The world is in trouble

Chapter 278 The Horn of Return! The Great Conflict Begins!
There's a well-known joke that when Fallout 4 was released, Pixiv's traffic plummeted.

But this is not a joke, it's true.

Because the users of Pixiv and Fallout 4 players almost completely overlap.

The effect was similar this time. The simultaneous release of Halo 3 and Fallout 3 directly led to a decline in the North American box office and even the global film box office.

Halo 3 was indeed phenomenal, generating over $1.7 million in revenue within 24 hours of its release. It not only set a new record for first-day sales of a video game but also for entertainment, including movies.

Moreover, Microsoft has been releasing sales reports, claiming to have sold 180 million copies in 8 hours (of which 150 million were pre-orders).

Halo 3 has dominated the gaming scene across North America and even the world.

Of course, the game did not disappoint gamers worldwide, and there were even reports that Master Chief would meet his final fate in Halo 3.

Countless people are completely engrossed in playing it.

So much so that many people have begun to question whether it was the right decision to release Fallout 3 and Halo 3 at the same time.

Or, to put it another way, is it correct for Fallout 3 to try and piggyback on Halo 3?

Because the Halo IP is just too amazing, Halo 2 sold nearly nine million copies worldwide, and the number of players alone far exceeds ten million.

Fallout 2 only sold 70 copies worldwide. In a sense, before Fallout 3, the Fallout IP was actually a niche market.

........................

Despite the relentless smear campaigns by many public intellectuals and media outlets, Er Gou's reputation in China is now mixed.

But at least for single-player game fans, there is still a lot of anticipation for Fallout 3.

Three and a half years ago, at the Facebook Night event, Lin Xiao presented Fallout 3 as the most important product of the Lightning Group, shouldering the mission of cultural export.

They bear the mission of revitalizing the national game industry.

Although Er Gou Jiaozhu has been gone for a long time now and his reputation is mixed, this does not stop true single-player game fans from continuing to pay attention to this game.

However, it's unlikely that the same level of success will ever happen again.

Back then, whenever Er Gou's works appeared, countless die-hard fans would flock to them and buy them without thinking.

For example, the initial box office success of several movies was entirely due to the support of die-hard fans.

This year, however, "The Hunger Games" had only mediocre box office results, seemingly signaling the end of the Hunger Games' aura.

Lin Feng was once a fervent fan of Er Gou, the cult leader.

He graduated from a decent 211 university with a master's degree and currently works for a decent foreign company.

He was already a fan of Er Gou back in the days of Yangwang.

I've read the Four Great Classical Novels.

I've registered on Facebook.

I rushed to the cinema to support Er Gou's movie as soon as it was released.

I also played "Zhu Xian" and was full of praise for it.

But I don't know when it started, he stopped being a fan.

Because an atmosphere has emerged where worshipping "Master Er Gou" is considered a very low-class behavior, not sophisticated, and incapable of independent thinking.

Just like playing "World of Warcraft" is a more advanced game than "Zhu Xian".

He left "Zhu Xian" to play "World of Warcraft" and wholeheartedly agreed with this.

He didn't leave Facebook because most of his social circle, including high school classmates, college classmates, and even many colleagues from foreign companies, were using Facebook. The stickiness was too great, and he simply couldn't live without it.

However, he focused more on Renren.com.

Because everyone told him that the social atmosphere on Renren.com was more sophisticated.

Facebook is too mainstream, while Renren, after being acquired by Microsoft, has been infused with a high-end image.

The lifestyles people exhibit here, the brands promoted here, the tourist attractions recommended here, the books recommended here, and the movies recommended here are all very sophisticated.

Of course……

The niche art films promoted here, and the books recommended here, are often incomprehensible to many.

But it's okay if you don't understand it; that's what makes it sophisticated.

Moreover, foreign company employees, who are leading the trend among white-collar workers in China, all use MSN.

Lin Feng has little say in matters of clothing, tourism, books, and movies.

But he has always been a gaming enthusiast, having played everything from StarCraft to Age of Empires to The Elder Scrolls.

I even played Legend of Sword and Fairy and Xuan-Yuan Sword.

After playing World of Warcraft, he couldn't go back to Jade Dynasty.

Moreover, he also became a key member of the NGA forum.

On this forum, he also posted a lot of posts praising World of Warcraft while belittling Jade Dynasty, and even vehemently criticizing Dungeon Fighter Online.

Among high-end gamers, there is a consensus that Dungeon Fighter Online is a money-grabbing scam.

