Shin looked at the car pictures on the computer. They included cars like Land Rover, Jaguar, Porsche, and so on.
To be honest, acquiring at least one motor company from this list of car manufacturers would cost several billion dollars.
Shin then recalled that Ford acquired Land Rover for less than 3 billion dollars in the year 2000.
In 1995, Land Rover was still in a relatively good financial and strategic position, despite facing some challenges.
The same could be said for other luxurious car companies.
Land Rover and Jaguar Cars were later acquired by an Indian company, Tata Motors, for 2.3 billion dollars from Ford in 2008.
During that time, the global financial crisis peaked, affecting many companies, including Ford. This led Ford to focus on its core brands. Land Rover and Jaguar cars, while iconic, were considered non-core, and their profitability fluctuated, making them more vulnerable to divestment.
Thinking about it, Shin considered Tesla, which Elon Musk bought for about 6 million dollars.
"Well, I should consider this more," Shin thoughtfully said as he stroked his chin.
Maybe Shin could wait until the 2000s and then acquire Tesla, as well as brands like Land Rover and Jaguar Cars in 2008.
Meanwhile, KiShin was about to finish the Gameboy Advance. Its design was a flip and kind of the same as the SP version in Shin's previous life.
While the design resembled the SP version, it was still notably inferior to Shin's previous life. However, considering that the Gameboy Advance SP in Shin's previous life began research around the year 2000 and was released in 2003, it was understandable.
--
As time passed, in the year 1996, around January, Pokémon Green became available for Gameboy in Japan.
It quickly became a sensation in Japan upon its initial release.
Pokémon and Gameboy fans had been eagerly awaiting another Pokémon video game for some time. They didn't mind if the gameplay and storyline resembled previous Pokémon games; their main concern was the introduction of new Pokémon to catch.
Some foreign Pokémon fans in Japan were surprised to see that Pokémon video games had different versions in various colors, unlike the USA and Europe versions where Pokémon Red and Blue were on the same cartridge.
Beyond the Pokémon video games was the Pokémon Trading Card.
With KiShin Merchandise, millions of Pokémon were manufactured and released worldwide. In fact, after its success in Asia in 1993 alone, the Pokémon Trading Card earned around 278 million dollars in the USA in its first year.
In certain parts of Asia, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and various countries in Southeast Asia, the Pokémon Trading Card company, a subsidiary of KiShin, in collaboration with Nintengu and distributed through KiShin Merchandise stores, earned approximately 310 million dollars in its first year, which was 1994.
Around 1994, the KiShin and Pokémon series also began exerting their influence directly in South Asia. This included several countries in the Indian Subcontinent such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and notably, India. While KiShin products had been distributed in these countries through local retailers, KiShin didn't have a strong presence there compared to the USA and some parts of Asia. The weak presence, limited local representation, communication channels, and engagement in South Asia created a distance between KiShin and its potential audience. This lack of visibility hindered brand recognition and trust. However, KiShin is gradually establishing its presence, entering these countries by establishing branch companies, communities, and even licensing Pokémon anime rights to certain TV channels at a favorable price.
The South Asian market has become a significant target for KiShin due to its vast, large, and growing potential. Compared to established markets like North America and Europe, South Asia remains relatively untapped in terms of video game consumption. The young population and increasing disposable income in South Asia provide an untapped audience for KiShin's games. Early entry into this market could lead to long-term brand loyalty and a solid customer base.
From an economic standpoint, South Asia offers a talented and cost-effective workforce for game development and localization. This potential allows KiShin to reduce production costs and reach a broader audience at a lower price point. Moreover, in the year 1994, South Asia already had a developing IT sector with skilled programmers. KiShin could explore opportunities to establish development studios or partnerships in the region for cost-effective production and a better understanding of the local culture.
However, since 1994, KiShin foresaw challenges upon entering the South Asian market directly. The region is diverse, featuring multiple languages, cultures, and economic disparities. KiShin recognized the need to tailor its strategy and offerings to specific sub-regions and markets.
Moreover, during the 1994 period, video game piracy was rampant in South Asia. Nevertheless, this wasn't a significant issue due to KiShin's robust anti-piracy measures and its provision of affordable pricing for the SKES and video games, effectively combating this problem.
As KiShin gradually entered the South Asian market, the Pokémon franchise had already gained substantial recognition. Consequently, the Pokémon Trading Card alone generated approximately 300 million dollars in profits in that region by the end of 1995.
The Pokémon franchise, whether in video games or beyond, experienced significant profits in South Asia, a trend that extended to Lego as well.
Lego gained popularity in South Asia, particularly in India, becoming a favorite among kids. However, the imported price made it less affordable for the masses. Anticipating this, Shin invested substantially in establishing factories and a workforce for KiShin Merchandise toys, including Lego, aiming to reduce import duties and material sourcing. Sourcing raw materials within India further lowered production costs compared to relying on imports.
KiShin executives supported the idea, considering the benefits of lower labor costs and an improved distribution network. Establishing factories in India not only reduced costs but also facilitated a more efficient distribution network, reaching smaller towns and villages beyond major cities, thereby expanding the market and boosting sales.
