Back To 1995

   Chapter 220 Sparks all the way with lightning

   If it is an old fox who is also on Wall Street, then Silverman may continue to test it, but facing the younger generation such as Song Yang and Irene, Silverman does not dare to test again.

  If you try to find a gold owner, but you can't find it again, it will be unfortunate for CUC International.

Hearing that Silverman agreed to sell Xue Leshan and Blizzard, Song Yang and Irene were also relieved. Although the price is a bit expensive, it is still within Song Yang's acceptance range. If it is not available, then I'm afraid I really have to turn my head to find game companies such as Activision, EA, and 2K.

When the purchase price was negotiated, the acquisition was basically completed. When the people on both sides were preparing for the agreement, Silverman suddenly spoke again, "Song, if possible, I hope to be able to use part of ICQ's equity for this acquisition. , to complete the acquisition!"

  ICQ did not expect that Silverman would make such a request. Currently, 90% of ICQ's equity is concentrated in Song Yang, and in the Americas Investment Fund, which is basically in the hands of Song Yang.

   There are also RICK and Eric, Wesley and Irene and other senior executives, who have some equity and options, but basically they hold not much equity in ICQ.

   Now hearing that Silverman wanted to use ICQ's equity as a bargaining chip for the acquisition of Xue Leshan, everyone's expressions were different for a while.

  Irene was a little moved. If ICQ's equity was exchanged for Xue Leshan and Blizzard, it would reduce a sum of cash. For them, the financial pressure would be much less.

   But before Irene and the others could speak, Song Yang directly refused, "President Silverman, this is not part of our acquisition agreement. ICQ will pay the full acquisition fee within the time of the acquisition agreement!"

  Silverman didn't expect that Song Yang would reject his proposal without even thinking about it. He was slightly startled, then smiled and nodded, as if he didn't care too much.

  Silverman's asking price is high, and now he still wants ICQ's equity, which is a bit too cheap.

ICQ is still not very valuable. According to the current shareholding, if it is possible to give CUC International a shareholding, at least 20% of the shareholding must be given up. If this is the case, then Song Yang is still tossing about the acquisition of Xuele Mountain. In the last few years, this 20% was ICQ

   Equity, it can’t be said that it is worth more than Xue Leshan. Co-authoring makes Silverman earn twice?

   "Song, it's a pleasure to cooperate, and I hope there will be another chance to cooperate next time!"

   After all the agreements are signed, ICQ needs to pay all the acquisition money to CUC International within one month, but now Xueleshan and Blizzard already belong to Song Yang and ICQ in name.

Song Yang and Silverman shook hands, but they didn't follow up on his last sentence. If possible, Song Yang didn't want to see him again. Picking someone else's wool is different from being picked on by someone else. Gotta feel it!

   After Silverman's group left, Irene looked at the several acquisition agreements in her hand. Just this piece of paper was worth more than $400 million. This was also the first large-scale acquisition between Irene and ICQ!

   "Is it worth it to buy Xue Leshan with so much money?!" Irene retracted her gaze and couldn't help but asked Song Yang who was sitting beside her.

  400 million US dollars to acquire a game company, not to mention today's America, but also in the entire game industry, these are considered to be large-scale acquisitions and record-breaking acquisitions.

  If the companies such as Xue Leshan and Blizzard that they bought back are not useful, then I am afraid they will become a laughing stock.

   "Whether it's worth it or not, we'll have to know it later. Now we need to take down several other game companies, and then raise money from the bank for CUC International!"

   Song Yang looked at the document in his hand and said to Irene, now is not the time to think about this acquisition, whether it will lose money, now ICQ wants to establish a game department, and there are several companies that also need to be acquired.

It is impossible for ICQ to take out such a large amount of cash for the acquisition of funds. Even if the funds are lying on the account, they will not take out all of them. Instead, they have to borrow from the bank to issue bonds later, or to raise funds when they are listed. Repay, America's companies, basically play this set.

   Now is the frenzy period of the Internet. Banks, Silicon Valley investment banks, Wall Street institutions, etc. are definitely willing to invest money in Internet companies, and even wish Internet companies to borrow more money!

"I know!"

Irene threw down those documents and regained the look of a professional female manager. She had already invested so much money, and it was definitely impossible to give up halfway. To establish a game business department, ICQ must establish the largest game department in the Internet industry. That's right, otherwise wouldn't the investment of so many resources be wasted? !

  Today is definitely a shocking day for the game industry. The entry of Internet companies into the game industry is a big uproar.

Not only are Xue Leshan and Blizzard waiting for the results of the acquisition negotiations between CUC International and ICQ, but other game companies are also waiting. In recent years, companies in the game industry have been living in unease, and now Internet companies are also starting to intervene. Come in, what will bring the whole industry, no one knows.

