1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 87



Only Noblemtl

Episode 87 – Arcade Takeover Plan

“Have you ever been to an arcade?”

I asked the president of Myeongseong Capital.

“No, I haven’t been there myself.”

“I see. The image of arcades in Korea these days is not very positive. There are dozens of game cabinets lined up in a cramped space, and it feels like a hangout for juvenile delinquents. However, it is actually a place that adults often visit.”

“I see. I should go there sometime soon.”

“Come with me. It’ll be fun. Any arcade, big or small, will have at least twenty game cabinets. Most of them probably have pirated boards. I’m planning to replace as many of them as possible with our A1 boards.”

“Do you have any special plans?”

“Arcade games are not much different from home consoles. Although the system boards are much more expensive than home consoles, the key to success in arcades is the same: fun games. It’s a very simple but certain principle that will never change.”

“It’s a fun game···.”

“Yes. And who makes the best hit games in Korea right now?”

“They’re all made by your company, sir?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded. I explained my arcade takeover plan to the president of Myeongseong Capital.

“The first one will be . First, we will focus on installing the game in arcades that can serve as bases in each region. The response will probably come in an instant. Then, we will have no choice but to increase the number of in arcades around the area.”

“Will the effects be seen that quickly?”

“Of course. If isn’t popular, then it’s okay, but if it’s popular, it spreads in an instant. No arcade owner would just sit back and watch while all their customers are being stolen by the arcade next door because isn’t there. Games are much more sensitive to trends than you might think. And this is just the beginning.”

“So what next?”

“After releasing , the next game will come out right away. We will upgrade and to arcade versions and release them in succession. As we develop , we will also build up our development capabilities, so it probably won’t even take a month.”

“Then, all the Starbeat games will be released in the arcade.”

“Yes. If you make three lineups that quickly, you can sell at least three or four A1 boards per arcade. Just now, you said how many arcades there are in the country. According to my understanding, there are at least 10,000 arcades in Seoul alone.”

“Assuming there are 10,000 arcades in Seoul, are you saying that if we distribute A1 boards to all the arcades in Seoul, that alone would be enough to supply 30,000 to 40,000 units?”

“It would be a very ideal case, but I think it is possible. The only problem is how to overcome the high price barrier. That’s why the CEO’s help is absolutely necessary. Many business owners who are short on cash will not be able to bring in money even if they want to, just with installment payments.”

“They say that even if you catch only 30,000 units, you can get almost 100 billion units···.”

President Shin Myeong-seop seemed to be quickly tapping away at the calculator in his head.

“I understand what you say. If it is indeed as you say, it will certainly be a much larger project than I thought. However, I dare not doubt your insight, but and are old games, right? I am afraid that , which you are developing, will not be as effective.”

This guy is never easygoing.

Is there a reason why he became the president of a large financial company at such a young age?

Strictly speaking, my achievements so far have been with home console games and portable game consoles. This is my first time releasing a game for the arcade.

Although I was trying my best not to offend, President Shin Myeong-seop’s question was clear.

In the end, what I meant was that the game lineup I mentioned seemed lacking in his eyes.

Suddenly, I remembered the countless times I had been rejected while meeting with old VCs.

Yes, I had forgotten for a moment how picky people who handle money are. They were unwavering no matter what logic or data I presented if it did not meet their standards.

At that time, I was in a situation where I was trembling every day for money and begging people to invest in me.

However, I am much more prepared now than I was then.

“So, other than the game that has already been developed, you are curious about the next step after .”

“This is how people who handle money are. Even if I see my head flying away, I can’t see my money flying away.”

“That’s a very touching statement. Of course, I have some plans. I haven’t told anyone yet, but I’ll tell you today, Mr. President.”

“What are your plans?”

“Do you know about the 1989 Winter CES taking place in January next year?”

“CES? Yes, I know. Isn’t it the place where they show off the latest electronic products?”

At that time, CES was held twice a year, in summer and winter. It was a time when technological development was very fast and people were enthusiastic about the latest electronic products.

“Starbeat plans to introduce the A1 board at the 1989 Winter CES and make a full-fledged foray into the global market. By then, we will have at least three new games, including .”

“More than 3 new games?”

“I have always dreamed of entering the global market with the games I have made. CES is the best place to do so, and I plan to show there that Korean games are not behind the world. However, since our history is short, it will not be easy to attract people’s attention. That is why I plan to bring as many games as possible.”

Actually, this was a mixture of fact and fiction.

I’m planning to take the A1 board to the 1989 Winter CES, where I’ll get some eyeballs and hopefully get it into the global market.

However, I did not set a specific goal of producing more than three new works, including .

The entire company was currently focused on creating , and although we had various game ideas, we hadn’t decided on one in particular to develop.

Of course, there were candidates among them. I pulled out the first card among the candidates.

“Yes, after , I plan to make a really cool SF shooting game. It’s about aliens building an invasion base on the far side of the moon, and humanity developing the ultimate combat spaceship to destroy the base and heading to the far side of the moon.”

“Oh, this time the setting is space. I like SF. My son loves RoboCop. He always says “Wheeeeeeeeee~” with his mouth and imitates RoboCop’s movements at home.”

“! It’s a masterpiece. I also really like it. It’s still a bit difficult to make such a great SF movie in Korea, but it’s definitely possible to make a SF game. The A1 board already has enough performance.”

“Is this board really that good? Well, it would cost almost as much as a car.”

The president of Myeongseong Capital picked up the board and looked at it with new, curious eyes.

“So how will that SF game unfold? Will it be very different from , which is currently in development?”

“It will be completely different. First of all, is a belt-scrolling action game, and the new SF game is a shooting game, so the genres are different. And this game will be like a technology demo that will maximize the high performance of the A1 board, and we plan to bring together all of our technologies to make it.”

