Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits miHoYo

This article contains AI-generated translation.

 Author
 Published

3月25日，北京三里屯 Apple Store，店里熙熙攘攘，每个人都在忙着挑选自己想要的苹果产品，没有人注意到店里走进一位银发老者。
On March 25th, at the Sanlitun Apple Store in Beijing, the store was bustling with activity as everyone was busy selecting their desired Apple products. No one noticed an elderly silver-haired man walking into the store.

但很快就有果粉认出了他，人群一下子就围了上去。只有一小部分顾客显然还并不认识这位贵客，甚至对大家蜂拥而上有些不解，问身边的店员：「他是谁啊？」
But soon, some Apple fans recognized him, and the crowd immediately gathered around him. Only a small portion of the customers clearly did not recognize this distinguished guest, and they were even a bit puzzled by the crowd rushing towards him. They asked the nearby store staff, "Who is he?"

「蒂姆·库克，我们的 CEO。」一位店员笑着回答道。
"Tim Cook, our CEO," a store employee replied with a smile.

这是蒂姆·库克自 2019 年之后首次到访中国，此行来华的主要目的，是参加由政府举办的中国发展论坛。
This is Tim Cook's first visit to China since 2019. The main purpose of this trip is to participate in the China Development Forum organized by the government.

自年初中国政府换届以来，为了提振在疫情期间被减缓的经济增长势头，官方信号不断释出对民营企业和外资企业的利好消息。这次蒂姆·库克来华，就分别受到了国家副主席韩正和商务部部长王文涛的接见，苹果在中国的地位可见一斑。
Since the beginning of the year, following the leadership change in the Chinese government, official signals have been continuously released to boost the economic growth that has been slowed down during the pandemic. During his visit, Tim Cook was received separately by Vice Premier Han Zheng and Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, highlighting the importance of Apple's position in China.

苹果自三十年前进入中国以来，一直与中国一起共同发展成长。苹果不仅依赖于中国的供应链与制造中心，为全世界生产和组装苹果的硬件产品，同时中国又是快速增长的消费市场。尤其在高端智能手机市场，苹果的 iPhone 迄今已占有超过 75% 的国内市场份额。
Since entering China thirty years ago, Apple has been growing and developing together with the country. Apple not only relies on China's supply chain and manufacturing centers to produce and assemble its hardware products for the world but also benefits from China's rapidly growing consumer market. In particular, in the high-end smartphone market, Apple's iPhone has captured over 75% of the domestic market share.

而手游市场的丰厚收入也是苹果的重要利润来源之一。根据数据显示，在 2022 年全球收入排名前 10 的手游中，中国厂商占据了 5 个名额，其中来自米哈游的《原神》名列前茅且增长明显，尤其在 App Store 上为苹果带来了丰厚的营收。
The lucrative revenue from the mobile gaming market is also one of Apple's important sources of profit. According to data, among the top 10 highest-grossing mobile games globally in 2022, Chinese developers occupied 5 spots, with miHoYo's *Genshin Impact* ranking high and showing significant growth. Particularly on the App Store, *Genshin Impact* has brought substantial revenue to Apple.

所以蒂姆·库克这次访华的尾声，安排在了上海的米哈游。
Therefore, as the culmination of Tim Cook's visit, he has arranged to visit miHoYo in Shanghai.

米哈游最初仅为蔡浩宇、刘伟和罗宇皓三人组成的团队，今天已经成长为在新加坡、美国、加拿大、日本、韩国等多个国家和地区设立分公司的全球企业，员工人数超过 6000 人，并且全球收入已经超过公司整体营收的一半以上。
miHoYo was initially founded by a team of three individuals: Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, and Luo Yuhao. Today, it has grown into a global enterprise with subsidiary companies established in multiple countries and regions such as Singapore, the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. The company has over 6,000 employees, and its global revenue has exceeded more than half of its overall revenue.