In a villa in California, the two founders, Ken Williams and Roberta, who have left Xue Leshan, are also paying attention to the news of Xue Leshan, and see Xue Leshan being put on the table again as a bargaining chip , Even if they have already announced that they have given up their obsession with Xue Leshan, but seeing such news, their hearts are still complicated.

Ken Williams and Roberta are both veterans of the American game industry. As early as the 1980s, Ken, a hacker, teamed up with Roberta to release graphics that are still running on Apple computers. editor.

The world's first graphic adventure game "House of Mysteries" was also developed by two people and released on Apple computers. Even this game promoted the sales of Apple computers, making Jobs admire them both. VIP.

However, this is the case. When Xueleshan, founded by Ken and the two, met CUC International, it was only tossed. At the beginning, Xueleshan was attracted to CUC International's money, and CUC International , is to want the life of Xue Leshan.

   When Ken Williams faced Silverman, he was still at a disadvantage. Less than a year after the acquisition, the two founders left Xue Leshan, and Xue Leshan was completely controlled by CUC.

   Now seeing the Snow Mountain that was built with one hand, and like a ball, it was kicked away by a price increase. It is absolutely impossible for Ken Williams to say that his heart has not fluctuated at all.

   "For Xue Leshan, maybe it will be better when it is in the hands of a new buyer!" Roberta could only persuade seeing her husband's slightly lonely application.

When Ken Williams heard this, he could only smile even more bitterly. He had to count on the new buyers of Xue Leshan not to spoil Xue Leshan so much. Ken Williams didn't know what to say. The brand of Leshan can still be preserved!"

   What he is most afraid of is that the new buyer of Xuele Mountain is a layman at all. He directly splits and sells Xuele Mountain, then Xuele Mountain is really worthless.

   "I asked CUC International to acquire ICQ, and I asked my friends in the technology industry. This Bruno Song, except in the telecommunications industry, um, has some not-so-good tactics.

   In the Internet industry, he has not yet suffered a defeat, and the industries that he valued are basically developing quite well! "

Roberta can only say the same, bet Song Yang bought Snow Leshan, not like America Telecom, it is for hollowing out, but it is indeed planning to play the game industry in the Internet industry, but I don't know how Song Yang is going to play it. .

  While Ken Williams and Roberta were talking, they suddenly heard the news reported on TV, which attracted their attention.

"CUC International, in its latest announcement, has reached an agreement with ICQ, an emerging Internet company, to sell its computer network division, including Xue Leshan and Blizzard Studios, to $400 million. ICQ company!

   Affected by this news, CUC International's share price rose to US$40, and its market value exceeded US$30 billion, a record high since the merger and acquisition! "

Selling a Xuele Mountain that was bought for more than 100 million US dollars back then ended up earning 400 million US dollars back. No matter how you look at this transaction, it is a big profit. This amount is equivalent to earning 10% of the annual revenue. First, the profit has more than doubled. CUC International's stock price and market value have soared, and Silverman has become even more famous.

   When Ken Williams and Roberta saw the news, they were also shocked. How much did they sell Snow Leshan at the beginning, but now Snow Leshan is so valuable? !

   For a while, the two of them didn't know whether to say that they were unlucky, or whether to say that Silverman had run into a big dog. This kind of thing happened to him.

Also waiting for news are the people from Xue Leshan and Blizzard. When they saw the news and they were sold to ICQ again, the founders of Blizzard fell to the ground, but they couldn't help it. Some worry, I don't know what the new owner will do to Blizzard, anyway, in CUC International, their life is not very good.

"Has ICQ ever had a game department?!" Mike Morwaime, one of the founders of Blizzard, asked the two founders, Alan Adhan and Frank Pierce, who were very concerned about their new owners. Somewhat curious.

Adhan and Frank Pierce shook their heads for a while, but they had heard of Song Yang. Over the past year, they have been one of the hottest people in the technology industry. You know, after all, the game industry is now in line with the Internet industry, but it has nothing to do with it.

  Adhan said with a little worry, "I don't know ICQ, how should I treat Blizzard?"

The original intention of the establishment of Blizzard by Adhan and others is to make games that they like and are popular with players, but on the CUC International side, it is to let them develop more profitable game sequels, not those cycles. Long high-stakes game.

While several people were still talking about it, news came out from the game industry again. ICQ announced to invest in the emerging game company Valve, and won a 70% stake in Valve's games at a price of 6 million US dollars, and another 4 million US dollars. The price of the knife, the complete acquisition of BMG's R-star studio, which has no works at all.

   (end of this chapter)