Can you accumulate good karma in Fallout 3?

Open the Facebook Games app; there are two options: download directly or purchase a disc.

For the mailing of CDs, large and medium-sized cities entrust JD Logistics, SF Express, and other logistics companies.

After all, at that time, the broadband speed of households nationwide was only 1.8Mbps. Lin Feng worked for a foreign company and had a relatively high income, so his home broadband was 4Mbps, which took about 6 hours to download.

After downloading, for some reason, Lin Feng found himself entering the game with a critical eye.

I am not the person I used to be.

I have improved; I am now more advanced than before.

So, Master Er Gou, it's getting harder for you to fool me.

Upon entering the game, I was surprised to find...

The quality of this footage is unbelievably high.
It's better than The Elder Scrolls IV.

It even has higher graphics quality than Call of Duty 3.

Next, he became completely absorbed in the game, and several hours passed by in the blink of an eye.

Because it was the weekend, he played games all night long, for a full ten hours, until he couldn't take it anymore and finally went back to bed to sleep.

Even though I was very tired, I still couldn't fall asleep, as if I was completely immersed in the game.

He returned to his computer, opened NGA, 17173 forum, and Renren game forum, wanting to see what other players thought of Fallout 3.

Because he felt that this game seemed really good, really good.

Yet it's hard to explain; it possesses an extraordinary magic.

He has actually played a lot of awesome single-player games, such as The Elder Scrolls IV, Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Call of Duty 3, and GTA 3.

He's considered a high-end gamer in the Chinese gaming community.

He had a vague feeling that Fallout 3 was more fun than these games, even much more fun.

Whether it's the graphics, gameplay, storyline, open-world shooting, or the human choices within the game, it's all top-notch.

However, this was only a vague feeling.

He dared not say it aloud, because it was, after all, a single-player game developed by a Chinese game company.

And when you open these game forums, they are all about how Halo 3 swept the global market, saying that it set so many records.

Furthermore, many top reviews of Halo 3 were shared.

So, he finally posted a message.

Fallout 3 is alright, barely acceptable, but it falls short of The Elder Scrolls IV and Call of Duty 3.

He felt that posting in this way was more secure.

After two or three years of intense public opinion campaigning, almost everyone has come to accept the fact.

The West's comprehensive lead.

Whether it's games or movies, they are far ahead.

The entire technological and cultural gap is leading.

Therefore, this can be considered a loss of cultural confidence.

..............................

9 Month 15 Day!
Lightning Games has released an announcement.

Fallout 3 shipped a total of 480 million copies in the first ten days after its release!

This is similar to historical achievements, but in terms of public opinion and publicity, it is actually higher than in the past.

The core reason is that it's not available on the Xbox platform, but it's popular in the Chinese market, and Steam is stronger than ever before, plus the strong recommendation from the PS platform.

Therefore, it offsets the disadvantage of not being available on the XBOX platform.

Shortly after, Flash Entertainment also issued an announcement that The Hunger Games' global box office had officially surpassed $720 million, which is about $20 million higher than the previous record.

Compared to the cautiousness of domestic players, European and American players are much more direct.

Because Halo 3 is so deeply ingrained in players' minds, most players play Halo 3 first and then Fallout 3.

And then... came an unparalleled surprise.

Even the most die-hard Fallout 2 fans can't find any fault with the game.

Because it exceeded expectations by far too much.

"Halo 3 was as good as expected, but Fallout 3 was a completely unexpected surprise."

"Carmack wasn't lying to me; this is the biggest surprise in the gaming industry in years."

Elon Musk stated bluntly, "Fallout 3 is the best game to date, bar none."

"Without a doubt, it is better than Halo 3, better in every way."

"I can't believe this is a product of a Chinese game company."

As more and more players finished playing Fallout 3, the game's reputation began to explode.

Not only ordinary gamers, but also many tech experts have shared their opinions.

"Halo 3 is excellent, but Fallout 3 is great!"

"Fallout 3 ushered in a new era for gaming."

....................................

Furthermore, YouTube has also begun to provide traffic support for videos of the Fallout 3 game.

Game streamers, who were originally expected to appear several years later, have appeared ahead of schedule, which has once again boosted the popularity of Fallout 3.

This game began to become a global phenomenon.

People who were previously unaware of the game, and even those who don't play games often, have started buying it.

Because this game wasn't available on the Xbox platform, Xbox players flocked to the Steam platform to play it.

Gabe made countless calls to Lin Xiao because he was inexplicably watching Steam's registered users and online users keep increasing.

