Investor That Can See The Future

Chapter 334

The development of technology has greatly increased the cost of game production.

Whether it’s an indie game or a casual game, big games cost a lot of money to develop. Still, it was usually between tens of billions to hundreds of billions, and rarely exceeded 1 trillion.

However, President Ichikawa called the 11th group from the start. Your budget will always go over your budget, so you may need more than that.

The amount of money is getting bigger these days, but 11 trillion won is enough money to take over several large companies. It would be possible to take over an entire game company that is said to be in Korea.

No matter how much Ichikawa Shigeru, if someone else had gone and called for this amount, he would have been treated like a madman.

I asked him.

“The development cost is shocking. Does that have anything to do with the fact that you asked for $30 million in acquisition costs a while ago?”

President Ichikawa nodded his head.

“As a game company called Actaron, we have several patents related to technology that links the sense of touch with games.”

Taek-gyu briefly explained.

“Virtual reality games have different interfaces and input/output methods from previous games. If development proceeds, there will not be one or two other companies to acquire.”

President Ichakawa continued.

“I’ve tried VR sex devices made by Faceit, and I’ve also ridden the AD3 made by Karos. Each of those products made major breakthroughs in pornography and automobiles. I think now is the time for such innovation in games as well.”

He talked about his ideas in earnest.

He wears a device that combines VR and communication on his head, and a remote controller like a gauntlet in both hands. And through it, you move the character and traverse the field.

Taek-gyu nodded eagerly as he listened to the explanation.

“Ah! It gives the effect of a vibrating pad.”

“Yes. It might give you some pain as a penalty.”

“That would be fine. When a character hits, it hurts myself, and when I hit it, I feel a blow.”

We didn’t know what to do, so we just listened quietly. Anyway, it looks like fun.

After a while, after the conversation was over, Sangyeop senior asked.

“The game you are making right now is great enough, so why do you want to develop a virtual reality game?”

“I felt it while making Lost Fantasy this time. I don’t want to make games that anyone can make anymore. I want to try a game that no one else has ever made.”

It is commendable to have a spirit of challenge without being complacent with success. However, there is no guarantee that it will lead to further success.

“This is a project that takes a long time and a lot of money. In the past, I would not have even dared to challenge myself. The most difficult part of developing a game so far has been the breath of investors and managers. Because of that, it was not uncommon for the development direction to be changed or the scenario to be modified. So Linix Pentagon came out.”

Investors’ pursuit of profit and artistry as a creator inevitably collide. Directors and projects are sometimes shut down due to such disagreements.

But we haven’t touched anything since we invested. Because I didn’t know anything about games, and Taek-gyu was unconditionally in favor of what he was doing.

He has already decided to make a virtual reality game. What’s left is my choice

Even if the development cost is $10 billion, we don’t have to pay all that money. The revenue coming from Lost Fantasy M and Lost Fantasy Online will also be partially covered. The dividend will have to be abandoned for several years.

Given the speed of technological development now, it is only a matter of time, and virtual reality games will come out someday.

And we have the technology and funding to support it.

Carlos’ artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing technology. Faceit’s VR technology and algorithms that process big data.

This is truly a huge project.

And Shigeru Ichikawa is the only person who will lead the way. He’s been making the games he wants to make all his life, and he’ll make the games he wants to make no matter how many years it takes.

The advent of the Internet has dramatically changed people’s lives enough to be called a revolution. One of them is that it has expanded the realm of human perception.

Space is not only a physical entity, but also exists in consciousness. So, the Internet becomes a space, a bulletin board where people gather becomes a cafe, and a site that sells goods becomes a shopping mall. And people meet each other in online games.

Therefore, even if you are in a small room, you do not feel stuffy if you have internet access. Conversely, no matter how large a place is, if there is no internet, you will feel frustrated and anxious.

The development of smart phones and wireless communication technology has created an environment that can be connected to the Internet anytime, anywhere, and has now evolved into the Internet of Things (IOT).

In a way, the Internet may have come from the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age. And giant IT companies are now opening the Bronze Age and preparing to move into the Iron Age. And games play a very important role there.

Although some countries designate gaming as one of the four major addictions along with alcohol, gambling, and drugs, and impose all sorts of restrictions, such as a shutdown system and a preliminary review system, most countries are not sparing their support from the state.

The reason is that gaming is a huge industry that creates tremendous added value.

What kind of future will virtual reality games create? Maybe it could change the world beyond self-driving electric vehicles?

It doesn’t matter how much development cost, as long as it succeeds. If you fail, you will waste not only money but also time.

I asked President Ichikawa.

“What is the name of the game?”

“I am currently thinking of it as an extended version of Lost Fantasy Online, and I first named it Serana after the continent.”

At that moment, something flashed in front of my eyes.

After a while, when I woke up, people were staring at me. It must have seemed like he was alone.

I quickly got up from my seat.

“I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment.”

Taek-gyu quickly followed. After confirming that it was just the two of them, I said exactly what I had just seen. When Taek-gyu heard the story, he was astonished.

“What? 100 million people?”

“Speak quietly.”

“Ah Okay.”

“By the way, is it possible to have 100 million concurrent users?”

Taek-gyu thought with his arms crossed.

“It was impossible in the past. However, after the Chinese market opened, millions of concurrent users came out of nowhere. Some of them were taken by 10 million people.”

“10 million people accessing one game at the same time?”

This is equivalent to the population of any country.

“Online games are characterized by crowds. Who wants to play online games that no one else plays? As for item trading, the more users there are, the higher the price, and the lower the number of users, the lower the price. Lumina’s Dragon Sword was cut in half as soon as the accessor tape was cut.”

I remembered the words of an IT expert I saw in an article.

