In Toshima Ward, Tokyo, Japan.
In Miyata Household, Yasuhiro was playing the horror video game, "Silent Hill".
Yasuhiro has been playing "Silent Hill" for hours now, and he thinks he is nearing the ending.
To be honest, he already finished playing "Silent Hill," but Yasuhiro knew that there are different kinds of endings in the video game. That's why he played it several times to see the other endings.
But so far, he saw that the endings were the same except for some character Cybill Bennet escaping with Harry Mason, or to fight the final boss who was shining with light but turned into a monster or as the final boss with the original form as a woman with shining light.
The endings are according to the consequences the player has done while playing the video game.
Quite so far, Yasuhiro has slightly changed his decisions and actions in the video game "Silent Hill," and he was quite curious about the ending.
Then, he finally faced the final boss again, and after defeating the boss, Harry Mason escaped the place.
Yasuhiro couldn't help but frown as he felt the ending wasn't anything special, but then, after the screen darkened, a scene will play that will shock him.
The scene depicted a 3D animation of a UFO in the sky, followed by Harry Mason running aimlessly in the area. Eventually, the UFO descended right in front of Harry Mason.
With shock in Yasuhiro's eyes, he witnessed the high-tech door of the UFO opening, revealing aliens with a typical appearance descending from it.
The aliens' voices and incomprehensible language resonated. In response, Harry Mason, with a shocked expression, turned towards the UFO and the aliens. With a quivering voice, he asked, "Who are you people? Did you see my daughter?"
The aliens looked at each other, appearing confused. They seemed to communicate among themselves before approaching Harry Mason and apprehending him.
"What are you doing!? Stop! Did you see my daughter around here!?" Harry Mason resisted, persistently inquiring about his daughter.
Subsequently, Harry Mason was forcefully taken into the UFO by the aliens, and the craft flew off into the distance with credits rolling.
"This... This is unbelievable!!!"
Yasuhiro couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed his eyes, only to still witness the scene of the sky where the UFO had flown off with the credits rolling.
Following this, Yasuhiro hurried downstairs and called his friend on the telephone.
Once the call connected, Yasuhiro shared the extraordinary experience he had just encountered today.
"Minoru! You won't believe it! I achieved the UFO with aliens ending in the video game 'Silent Hill'!!!"
After Yasuhiro relayed the details, Minoru simply shouted, "Don't fool me around! I am busy, and you call me for your jokes!?"
Yasuhiro wanted to emphasize that he wasn't joking, but the telephone call abruptly ended as Minoru seemed to smash the telephone.
Yasuhiro couldn't help but shake his head. He knew it.
No one would believe him...
--
In Moto-Azabu, Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan.
At Azabu High School, a group of junior high school students were engaged in a discussion about video games right after their class had ended.
A high school student with glasses spoke up as he adjusted his glasses.
"Have any of you played Metal Gear Solid I? It's amazing, right?"
The other four students nodded, and a young man with a bowl cut added, "It was such a thrilling video game!"
"Yeah, and Silent Hill, too. It's so scary. I finished the video game, but I don't think I can play it again..."
"Really? I found that horror video game so exciting!"
The young man with glasses grinned upon realizing that the discussion was turning to Silent Hill. He said, "Guys, I'll share something about Silent Hill that will shock all of you!"
His four friends exchanged glances and directed their attention to the young man with glasses. One student asked, "Really? Something that will shock us?"
"What is it?"
"Is it about the ending of Silent Hill?" The young man with dyed hair inquired.
The young man with glasses was a bit surprised and responded, "How did you know?"
The one with dyed hair chuckled, "Haha, I knew it. You want to say that Silent Hill has different endings, right?"
"Ah? Is it about that? Many people already knew it."
"Yeah, and it is certainly not shocking..."
Undeterred by his friends' lack of enthusiasm, the young man with glasses maintained a smile. He said, "It's true that knowing Silent Hill has different endings isn't really shocking..." Pausing for effect and observing his friends' confusion, he continued, "What I'm about to tell you is the ending I got."
