Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 884: Revitalize the Glory!

"Play this game."

Hearing the employee's heartfelt honesty, Myron Case fell silent for a moment before telling him to try playing Final Fantasy VII Remake right there.

"Here... right here, boss?"

"Yes, play it right here. I want to see your real reaction."

This time, Myron Case decided to take that step.

But he was very sure that if he played the game himself, he wouldn't be able to relate to the excitement. So, he wanted to see what others would feel when playing it.

It was a paid gaming opportunity—such chances didn't come often in this world, and the employee was getting a little nervous.

"Come on, relax, just play here. This is your job right now."

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This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"Alright, boss!"

The employee was very excited and immediately picked up the controller to enter the main menu of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Myron Case didn't focus on the game's visuals on the screen; he was intently watching every reaction of the employee.

He noticed the employee's hand holding the controller was slightly trembling.

Was it nerves? Was he worried about being punished for playing the game here?

No, it probably wasn't that—he didn't have such a strict reputation at the company, and he had openly told him to treat playing the game as part of his work, so the employee wouldn't be nervous about being punished.

So the trembling must have been because of the excitement of getting to play Final Fantasy VII Remake.

A game, really? Would it really make him so excited?

At least for Myron Case, he couldn't relate to that feeling at all.

At that moment, the employee had already entered the game's starting screen.

On screen, a lifelike eagle soared in the sky, and the earth below was desolate. In the distance, a steel city slowly appeared on the horizon.

"Is this... special effects?" Myron Case asked uncertainly.

The visuals looked almost too real.

It was almost too realistic, to the point that it felt a little fake.

Normal environments wouldn't look this real, almost as if they had been deliberately crafted.

The employee immediately nodded vigorously. "Yes, boss, these are the game's CGI special effects. This is definitely some of the best special effects available right now."

"Indeed... very impressive."

Myron Case started to ponder whether his own game development team could create visuals like this.

He then thought, if he just provided enough funding, his team should be able to do it... right?

At this moment, he wasn't entirely sure anymore.

Anyone developing games today couldn't avoid one thing: game engines.

The Unreal Engine, the most powerful engine in the world, was used by most game development companies.

Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's game engine had astonishing visual power, whether for pixel effects, realistic 3D effects, or other special artistic style requirements.

This was the result of years of research, with the team nearly disregarding cost.

Takayuki had never asked Unreal Engine to make him money, though it certainly made quite a bit.

His only request was that the Unreal Engine team didn't need to worry about money, and that most of the money earned from the Unreal Engine would be reinvested into further research and development.

This allowed the Unreal Engine to offer a comprehensive array of capabilities across various industries and special effects.

Then, relying on such powerful versatility and Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's licensing strategy, almost all companies found it hard to reject this engine.

Even the film industry now couldn't avoid using Unreal Engine.

Myron Case's team was also using the Unreal Engine.

Even though there were competitive relationships between the industries, Takayuki didn't mind supporting competitors in other areas.

Of course, that came at a price.

Typically, a top-tier game company's annual Unreal Engine usage fee is $5 million, plus 5% of product sales. Startups can even use it for free in the initial stages, only beginning to pay royalties once their sales hit $1 million.

For competitors like Micfo, the revenue share would be 10%, although the licensing fee would remain unchanged.

Even though SuRi Electronics, now in partnership with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, had the same revenue share and licensing fees, they didn't get any discounts.

Myron Case had often wanted to break free from the control of Unreal Engine.

But today, if he wanted his game team to develop their own engine, it would cost at least hundreds of millions of dollars. Without that level of investment, it would be impossible to develop an engine capable of supporting top-tier games.

Myron Case hesitated.

One option was a slow, painful process that made it hard to let go. The other option was a clear-cut decision, looking ten or twenty years ahead, which would definitely be worth it.

In the end, he chose to continue using Unreal Engine, compromising for the sake of money.

However, there were differences in how different companies used Unreal Engine.

Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had access to the full capabilities and database resources of Unreal Engine.

Others could only use 70-80% of the engine's capabilities. To access more, simply paying more wasn't enough.

And his own game development team had no way around this limitation.

Looking at the ultra-realistic game visuals on the screen, Myron Case sighed.

He had fully realized the gap in game development.

This really wasn't something that could be achieved just by throwing money at it.

The employee, on the other hand, was completely immersed in the game.

The CGI visuals in the game shifted from a wide shot to a street scene, where a female character seemed to be praying with her eyes closed.

When the camera reached the female character's face, Myron Case noticed the employee's slightly hurried breathing.

"Is this character the protagonist?"

Myron Case asked.

"Yes, she's one of the protagonists. It's been a while since I've seen her—Aerith—and in such high definition," the employee replied.

This employee was a die-hard Final Fantasy VII fan.

Back when he was a middle schooler, he first experienced Final Fantasy VII.

Since then, he had been completely captivated by the world of video games.

However, as time passed and more excellent games were released, there came a point when he'd played so many great games that he no longer felt the same excitement for lower-quality ones. This had led to him developing a bit of "electronic ED" (an inability to enjoy games as much as before).

But now, he felt like his "electronic ED" was rapidly healing, and he was rejuvenated, full of excitement!