Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo

The chaos of 2009 finally came to an end, and time moved on to 2010.

Originally, the Switch was a product that attracted a lot of attention. As this brand-new gaming device was being introduced in an extremely unconventional form, everyone wanted to see whether such a console could become a hit, and whether handheld gaming systems still had a real market.

However, everything was suddenly overshadowed by the unexpected emergence of VR technology.

Not only was Gamestar Entertainment's console affected, but even other cutting-edge products like smartphones—symbols of fashion and advanced tech—felt the impact.

Many people began to view VR as the ultimate form of smart devices, making them question whether it was even necessary to buy a new phone now. "What I have is good enough" became the mindset.

This caught Micfo off guard.

They were still fully focused on competing with Facebook, only to find themselves blindsided by an unknown emerging technology.

They were understandably frustrated.

Fortunately, it wasn't just them—Facebook was also affected. By the end of 2009, growth in the smartphone sector had noticeably slowed, as users seemed to be waiting for the next big thing to arrive and go mainstream.

Meanwhile, the professor who had created the first commercial VR device was now being hailed as a genius. His company's valuation skyrocketed, and money began pouring in from all directions.

The professor quickly rose to fame—his name recognition was almost on par with the President's.

And it wasn't just his fame growing—his company and VR research lab soon delivered a fully functional commercial VR device.

They even developed several impressive demo experiences.

Just by putting on a pair of VR goggles, one could enter a vast digital world—where you could supposedly do anything. At least, that's what the marketing claimed.

In reality, all you could really do was walk around and interact with some basic objects.

When Takayuki saw the demo, that sense of familiarity instantly returned.

The development of VR in this world wasn't as fast as he had imagined.

While in his original world this stuff had become somewhat commonplace, here VR was only just beginning. After all, humans in both worlds were still just humans—there was no magical difference—so tech progress followed similar timelines.

Because of this sudden explosion in the VR field, Takayuki decided to slightly postpone the release of the Switch. Since they hadn't yet announced an official release date, they could afford to wait until the VR hype cooled down.

In the meantime, Gamestar Entertainment could continue refining their current games to ensure better stability and polish.

As for Morgan Group, they had already begun pouring massive funds into VR development. And since they were incredibly wealthy, their pace of progress wasn't far behind the first VR startup.

This made Takayuki think.

He didn't currently have much in the way of VR tech—but Morgan Group did. Maybe he could negotiate some kind of licensing agreement, similar to previous collaborations.

With that in mind, Takayuki contacted the current CEO of Morgan Group.

The previous CEO, upon stepping down, had left Takayuki's contact information with his successor, Colin Davis, believing Takayuki was a valuable partner worth continuing to work with.

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Davis was quick to respond and happily agreed to meet. They arranged a meeting at a hotel in the United States.

Coincidentally, Takayuki was already planning to visit the U.S. to check on the development progress at his company's American branch, so he accepted the invitation.

Accompanying him were Aya Tsukino and his right-hand woman, Makoto Matsuhashi.

About two years ago, Makoto had proven her leadership skills in Europe, helping the European branch firmly establish itself. Since then, they had expanded aggressively.

Now, many game companies were eager to partner with Gamestar, supplying high-quality titles for their consoles. Meanwhile, Gamestar's own games kept outshining the competition.

Now that Takayuki had his eye on VR, he mentioned his plans to Makoto, who didn't hesitate to tag along—eager to prove herself again by succeeding in this entirely new field.

At midday, a plane slowly descended through U.S. airspace, and Takayuki and his team disembarked.

"Haven't been to the U.S. in a while," Takayuki remarked with a hint of nostalgia.

"I'm heading to Stanford first—you don't need to worry about me," Aya Tsukino said, immediately hopping into a car upon leaving the airport.

"Alright, just make sure you come back later. We should take a bit of time to explore this country—after all the visits, we've never really experienced what the U.S. has to offer."

Aya simply nodded and left, leaving Takayuki, Makoto, and a few mid-level staff behind.

This group would be the main negotiation team, tasked with discussing the specifics of the cooperation with Morgan Group.

As for Takayuki, his only job was to chat with Colin Davis, the current CEO.

"The meeting with Mr. Davis is set for 3 p.m. tomorrow. We can use this time to adjust to the time difference. Please make sure you're all well-rested—this collaboration with Morgan Group is very important for our future," someone on the team reminded.

Takayuki waved it off casually. "Honestly, you don't have to treat it so seriously. VR tech isn't something we absolutely need—it's just worth exploring if the opportunity presents itself."

But Makoto Matsuhashi didn't share that view.

"President, leave the actual negotiations to me. You don't need to worry about whether we secure the license or not."

Takayuki nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "Right. If you really want to lock down this partnership, and if they're hesitant to license the tech, you can drop my name."

"Tell them that if they're willing to offer us licensing at a lower cost, I'll personally develop a game for them—a title that will boost Morgan Group's appeal."

Makoto's eyes lit up.

That promise was a game-changer.

Takayuki's influence in the industry was unquestioned. If he was willing to develop a game as part of the deal, that alone was a huge bargaining chip.

Every game Takayuki had touched before was a guaranteed hit. No one would refuse such an offer.

Makoto now felt extremely confident in the chances of sealing this deal.