yournovel Chapter 443 Going to Sea
Chapter 443 Going to Sea
The next morning, Lu Ran had his mother-in-law come over, and then he went to the company.
When he arrived at the company, he found that the atmosphere was different from usual.
Several employees gathered at the entrance of the break room, holding cups and whispering about something.
Upon seeing Lu Ran arrive, they immediately dispersed, returning to their places and pretending nothing had happened.
Lu Ran didn't pay any attention and went straight to Zhou Mingzhe's office.
Zhou Mingzhe was already there, with a cup of tea and an open laptop on the table.
The screen displayed several news articles, all with headlines related to Sakura Games and EA.
"You see it?" Zhou Mingzhe pointed to the screen.
"I saw it. Shen Yuege showed it to me last night."
"It's not just these two companies. Perfect World is also experiencing some activity; their overseas business has been affected, but not entirely, only in the Japanese and American markets. Europe is currently fine."
Lu Ran sat down opposite him, picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip: "Is everything alright in Europe?"
"Yes. China and European countries still maintain a friendly partnership. The countermeasures are mainly aimed at Japan and the United States. The European market is unaffected; we can continue as usual."
Lu Ran's eyes lit up when he heard this.
He was thinking last night that internationalization might be put on hold indefinitely, but now it seems the door isn't completely closed; there's still a crack.
European market.
In his previous life, when he was making games, the European market was a very important region.
Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the four Nordic countries, although their combined population is not particularly large, have strong spending power, high player quality, and high demands for game quality.
Games that can gain a foothold in the European market can generally succeed in the global market.
"Brother Zhou, do you mean we can push this out to Europe?"
"It's not just possible, it's required." Zhou Mingzhe took a folder from the drawer, opened it, and inside was a thick report. "Take a look at this. This is the international version evaluation report that the technology department did last month. They've been preparing for this; it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision."
Lu Ran took it and flipped through it.
The report is very detailed, with specific analysis and recommendations for everything from the technical architecture to localization solutions to server deployment.
The international version of League of Legends has finished its code, the multi-language framework has been built, and the server cluster solution has been finalized; it's just one final step away.
The progress of "CrossFire" is a little slower, but the core parts have been completed.
Interfaces have been provided for content that needs to be localized, such as maps, weapons, and characters; you just need to fill them in.
Minecraft is the most troublesome because the game has a huge amount of text.
There are tens of thousands of items, including item names, interface text, and tutorial prompts.
But the tech department has almost finished. The translation work has been outsourced to a professional localization company, and it is expected to be completed next month.
After reviewing the report, Lu Ran looked up at Zhou Mingzhe and asked, "Who authorized this? How come I didn't know about it?"
"I asked you to do it. You're always busy with all sorts of other things, you don't have time for this. I figured I'd just do it first, it's not a loss anyway. Once it's done, just leave it there, and you can take it out and use it whenever you want to go to sea."
Lu Ran felt a little embarrassed by what he said.
What does "messy" mean? Is the Golden Melody Awards messy? Is writing a screenplay messy?
Well, compared to the overseas expansion of games, this is indeed a side quest.
"Thanks, Brother Zhou."
"Don't thank me. You should thank Lao Wang and Yiming. They've been working overtime a lot these past few months. There's already a lot going on with Minecraft, and they also had to pull people out to work on the international version. They're all exhausted. Zhao Yiming's dark circles haven't gone away since the Lunar New Year."
Lu Ran smiled: "I'll treat them to dinner later."
"Don't look back. You've looked back more times than you've treated people to meals."
Lu Ran pretended not to hear that and continued reading the report.
After reading it, he closed the folder, leaned back in his chair, and pondered something.
The European market is indeed the best choice for Tutu Technology's overseas expansion. There are no policy obstacles, the player base is large enough, the players have strong spending power, and the acceptance of MOBA and FPS genres is not low.
League of Legends has a natural advantage in the European market because European players enjoy team-based competitive games, and Dota-like games have always had a good audience base in Europe.
CrossFire is slightly less competitive, but it's not without a chance. European players are just as passionate about shooting games as their Chinese counterparts, but their tastes lean towards hardcore games, preferring slow-paced, highly realistic tactical shooters.
Whether they can accept a fast-paced, action-packed game like CrossFire remains to be seen.
Minecraft needs no introduction. Its potential in the European market might even surpass that of China. European players have a particular fondness for sandbox building games.
"Brother Zhou, what about the procedures? What approvals are needed for cross-border games? How do we get the game license? Where should we host the servers? How do we ensure data compliance? Have you considered these things?"
Zhou Mingzhe pulled another document from the folder and handed it to him: "This is the risk assessment report done by the operations department. Everything you mentioned is in here."
Lu Ran took it and flipped through it, his brows furrowing more and more as he read.
The procedures for cross-border games are far more numerous than he had imagined.
Game content review. Different European countries have different standards for reviewing game content, with Germany being the strictest, France the most lenient, and the UK falling somewhere in between.
They need to be submitted and approved separately.
User data protection.
Europe has some of the strictest user data protection laws in the world, and violating even one of them can lead to bankruptcy.
There are clear regulations for each step: data storage, data usage, and data transmission.
Version number.
Most European countries do not have a license number system, but they do have an age rating system.