Previously, almost a quarter of Steam's users were playing Half-Life and Counter-Strike.

Now, Fallout 3 has surpassed Counter-Strike and Half-Life 2 in terms of online players, consistently holding the top spot on the platform.

Kazuo Hirai of Sony's electronic entertainment platform was also overjoyed.

The recent surge in PS3 sales is a testament to the allure of phenomenal titles.

The original reason for vigorously promoting Fallout 3 and giving it exclusive status was entirely due to the strategic alliance with Lin Xiao, but no one expected it to benefit the platform so quickly.

For a long time, Sony's PS platform has been more dominant, with the exception of the PS3 and XBOX360, which are evenly matched.

The competition had been a tug-of-war, which made Sony very nervous, fearing that Microsoft's Xbox might overtake them.

I never expected Fallout 3 to bring such a pleasant surprise.

Next, Sony Group extended an invitation to Lin Xiao to visit.

This time, Lin Xiao was received by three big bosses: Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO of Sony Group; Kazuo Hirai of Sony Electronic Entertainment; and Amy Pascal of Sony Columbia.

Howard is a British aristocrat who served as the head of CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) for a long time.

"Lin, The Hunger Games has grossed over $7.2 million worldwide."

"Fallout 3 is a global phenomenon, and according to our most authoritative predictions, its final sales may exceed 1300 million copies!"

"And our Sony Electronics Imaging division will provide the camera for your phone, and our Sony Semiconductor will provide the CMOS sensor."

"We are practically inseparable."

Lin Xiao's team has now truly become Sony's most important strategic partner.

Howard said apologetically, "Lin, I know you've run into a lot of obstacles with Sony Electronics in the past year or two. Especially in screen production, because of the arrogance and ignorance of some people, you gave up on Sony and turned to Sharp instead."

"But rest assured, you are already our most important ally. Whether it's Sony Imaging, Sony Electronics, or Sony Semiconductor, we will do our best to serve you, provide you with the highest quality products, and put you first among all mobile phone manufacturers."

"Furthermore, although I have left CBS, I still have a huge influence there. In the future, I can strongly push CBS to purchase and cooperate on the rights to the dramas and related variety shows of Dreamscape."

However, this boss will soon step down, and Kazuo Hirai of Electronic Entertainment will take over as the big boss of the Sony Group.

This time, Fallout 3's abandonment of Xbox and the resulting boost to Sony's PS3 platform earned Lin Xiao the friendship of this future big boss.

"Lin, I heard that you also invested in CD Projekt in Poland, and that you helped them improve the script for The Witcher 1?" Kazuo Hirai asked. "What's your opinion of that game?"

Lin Xiao: "While The Witcher 1 may not be as good as Fallout 3 on its own, the potential of this IP is no less than that of the Fallout series, and may even surpass it."

Kazuo Hirai: "I understand. Then let's not rush things this time. Sony Electronic Entertainment will provide advance support for The Witcher 1."

"In addition, a large single-player game company will usually have more than two IPs. Now that the Fallout IP has been a complete success, do you have any ideas for a second world-class IP?"

This is actually very difficult. Although 2007 is relatively early, most of the game IPs had already been developed.

GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Resident Evil, Uncharted, God of War, and many others have already been released.

Even Assassin's Creed is already in development.

So sometimes you really have to admire people like Hidetaka Miyazaki and Hideo Kojima for their courage in creating new IPs.

There are many high-selling games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Sekiro, and so on. But none of these games have been released yet.

Elden Ring and Sekiro were both successful only after a great deal of groundwork and accumulation from previous Souls-like games.

But Lin Xiao still chose an IP, which is also a source of regret for countless players.

The Last of Us series is also known as The Last of Us.

She just wanted to see what would happen if Ellie finally killed her enemy Abby in The Last of Us Part II.
If this cycle of revenge continues, when will it ever end?

“The Last of Us,” Lin Xiao said.

Kazuo Hirai: "What subject matter?"

Lin Xiao: "It's also a post-apocalyptic theme."

Kazuo Hirai: "Then the challenge is enormous, because Fallout 3 itself is a post-apocalyptic game."

Lin Xiao: "The two are completely different. The Fallout series is an open world, while The Last of Us is a completely linear game with a strong emphasis on story."

Sony's PlayStation platform has several exclusive game IPs.

God of War series, Uncharted series, The Last of Us series, etc.

The last survivors were phenomenal in terms of both sales and reputation.

The horizon is just a level below.

