Chapter 124: Warcraft III, Not Yet Released

There are always things in this world that even Boss Huang cannot foresee. For instance, a partnership that had seemed all but certain might suddenly hit an impasse.

“I’m afraid we can’t agree to that,” Allen Adham said after a moment’s thought.

“Why?” Boss Huang frowned. This was an answer he had not anticipated. He had assumed that Allen Adham would readily accept his proposal.

What Huang He did not know was that Blizzard had behaved the same way in history, retaining control over Battle.net and refusing to authorize domestic companies to use it. As a result, later multiplayer platforms such as Haofang and Replays.net used Warcraft III for online matches without authorization. In other words, they were pirated platforms.

Only after restrictions were relaxed in China, and NetEase took over and extended Battle.net into the domestic market, did Blizzard games finally gain access to an official Battle.net service there.

“This is to support the company’s overall strategy,” Allen Adham offered by way of explanation, though it was not particularly easy to understand. In truth, the reasoning was simple enough: Blizzard had excellent strategic vision. It had recognized the enormous value of Battle.net, and therefore would not allow anyone else to claim a share of it—not even in markets where Battle.net itself could not be accessed. Blizzard had no intention of loosening its control.

There was another important consideration. If Blizzard opened the door and granted China authorization to use Battle.net, would it not then have to grant the same authorization to other countries as well?

And if that happened, would Blizzard’s exclusive Battle.net system not collapse altogether?

Besides, Battle.net’s value was indeed immense. One of the future giants of online gaming—the entire genre descended from Defense of the Ancients—had been born there. It began as a custom map on the StarCraft version of Battle.net, took shape fully in the legitimate release of Warcraft III, and ultimately evolved into the genre that would dominate competitive online games.

“We can reduce the licensing fee somewhat. It doesn’t need to be two million dollars. One point eight million will do,” Allen Adham said with a smile. “But I cannot grant you authorization for Battle.net.”

“Without Battle.net, Warcraft III is meaningless to me,” Huang He replied bluntly. “Mr. Adham, there is one point you made that is absolutely correct: standalone games simply cannot generate two million dollars in sales in China at present. The reason we are willing to offer that amount is so that we can earn sustained, long-term profits by operating Battle.net, thereby making up for the two million dollars we would otherwise lose.”

“Mr. Adham, if you refuse to grant me Battle.net authorization, then I will offer no more than four hundred thousand dollars for the Warcraft III license,” Huang He said decisively.

“Only four hundred thousand?” Allen Adham was displeased. For Blizzard, which was flush with cash by then, four hundred thousand dollars was truly insignificant. The problem was that it was still twice what Omedia had offered. If he rejected Huang He, he would be turning down money.

Yet compared with two million, it still seemed like turning his back on money.

“Mr. Adham, given the current level of market control in China, Battle.net probably won’t be able to enter the Chinese market for another ten years. By then, Warcraft V may already have been released. Wouldn’t it be better for us to negotiate the Battle.net license for Warcraft V when the time comes?”

“Indeed!” Allen Adham nodded. If one did the math, Warcraft V would certainly have been released by then.

Of course, Allen Adham himself could never have imagined that not only would Warcraft V fail to appear, but even Warcraft IV would still be nowhere to be seen twenty years later. Instead, Blizzard would produce the awkward and ill-conceived Warcraft III: Reforged. It was also around this time that the slogan “Everything Blizzard makes is a masterpiece” gradually changed from a statement of fact into a punchline.

Huang He continued speaking eloquently, trying to persuade Allen Adham. But Allen remained hesitant, wavering as conflicting thoughts battled in his mind.

“Boss, why don’t the two of you simply play a match?” A Blizzard vice president was also present in the company’s workroom. He was the actual person in charge of Blizzard’s participation in the WCG that year. He spoke in a half-joking tone. “How about a game of Warcraft II? Whoever wins gets to make the decision.”

The vice president had meant it as nothing more than a joke, but Allen Adham’s eyes lit up. He had been torn and indecisive, and this suggestion struck precisely at the heart of his dilemma.

“Mr. Huang, then let us settle this with a duel between knights,” Allen Adham said with a smile. “We’ll have a one-on-one match. If you win, I’ll agree to the two-million-dollar Warcraft III license and allow you to build your own Battle.net—but that Battle.net will be licensed for Warcraft II only.”

“Conversely, if I win, the licensing fee will be one point eight million dollars, but you can forget about Battle.net.”

“What do you say?” Allen Adham asked, watching Huang He with keen interest.

If a news reporter had been present and heard this, he would have been thrilled. This was a battle worth a difference of 1.4 million dollars, and the change in the financial stakes was far greater than the event’s total prize pool of three hundred thousand dollars.

As later events would prove, the profits generated by this match would far exceed 1.4 million dollars. In a certain sense, it would become the highest-stakes single match in the history of gaming.

Only a gambler like Huang He, paired with an esports player like Allen Adham, could have brought about such a contest. Ordinary entrepreneurs would never—

Well, perhaps that was not entirely true. In the future, a certain Lei and a certain Dong would reportedly make a wager worth hundreds of millions. They simply would not be playing a video game.

“Fine!” Huang He agreed without hesitation.

This was not because he had tremendous confidence in his Warcraft II skills. In fact, Warcraft II had sold disastrously in China and had barely made a ripple in the market. As a result, very few Chinese players had ever played it.

Huang He was no exception. He had only begun playing with Warcraft III. Before that day, he had never even seen Warcraft II’s game screen. He would have been delusional to feel confident.

His only hope was that Warcraft II and Warcraft III shared the same lineage, allowing him to draw upon at least some of his Warcraft III experience to defeat his opponent.

Even so, Huang He estimated that his chances of winning were less than thirty percent.

“Forget it. If I lose and can’t obtain an official Battle.net license, I’ll simply set up a shell company and create a pirated Battle.net,” Huang He cursed inwardly.

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