蒂姆·库克在 3 月 29 日下午来到了米哈游，被公司员工昵称为「大伟哥」的刘伟亲自接待了这位来自苹果的贵客。这位苹果的掌门人访华日程之密集，却在米哈游停留了有一个多小时，足见他对这家从独立团队成长为国际化公司的浓厚兴趣。
miHoYo was initially founded by a team of three individuals: Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, and Luo Yuhao. Today, it has grown into a global enterprise with subsidiary companies established in multiple countries and regions such as Singapore, the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. The company has over 6,000 employees, and its global revenue has exceeded more than half of its overall revenue.

2011年1月，米哈游工作室在上海交通大学闵行校区东 32 宿舍创立。之后刘伟参加了上海市大学生科技创业基金会主办的创业项目大赛「新新创业达人」，最终捧着总决赛季军和上海科委的人民币 10 万元无息贷款回到了米哈游，他们终于可以搬出宿舍，拥有了自己的办公室。
MiHoYo Studio was founded in January 2011 in the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Liu Wei later participated in the entrepreneurship competition called "Xinxin Entrepreneurial Talents," organized by the Shanghai college students' Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation. Finally, he returned to miHoYo with the third-place prize in the finals and a RMB 100,000 interest-free loan from the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission. They were finally able to move out of the dormitory and have their own office.

「技术宅拯救世界（Tech Otakus Save The World）」，米哈游公司在 2012 年正式注册成立，蔡浩宇他们选择了这样一句话作为公司的 slogan。公司成立后研发的首款游戏《崩坏学园》帮他们拿到了第一笔天使投资，也是目前为止唯一一笔外部投资。
"Tech Otakus Save The World" - this was the slogan chosen by Cai Haoyu and his team when the miHoYo company was officially registered in 2012. The development of their first game, *Houkai Gakuen*, helped them secure their first angel investment, which remains the only external investment they have received to date.

到了 2013 年，《崩坏学园 2》再次获得成功，而当时整个团队也仅有 7 名成员，为了团队后续发展，米哈游开始向外部招募新的成员加入团队。《崩坏 3》在 2014 年立项，2016 年上线，到了 2018 年，米哈游已经成长为拥有 200 名员工的公司。
By 2013, *Houkai Gakuen 2* achieved success, and at that time, the entire team consisted of only seven members. In order to support the team's further development, miHoYo began recruiting new members externally. The project for *Honkai Impact 3rd* was initiated in 2014 and launched in 2016. By 2018, miHoYo had grown into a company with 200 employees.

刘伟向蒂姆·库克介绍米哈游时说，「外界看我们只是一家游戏公司，但我们其实更是一家做 IP 的公司。」米哈游很早开始就非常注重围绕产品本身的周边商品研发，《崩坏3》就有派生动画系列、视觉小说、漫画、宣传真人剧等。随着游戏的亚服、欧服和美服逐步上线，米哈游的作品开始在全球范围引发关注。
When introducing miHoYo to Tim Cook, Liu Wei said, "While the outside world sees us as just a game company, we are actually an IP company." miHoYo has placed great emphasis on developing peripheral merchandise around its products from an early stage. *Honkai Impact 3rd* has spawned derivative animation series, visual novels, comics, and live-action promotional dramas. As the game gradually launched in Asian, European, and American markets, miHoYo's works began to attract global attention.

在 2017 年时，米哈游启动了《原神》的预研工作。蔡浩宇最初考虑创建一个技术研发为核心的新项目，最终选择了开放世界游戏为原型，设计灵感来源于对大世界的探索系统，并参考了很多同类游戏的随机事件和任务系统。
In 2017, miHoYo initiated the pre-research work for *Genshin Impact*. Initially, Cai Haoyu considered creating a new project centered around technological development. Eventually, he chose an open-world game as the prototype, drawing inspiration from exploration systems in large worlds and incorporating random events and quest systems from similar games.

