A television station founded in 1980, not much older than Gamenova.
But they managed to push themselves to the very bottom of the second tier even when the television market was almost saturated.
What is the basis for this?
The answer is simple: CNN is the first 24/7 news channel in the country.
The three major television stations used to broadcast news for only half an hour to an hour in the evening.
If you still want to watch, then wait until the next day.
CNN is very bold, operating 24/7, 365 days a year!
It wasn't even a rebroadcast, but genuine "news," all kinds of news.
While other TV stations had already finished their news segments and started broadcasting dramas, variety shows, and movies, CNN was still broadcasting news.
They just gritted their teeth and kept broadcasting it.
With this sheer grit, CNN managed to boost its viewership ratings.
But the cost was also extremely high. Losing money!
Losing money like crazy!
Just like Microsoft's determination to enter the gaming industry, spending billions of dollars to carve out the Xbox market.
CNN is also operating entirely on a cash-burning basis.
This has remained unchanged to this day.
Many people feel that CNN is now all bark and no bite.
In a few years at most, even if no one cares, CNN will destroy itself.
But as a time traveler, Lin Lixin knew very well...
The turning point is approaching.
In the field of journalism, there is a term called the " CNN Effect ".
This refers to the phenomenon where news media, through timely reporting, directly influence decision-making during political conflicts or disasters.
The key moment that led to the formation of this concept was the Gulf War in 1991. While reporters from several other television stations fled, CNN stayed behind in a frenzy.
Not only did they remain on the scene, but they also followed the entire war, broadcasting the entire Gulf War live on television.
It's fair to say that without CNN, the impact of the Gulf War would have been several levels lower.
This incident reversed CNN's decade-long losing streak and ushered in its upward trend.
"Welcome, Mr. Ted."
"It's my pleasure, Mr. Lin. This place is quite different from what I imagined."
Ted Turner was greeted and led into the reception room.
Upon learning that Lin Lixin of Gamenova wanted to see him, Ted simply made the trip himself, traveling from Georgia all the way to California, crossing the entire continental United States.
If it were CNN a few years from now, maybe Ted would still be able to put on airs.
But what about now?
Gamenova crushed CNN as easily as crushing a maggot. "A relaxing environment and a rich gaming atmosphere are necessary prerequisites for creating a masterpiece."
"I think you're right, we should also learn from Gamenova's style."
"Hey, isn't CNN crazy enough already? They're broadcasting news 24/7."
Lin Lixin smiled slightly and waved his hand, gesturing for the other person to sit down.
"But I like working with crazy guys; it's always like that that's how you create something unexpected."
He was referring to the Battlefield who followed CNN for over a month.
Ted stopped listening, thinking it was the 24-hour news.
News is a type of program with very low economic returns.
It's costly and yields few results, making it a thankless and arduous task for television stations; it can only be used to build credibility and authority.
For people like them to make journalism their main profession is indeed quite "crazy".
"Come on, it's time for my favorite part again. Guess what I'm planning to do with you guys?"
What are you planning to do?
He had already thought about this on the way.
The most likely scenario is that they will develop some kind of cooperation centered around their own CNN television station.
Is it news? Broadcasting rights? Or a press conference?
Regardless of which one it is, at least one thing is certain.
He will definitely not lose out.
Partnering with Gamenova is basically equivalent to already having picked up the sack.
No matter what happens next, Gamenova will lead them to a warehouse full of money.
As for how much it can hold, that depends on its capacity.
Recalling the results of the background check he had instructed before arriving, Ted pursed his lips, hesitated, and then spoke:
"Is it because of... 3do?" If there's been any major event in the gaming world recently...
Aside from the widespread adoption of the " Internet Café Plan " and the phenomenal success of Quake 2, EA's 3DO console is another major factor.
Many media professionals have labeled 3DO a "nitro killer".
The meaning is clear: with this machine, Gamenova's proud 16-bit metamachine NX will no longer have any niche.
Before long, NX will become history.
3do will take up the baton and continue the legend of the United States gaming industry.
"Who? Oh, of course not. They're not game developers, why would I care?"
Lin Lixin waved his hand, his words laced with sarcasm.
Ted's thoughts were in turmoil. He didn't say much, but he silently memorized those words.
For experts in journalism, this kind of information is quite keen.
"What's that? You're planning to have CNN broadcast the Gamenova launch event?"
