Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Current Status of Future Group

This time, the release of the game helmets mainly relied on the channel of 7-11.

This was a stopgap measure; Future Games didn't have the time to slowly build channels. They needed to release the first VR game before SinDra Corporation's "Cocoon" was introduced. After all, history only remembers the first, who cares about the second.

With the cash influx from helmet sales, Future Games could finally start building its own channels bit by bit.

In the rapidly changing world of business, the economic situation was ever-changing. Although they would still rely on 7-11 in the future, having their own channels and having none at all were two different concepts.

The current situation of Future Group was as follows.

First was the video company, the website Niconico, abbreviated as N-Station. It completed a round of financing and established branch offices in the main cities of Japan. It was currently in the expansion phase, burning money, and not yet profitable. The initial $20 million from the first round of financing was mainly used to purchase the rights to movies, TV dramas, and anime. They were collecting all the classic local TV shows and movies in Japan, as well as some foreign classic TV shows and movies.

N-Station had also started investing in new anime series, purchasing several new shows. As Amy Yoshida's business, Nisshin Animation had rapidly expanded after the economic bubble crisis, and it was now one of the top animation companies. They also divided a portion of investment shares for this venture.

With various measures in place, by the end of August, N-Station's paid members reached 1 million.

In addition, Future Video Company began investing in some second-generation game companies. Unfortunately, this world didn't have a TYPE-MOON equivalent, or Keita would have invested heavily in them. It's worth noting that Bilibili went public by riding on its game business, and the biggest contributor was Fate/Grand Order (FGO), a derivative work from the Fate series.

With various expenses, there wasn't much left from the first round of financing. However, they gained 2.5 million users, 15 million registered users, 1 million paid users, 8 million daily active users, and 20 million monthly active users. The future was looking bright, and preparations for the second round of financing were underway.

Next was the situation with the social app Line.

Before the press conference, Line was only being tested within Tokyo, and user registration was still limited, mostly through word of mouth. Due to its good user experience, it gradually spread to office workers, high school students, and college students in Tokyo. It was basically a viral spread; if one person knew, a group of people around them would also use it.

After the press conference, the official website was updated with both Line Domestic Version and Line International Version. User numbers surged, as N-Station account holders naturally became Line users.

However, the surge in users also had its downsides. Line's server capacity was struggling to keep up.

Unlike N-Station, which could reduce operational pressure by renting servers, Line couldn't.

Because in the future, Line was planning to enter the electronic payment market. Personal data security, account fund security, and so on were all critical; they couldn't leave these in the hands of others.

The development funds for Line mainly came from the Yoshida family. The majority of the royalties from Mr. Yoshida's manga were invested in Line's development, reserving only a small portion for his passion of real estate investment. He hadn't learned the lesson from the economic bubble crisis. Half of the dividends from Mrs. Yoshida's Nisshin Animation and Sakura Clothing's profits were invested into Line's operation. They could be considered angel investors in Line.

With Line's stunning appearance at this press conference, it had entered a period of development for accepting second round financing.

Finally, the situation with Future Game Company.

The majority of Future Game Company's funds came from Sonoko Suzuki. Keita had successfully persuaded her by painting her a rosy future. She invested all her private funds. She truly lived up to being the second daughter of the Suzuki Conglomerate; her private funds could be mentioned in the same breath as the Yoshida family's. It had supported the daily development expenses of the game, up until the game's launch.

But it wasn't entirely persuasion. The gaming industry truly was a cash cow. The early-stage investment had been recouped with the first batch of helmet sales. Future Games was the only company under Future Group that didn't need to raise funds through an IPO and could sustain itself.

Sword Art Online was still under development, as Aincrad's floors 51 and above were still empty shells.

With this batch of cash, a portion would be extracted for dividends. The participants in this venture would all receive a substantial amount of dividends.

Dr. Agasa's inventions were always peculiar, leading him to a more miserable life. Now, thanks to the technology behind this game helmet, he had truly achieved his dream of becoming a billionaire.

As for Sonoko, she had completely transformed into an addicted girl these past two days.

This morning, Keita asked her to come to the company, and she unexpectedly said she wanted to play games. There was nothing Keita could do; he had to help handle the affairs of the game company. Fortunately, it wasn't much, and with Future's assistance, the game company's main work was still developing games. Basic affairs were handled by the secretaries of the Suzuki Group.

Returning home, Keita practiced some karate to prepare for the upcoming karate exam. Keita was definitely at the level of a black belt in karate, but he hadn't taken the exam due to age restrictions. Regular training was also about being prepared.

After finishing his training, he took a hot bath.

Logged into the game.

The friend list showed that Sonoko wasn't online. Keita was puzzled; where did she go?
No matter, Keita ventured out alone into the wilderness and began grinding monsters for experience.