Kazuo Hirai: "I'm incredibly excited."

"If all three IPs are successful, then Sony Electronic Entertainment will be relying on you immensely, Mr. Lin."

Lin Xiao: "We have a common enemy."

Kazuo Hirai: "We love working with people like you because it's full of strategic inertia, and it's a very long-term trust and friendship."

Amy Pascal: "Lin, I know your expectations for Kung Fu Panda. You want to rely on it to raise the ceiling of your country's film industry and the film market."

"Don't worry, the entire Sony Group will put in a lot of effort to ensure its great success worldwide."

..........................................

The current situation in China is somewhat awkward.

Because it's a version that lags behind Europe and America by one.

Previously, the opposing forces of the Lightning Group were frantically forwarding external news releases, and even producing and distributing their own news releases.

In short, it's about setting the tone for Fallout 3.

The game is not bad, but it still falls short of the world's mainstream level.

They're still bringing up IGN and GS.

Especially after the huge success of Halo 3, they began to heavily promote the success and excellence of Halo 3, portraying Fallout 3 as being completely suppressed in the Western world.

Unexpectedly, after a brief period of suppression, Fallout 3 began a full-scale rebound in both sales and critical acclaim.

It even has an explosive reputation.

Mainstream players in Europe and America gave it the highest rating.

In major powers such as the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and France, this game has consistently ranked number one.

Then, the entire public opinion fell into an awkward situation.

In fact, Lightning Games has completely turned the tables, elevating its status to a whole new level.

but……

Domestically, it still hasn't gained momentum.

Because Fallout 3 is too closely associated with Er Gou (a popular online figure).

The mixed reputation of "Ergou Jiaozhu" meant that this game, which could have inspired national pride, failed to achieve the same level of enthusiasm.

The hostile forces of the Lightning type in China originally thought that the Lightning type and Er Gou would take the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

After all, Fallout 3 achieved unprecedented success.

Moreover, this game is called Er Gou Studio, and Er Gou, the mastermind, is already gradually becoming a legend overseas.

You should take advantage of this strong momentum and make a comeback in the domestic market.

But still nothing!
Er Gou, the leader of the cult, has remained silent in the country.

Even the Lightning Group didn't give it much attention.

Because of the mixed reputation of Er Gou, many of his original die-hard fans no longer dare to openly praise him.

Because of years of smear campaigns, praising "Second Dog Leader" at this time would almost be considered politically incorrect in China.

but……

There is a silent, yet persistent, movement.

At least the number of players of "Zhu Xian" has increased rapidly once again.

At least for World of Warcraft players, it will be much harder to justifiably criticize Lightning Games for being low-end or LOW.

........................

"Fallout 3, even with all that success, couldn't salvage your reputation?"

"Can't any of this inspire their national pride?" Wu Lingxi said coldly. "Actually, I'm the most disdainful of this kind of thing."

"Dog... perhaps we need to make a slight change to our plan."

Lin Xiao: "How to change it?"

Wu Lingxi: "Build your personal brand globally."

"Don't think this is wishful thinking. Young people in Europe and America are rebellious, anti-authoritarian, and anti-giant."

"Your fight against Microsoft and Google will actually make you a hero in the eyes of teenagers in Europe and America."

"You've gone all in, starting your third business and betting everything on the mobile phone industry. I know you want to stage a triumphant return."

"But I suggest you put aside your nationalist sentiments a little."

"Reputation is not that important, power is."

Lin Xiao thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "It is impossible for me to give up my nationalism."

Wu Lingxi: "Our goal is to be a global company, not just a Chinese company."

Lin Xiao: "No, our goal is to be a Chinese company, just going global. It's completely different."

Wu Lingxi: "You've done so much, have you taken back your honors? What's even more ridiculous is that the forces smearing you in China come from Microsoft and Google."

This is the first time the two sides have disagreed on their positions.

However, Wu Lingxi was still completely standing from Lin Xiao's perspective.

..........................................

Wu Lingxi's initiative is off the charts.

Just do it.

He directly used his Facebook and YouTube accounts to connect with Lucas and the Sony Group, launching a massive campaign.

Who is the leader of the Er Gou cult?!
The author of The Hunger Games.

The creator of Fallout 3.

The creator of Kung Fu Panda.

The creator of Breaking Bad.

The creator of "Squid Game".

Founder of Facebook and YouTube.

It's a very simple and direct form of advertising, a viral campaign.

The goal is to make young people in Europe and America feel that he is an unparalleled genius and an absolute role model.