While this was in progress, factories for KiShin game consoles and video games were planned for the future. Board games, toys, and cards became a major focus, emerging as one of KiShin's most profitable ventures alongside video games.
Interestingly, KiShin's profits in the video game sector wouldn't match those from toys and cards if not for the introduction of the SKES and KS1 consoles. Opening the platform for these consoles allowed KiShin to profit from collected royalty fees, with the addition of VG Engine royalty fees further enhancing profits in the video game sector.
Time passed in 1996, and it was finally March.
Quite so far, the video games industry in the video game capital, Japan, has been doing quite well.
KS1 reached 9.4 million in sales in Japan after its release in the country for more than a year.
And the estimation of about 20-30 million units of KS1 being sold worldwide. Well, except in China, where KiShin couldn't sell its products, KiShin has been doing quite well. Even though KiShin has lost its direct presence in South Korea, SamStar is distributing their products in the market.
From Shin's perspective, it was already quite satisfying results; after all, the PS1 in his previous life didn't achieve such a result.
Shin contributed it to the fact that the people of this world didn't really experience much video games for decades after KiShin developed a video game in an 8-bit console, KES...
And then Tora and Suzuki also helped in introducing the video games for 16-bit consoles in the foreign market. As a result, the new era of video games reached a wider audience worldwide...
And also, with the new console of Tora-Suzuki, the TSX Fusion, after its release in the USA, Europe, and some parts of Asia, after months of its release in Japan, also reached a more potential audience. With another console other than KiShin, it gave the market more options, making the video game industry expand even more...
While the KS1 achieved a good result in sales worldwide, the TSX Fusion sales worldwide weren't so bad too. In fact, the sales of TSX Fusion after its several months of its release were much better than PS1 in Shin's previous life.
Maybe because of its lower price of the console compared to KS1, it had decent sales...
In the meantime, KiShin developed various entertainment in the arcade section, experiencing a genre explosion, including fighting games other than Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. KiShin, not content with the existing fighting games, released another arcade game named "Tekken." Although not yet available for KS1, the arcade machine hardware could handle better graphics and gameplay than KS1. The genre explosion also featured rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution, newly available in arcade sections across several stores and malls, especially in Tokyo. The popularity of racing games also surged.
--
In Toshima Ward, Tokyo, Japan.
Shin visited the Ikeburo Center in Toshima Ward with Mira.
They kept a low profile, with Shin donning a casual jacket from KiShin Merchandise, sunglasses, and a baseball cap.
Despite Shin's considerable fame in Japan, particularly within the gaming community, it didn't guarantee casual recognition everywhere in Japan. His casual style, with sunglasses and a baseball cap, made him recognizable only to those familiar with him.
Mira wore a pink KiShin jacket and the same baseball cap as Shin. While she didn't wear sunglasses like Shin, their clothes seemed to be a couple's edition, especially since Shin's jacket was blue.
"So many things have changed after just a few years..." Mira said to Shin after they visited the Ikeburo Entertainment Center. The place appeared more bustling, with posters related to video games prominently grabbing people's attention.
The posters also advertised the latest arcade machines from KiShin and Tora-Suzuki.
Shin nodded and replied, "Indeed. I'm sure the arcade here must have changed a lot too..."
"Yeah, unlike before when the arcade only offered entertainment like gashapon and claw crane games, now there are video games serving as entertainment in arcades..." Mira nodded thoughtfully.
Shin agreed with a nod, and they headed to the arcade. As expected, the arcade section in Ikeburo was lively, filled with various people engaging in conversations and enjoying different games.
The place was contrary to the typical quiet Japanese atmosphere; instead, it was quite loud, yet the people there didn't seem to mind.
"Woah, the place is quite lively..." Shin adjusted his glasses and said with a smile.
"The youth in the country really have changed, huh..." Mira couldn't help but sigh a little.
Indeed, the youth who frequented arcades in Japan mostly had different fashion and behavior compared to the 80s. A style that gained popularity these days was the so-called Harajuku style, infamous in Japan. Alongside this style, there was also the Gyaru style. These two fashion trends, as well as many subgroups in Japanese fashion, were born out of the youth's desire to break away from tradition and monotony.
After hearing Mira's sigh and words, Shin just laughed and said, "It's not really a bad thing. We can see that the country is gradually moving away from the idea of being a nation built on tradition and monotony. With these kinds of styles, our country will be much more colorful and vibrant."
Upon hearing Shin's words, Mira nodded, albeit reluctantly, silently worrying for her Shinichi...
While Mira was lost in thought, she felt Shin's hand holding hers. She turned her eyes to Shin, who held her hand, and he led her to play in the arcade—after all, that was the reason they came here. This was Shin and Mira's date, and Mira felt like she was back in high school, her blood rushing with excitement.
Some young people in the arcade glanced at Shin and Mira, and a few felt envious. They used to go to arcades to avoid couples in parks or schools, but now they noticed that couples were also starting to frequent arcades.
This shift was partly due to the popularity of Dance Dance Revolution among young couples...
Indeed, Shin and Mira played Dance Dance Revolution together, intimately learning the steps together and attracting some attention from other gamers in the arcade.
Whether they were boys or girls, they felt envy, but they silently ignored it, completely unaware that the couple playing Dance Dance Revolution were the people they admired in the gaming community...