团队一开始投入了数十人的人力，但这显然无法满足理想中开放世界的研发投入，项目团队很快就开始扩招。至 2019 年首次内测时，团队人力已经达到了 300 人。而到了 2020 年游戏正式上线，《原神》研发团队已经超过 500 人。研发成本也不断攀升，到正式上线时投入已经超过 1 亿美元，直到今天每年依然有超过 2 亿美元的研发投入。
At the beginning, the team had only dozens of people, which was clearly insufficient for the ideal development of an open-world game. The project team quickly began to expand its workforce. By the time of the first closed beta test in 2019, the team had grown to 300 people. When the game officially launched in 2020, the development team had exceeded 500 people. Development costs continued to rise, surpassing $100 million USD by the time of the official release. Even today, annual research and development investment exceeds $200 million USD.

根据相关数据显示，在《原神》正式上线两年后的今天，仅在移动平台上的全球总营收已经累积超过 40 亿美元。中国仍是《原神》最大的单一市场，营收比例接近 35%，其次分别是日本（23%）、美国（16.5%）和韩国（6%），海外市场的总收入已经超过国内市场。
According to relevant data, as of today, just two years after the official launch of *Genshin Impact*, the global total revenue on mobile platforms alone has exceeded $4 billion USD. China remains the largest single market for *Genshin Impact*, accounting for nearly 35% of revenue. The following are Japan (23%), the United States (16.5%), and South Korea (6%). The total revenue from overseas markets has surpassed that of the domestic market.

除了盈利方面，《原神》也获得了包括苹果 App Store 2020 年度最佳 iPhone 游戏和 TGA 2021 年度最佳移动游戏等国际性的奖项。而《原神》在海外获得的成功也让游戏中的中国文化有了更好的输出通道，为游戏角色云堇量身打造的京剧戏歌《神女劈观》向全球用户展现了中华传统文化的无穷魅力。
In addition to profitability, *Genshin Impact* has also received international recognition, including awards such as the Best iPhone Game of 2020 from the Apple App Store and the Best Mobile Game of 2021 from The Game Awards (TGA). The game's success overseas has also provided a better channel for the dissemination of Chinese culture, with the Peking opera song "The Divine Damsel of Devastation" specially created for the character Yun Jin showcasing the infinite charm of traditional Chinese culture to global users.

蒂姆·库克对于米哈游的成绩感到非常令人惊叹：「看看他们从 2011 年到今天所获得的成就。从最初只有三个人的公司，发展到现在数千人的规模。他们的游戏在全球范围内都非常知名，在全球 80 到 90 个不同的国家和地区中排名第一。这令我肃然起敬，他们正是我们梦寐以求的开发者。」
Tim Cook was extremely impressed by miHoYo's achievements, stating, "Look at what they have accomplished from 2011 until today. From a company with only three people in the beginning, they have grown to a scale of thousands. Their games are well-known globally and rank first in 80 to 90 different countries and regions worldwide. I am deeply respectful of them; they are the developers we dream of."

米哈游对于研发方面的投入非常重视，刘伟在给蒂姆·库克介绍公司期间，请了多位公司技术方面的负责人，分别向他介绍了米哈游在技术方面的投入给最终产品带来的效果，其中包括像《原神》率先适配了苹果 ProMotion 技术来让游戏帧数表现更加顺滑等。
miHoYo places great emphasis on research and development. While introducing the company to Tim Cook, Liu Wei invited several technical leaders of the company to explain the effects of miHoYo's technological investments on the final products. This included *Genshin Impact* being one of the first games to adapt to Apple's ProMotion technology for smoother frame rate performance.

蒂姆·库克不仅只是聆听，偶尔也会提一些自己感兴趣的问题。他在看即将上线的《崩坏：星穹铁道》演示时，问到该项目技术方面的负责人：「你觉得 M2 芯片怎么样？」这位负责人回答说：「在移动平台上表现很强劲，完全不输于桌面平台芯片还有主机平台的表现。」听到这样的答案，他的脸上自然露出满意的笑容。
Tim Cook not only listened attentively but also occasionally raised questions of his own interest. While watching a demonstration of the upcoming game *Honkai: Star Rail*, he asked the project's technical lead, "How do you think the M2 chip performs?" The technical lead replied, "It performs very strongly on mobile platforms, on par with desktop and console platforms." Upon hearing this answer, a satisfied smile naturally appeared on Tim Cook's face.

