Chapter 1040: This Time, I Really Am Going to Lose Money
In Chen Mo’s office.
Qiao Hua toyed with the 1/6 scale Iron Man metal model in his hand. “You should think it over again.”
Chen Mo smiled. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
Qiao Hua let out a helpless chuckle. “Although my son will probably love the gift you gave me, I still have to say, every time before, you said you’d think about it, but you never actually followed through.”
Chen Mo picked up a specially customized, tech-looking fidget spinner from his desk. As he let it spin rapidly on his left index finger, he said, “Minister Qiao, off the record, you know Thunder Entertainment has no need to go public, and I’m definitely not short on money. On the contrary, I have so much money now that I don’t know where to spend it.”
Qiao Hua looked at the nonchalant Chen Mo. “You know, if that sentence of yours got spread online, it’d probably create another meme.”
The fidget spinner continued spinning at high speed, the patterns on it forming an unusually dazzling array of colors.
“You know I’m a person with few needs. I have zero interest in houses, luxury cars, jewelry, luxury goods, or anything like that. I’ve even thought about taking half my money and using it to subsidize the Matrix Game Pod, dropping its price to under fifty thousand, so most families could afford it.”
Qiao Hua put the Iron Man figurine down on the desk. “But now you don’t need to use your own money to subsidize it. Whether it’s the Game Committee or some foreign institutions, they’re all willing to provide Thunder Entertainment with massive funding. And that funding is measured in the hundreds of millions.”
Chen Mo looked at the fidget spinner in his hand. “On the condition that Thunder Entertainment goes public and… gives up a portion of its equity to certain people back home.”
Qiao Hua nodded. “Yes. Maybe you’ve faced similar choices many times before, but this time the timing is absolutely the best. You have to understand, going public first means your personal wealth will multiply several times over, even ten times. Thunder Entertainment will have the chance to become the highest-valued tech company in the world. And for you personally, the meme the players keep joking about—‘losing money until you become the richest man’—will be easily achievable.”
“Second, after going public, Thunder Entertainment will gain massive resources. Right now, the whole world’s eyes are on the Matrix Game Pod and next-gen VR. This could very well be the biggest trend of the next decade. With those resources, you won’t even need to spend your own money. Investors will naturally throw piles of cash at you to burn. Then, if you want to drop the Matrix Game Pod’s price to fifty thousand a unit, no problem at all.”
Chen Mo pressed his finger down gently, stopping the fidget spinner.
“From its founding until now, and into the future, Thunder Entertainment will never go public. I won’t split any equity, and I won’t manage it with anyone else.”
Chen Mo looked at Qiao Hua. “I don’t care about that money either. To me, that money is just a matter of time—I’ll earn it sooner or later. Thunder Entertainment will continue to subsidize the Matrix Game Pod, steadily lowering its price. I can do all that myself, and I don’t plan on asking for help. If the Game Committee is willing to subsidize the Matrix Game Pod, of course I welcome it. But I’ve already made concessions on the Matrix Game Pod, and I can’t keep giving in.”
“Alright.” Qiao Hua sighed softly. “I respect your choice. I’ll report this truthfully to the Game Committee. Don’t worry too much. Some people might not be happy, but no one can do anything to you.”
Chen Mo smiled. “Thank you.”
Qiao Hua stood up, put the 1/6 scale Iron Man back into its box, and carried it with him. “Thanks for the gift.”
…
It was the same old song and dance—the issue of Thunder Entertainment going public.
But Chen Mo’s attitude remained unchanged.
The worldwide popularity of *Iron Man* had once again sparked a frenzy of people buying Matrix Game Pods. And the world suddenly realized that, in the realm of next-gen VR, Chen Mo had left everyone else far behind.
*Detroit: Become Human* had first proposed the concept of next-gen VR.
*Oasis* had been ported to the Matrix Game Pod, impacting traditional industries like catering, furniture, and automobiles to varying degrees.
*GTA* had given the Matrix Game Pod a perfect-scoring masterpiece, a flagship exclusive, pushing the progress of next-gen VR games forward by another giant step.
And *Iron Man* had pushed next-gen VR into the stage of “immersive experience.”
At this point, players and game companies worldwide were astonished to discover that, in the field of next-gen VR, Chen Mo was invincible.
Because, so far, no other hardware manufacturer in the world could develop a next-gen VR pod that could rival the Matrix Game Pod. And no other AI company could create artificial intelligences in *Iron Man* that were virtually indistinguishable from real humans.
Although traditional game companies could still scrape by on mobile, PC, and traditional VR games—and even do well—it was clear that, in the top-tier gaming space, next-gen VR had become the new industry benchmark, much like the AAA games of Chen Mo’s previous life.
But the key point was that this so-called benchmark could only be achieved by Chen Mo.
In the past, when a technological breakthrough emerged, various manufacturers would quickly follow suit. The technology would soon become widespread, and AAA masterpieces would spring up like mushrooms after rain, each with its own strengths, dazzling and diverse.
But now, it was obvious that in the face of the four words “Produced by Chen Mo,” the painstaking efforts of all other game companies seemed pale and powerless.
Was this a blessing or a curse?
Regardless, the tech tree was advancing so rapidly that even the players in this world felt a bit overwhelmed. As for the capital, they were even more restless, eyeing Thunder Entertainment like a giant piece of fat meat.
But Chen Mo was never one to be fat meat. And his ideal was never to monopolize the entire game market, draining it of all vitality.
“Jarvis,” Chen Mo said.
The computer screen on the desk immediately lit up. “Standing by.”
Chen Mo thought for a moment. “Draft an announcement. First, starting next month, Thunder Entertainment will subsidize all Matrix Game Pods currently on sale. Each pod will receive a subsidy of ten thousand US dollars, which means a direct price drop of sixty thousand RMB. Second, we will open-source the Matrix Game Pod’s game editor and AI technology templates for use by game companies worldwide, for a fee.”
“Help me estimate a reasonable price for the latter, and then calculate the approximate loss.”
Ten seconds later, Jarvis replied. “It is projected that there will be sustained small losses over the next year, with a monthly loss of approximately 130 million US dollars. However, sales of the Matrix Game Pod, game sales, and revenue from the editor and AI technology templates will steadily increase. After one year, the situation will gradually turn profitable. Specific details require ongoing observation.”
Chen Mo tapped lightly on the desk.
“Set a small goal first—lose 1.5 billion US dollars next year, huh… Sounds within an acceptable range. No, I should say it’s even less than I expected.”
Chen Mo thought for a moment. “Alright, let’s go with that. Looks like this time, I really am going to lose money.”