William smiled and didn't mind the people present, calculating silently in his head. He knew he had said enough. The potential wealth the game could generate was something these seasoned veterans in the gaming industry could easily grasp without him needing to elaborate further.
EA and Ubisoft were among the top independent publishers worldwide, capable of independently publishing both games and related merchandise. Best Buy was now the largest DVD and game distributor in the USA.
Even conservatively, the Plants vs. Zombies game discs could sell for over £70 million, and with new versions, that would mean even more money. Adding in the merchandise, which could sell for several times or even ten times the game itself, these companies and distributors naturally wanted the game.
Best Buy was also about to go public. If the game became a hit in the USA, it would greatly help their IPO next year. A return of 1% could mean a 20% increase in market value, proving that timing is crucial.
Unable to hold back, Best Buy's representative spoke up, "Alright, Mr. Devonshire, we understand you're willing to sell the full rights to the game. You've painted a bright future for the game. Let me guess, you want to sell it at a high market price, invest in the stock market, and possibly double your money within a year. If that's the case, congratulations, William. You're about to become a millionaire. But I would prefer you straightforwardly tell us how much you want for the full rights to the game."
"Starting at £100 million."
"FK...," Despite being somewhat prepared, everyone in the meeting room was still shocked when William mentioned £100 million.
Some game distributors even shouted, "Are you crazy? £100 million? Have you gone mad for money?"
Ignoring the outbursts, William looked directly at Best Buy's representative and said, "I believe Best Buy would be interested in a deal where spending £100 million could earn back over £300 million. This would significantly aid your plans for next year, right, Mr. Morris?"
Wood Morris was startled by William's direct gaze, thinking, "Does this kid know something? Impossible! The Best Buy board just agreed to go public next year. How could he know?"
However, Morris was still unnerved by William's sudden statement, feeling as though William had seen through his plans. William, staring intently at Morris, knew he had guessed correctly about Best Buy's IPO plans.
At this time, Best Buy was dominating the US market, having nearly acquired Netflix several times. If not for Best Buy's arrogance, underestimating the speed of online shopping growth and offering a low purchase price, Netflix wouldn't have had a chance.
So, at this moment, Best Buy was certainly not short on cash, but that might change after March this year.
"I need to report Best Buy's offer to the board. I can't make a decision on £100 million now, Mr. Devonshire. Let's leave it here for today and continue discussions in a few days," Morris said, trying to change the topic, feeling unsettled under William's gaze.
William smiled at Morris and said, "Alright, let's leave it at that for today. I'll await your good news, Mr. Morris."
After bidding farewell to everyone in the meeting room, William ignored those trying to finalize deals on the spot and left with Anthony and his team from Moonlit Law Firm.
The six of them went directly to a business suite at the Hilton Hotel. Anthony looked at the young man in front of him, barely 20 years old, and thought silently about the information that showed William Devonshire was born on December 7, 1980, making him just 19 years and 2 months old.
Anthony suddenly wished his son could be like William someday.
"Congratulations, Mr. Devonshire. I think you're about to become the youngest billionaire in England. This is incredible. You've completely changed my perception of young people in this new century. You're amazing, William. Congratulations," Anthony praised.
Taking the glass of wine from Anthony, William smiled and said, "Thank you. I think we need to sign a new contract now. I didn't expect things to go so smoothly. The real battle begins in three days.
"I've received information that Best Buy has plans to go public. I need your firm to fully support me, release information, and attract more potential clients.
"After all, many things sell better when there's competition."
Anthony nodded and said, "You're right, Mr. Devonshire. Our current hourly contract is no longer suitable. You need comprehensive services from Moonlit Law Firm, and we will make all necessary preparations for you."
"OK, considering this deal involves over £100 million, I believe a 1% commission should satisfy your firm.
"And if this deal goes smoothly, I'll hire you as my personal lawyer. What do you think?" William said, looking Anthony in the eye.
After a brief contemplation, Anthony agreed. A 1% commission would mean over £1 million. Moonlit was one of the top law firms in England, but he wasn't the only partner. Senior partners numbered in the teens, with dozens of junior partners. Such lucrative cases were rare, and even rarer for him to get.
Moreover, as a private lawyer, his annual fee would be £300,000. Opportunities like this didn't come every year.
Anthony quickly nodded, "No problem, Mr. Devonshire. We'll take this case."
William extended his hand, smiling, "Then, let's have a pleasant cooperation."
"Pleasant cooperation, Mr. Devonshire," Anthony replied, shaking William's hand.
After clinking glasses with everyone and downing his Scotch whiskey, William sighed internally, "I never thought I'd become a billionaire so quickly. With this £100 million, my plans for after March will proceed more smoothly."
After signing the new contract, Anthony said, "Mr. Devonshire, since I'm now your lawyer, I must remind you of something."
"Go ahead."
"I think you should involve a bank and an insurance company now. For payments involving over £100 million, an insurance company is essential to ensure the funds' safety.
"And you should consider tax planning, whether to receive the funds in England or another country."
"What's the difference?" William asked, puzzled.
"Of course, Mr. Devonshire. If you want to get the money quickly, you should pay an insurance company. If the buyer fails to pay within the contract period, the insurance company will pay you first and handle the rest themselves.
"As for the receiving bank, if you set up the account in England, you'll have to pay taxes on the money.
"If the account is set up in Switzerland or the British Virgin Islands, these tax havens, you won't have to pay taxes. England can't track foreign bank accounts."
"However, getting these funds back to England legally can be tricky. If you want to bring the money back reasonably, the cost won't be much less than paying corporate income tax."
Seeing William's eyes light up, Anthony cautioned, "But there's a major drawback. If the public finds out you didn't pay any taxes on this money, your reputation in English society could take a severe hit, possibly even fatal.
"Many people investigated for this haven't been able to escape scrutiny, and even if they don't get you, it could be a drawn-out affair."
"My suggestion is to set up a company in the British Virgin Islands and transfer half of your English company's shares to it, reducing your tax burden by half.
"Additionally, small and medium enterprises can get a 1.5x research and development cost tax rebate. How much did you spend on game development, Mr. Devonshire?"
William scratched his head, "Honestly, except for food and electricity, I didn't spend much. I did everything myself: designing the game, programming, developing, even creating and drawing the plants and zombies."
Anthony stared at William like he was an alien. He thought game development would cost at least tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Now, William claimed he spent almost nothing. Anthony felt a headache coming on.
"Alright, I know you're a genius, but I didn't expect you to be this exceptional. I'll sort out other reasonable tax avoidance methods and report to you in a few days."
William reluctantly nodded, "Alright, I only have one requirement: everything must be legal."
Anthony nodded, "Of course, sir. I guarantee everything will be legal, and no one will find loopholes in these tax avoidance methods. That's what our firm excels at."
"Good. Oh, Anthony, I need you to disseminate some of today's meeting data to the public. Leave out the final price," William whispered to Anthony.
"No problem. As long as you're prepared for paparazzi following you everywhere, I'll gladly help."
William laughed, "I've already prepared for the paparazzi to swarm me. Today's events can't be hidden for long."
Anthony said, "Good to know. I was just thinking about how to counsel you.
"God bless, I hope the news doesn't spread too fast. No one expected Best Buy to value this game so highly. Did you get some insider information?"
"That's a secret," William shrugged. "I think we should finalize the British Virgin Islands company matter this afternoon."
William's elementary wizard's intuition subtly warned him of impending trouble.
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