SEC Chapter 512 Official Recognition
Chapter 512 Official Recognition
The heated discussion sparked by "Bloody Battle of Shanghai" overseas was like a pebble thrown into a lake; by the time the ripples spread domestically, they had become waves.
The first to react were the small game companies.
Those with a keen sense of smell have already begun to grasp the business opportunity.
Three new studios have sprung up on the street below TUTU's office building within a week.
One day during his lunch break, Lu Ran went downstairs to buy coffee and passed by one of the shops. Through the glass door, he could see several young people arguing about something around a monitor. On the wall was a handwritten project progress chart that read "Patriotic Theme Shooting Game - Project Established".
This kind of following the trend isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Lu then browsed the TUTU Games section and came across several newly launched titles, each with a more straightforward name than the last: "Defend Nanjing", "Taierzhuang 1948", and "Taihang Mountain Guerrilla".
The graphics aren't particularly sophisticated, and the gameplay is mostly basic side-scrolling shooters or tower defense games, but the download numbers are still quite high.
The most common comment in the comments section is, "Support it! Although it's not as good as TUTU's, the thought is there."
Lu Ran has witnessed firsthand the allure of riding the coattails of online traffic.
What truly surprised Lu Ran was the speed at which these games were launched.
Less than a week passed between the explosive popularity of "Bloody Battle of Shanghai" and the release of the first copycat work.
This group's execution ability is much stronger than he expected.
Later, when he talked about this with Zhou Mingzhe, Zhou Mingzhe, holding his teacup, said, "When the opportunity arises, even a pig can fly. Your game paved the way; they just need to follow."
Lu Ran didn't reply.
He knew Zhou Mingzhe was right, but he also knew that the quality of those copycat works varied greatly, and some could even be considered shoddy.
People in the comments section are already cursing, saying, "What kind of crappy game is this, using the patriotic banner to trick people into downloading it?"
He can't control this kind of thing, and he doesn't want to. The market will filter things out itself; bad people won't stay.
What surprised Lu Ran the most was the official commendation.
And this commendation came even faster than Lu Ran had expected.
That morning, as soon as he arrived at the company, the receptionist came running over, her expression one of panic as if something terrible had happened: "Mr. Lu, I just got a call saying that people from the publicity department are coming this morning, apparently to deliver something to us. They didn't say much on the phone, just that we should prepare."
Lu Ran leaned back in his office chair and asked, "What time?"
"They said they'd arrive around 10 a.m. They also said there would be media following them."
Which media outlets?
"They didn't specify anything, but from the tone, it must be quite a lot."
Lu Ran glanced at the time; it was just past nine o'clock.
He sent a message to Zhou Mingzhe and Chen Mo, instructing the administration department to prepare the reception room and provide tea and snacks.
Zhou Mingzhe replied, "Publicity Department?" followed by a question mark.
Lu Ran replied with an "Mm" without further explanation.
At 10:00 AM sharp, two black minivans drove into the parking lot below the office building.
The first group to get off the bus were several middle-aged men in dark jackets with work badges pinned to their chests. They moved swiftly and, without looking around, headed straight for the building entrance.
More people got out of the second car, some carrying cameras, some holding microphones, and some holding laptops; seven or eight of them followed one after another.
After the receptionist led the person to the reception room, Lu Ran was already waiting there.
Leading the way was a man in his fifties, wearing a light gray jacket, with neatly combed hair, a gentle face, and a calm gaze.
After he entered, he extended his hand and introduced himself as Zhang, from the Publicity and Education Bureau of the Central Propaganda Department.
"Mr. Lu, it's an honor to meet you." Director Zhang's handshake was firm. After releasing his grip, he glanced around the reception room. "Your office environment is quite nice. Simple and unpretentious, without any of those fancy things."
Lu Ran invited them to sit on the sofa, where the administration staff had already prepared tea and brought it over.
Director Zhang accepted the teacup and thanked him, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, he placed the teacup on the coffee table in front of him and took out a red banner from a brown paper file bag he carried with him.
When the banner was unfurled, the lights in the entire reception room brightened considerably.
The four large characters, written in gold on a red background, gleamed warmly under the lamp. Lu Ran paused for a moment when he saw the words.
"Upholding integrity and pursuing innovation; cultivating people through culture."
The lower right corner of the banner bears the signature and date of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The handwriting is firm and powerful, clearly indicating that it was specially commissioned.
Director Zhang folded the banner neatly and handed it over with both hands: "President Lu, this was specially commissioned by the ministry for TUTU Technology. We've internally studied your game and held several meetings to discuss it. We ultimately agreed that TUTU did something very meaningful. Not because it's particularly sophisticated or fun, but because it did something that games should do but few others have—it encourages players to do their own research and reflection after playing. This effect is better than any promotional article."