The other four friends became more interested, and the young man with dyed hair thoughtfully stroked his chin, saying, "Oh? Are you saying you got a unique and shocking ending?"
"That's right! I did get a unique ending..." The young man with glasses adjusted his glasses, reflecting sunlight. With a smug smile, he said, "And you won't believe it!!!"
"Oh, what is it?"
"I don't think it's really that shocking..."
"Was it just like the ending of 'Metroid' and 'Super Metroid'?"
The young man with glasses smiled and said, "No. I got a UFO and aliens ending in 'Silent Hill'..."
As soon as the young man with glasses said this, they fell into an incredulous silence.
"Can you repeat that again? It seems we must have misheard it..." The young man with dyed hair said, looking at the young man with glasses.
"I got the UFO and aliens ending in 'Silent Hill'..." The young man with glasses, named Hiro, repeated with a smug smile as he adjusted his glasses.
There was a momentary silence, and then the young man with a bowl cut shouted, "Are you an idiot!? A UFO and aliens in a horror video game like 'Silent Hill'!? Who would believe that!?"
"Right! No one will believe that!!!"
"Are you still dreaming, Hiro?"
Hiro smiled and said, "See? I knew that none of you would believe it..."
"Yeah... Because you made that up..."
"There's no way there's an ending like that..."
"Yeah, it is really ridiculous..."
"If there was such an ending in the video game 'Silent Hill,' I would not be accepted by my crush..."
"Hahaha..."
Hiro's other four friends couldn't believe Hiro and playfully talked among themselves.
The ending of "Silent Hill" spread out in the KiShin Japanese Forum. Discussions about it, whether it was true or not, were discussed.
In fact, the ending was not only discovered in Japan. As the early release of KS1 video games happened in Japan, after just a few days, the KS1 video games became available in other countries. These included several countries in Asia and, finally, the USA, UK, Germany, and France.
The unbelievable UFO and aliens ending of "Silent Hill" were also discussed in the KiShin website forum, such as the USA or Europe forum.
Besides Japan, the UFO and aliens ending of "Silent Hill" was also widely discussed in the KiShin USA forum.
However, that ending of UFO and aliens, said to be witnessed by other players, was not believed by the majority of gamers.
In the KiShin English forum, a KiShin Forum user posted a question.
Don.Mario_Corleone posted: "UFO and aliens ending in a horror video game like 'Silent Hill'? Who made this up?"
In the comments:
SonnyBoy1: "I don't know, but that ending just became a topic in the past few days on this site, and I'm starting to wonder whether there was such an ending..."
Don.Mario_Corleone SonnyBoy1: "I know. I myself doubt there was such an ending, but I just know it was too ridiculous to be true, hahaha..."
Luigi_Brasi Don.Mario_Corleone: "Hey, a Corleone fellow! How are you?"
Sonic_D_Maniac: "I'll tell you, the ending was real! I experienced it myself!"
Don.Mario_Corleone Sonic_D_Maniac: "I don't believe you. Especially with that username of yours..."
There are doubts, and some people believed, even though they haven't seen such an ending in the horror video game "Silent Hill" just yet.
Although the topic of the unbelievable ending of the horror video game "Silent Hill" was quite popular in the KiShin website forums for a few days, the majority of gamers didn't really believe it. They thought it became popular due to gamers' curiosity and the possibility that there was such an unbelievable ending.
The unbelievable ending topic slightly spread on the KiShin EU website forum, but it gained significant traction, especially in the USA and Japan.
--
Meanwhile, in Shin's office, he noticed the UFO and aliens ending of "Silent Hill" from the KiShin website forum was spreading.
Shin couldn't help but wryly smile. He hadn't expected that just a few weeks after the release of "Silent Hill," the secret UFO and aliens ending had already been seen by other gamers and was spreading on the KiShin website.
This secret UFO and aliens ending of "Silent Hill" was also the ending of "Silent Hill" in Shin's previous life. However, unlike the secret ending in Shin's previous life, which was just a picture without animation, the KiShin "Silent Hill" featured animated sequences. The motions of the UFO, the high-tech door opening, and the aliens walking down from the UFO were all part of the animation.
