Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 862: Who Would’ve Thought Video Games Would Get This Popular?

Chapter 862 - Who Would've Thought Video Games Would Get This Popular?

"Hello everyone, I'm Dan."

"And I'm Jude."

"Welcome to our latest Football League eSports tournament!"

"Today is quite an important day, as the top four players in the European division will be decided. These top eight will go on to compete against players from around the world at next month's Gamestar Carnival."

"That's right. Now let's welcome the CEO of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment Europe, Ms. Makoto Matsubashi, to deliver a speech."

In Manchester, England, stands the largest football stadium in the country—Heathrow Stadium, home ground of Manchester United. The venue can host over 70,000 spectators.

Usually, it's packed with fans from all over the world coming to watch traditional football matches. But today, things are a little different.

Because today, the ones filling the seats are countless video game fans.

Today marks the European Division Finals of the Gamestar World Cup eSports Tournament.

As one of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's key partners, the Premier League, upon learning about this event, didn't hesitate to offer their biggest stadium for use. Manchester United's owner even waived all venue rental and ticket fees.

Of course, he also hoped his newly formed eSports club could get a few extra qualification slots.

It was a mutually beneficial deal—and Takayuki happily agreed.

The event was held in grand fashion. The stadium was packed to capacity with fans donning their favorite players' jerseys and chanting their favorite video game titles with enthusiasm.

At this moment, the Manchester United owner was watching the event unfold from a private suite that offered the best view of the entire stadium.

Even though he had already acknowledged the popularity of video games, he hadn't expected eSports to draw such massive heat.

"Unbelievable..."

The Man Utd owner muttered, slightly stunned.

His assistant cautiously asked, "Sir, what are you surprised about exactly?"

"Look at the crowd out there."

He pointed at the roaring wave of spectators outside.

Right now, a match in the football eSports league was underway—one of the most popular eSports divisions in Europe. Each team had two players, and four contenders were fiercely battling it out on the big stage.

"Carson! Carson!"

"Hausmann! Hausmann!"

Player names were being shouted like magic spells, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

The Man Utd owner continued, "Look at this turnout. If someone had told me ten years ago that video games would become a world-class form of competitive entertainment, I would've called them crazy."

His eyes were sharp. "But now, if anyone says eSports won't become mainstream, they're the crazy ones."

"Boss, that just proves how forward-thinking you were, choosing to partner with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment early on," the assistant flattered.

"No, I wasn't convinced at first," the owner shook his head. "Back then, I knew nothing about video games. I thought it was just kids' stuff—something people grow out of when they get older."

The assistant feigned curiosity and asked, "So what changed your mind?"

"For one, Gamestar offered too much money. Just by licensing our brand for a football video game, we easily pulled in seven figures. That was hard to say no to."

The owner added with a regretful expression.

Clearly, he was starting to think maybe they'd undersold.

If only he'd known how hot eSports would get, he would've pushed for more in licensing fees. But with long-term contracts already signed, he could only wait until renewal time to negotiate a better deal.

"On top of that, the Premier League organizing committee wanted to break free from FIFA's dominance, so they looked for a new direction. At the same time, FIFA had found a different entertainment company to develop their football game. It basically turned into a bet—one league backing Gamestar, the other backing their own choice. The question was who would win."

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"And clearly, you bet on the right one," the assistant replied.

"Exactly." The Man Utd owner beamed. "In the end, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment triumphed, and every Premier League club reaped massive benefits. And I also realized that video games aren't just for kids—look at all the men and women out there, young and old. That's all the proof you need."

"You truly have a visionary mind, sir."

"Ha! What I'm hoping now is that the kid I just signed—Carson—can bring home the eSports World Cup football title."

He turned his gaze toward the massive screen above the center of the stadium. It was showing a live feed of Carson and his teammate, both intensely focused on the match.

Once a troublemaker, Carson had turned his life around thanks to video games—just like many others.

Their opponents were a top French eSports team. Both sides had already qualified for the World Cup finals; now, they were fighting for the title of European Champion.

The crowd was chanting passionately, cheering every goal scored.

Unlike traditional football, video game football had a much faster pace, delivering stronger bursts of excitement.

In real-life football, even a close match might end with a score of 1–0 or 2–1, and most of the 90 minutes is spent in tactical play and possession battles.

But in football eSports, scoring seven or eight goals in a match wasn't uncommon, and each game was shorter in duration. More matches were played overall, making for just as long an experience—but with way more adrenaline.

The audience's cheering barely paused. Some fans had gone hoarse from yelling but still screamed with joy. Many of them weren't even video game fans—they'd just heard there was a football tournament.

When they realized it was a video game version, not only did they stay, but they became genuinely interested in eFootball, swept up in the hype and atmosphere.

Finally, after an hour of intense play across five matches, Carson's team won the final 3–2, claiming the European championship title amidst roaring applause.

"Well then, time to head down. I need to personally reward my star player!"

With a European title in the bag, the Man Utd owner couldn't have been happier.