The PEGI rating system is completely different from the game license approval system in China, and they need to be adapted to each other.
After reading the documents, Lu Ran put them back on the table: "How long will these procedures take?"
Zhou Mingzhe thought for a moment: "If all goes well, it will take three to six months. If not, it will take more than a year."
"Too slow."
"It has to be done, no matter how slow it is. If it's not done, we won't be able to leave. Which do you choose?"
Lu Ran didn't reply.
Three to six months is not an unacceptable timeframe.
The Biohazard and Cataclysm modes in CrossFire should keep players entertained for a while, and the Forbidden City mod and the Great Rivers and Mountains map in Minecraft should also keep players entertained for some time.
The problem is, these procedures can't be completed by simply sitting in an office and typing on a keyboard.
Someone needs to go out and do the running around, communicate, and coordinate.
Behind each procedure is a department, and behind each department is a person.
He's not incapable of dealing with people, but he's certainly not very good at it.
His strengths lie in writing code and making games, turning ideas in his head into something that can run on a screen.
Dealing with government departments is not his comfort zone.
But suddenly a person popped into his mind.
Wang Jianguo.
This person works for the Central Propaganda Department. Although he holds a deputy position, he wields considerable power.
While content review and data compliance for cross-border games are not directly under the jurisdiction of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Publicity Department does have a say in inter-departmental coordination.
Wang Jianguo has been making TV dramas for decades and has dealt with departments such as broadcasting, culture, and publishing. His network of contacts is definitely much wider than his.
It's never a bad thing to ask.
Even if he can't help, at least he can point the way and tell him who to look for and how to find them.
Lu Ran picked up her phone and scrolled to Wang Jianguo's WeChat.
The two added each other on WeChat when Wang Jianguo left last time, but they haven't chatted since.
He didn't know how to bring it up; he couldn't very well just say, "Director Wang, could you help me with the paperwork for exporting my game overseas?"
He thought for a moment, then sent a message to test the waters: "Director Wang, how's the script going? Any feedback from above?"
Wang Jianguo replied very quickly, not by typing, but by voice.
Lu Ran listened to the recording. Wang Jianguo's voice was tinged with laughter: "It's going through the process. The higher-ups have reviewed it and given it high praise. They said the script is solid, the characters are believable, and the story is well-told. They want me to start preparations as soon as possible. Professor Lu, are you here to urge me to finish the manuscript?"
Lu Ran smiled and replied with a voice message: "It's not about urging you to finish the manuscript. There's something else I'd like to ask you. Is it a convenient time to talk?"
A dozen seconds later, Wang Jianguo made a phone call.
"Teacher Lu, what's wrong? Tell me."
Lu Ran didn't beat around the bush and simply explained the situation.
Tutu Technology wants to launch its games in the European market, but is encountering difficulties with the procedures. They'd like to ask Wang Jianguo if he knows anyone who can help them.
After listening, Wang Jianguo paused for a moment, then said something that made Lu Ran's heart sink.
"Professor Lu, I can't help with this. Going global with games isn't my area of expertise."
Just as Lu Ran was about to say something, Wang Jianguo spoke up again.
"But I can point you to someone."
"Who?"
"The director of the Department of International Relations at the Ministry of Culture is surnamed Zhou, and his name is Zhou Deming. He's been a friend of mine for many years. Most of the paperwork for exporting games goes through him. Go find him, give him my name, and he'll see you. As for whether it will work out, that depends on your own abilities."
Lu Ran felt a weight lifted from her heart.
"Director Wang, thank you."
"You're welcome. Giving me the opportunity to direct 'The Storm' is the greatest thanks you can give me."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Ran leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
Zhou Deming, Director-General of the Department of International Relations, Ministry of Culture.
He remembered the name.
He picked up his phone and sent a message to Zhou Mingzhe: "Brother Zhou, things are looking promising in Europe. I'll ask someone to check with you. You should have the tech department do a final test of the international version of the code, just in case the code crashes after all the paperwork is done."
Zhou Mingzhe replied instantly: "You really managed to find someone to ask? You even have connections at the Ministry of Culture?"
"It just came out. Don't worry about it."
"Okay. I'll have Lao Wang and the others prepare."
Lu Ran put down her phone, stood up, and walked to the window.
The sunlight outside the window is lovely. The summer sun in Shanghai is scorching, and it can sting your skin a bit when it shines on you. But standing in the air-conditioned room and looking out, you only feel the brightness and don't feel the heat.
With Sakura Games and EA gone, the Chinese market has lost two disruptive forces.
But the European market is still open, and quite wide open at that.
He can't put all his eggs in one basket—the Dragon Kingdom.
No matter how large the Chinese market is, it has its limits.
If Tutu Technology wants to become a truly influential game company, it must expand its reach beyond its local market.
Now, he has found the key to stepping out.
The rest is up to him to figure out how to do it.
Shen Yuege's message came in at this moment; it was a photo.
The photo shows a plate of braised pork that looks delicious, with a bright red color and a good balance of lean and fat, making it very appetizing.
The caption reads: "Today's isn't salty."
Lu Ran laughed and replied, "Are you sure? Maybe I'll go back tonight and verify it myself."
Believe it or not. Anyway, it was my mom who made it.
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