The animations were even in 3D, accompanied by sound and music, including the sound effects of the UFO, aliens, and footsteps. Shin had put a considerable effort into creating a better secret ending for the video game compared to his previous life.
However, the secret ending of the horror video game "Silent Hill" spread quickly among other players. Perhaps the eye-catching 3D computer-generated animations played a role in its rapid spread. The availability of KiShin websites to gamers also contributed to the dissemination of topics related to video games.
Although the topic of the secret ending, UFOs, and aliens in the horror video game "Silent Hill" was not experienced by the majority of KS1 gamers, dozens of KS1 gamers around the world were able to experience the secret ending. These gamers spread it online, claiming to have seen the ending. Additionally, there are pretentious gamers who falsely claim to have seen the secret ending to attract attention.
--
Sawa Arata, in his office, also encountered the topic of the secret ending in the horror video game "Silent Hill." As a self-proclaimed professional gamer providing reviews and tips, he couldn't help but doubt the existence of such an ending. However, if the ending did exist and he confirmed it by playing the game, releasing the confirmation in a magazine could attract attention due to his established reputation in the Japanese gaming community. Many gamers would likely try to verify the existence of the secret ending in "Silent Hill."
As Sawa Arata became increasingly occupied with his founded company, he seldom played video games, causing his gaming skills to become rusty in KES, SKES, and KS1 gaming. Sawa Arata would likely need some time to confirm the existence of such a secret ending.
Although he could delegate the task to others, Sawa Arata preferred personally confirming the secret ending in the video game "Silent Hill." He wanted to investigate and verify whether such an ending truly existed. Initially, he needed to contact gamers who claimed to have witnessed the ending, interview them about their gameplay, and follow their lead to reach this mysterious conclusion.
After a while, Sawa Arata managed to contact three gamers who had claimed to see the secret ending. He then arranged for them to be escorted to his company's headquarters. Subsequently, the gamers were interviewed and guided to the gaming hub of Sawa Arata and his friends, where they would collectively play "Silent Hill" to unveil the secret ending, relying on the gamers' recollections of the steps leading to it.
Sawa Arata felt a sense of excitement, reminiscent of the time when he discovered the various endings of "Metroid." This endeavor brought smiles to Sawa Arata and his friends, who had achieved prosperity by reviewing video games and providing tips to gamers through the magazine Shounen Jump.
Whether they would genuinely witness and experience the secret ending of "Silent Hill" remained uncertain. However, Sawa Arata and his friends, now busy individuals, found joy in the process and gameplay, as if they had returned to a time five or four years ago when they played together in their secret gaming hub.
While the topic of the secret ending of the horror video game "Silent Hill" was gradually dying down in the KiShin website forums, in several countries in Asia, pirate video games became very much evident.
In fact, pirated video games didn't only prosper in several countries in Asia, especially in China and Southeast Asia, but also in some parts of the USA and Europe. Pirated video games of KES, SKES, and KS1, TSX Fusion were spreading as well.
Despite KiShin's countermeasures regarding pirated video games, they still sell. Especially popular video games for KS1 and TSX Fusion produced by video game entertainment companies attracted many buyers.
After TSX Fusion had been available in Japan for months, the TSX Fusion US and EU console version was distributed to the USA and Europe around September. Now in November, TSX Fusion sales were actually quite decent. Although still behind KiShin, in its first release in the USA and Europe, it surged in sales and surpassed the sales of KS1 in the first two weeks before declining.
These results were surprising to Tora-Suzuki. What they would soon realize was that pirated video games actually helped in the sales of TSX Fusion.
As video games for KS1 were not available on the KS1 console due to ongoing attempts by pirates to breach the anti-piracy measures, CDs for KS1 were still unavailable. As an alternative, the pirates focused on releasing pirated CDs for TSX Fusion.
TSX Fusion's anti-piracy measures were less complicated and more vulnerable to pirated games, making them available just a week after its release in the USA and Europe. The affordability of pirated games contributed to the early success of TSX Fusion's overseas sales.