Repeat, repeat, and repeat.

..............................

June!

Breaking Bad Season 2 premiered on AMC.

The initial viewership reached 360 million!
While it's still not exactly a huge hit, it's already three times the viewership of the first season.

Moreover, each episode is better than the last.

Following that, "The Squid Game" aired on CBS.

CBS didn't have high hopes for this show, because it featured almost no Western actors, and was entirely composed of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean actors.

A purely foreign language TV series, although it has English dubbing.

However, with Sony Group's full-fledged efforts, "Squid Game" still received a massive amount of advertising on CBS.

As a result, the first episode attracted 830 million viewers!
Immediately, the entire CBS was overjoyed.

Although this result is still not considered outstanding, it is already very good.

However, the pacing of this show is truly unbeatable.

After all, it achieved the highest viewership in Netflix history, reaching a staggering 2.65 million views.

The second episode garnered over ten million viewers on CBS.

Then, they sang all the way.

..........................................

June!

An article suddenly appeared on the Chinese internet.

How much more must Master Er Gou do before he returns?!

The author of this article is a professor from Peking University.

It has been almost three years since Er Gou, the leader of the cult, left.

He has been out of everyone's sight for almost three years.

It wasn't until the release of Fallout 3 that the name returned to the public eye.

Ironically, this game has achieved unprecedented success and garnered unprecedented praise in every country outside of China.

Only in China have sales been so-so.

In fact, most people don't even dare to praise it publicly.

Er Gou, the leader of the game industry, said he wanted to revitalize the national game industry, and he succeeded.

Not long ago, on CBS, the largest television network in the United States, "The Squid Game" surpassed 1380 million viewers, becoming the number one show in the country.

He said he wanted to take films and television overseas, and he succeeded.

Kung Fu Panda was originally scheduled to be released during last year's Lunar New Year holiday, and people at Sony were very satisfied with it, feeling that it was of a very high standard.

However, Er Gou, the cult leader, directly rejected it.

He wasn't satisfied, so he reworked "Kung Fu Panda," increasing the original cost of $130 million to nearly $200 million.

He said he wanted to revitalize the film industry and raise the ceiling of the Chinese film market.

The Hunger Games is not a Chinese film, but Kung Fu Panda is undoubtedly a Chinese film.

He wants to take Chinese films to the world stage.

Kung Fu Panda is coming out soon and will be released during the Lunar New Year holiday in December.

Given the trajectory of Fallout 3, I have my doubts about its success.

Because Fallout 3, a product that should have been a source of pride for the gaming industry and for the nation, has only achieved mediocre sales in China, and even domestic players dare not openly praise it.

So what made Kung Fu Panda so successful?
No matter how well it is done, it will probably be difficult to succeed.

Because the people on this land have lost their objectivity.

Foreign conglomerates, led by Microsoft and Google, are doing everything in their power to crush Er Gou and the Lightning Group.

Instead of sharing the hatred of the enemy, many people in China have become accomplices to the evildoers.

Then I'd like to ask a question.

What exactly did Er Gou, the cult leader, do wrong?
Just how serious a crime did he commit?
How much more does he need to do to salvage his reputation?
How can he regain his status as an idol and role model for countless people?
Or perhaps it has completely collapsed under the pressure from foreign giants such as Microsoft and Google?
This article quickly sparked a strong reaction and discussion.

But that's nothing.

Most importantly, the online version of the top and most authoritative newspaper in China directly reprinted this article.

Those with keen senses in the country immediately sensed that the winds were about to change!
The call to counterattack is about to sound.

But many people are still very confused, why?
Even if Lin Xiao makes excellent games or movies, it's not that important. He's still someone who has made mistakes.

Moreover, given the long-term smear campaign by many media outlets, it will be very difficult to salvage the situation.

Why would someone as high-ranking as the People's Daily personally get involved?
This represents a very high official stance.

That doesn't make sense! That's completely unreasonable!
But actually, the answer can be found.

At the same time, Google held a conference and formed the Handset Alliance (OHA).

At this conference, it officially launched the Android mobile phone system, and almost all of the world's major mobile phone giants were present to show their support.

A major battle concerning a technological and industrial revolution has quietly begun.

In comparison, movies and games become insignificant in the face of this industrial revolution.

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Note: This chapter was very difficult to write and I revised it many times. I will definitely update it before 9 o'clock tomorrow. Thank you everyone.

My benefactor, could you please grant me two monthly passes to boost my spirits? Thank you so much!

(End of this chapter)