When Lu Ran accepted the banner, his fingers touched the texture of the fabric. The silk felt very fine, with a raised, textured feel that only hand-embroidered pieces could have. He placed the banner on the table beside him and said, "Director Zhang, you flatter me," then waited for the other party to continue.
Director Zhang then took out a small red velvet box from the document bag. The box was not big, slightly smaller than the palm of his hand. Inside, there was a silver badge.
The badge features a circle formed by a gear and ears of wheat, with an open book engraved in the center, on which a line of small print can be faintly seen.
"This is for General Manager Lu personally," Director Zhang pushed the box forward. "The ministry awards this prize annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of cultural dissemination. The number is small; this year, only a dozen or so were awarded nationwide. TUTU Technology is the only game company to receive this award."
Lu Ran looked at the badge but did not immediately reach out to take it.
He knew the significance of this award. Although it wasn't a formal government award, its association with the Central Propaganda Department made it more valuable in the industry than any commercial award.
As he reached out to take the box, he felt Director Zhang gently pat the back of his hand.
"President Lu, the Ministry's message is very clear—TUTU's actions this time are entirely correct in terms of direction, content, and effect. We hope you can continue to maintain this direction and create more works with cultural depth and historical significance in the gaming field." Director Zhang paused, then added, "Of course, continue with your commercial operations as usual. The Ministry will not interfere with your business. It's just that TUTU has set a very good example in terms of cultural guidance."
Lu Ran closed the box and placed it next to the banner, nodding: "We'll continue. As long as we're heading in the right direction, we won't stop."
Director Zhang didn't say anything more. He picked up the cup of tea, which had mostly gone cold, took a sip, and then stood up: "That's settled then. The goods have been delivered, and the sentiment has been conveyed. If there's anything that requires the department's cooperation later, please contact me anytime."
He placed a business card on the coffee table, then walked out with his entourage.
The camera lens followed him the whole time, from when Lu Ran accepted the banner to when he shook hands and said goodbye.
After seeing the group off, Lu Ran returned to the reception room. The banner was still lying on the table, its red background and gold lettering fluttering slightly in the air conditioning breeze.
He folded the banner and put it in the box, glanced at the badge one last time, then closed the box and put it in his desk drawer.
The commendation ceremony was broadcast live.
Lu later learned that the filming crew was using the official live stream of a public channel, and the footage was directly switched to TUTU's official live stream room and the pages of several mainstream news platforms.
The footage of him receiving the banner was cut into several short videos and circulated on various platforms, with each video quickly reaching a high number of views.
The comments section that day was different from any other time.
In the past, when TUTU was trending on social media, there were always a few nitpicking voices in the comments section. No matter how good the trend was, there were always people who would disagree.
But this time, Lu Ran spent half an hour browsing the comments and didn't see a single negative review.
Some people commented, "This company is actually doing things," others said, "I played Lu Ran's game for three days, and then spent a week researching it after I finished," and still others said directly, "I used to think that making games was a waste of time, but TUTU has changed my mind."
The comment that caught Lu Ran's attention the most came from an account that claimed to be a history student, which wrote a long comment of more than two hundred words.
He mentioned that he had been searching for historical materials for his thesis, but many of the materials were scattered in various places and were not easy to find.
The old photos and newspaper scans in the archives of "Bloody Battle of Shanghai" were a great help. He compiled those materials into the appendix of his thesis. After reviewing them, his advisor said that the materials were well cited and the research was very solid.
The comment quickly garnered over 10,000 likes.
The comments below said things like "This is what games should be like" and "I hope more companies can learn from TUTU."
Lu Ran only looked at the data that day in the afternoon.
On TUTU's backend statistics page, the number of concurrent online users for the three main games saw a significant increase during the midday period.
He asked the operations department what was going on, and the person in charge said that since the live broadcast started in the morning, the number of downloads and logins had been increasing simultaneously, reaching a peak between noon and 2 pm.
The curve stabilized at a new high after 3 p.m., nearly 30% higher than the same period the previous day.
When Lu Ran closed the data page, there was no smile on his lips, because he knew what this day meant.
No matter how much money, manpower, or distribution channels Tencent has, it can't make any waves in the face of the words "national righteousness."
With this banner and that badge in his hands, TUTU has transformed from a "well-performing game company" into an "officially recognized game company" in the Chinese market.
The distance between these two identities is farther than Tencent's hundreds of billions of dollars in cash.
He stood up and walked to the window. Pedestrians came and went on the street below, and the glass curtain walls of office buildings in the distance reflected the afternoon light.
He recalled what Director Zhang had said before he left: "TUTU has set a good example in terms of cultural guidance."
These words might just be polite remarks from someone else, but coming from someone in the Central Propaganda Department, they are a verdict.
Lu Ran knew that, thanks to the official publicity, he had already won the first step in the battle against Tencent, at least domestically.
He accepted Tencent's offer.
Now it's his turn to play his card.
...