"Hmm, that's a good idea, but it's not quite right either." Lin Lixin smiled and shook his head, explaining.
"The answer is video games; we plan to develop a war-themed shooting game."
"A game? But why with..."
At this point, Ted suddenly swallowed the rest of his sentence, his eyes flickering slightly.
" The Gulf Crisis..."
"As you know, Gamenova is always committed to creating the highest quality games. You can't see what a real battlefield looks like from your office. That's why I need CNN, or more precisely, CNN's Battlefield."
Ted's brows furrowed tightly.
Lin Lixin's meaning is very clear.
If the situation in the Gulf region fails to de-escalate and a full-blown conflict erupts, CNN reporters will be on the front lines, transmitting these valuable on-site images back to the United States.
Then it became Gamenova's primary source material.
The risk is very high. But if this can actually be done...
CNN's 24/7 news coverage, combined with firsthand, on-the-spot information...
This will be CNN's chance to turn things around.
It's a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
"Damn it, we're going to do it! Don't worry, Mr. Lin, if that day ever comes, even if everyone at ABS runs away, we at CNN won't."
madman?
They're crazy, so what?
One cannot truly live without being obsessed.
"See? I told you I like working with lunatics, didn't I?"
Lin Lixin took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands with Ted.
The meaning is clear: since you have such courage, Gamenova will naturally not hesitate to offer our support.
"Don't worry about funding. We'll negotiate the best satellite communications and international routes for CNN. Not a single bit of information will be lost in transit." Although Gamenova's main business is in the internet sector, its connections in other communications fields are no joke.
"Of course! Uh... by the way, Mr. Lin, I wonder if you could tell me that your new work is...?"
"Oh, of course, that's fine."
Lin Lixin smiled and nodded, then took a printed document out of the drawer.
A line of large, bold black text.
[Battlefield 1991 (tentative title)]
Battlefield.
A large-scale, multi-map cooperative FPS game.
Unlike traditional titles like Quake and Counter-Strike, Battlefield took a completely different path.
If there's one game most suitable for release during the Gulf War, it's probably Battlefield.
However, Lin Lixin had not considered this project before, not because it was unsuitable.
But there is a more important reason...
novagraphics.
The headquarters of the newly established Center for Graphics Research is naturally located within Silicon Valley.
It's not far from the Bay Area, only half an hour's drive from the headquarters.
As a research center primarily focused on scientific research output, it doesn't need to rent vast tracts of land to build factories like Micronova.
There is no need to spend a lot of money to build your own cleanroom.
The wafer fabrication work is still handled by Micronova.
novagraphics' work involves only design.
Inside the meeting room.
Lin Lixin briefly explained the requirements for this mission to everyone.
"It's difficult..."
Ben Gorcy frowned; he wasn't optimistic about the project. It was a complete pipe dream, failing to consider the actual hardware requirements.
"Memory and video memory are both issues; we have no way to cache textures on such a large scale."
Carmack quickly made a mental estimate and also gave a less than ideal answer.
Lin Lixin's demands sounded absolutely terrifying.
Supports ultra-large battlefields with up to 64 players competing on the same map.
It includes a complete range of military facilities such as airports, ports, and building complexes.
There also needs to be a true multi-service joint combat system, where every vehicle in the game can be driven.
A massive map spanning several Eri...
Without even considering it, it's completely unfeasible.
"Um..."
Lin Lixin had anticipated this answer.
This is why he didn't include Battlefield as an option in the first place. The original Battlefield, Battlefield 1942, was actually released in 2002.
What processors were used in the PC market that year?
Intel Celeron.
It has a 533MHz clock speed, 256KB L2 cache, and is manufactured using a 90nm process.
The graphics card uses Nvidia's GeForce 2, a 0.18-micron process, with a core frequency of 200MHz, a terrifying pixel fill rate of 1.6 billion per second, and a video memory of up to 32MB.
Even the memory has reached a terrifying level of 128MB.
Such a configuration, if implemented in 1991, would have been pure alien technology.
Even supercomputers can't reach this level.
Not to mention that this is only the minimum system requirements for Battlefield 1942.
To truly enjoy the game, you'll need at least a 1GHz processor and a high-end graphics card like the GeForce 4 Ti 4800.
Dozens of players compete on the same stage, amidst tons of bullets, vehicles, and explosion effects.
Neither the hardware pressure nor the network pressure is something that this era can solve. So here's the question.
Is this problem truly unsolvable?