‘Facenote has it all. Because everyone is on Facenote.’

It sounds like a simple pun, but it goes straight to the point.

The purpose of SNS is to connect with people. By the way, everyone who uses SNS already has an account in Facenote. Therefore, those who want to use SNS have no choice but to create an account in Facenote.

Likewise, in online games, the more users there are, the greater the meaning of play. If it’s a game you play alone, no matter how hard you develop your character and get good items, it’s just self-satisfaction. However, in online games, all of them can be exchanged for real money.

If we just preempt the platform of virtual reality games, wouldn’t we be able to continue to attract users in the future?

“How much money can I get for this?”

“MMORPGs are either a billing system or a flat rate, but this should be done with a flat rate. It’s usually around 20,000 won or 3,000 won. If it’s a virtual reality game, wouldn’t it be possible for 50,000 or 100,000 won?

When people get enough to eat and live, they find entertainment. The term Homo Ludens is not for nothing.

Online games can be enjoyed for a long time with less money compared to other hobbies. Not only China, but also emerging markets such as India and ASEAN can be explored.

If the fee is set at $50 per month, and 10 million paying users are secured, $500 million. If you have 100 million people, that’s $5 billion.

This amount will keep coming in every month!

If this is true, the $10 billion development cost is not a problem. If you make a game once and succeed, there is no need to spend a lot of money. Even after accounting for operating costs and publishing costs, the profit margin is tens of percent.

If you think about it, it’s strange.

Among the companies we bought, OTK Games is right next to Karos and Faceit in terms of market cap.

The first two companies were selected by Yeji, but in OTK Games, Taekkyu just decided to invest.

At that time, the investment was only 1 billion yen, but now, if you want to acquire OTK Games, you have to pay at least 1 trillion yen. And if the virtual reality game succeeds, even if you pay 10 trillion yen or 20 trillion yen, you can’t buy it.

I tapped Taekyu on the shoulder.

“Well done.”

Taek-gyu blinked his eyes as if he didn’t understand English.

“Huh? What am I?”

* * *

Just because a holding company is a holding company, it cannot control the technologies of its subsidiaries at will. But you can ask for cooperation.

Karos and Faceit showed interest and expressed their intention to actively support them. Of course, it is not free, and conditions must be negotiated. Team leader Seo Sang-won went back and forth between the United States and Japan to coordinate each other’s terms.

Meanwhile, OTK Games held a public presentation at Tokyo Big Sight. Even with the high antipathy towards OTK Company, the audience flocked like a cloud, and the competition for tickets was fierce.

There was a commotion in front of the building, with some Japanese conservative groups and anti-Korean groups protesting, but it wasn’t a big deal.

With the attention of gamers and media around the world, the official release date was announced along with the start of the Lost Fantasy Online Open Beta service.

Since the open beta service was freely available to all users, it was as if the game was actually released to the public.

Towards the end of the presentation, Shigeru Ichikawa came forward and made a shocking statement.

“Lost Fantasy made a mark in the history of gaming. Many consider Lost Fantasy Online the end of its history. But my opinion is different. Lost Fantasy Online will be the starting point of opening a new world. OTK Games will create a virtual reality game that expands the lost fantasy world. To that end, we are moving our headquarters from Tokyo to Detroit and working with several companies.”

At this announcement, the venue was completely shaken.

Reporters flooded in with questions.

“How long do you think the development period is?”

“Do you think it is possible with the current technology?”

“Are there any remedies for failures in the past?”

He answered briefly.

“We plan to complete the development within three years. Not long ago, I met CEO Kang Jin-hoo and was promised all support. This project will not be stopped no matter what. That is all.”

Virtual reality game development… … The so-called Serana project has wowed gamers all over the world.

-Are you going to make a virtual reality online game?

-After all, the Otaku Company!

-Is the virtual reality game that you can only see in game boards really appear?

– Not quite yet. It’s not just exchanging electrical signals with the brain, it’s just exchanging visual information using VR.

– First of all, that’s the way it is. If the technology is further developed later, something like a real capsule could be made.(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

– Will this really work?

– Kang Jin-hoo invested, so there’s a lot of potential, isn’t it?

-Where does the development cost come from?

– I will support you with the money you stole from the Japan Public Pension Fund.

-Like this, Japan is also contributing to the development of world games.

* *

The open beta service started at the same time in Korea and Japan.

After that, even if it is officially released and paid for, the characters raised in the open beta service are linked as is. In Korea alone, there were 300,000 concurrent users.

I don’t know how much of it will be converted into a paid one, but it can be said to be a jackpot from the start. Those who have played the game themselves gave high marks for the world view, graphics, and ease of operation.

While the number of subscribers exceeded 1 million and cruised, an official notice was sent to OTK Games Korea.

we received it

[Request for self-regulation cooperation on Lost Fantasy Online]

(Strategy) We ask for your cooperation in the following matters.

1. Access time is limited to 4 hours per day to ensure the right to sleep and learning for young people.

2. When making payments for teenagers, be sure to obtain parental consent and prepare a device to block transaction of game items by teenagers.

3. Measure the game addiction inducement index before official distribution. (If the index is high, you can request to modify the game content, and if you do not comply, restrictive measures including prohibition of distribution are implemented)

4. Measures and fund preparation for game over-immersion.

5. Probability notice for stochastic items and prohibition of excessive speculation.

6. Prepare our own censorship and regulatory measures for violence and sensationalism in the game.

7. For the realization of gender equality in the game… … .

Since then, the demands have been endless.

Taek-gyu said as if he was absurd.

“What the hell is this? Where did you send this?”

Of all the government departments, there is only one place to send such a message.

I sighed after checking the sender on the official document.

“It was sent by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.”