Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 994: A New Game Console

Takayuki didn't hate the idea of game companies fighting against piracy.

Anti-piracy was completely normal—Gamestar Electronic Entertainment did it too.

And ever since they exposed the shady dealings of that encryption software company, the Stanford Legion hadn't had a moment of rest.

They had immediately gone back to working on the technical development of 2077, and on top of that, they took on another task.

The problem with encryption software was that it heavily impacted the player experience.

But game companies still had a real demand for it. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

So, to prevent future encryption software from harming gameplay, Gamestar decided to just develop its own version.

For the Stanford Legion, this was hardly a difficult research project.

Today, the biggest platform for PC game sales was BattleNet, so they simply created a deeply integrated backend system based on the BattleNet platform.

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This backend wouldn't consume system performance during gameplay. It would only run random verification checks.

These checks would cross-reference the currently running game with the player's user information on BattleNet.

The verification was almost instant.

If there was a mismatch, it could trigger a warning.

But of course, this system could only deter, not eliminate piracy completely.

Takayuki understood that "blocking" wasn't as effective as "guiding." So he didn't have his team sink too much time into this software.

If players were still turning to piracy, it usually meant something was getting in their way.

That something... was money.

Many people were scared off by the high price of games.

So why not go the extreme route? Big discounts—or even... give games away for free.

Originally, Takayuki had planned to use free game giveaways as a weapon against future PC platform competitors.

But for over a decade, no rival had ever come close to challenging BattleNet.

He was starting to feel the loneliness of being at the top.

So why not unveil the strategy early?

Just like how EPIC Games operated in his original world.

The best game platform, paired with free games now and then, and regular sales events.

With all these combined, even pirate gamers might cave and install BattleNet—just to claim a free legit game.

And once they experienced the premium service BattleNet offered, they'd find it hard to go back to the clunky and unreliable piracy scene.

On BattleNet, owning a game could earn you achievements, which converted into official platform points you could exchange for digital rewards.

Some of those rewards were even cross-game compatible.

Earning rare rewards on BattleNet became a status symbol—satisfying players' desire to show off.

It was the classic saying: "Once you've eaten fine rice, you can't go back to husks."

BattleNet provided such a good experience that even single-player PC games felt social and interactive.

For that level of added service, many players were happy to stay on BattleNet—and happy to buy games there.

Besides, if players were patient, they could just wait a year or two for a deep discount during a sale and buy the game then.

Spend less, get more—the only requirement was patience.

And pirate gamers were very patient people.

They'd wait months for cracked versions of games—and they could just as easily wait for price drops.

With this combination of strategies, piracy couldn't be eliminated—but the gap between sales and popularity for most games began to narrow.

Meanwhile, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment continued its core mission.

In the second half of 2017, the long-anticipated new console and top-tier new games were finally launched.

"Waaah! Waaah!"

"There, there, don't cry."

In one home, a newly minted father was frantically mixing baby formula and trying to calm his newborn.

His wife was exhausted after giving birth, so it was his responsibility now.

He had to handle everything alone.

But newborns don't follow a regular schedule.

Sometimes you had to stay up all night to tend to them, constantly attending to every little need.

Why did I think having a kid was a good idea? he grumbled internally.

But when he looked at the tiny face of his baby nearby, his gaze softened into something tender.

It must be some kind of human instinct.

An instinct to love your child.

Now, he just wanted to give his child the best he could.

On the wall, today's date was specially circled on the calendar.

As he fed the baby, he glanced over at it.

Today was the launch day of Gamestar's newest game console.

He had waited so long for this day.

But with the baby, he was completely tied up.

He stayed up until 3 or 4 AM, yet the baby still showed no signs of sleeping. He could only sit groggily and keep him company.

Looks like I won't be able to buy the console today.

He had planned to head out at midnight to line up for one.

Online shopping was incredibly convenient now.

But for something like a console launch, lining up felt like a ritual.

A rare moment for passionate gamers to gather.

But... sigh...

While gently patting the baby's back, he sighed deeply.

Becoming a father came with heavier responsibilities.

But still...

Was there really no way?

He felt unwilling.

He wanted that new console.

But his child needed him.

So there was only one option left.

Take the baby with him to line up!

Yes—that was the only way.

It was his only shot to play the console on launch day.

At last, as the clock approached 8:00 AM, he made up his mind.

He would bring the baby and go buy that console.

No matter what—even just to touch it once—he was going to buy it.

He couldn't miss this opportunity.

Without hesitation, he carefully bundled the baby up, making sure it wouldn't get cold, then slipped into the car and headed for the nearest department store.

If he was fast enough, maybe...

His wife wouldn't even notice.