this situation, I might as well have sold it to Microsoft for US$2 billion.

100 million and 20%. Is Square shrinking so seriously now?

In fact, Miyamoto Masashi really didn't have many good choices.

Especially after the movie suffered huge losses and was affected by the 1211 incident in the United States, the Neon stock market was also affected. In fact, if this proposal is not accepted in a short period of time, it may lead to bankruptcy.

Miyamoto Masashi felt very helpless.

"Can you increase the price to 1,500 yen?"

"1200. No more," Kutaragi said. "President Miyamoto, I understand your mood, but please also consider the future of Square.

After joining Sony, the stock price will also rise in the future.

The top priority now is to solve the deficit problem. If Square wants to buy back later, it is not impossible. "

Miyamoto Masashi gritted his teeth.

Looking back now, it's like a ghost hitting a wall. How could you be so obsessed with believing that Sakaguchi Hironobu would make a 3D movie?

A closer look will reveal that this is completely unwise behavior.

It's a pity that there are no do-overs in history. Even if we regret it again, we have reached this point now. Square is equivalent to being tightly controlled by Sony.

Kutaragi Ken completely hit his weak spot.

If you don't accept it, you will go bankrupt.

"Please give me some time to think about it. We need to discuss it internally."

"Please hurry up. Please also trust us. After all, we have cooperated for so many years. Even if Final Fantasy 9 is not released on the PS2 platform, won't we rescue your company as soon as possible?

Who is a friend and who is an enemy? I hope President Miyamoto can open his eyes. "

Kutaragi Ken stood up, bowed to him, and then left the conference room with Sony's team.

Miyamoto Masashi was left worried for a while.

…

As soon as Sony left, the president of Pokeni, Qing Zhiyuan, arrived.

Miyamoto Masashi was surprised when he heard Qing Zhiyuan's name.

As soon as they met, Qing Zhiyuan said straight to the point, "I'm very sorry that this visit is a bit unexpected, but I heard that your company's funds are somewhat tight and it seems to be in a big crisis.

As a partner, the good operation of Dandelion Game Platform is thanks to the help of Square.

So, please let us contribute a little bit to your company this time. "

Miyamoto Masashi was a little confused.

He suddenly remembered what Kutaragi Ken said, who is a friend and who is an enemy?

It seemed quite clear at first, but now after Qing Zhiyuan arrived, it became a little confused.

The speed of P Club is so fast that Miyamoto Masashi himself did not expect it.

After welcoming Qing Zhiyuan and accompanying Satoru Iwata and others into the conference room, Satoru Iwata placed an acquisition plan that had been drawn up long ago in front of Miyamoto Masashi.

After a cursory glance, Miyamoto Masashi was a little dumbfounded.

Comparing Sony's rush to work, it is obvious that pokeni is quite well prepared, and all the detailed terms have actually been written in very detail and in place.

The most amazing thing is——

The price given by P Agency was actually similar to that of Sony, purchasing 20% ​​of Square's shares for US$132 million.

And no more, no less, just a little more than Sony's quote.

Miyamoto Masashi has so many mixed feelings in his heart.

Are we, Square Enix, really worth this little?

On the other hand, Miyamoto looked at Qing Zhiyuan with a hint of horror in his eyes.

How did P Club calculate this?

Can it happen to be just a little more than Sony?

This level of calculation and negotiation is simply intimidating.

Although the representative of P Company at the negotiation table was Satoru Iwata, Masashi Miyamoto knew very well that all this must have been planned by Qing Zhiyuan.

When he thought about pokeni's development over the years, and how he had almost never made a single wrong judgment on a major decision, he couldn't help but gasp.

…

Qing Zhiyuan saw the expression on his face and smiled coldly in his heart.

This is probably the confidence of the reborn.

After Qing Zhiyuan got the trump card, it was actually easy for him to bid.

Even though Sony's specific price cannot be estimated, Qing Zhiyuan estimated it to be around 130 million.

To be on the safe side, let’s call 132 million first.

If Square wants to make a counteroffer, Qing Zhiyuan's bottom line can be almost US$150 million.

After a round of gaming, the price that was almost discussed was finally fixed at US$145 million.

This is actually much more than Sony.

This is only the first round of negotiations.

Miyamoto Masashi responded seriously, "Please give me some time to think about it. We need to discuss it internally."

"no problem."

Qing Zhiyuan stood up with a meaningful smile on his face, "President Miyamoto, please consider it carefully, because this matter is related to the future of your company.

I also hope you can see the potential of pokeni in the future. "

To put it bluntly, you don’t have to take sides.

But, you must at least have a basic sense of judgment, right? Who represents the future.

Is it pokeni or Sony?

Qing Zhiyuan's words are similar to those of Kutaragi Ken. They have the same purpose, but they are all knocking Miyamoto Masashi.

…

…

After Qing Zhiyuan left, Miyamoto Masashi was so shocked that he broke into a cold sweat.

Oh my God……

The wolf is on the left and the tiger is on the right.

No one is easy to mess with.

The key is that Square is now the fish on the chopping board and has no power to fight back.

Miyamoto Masashi once again deeply felt the cruelty of the capital world.

The law of the jungle, where the jungle prevails over the strong, is most vividly demonstrated in the capital field.

"President. We may have a third option."

Just when Miyamoto Masashi was feeling extremely distressed about his choice, Wada Yoichi spoke next to him.

As a graduate of the Tokyo University School of Law who doesn't care about game production, Yoichi Wada's career in the game industry is undoubtedly rosy.

He was poached from a securities company and came to Square in 2000. He was promoted to chief financial officer in less than two months. At the end of 2001, he became the CEO of Neon's most NB game company at the time.

And if nothing unexpected happens, Miyamoto Masashi should actually transfer the position of president to Wada Yoichi this year.

Therefore, Miyamoto Masashi almost obeyed his words and truly trained him as his successor.

Especially after Sakaguchi Hironobu made such a big mistake, Miyamoto Masashi looked around and realized that this young man was probably the only one worthy of his trust.

In these negotiations, Miyamoto Masashi also brought Wada Yoichi with him, so Wada Yoichi was very clear about the entire situation.

"Huh?" Miyamoto Masashi asked doubtfully.

"It's better..."

Wada Yoichi blinked and made a unanimous decision similar to that of the big families in the history of the Three Kingdoms:

"Three companies placing bets at the same time?"

"Eh?"

Wada Yoichi came over and lowered his voice and said, "Transfer part of the company's stock to Sony, then another part to Pokeni, and the last part to Rentendo, and at the same time repair the relationship with President Hiroshi Yamauchi."

Miyamoto Masashi was completely shocked.

Ah this...

have to say,

You are really a talent!

...(End of chapter)