Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 878: The Internet Teaches You a Lesson

This wasn't Takayuki's first direct challenge to these individuals.

Each time, he simply ignored their protests, even though these people were already standing in front of the U.S. company's branch at that moment, it still didn't shake Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's commitment to game development.

Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's promotional campaigns continued as usual.

From Final Fantasy VII Remake, to Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro, and others, followed by Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

Among these games, the most viewed promotional video by far was always Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

A lot of these viewers weren't even gamers; instead, many were drawn in by the female characters in the game, curious outsiders in the gaming community.

They came with the mindset of just watching the spectacle.

But soon enough, they realized that the game didn't look half-bad.

...

...

At a time when more and more ugly characters were being introduced, having a unique game like this felt like a breath of fresh air.

Myron Case certainly hadn't expected Gamestar Electronic Entertainment to gain extra attention in such an unexpected way.

People who didn't usually play games had suddenly started taking an interest in it.

Myron Case was now considering learning from Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's approach and releasing a similar game.

However, as soon as he brought up the idea, it was immediately shut down by the shareholders and some of the company's employees.

To put it simply, the shareholders also cared about their reputation. They weren't like Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, which wasn't really invested in the U.S. market.

They had other investments aside from Micfo, and Micfo was not particularly skilled in the video game industry. Their interest in entering the industry was more about securing their current base rather than succeeding in the field.

But maintaining that base didn't require such an extreme approach. The shareholders believed there were other, more suitable ways to solve the current sales problems with Micfo's products.

Trying to develop such a politically incorrect game would only result in public backlash from the American people, wouldn't it?

Gamestar Electronic Entertainment could afford to be lambasted; after all, their roots were in Japan, and if it came down to it, they could just stop selling in the U.S.

Wait... stop selling in the U.S.?

Suddenly, Myron Case seemed to grasp the key point.

Gamestar Electronic Entertainment was currently at the eye of the storm of public opinion.

So many people were eager to see Gamestar Electronic Entertainment fall from grace.

Wasn't this the perfect opportunity?

Couldn't he also stir the pot?

"President, the U.S. Congress has already decided to temporarily list our game on the banned list! It looks like we might have really gone too far this time," said the head of marketing, Yamaguchi Yasunori, personally bringing a U.S. economic newspaper to Takayuki's office to deliver the news from the U.S.

About a month after the release of Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, the public outcry in the U.S. market seemed to be escalating.

The game seemed to be trending towards becoming a major issue.

And the U.S. Congress couldn't ignore the voices of enough of the public; after all, no one could predict when they might need the votes of the public. Offending the loudest voices meant throwing away the vote.

Moreover, there was a rule in the U.S. that once a petition from a certain number of people had been submitted, they had to respond.

This time, the petition to boycott Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball had reached 150,000 signatures, and even if not considered through connections, Congress could no longer afford to ignore this action.

Coincidentally, the U.S. was also very eager to see Gamestar Electronic Entertainment stumble.

Japanese video games had been dominating the U.S. market, making a lot of money, which wasn't a good sign.

So, for whatever reason, they decided it was time to intervene.

Yamaguchi Yasunori placed the latest U.S. economic newspaper on Takayuki's desk. Takayuki picked it up and glanced at it. The front page was fully dedicated to the U.S. Congress's decision.

This was the first time the U.S. Congress had formally banned a game from abroad.

Takayuki was somewhat taken aback.

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

In the original world, Dead or Alive had never received this level of treatment.

No matter how bad the U.S. was, there weren't many restrictions on cultural products; any type of cultural product could be released in the U.S., and very few had been banned.

This time, however, this game—one that hadn't caused much of a stir in the original world—had caused quite a shock in this one.

"Takayuki, we have to find a way to fight back. We absolutely cannot let those people control the high ground of public opinion, or else our future games might be met with the same backlash," Yamaguchi Yasunori said with a serious expression.

"Mm," Takayuki continued reading the newspaper while nodding.

"Director Matsuhashi has contacted people in the U.S. to help us with lobbying," Yamaguchi continued.

"What did they say?" Takayuki asked.

"They said it's not looking good. The timing of this game's release is very unfortunate—it's right when human rights movements are most active. Launching such a game now is like riding on their faces," Yamaguchi replied with a somber tone. "But there is some good news: Congress has only decided to ban Dead or Alive from being sold, and no other games have been affected."

In the U.S., Gamestar Electronic Entertainment wasn't just some random company. Whether through taxes brought in by its subsidiaries or the jobs it provided locally, or even the long-standing business partnerships, Congress had to consider their position.

They couldn't just push them too hard.

So, since the public's biggest complaint was just one game, Dead or Alive, they'd only ban that game.

The rest of their games would still be sold without issue.

Unless Gamestar Electronic Entertainment was willing to modify Dead or Alive by changing its gameplay or adjusting its "objectification of women" content, it seemed unlikely that the game would be able to launch in the U.S. market.

Takayuki smiled. "It's not that bad. We can handle this."

"Takayuki, this has already hurt our reputation significantly. Compared to just one game being banned, our reputation is obviously far more important. If we have one game banned, it's certain that others will follow, and our second and third games might also face bans."

"It's possible," Takayuki said, "but I think you may have overlooked something."

"Something? What is it?"

"You seem to be underestimating the power of the internet."

"Meaning?"

"Do you really think that banning a cultural product on the surface will actually stop people from buying it?"

Yamaguchi paused, slightly stunned.

Having gone through two major developments of the internet, Takayuki had a deeper understanding of its power.

In the internet age, there are some things that can't simply be stopped by a ban.

Whether it's the U.S. Congress or those pushing for political correctness, they've greatly underestimated the internet.

Let the internet teach them a lesson.