“Tech demo?”

“Yes, it’s to show off our company’s technology, to put it simply. Of course, we can’t lose the gameplay. The game starts with a scene where a beautifully designed spaceship flies into space. We fight aliens in space, and then we approach the far side of the moon. Here, we’ll change the perspective so that you feel like you’re actually flying around the surface of the moon.”

“hmm···!”

“Finally, when you enter the base, the spaceship will transform into a human-shaped robot and infiltrate the enemy base. Then, you have to blow up the base and escape to finish the game. The spaceship transforming into a human-shaped robot is symbolic of the victory of humans over aliens.”

“Ah, you can even put that kind of symbolism into a game?”

“As games develop, they will become no different from movies. No, they will become a culture and industry that far surpasses movies. I believe so.”

I thought the concept of the game that the members of Tobagi sent me was good from the first time I saw it.

But the game itself needed a complete overhaul. There needs to be more discussion on how to change it, but for now, I’ve just talked about the general direction I’m thinking of.

The idea of ​​the robot transforming into a human at the end, or the symbolism of humanity’s victory, came to me spontaneously. But I thought it would come out pretty well.

If it is divided into three acts, Act 1, 2, and 3, and each act presents a different perspective and style of shooting game, it will definitely stand out as a technology demo and in terms of gameplay.

This type of game is all about spaceship and robot design, and I had a feeling that Go Seong-beom would do a great job with it.

“What other games are there?”

President Shin Myeong-seop asked with a look of curiosity about the game.

“The next game is related to . You may not know this, but in 1987, Capcom released a game called . Unlike other games, it was a game where you fought against a computer, but you fought against another person. It wasn’t a huge hit, but it was a genre with a lot of potential.”

“Is it a popular genre?”

“It’s a genre that can take over arcades all over the world if one mega hit hits. And it’s a genre that arcade owners really like.”

“Is there any particular reason why owners would like it more?”

“Since it’s a competitive game, you need at least two people to play it, right? Of course, you can play alone, but the fun is in competing with others. In addition, you’ll definitely spend more coins than in a single-player game, and no matter how good you are at competitive games, you can’t play for much longer because it’s a best-of-three game.”

“They spend a lot of money, but the game time is short? Surely, then, the owners would like it, right? But I don’t know what that has to do with .”

“It’s simple. The fighting game I’m envisioning will feature characters from . I plan to create a fighting action game where characters from around the world, such as the US, Russia, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa, compete against Korean and Japanese characters from .”

“Ahhhh…! So a game can lead to another game like that?”

“Just as popular movies are released in sequels and third installments, so are games. They may be released in a series, but they can also be completely different games with shared characters or worldviews. It’s all up to the developer to create it. I plan to create a fighting game set in the early 20th century, a time of pain for us but a time of cultural prosperity for the world.”

Although many things are still undecided, a fighting game in Daejeon was something we had in mind since the planning of .

is a stepping stone to the Daejeon fighting game genre. Right now, the best genre to experiment with is belt-scrolling action games, including characters, action, impact, and controllability.

In 1989, belt-scrolling action games were fully established, and in 1991, Capcom finally released . Then, would soon dominate the arcades, and all the developers who made arcade games would jump into the development of fighting games.

It may be a bit risky to release it before Spa2. The popularity of games is not unrelated to the trend of the times.

However, if it can succeed as a fighting game before SF2 and create a worldwide craze, the fruit of its labor will be much sweeter than that of any other game.

However, it would be impossible to complete the game by January next year, as numerous characters need to be developed and concepts that will tie them together need to be developed. However, the plan was to create a demo version with at least a minimum number of characters and submit it.

“This is the big picture I have in mind. Of course, there are other game ideas besides this. I also want to make an action RPG game with a growth concept. I can do a sports game right away whenever I have a plan. I’m going to reveal my plan to you like this. What do you think? Do you have some faith in it?”

“Amazing. Really amazing, sir. I don’t know much about games, but just listening to the explanation, each and every one of them feels like a masterpiece. I didn’t know you were preparing for the future so step by step.”

“If you dream of becoming a world-class gaming company in Korea, this much is a given.”

Myungseop Shin, the CEO of Myeongseong Capital, finally smiled brightly. He seemed relieved when he confirmed that I wasn’t preparing a one-off arcade game.

“How about it, boss? Are you now thinking about getting into the leasing business?”

“Of course, sir. Since you’ve opened your heart and shown us all the cards, we should go on an adventure together! Honestly, I think Reese is way ahead of the curve, but if the games you mentioned come out and I don’t have the money to buy the boards, I’d be pissed even if I were an arcade owner.”

“You’ve hit the nail on the head with my concerns. The lease program will be a new opportunity for arcade owners who want to stock good games but can’t. You’re giving the future to arcade owners in Korea.”

“Gifting the future! I’ve heard people say that they play with interest or money, but this is the first time I’ve heard of giving the future as a gift. Giving the future as a gift… It’s such a wonderful word.”

President Shin Myeong-seop’s expression became slightly raised.

He was a person who dealt with money, so he tended to be cautious even when it came to things, but at the same time, he seemed to be a person who lived with a warm heart.

“I will also go back and think about how to sell more of . After all, early sales are important. Sir, I would like to ask you to design an A1 board installment and lease program.”

“Okay, sir. I’ll make sure to do it properly so that no one gets hurt in the arcade business.”

“Let’s take over all the arcades in the country together.”

I shook hands firmly with Myungseop Shin, the CEO of Myeongseong Capital.

It’s not easy, but I feel like I’ve found a real financial partner who is all the more trustworthy because of it.