蒂姆·库克在米哈游停留了一个小时，而此时的苹果，还面临着「内忧外困」的窘境。
Tim Cook stayed at miHoYo for an hour, while Apple at this time was still facing a dilemma of "internal troubles and external difficulties."

在时代的大背景下，中美之间的贸易对抗依然持续加剧，虽然中美两国之间的双边贸易额在 2022 年又创历史新高，但也在这一年中国失去了美国第一贸易伙伴国的地位：美国 2022 年从中国进口了 5388 亿美元产品，低于美国从欧盟进口的 5530 亿美元。
In the context of the times, the trade confrontation between China and the United States continues to intensify. Although the bilateral trade volume between China and the United States reached a historical high in 2022, China lost its position as the United States' top trading partner that year. The United States imported $538.8 billion worth of products from China in 2022, which was lower than the $553 billion worth of products imported from the European Union.

而苹果最新一个季度的财报也让市场有些担忧，营收同比下滑 5.5%，净利润同比下降 13%，此前连续 14 个季度的同比增长势头被打断。而一直以来作为苹果营收主力的 iPhone，在 2022 年第四季度全球市场出货量都出现了明显下滑。
Apple's latest quarterly financial report also raised some concerns in the market, with a 5.5% year-on-year decline in revenue and a 13% decline in net profit. This interrupted the continuous 14-quarter growth momentum. Moreover, the iPhone, which has always been Apple's revenue mainstay, experienced a significant decline in global market shipments in the fourth quarter of 2022.

当然，苹果从来不是一个追求短期利益的公司，它所有的策略都是专注于长期发展。
However, Apple has never been a company that pursues short-term benefits. All its strategies are focused on long-term development.

正如现场媒体对蒂姆·库克提出的问题，来自极客湾的云飞问到：「您认为苹果平台能吸引到这些优秀的创造者的原因是什么？以及苹果将如何持续支持这些开发者呢？」这位苹果的 CEO 思考了一下说：
As for the questions raised by the media on the scene, Yun Fei from Geekwan asked Tim Cook, "What do you think is the reason why Apple's platform can attract these excellent creators? And how will Apple continue to support these developers?" The CEO of Apple pondered for a moment and said:

「我们一直在 App Store 上进行创新，因为我们希望其成为开发者最信赖的地方，并提供良好的交易环境。我们也希望 App Store 成为用户可以放心使用的地方，保证他们的隐私和安全，并确保他们获得的 app 或者游戏是高质量的。因此，我认为Apple应该做好本职工作，并让开发者发挥他们的作用，双方共同努力，就会发生惊人的改变。」
"We have always been innovating on the App Store because we want it to be the most trusted place for developers and provide a good trading environment. We also want the App Store to be a place where users can use it with confidence, ensuring their privacy and security and guaranteeing that the apps or games they obtain are of high quality. Therefore, I believe that Apple should do its job well and let developers play their roles. With both sides working together, amazing changes will happen."

在此次访华期间，蒂姆·库克宣布苹果公司已经确定将对中国发展研究基金会的捐助增加至 1 亿元人民币，加强中国乡村数字教育等方面的支持，为中国各个教师和学生创造成长机会。其中新增的 5000 万元人民币捐赠将资助为期三年的「智惠园丁」项目，着眼于中国欠发达地区的数字化教学。
During this visit to China, Tim Cook announced that Apple has decided to increase its donation to the China Development Research Foundation to 100 million yuan, strengthening support for rural digital education in China and creating growth opportunities for teachers and students across the country. Of the additional 50 million yuan donation, 50 million yuan will be allocated to the "Smart Gardener" program, which will fund a three-year initiative focused on digital teaching in underdeveloped areas of China.