Chapter 156 Alliance
The day before Teacher's Day, Yuanxin Science and Technology Park welcomed a group of software industry peers from all over the country.
As the host, Su Yuanshan, together with leaders from the provincial Technology Bureau, guided everyone through the Science Park and then to the high-tech software base already under construction. According to the plans on display, in addition to the essential fiber optic network, the software base would provide supporting facilities for healthcare, education, and other aspects of daily life, truly solving the worries of high-tech talents.
The next day was Teacher's Day. Professor Su Xinghe arrived at the Science Park to meet everyone, giving plenty of face to the guests. Afterwards, Su Yuanshan, Xi Xiaoding, and Chen Jing hosted the first genuine software industry exchange conference.
Since it wasn't an official event, it took the form of an informal tea party, without a formal stage or grand arrangements. Everyone came with the mindset that more friends meant more opportunities, creating a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Nonetheless, even without a formal setup, everyone knew very well: Yuanxin had sent its three top executives. Naturally, Su Yuanshan was the de facto leader.
Thus, when Su Yuanshan casually cracked sunflower seeds and smiled, saying, "I have an idea," everyone fell silent and turned to look at him attentively.
"In fact, you can all see that we're all purely private enterprises here, all without any official background."
Listening to Su Yuanshan, everyone simply smiled and didn't argue—after all, from Yuanxin's founding to today, it hadn't taken a cent of government investment, not even loans.
"And because the current computer market mainly centers around government institutions, state-owned enterprises, and universities, getting business is much harder for us compared to giants like Dongruan and Shangruan."
These words hit the mark, resonating with many in the audience—especially those who were desperately trying to break into government procurement projects.
Su Yuanshan smiled and said, "So, our days are too hard, and we must band together."
"President Shan, why don't we just form an association directly?" said Shi Dazhu, the boss of Giant, laughing as he looked around the room. "Just us folks here—perfect."
This year, Giant's Chinese card business had taken a devastating blow after the launch of Windows 3.2. Adding to that, the sudden rise of Chengdian High-Tech in the computer assembly market had made Giant's PC business even harder to sustain.
However, this did not stop Giant from remaining the second-largest enterprise here after Yuanxin.
Su Yuanshan grinned and nodded, "Sure, but today I actually want to focus not just on setting up an association to band together, but more importantly, to talk about the future direction of our domestic software industry."
At the mention of "future direction," everyone listened even more intently, especially Qiu Bojun from Kingsoft, who had a look of heartfelt gratitude.
Thanks to Xinghai's overseas distribution, Kingsoft's WPS and Super Player had successfully entered the Western market. Super Player, in particular, quickly established a dominant position with its affordable price and powerful functionality—it could turn a CD-ROM drive into a VCD player. A massive value proposition.
As for WPS, although progress was slower, it still gained a foothold thanks to Xinghai's distribution channels.
After all, WPS had been born two years earlier than Microsoft's Office, and Qiu Bojun himself was known as China's "First Programmer."
Unfortunately, back then there had been no Yuanxin, and Qiu Bojun had no way to access overseas markets. Otherwise, there might never have been an Office monopoly.
"Right now, commercial software in the West is still emerging. But if we try to create similar products to theirs, it'll be extremely hard to catch up. We would not only have to surpass them in functionality, but we'd also need to race against time. And ultimately, everything would depend on programming talent... Frankly speaking, when it comes to programmers, we still lag far behind."
"So, in terms of commercial software, we must focus on filling market gaps—this will depend on everyone's individual vision. Xinghai can only help reduce everyone's operational costs and logistical troubles."
"But besides commercial software, there's another market, both in the West and in Japan, that's starting to undergo major changes."
Hearing this, Shi Dazhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "Which market?"
Su Yuanshan smiled slightly, "Games—specifically, 3D games."
Everyone around him was surprised.
"I'll be frank with you all," Su Yuanshan said, "Yuanxin will launch an incredibly powerful 3D accelerator card next year, capable of delivering all kinds of 3D effects you can imagine, truly ushering gaming into the 3D era."
Qiu Bojun hesitated and asked, "That's for PCs, right? But in Japan, aren't console games the mainstream? Would your accelerator card work for consoles too?"
Su Yuanshan smiled and shook his head, "I can't reveal specific details, but soon a new console will be released, fully supporting 3D."
This information was clearly an insider scoop.
Currently, the market was dominated by the Super Nintendo (SFC)—a wildly successful 16-bit console famous for its strong performance and expansion capabilities, sweeping across Japan and the West. Many in the audience knew the story about how Nintendo and Sony had a falling-out over this very console.
But despite SFC's power, it remained a 16-bit machine. Handling 2D games was fine, but trying to run a true polygonal 3D game would result in horrendous visuals—worse than a mosaic.
"So you're suggesting we develop games?" Shi Dazhu quickly grasped Su Yuanshan's intention.
Su Yuanshan simply smiled without confirming or denying it.
He spoke lightly, "Game development isn't just about writing software. It requires genuine passion. And... it also requires listening to the players' feedback."
"Any game company that only pleases itself while ignoring players will perish."
"Any game company that blindly panders to players and loses its soul will also perish."
"Making games is an art of balancing stubbornness with compromise."
"To present the worlds and stories you love in ways that players also love—that is the ultimate secret of a successful game company."
After speaking, Su Yuanshan shrugged. "That's all I know. I don't even know if I'm right. I'm not suggesting everyone blindly rush into making games... but if you find yourself with no clear path, or if you want to expand into new areas, you can consider it."
"If you're interested, Yuanxin can provide engine and API support through Xinghai."
At that moment, Deng Hanqing, a quiet programmer from a local startup—the first game studio in the provincial capital—suddenly spoke up, "President Shan, we're already developing a game. But I have to say, without outside funding and support, it's almost impossible for a studio to survive the long development cycle."
"And domestically, no one wants to invest in games."
Su Yuanshan nodded with a smile. "It's fine. Yuanxin will soon set up a venture capital fund."
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