Many gamers, preferring KS1 but unable to access its games, reluctantly turned to TSX Fusion. Eventually, pirated games for KS1 became available at the end of November in the USA, Europe, and Asia.
--
In a conference meeting at Tora-Suzuki in Tokyo, Japan, executives reviewed the sales report of TSX Fusion both in Japan and overseas. While behind KiShin KS1, TSX Fusion's sales were decent and even catching up overseas. However, when informed that the console's success was due to pirated games, the executives fell silent.
They couldn't believe that their TSX Fusion sales were driven by the lack of robust anti-piracy measures. Despite acknowledging the success, they were uneasy about the fact that their console sold well because of its accessibility to pirated games.
Although pirated video games contributed to the decent success of TSX Fusion overseas, legitimate video games from Tora-Suzuki and other entertainment companies also achieved respectable sales. The executives discussed allowing pirated games on their current console while planning to implement enhanced anti-piracy measures for their next console, currently in research and development.
"It appears that pirated video games played a role in boosting our TSX Fusion sales. While reluctant to admit it, piracy could promote our console and its original games," one executive mentioned.
"But that doesn't mean we'll condone piracy. We should raise awareness and encourage gamers to choose legitimate options," another added.
"When it comes to video game piracy, KiShin should be the most affected, right?"
"Haha, exactly! They're collecting royalties from us and other companies! Piracy should hit their pockets, shouldn't it?"
"We aren't significantly affected, and we've even profited slightly from game piracy. But as for KiShin? Hmm..."
"It should be KiShin worrying about video game piracy, not us," Itori Tanaka smiled and remarked.
"KiShin deserves it for almost single-handedly dominating the industry."
"Yeah... KiShin may not appear to dominate with a 48% share, but with nearly 99% of royalties from 32-bit console games, they silently control the industry!"
"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case..."
"It's attributed to their remarkably advanced software."
Itori Tanaka listened attentively, stroking his chin.
--
During the KiShin conference meeting, Shin and the executives engaged in business discussions. The topic shifted to pirated video games, and they had just received a report that pirated games for KS1 were spreading in several Asian and European countries, as well as some states in the USA.
"Despite the anti-piracy measures in our KS1 console, pirates still found a way to breach it and make their games available on KS1!"
"We should contact the authorities in those countries and apprehend those involved in pirating video games!"
"Indeed, KiShin profits from the royalty fees collected on sales from 90% of video game entertainment companies. Let's not tolerate this!"
Shin, upon hearing this, calmly responded, "While we must take action, I don't believe we need to go to such extremes."
"Chairman, piracy is impacting our business! We should take it that far!" An impeccably dressed, portly man asserted adamantly, seemingly trying to impress Shin.
"No. Even if we catch people pirating video games, others will emerge. Additionally, authorities in other countries may not fully assist us in eliminating these pirates, as they could be backed by syndicates or organizations unknown to us..." Shin, with clasped hands and elbows resting on the table, wore a serious expression. To be honest, he wasn't certain if what he said was true, but he fabricated it to discourage the executives from being overly insistent on pursuing the pirates.
"Really? Is it that serious?"
"I suppose that's plausible... Pirated video games wouldn't gain such popularity without someone supporting them, right?"
Shin nodded, but internally, he thought, 'While I fabricated that, catching pirates won't solve the issue; it's an endless loop, and involving authorities and offering rewards is a resource waste...'
Furthermore, Shin was aware that pirated video games actually boosted the sales of video game consoles. He recalled that in his previous life, one reason for the failure of the Nintendo Virtual Boy was Nintendo's strict stance on pirated games.
If the pirates believed it would be easy to pirate video games for KS1, they were mistaken.
Shin grinned wickedly. KS1's anti-piracy measures were much more intricate.
While it might allow pirated games to run for a while, the scenario would eventually change. In certain video games, players would get stuck in specific areas, or encounter eerie scenes in horror titles like "Resident Evil" and "Silent Hill."
After various scenes in the games, there would be a moment where Super Mario, in his distinctive voice, would say, "Thank you for playing the video game demo!"
Shin wasn't sure if others who had recently bought KS1 pirated games had experienced this, but he was confident they would soon encounter it.