After the release of "GTA III," the releases of "Final Fantasy V" and "Final Fantasy VI" are also out.
RPG gamers, especially in Japan, are quite excited about the latest RPG video game release.
Not to mention the fact that these two are sequels to the same video game, "Final Fantasy." This video game series has been quite popular, especially in Japan and some parts of Asia and the USA.
The gameplay of the video game "Final Fantasy" is still in 2D pixelated style, which suits RPGs well. Gamers prefer playing RPGs in 2D pixelated graphics because they're more accustomed to it, and the KS1 graphics are not yet perfect.
--
Shin looked at the sales report of the video games they've released so far, and each of the video games' sales has been quite good.
As for "Final Fantasy V" and "Final Fantasy VI," they are actually selling even better than the other KS1 released video games.
Shin attributes this to the fact that "Final Fantasy V" and "Final Fantasy VI" also have a cartridge version for the SKES.
Also, the CD version of the video game "Final Fantasy," the latest sequel in the series for KS1, had sales that were actually quite behind the other latest KS1 video games. However, the "Final Fantasy" latest sequels were selling quite well for SKES.
The SKES gamers worldwide actually surpassed the KS1 gamers globally, even in Japan. Hence, it's not surprising that its video games would still sell quite well.
While the "Final Fantasy" latest sequels were available on SKES, there was a noticeable difference when the video game was played on KS1.
In KS1, the "Final Fantasy" video game graphics were much better than when played on SKES, which is only a 16-bit console.
The sound quality of "Final Fantasy" in KS1 was also much superior to SKES, and the controls were more versatile in KS1 than in SKES.
Overall, the quality of the video game "Final Fantasy" was significantly better for KS1 than for SKES.
In Shin's previous life, the "Final Fantasy" US version, such as "Final Fantasy III" and "Final Fantasy IV" in Japan, was actually titled as "Final Fantasy I" and "Final Fantasy II" in the USA version.
But the "Final Fantasy" series didn't encounter such confusion in this world. Thanks to Shin, KiShin was able to translate the entire "Final Fantasy" series into the USA version and the EU version.
As a result, many RPG gamers in the USA didn't face the same problem Shin experienced in his previous life.
--
Time passed, and it was finally Christmas. Shin and Mira celebrated Christmas together. After Christmas ended, in their house, the two-year-old Shinichi was playing in the living room.
"Shin, I really like this book. I recommend it to you!" Mira, absorbed in reading, exclaimed to Shin, who was playing Super Smash Bros! on the prototype K64.
Shin paused the video game and looked over. He asked, "Which book?" He had been busy testing the video game on the unfinished console, so he hadn't noticed what Mira was reading at the time.
"It's an English book called 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'..." Mira then read the title of the book aloud in English.
Shin, upon hearing it, wasn't really surprised by such a familiar name, as it was quite famous in his previous life. He just smiled and resumed playing the video game, saying, "Oh? That book? I've already read it; it was published by one of our company, after all..."
Mira, not paying much attention to the book's publishers, nodded and said, "I see. This book was just gifted to me by one of the woman executives in the company. I didn't expect it to be published by the subsidiary... And it's in English too?"
Shin nodded and said, "That's right. It is in English, first published in the United Kingdom. So far, it has decent sales in the country and has received a good response..."
"I see. I can say that it deserved it, considering the interesting concepts introduced by the book," Mira said thoughtfully, paused, and then added with a chuckle, "And to be honest, I am quite surprised that this book is considered children's literature."
Shin also smiled and replied, "Well, the characters were still pretty much kids, after all..."
Then Shin suddenly mentioned, "I am actually thinking of making a movie adaptation of that book."
Upon hearing this, Mira was genuinely surprised, yet a bit excited at the same time. She exclaimed, "Really!?"
Shin nodded and said with a faint smile, "Yes. If you want, we'll be the first to watch it before it's screened in cinemas..."
With twinkling eyes, Mira exclaimed, "Let's watch it in the home theatre together!!!"
"Of course..." Shin added, "The filming location will actually be in the UK. I've already prepared the KiShin Picture film studio there for quite some time now. Probably, the only steps remaining before the film project begins are script acquisition, script refinement, and determining the film's budget..."
When Mira heard all of that, she asked worriedly, "Is it really okay? To plan to film a movie on a whim just because I like the book?" Pausing, she added, "What if the movie doesn't make much? Aren't you basically profiting nothing?"
Although Mira had become much more relaxed in her life due to the fact that Shin had essentially become a wealthy man, she still thought in business perspectives. She didn't want to jeopardize the things that her husband had worked so hard to build.
Shin smiled when he heard that and said, "Don't worry. Planning a film adaptation of the book you're reading was not just a whim of mine. I saw the potential of the book, and I could see it making enough profit..."
"But won't making such a film adaptation cost too much due to the involvement of magic and stuff? I heard that CGI costs a lot," Mira said with furrowed brows.
"Don't worry too much. Don't you remember? We own a CGI company, and because of our Unreal Engine, the CGI costs have reduced a lot," Shin reassured with a smile.
"Alright... But you really don't have to go too far for me, you know..." Mira said with a warm smile.
"Anything for you..." Shin smiled as he embraced Mira. It seemed Mira misunderstood that he was going to adapt a movie just for her, but she didn't know that the plan to adapt the film was always in place. Shin didn't mind such misunderstandings; to him, it could only mean that Mira would be more passionate in bed this time.
KiShin Pictures was still in the filming stage of "Spiderman".
But while filming the superhero movie, KiShin Pictures in the UK was also evaluating and may prepare to film the recently well-known book in London literacy, and that is "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".
The book was actually quite well known to literacy fans in London; high school or college students, or even elementary kids in school, would read the book once in a while.
One of the reasons why the book is quite well known, even to some elementary students who are literacy fans, was because of the fact that KiShin Foundation donated it to their schools.
And teachers would tell the story to the kids once in a while, and because of that, the book influenced the kids quite a bit.
--
Amidst the great popularity of "Toy Story" in animation and the ushering in of a new era of filmmaking, many animation studios also tried to attempt computer-generated 3D animation.
Companies such as DreamWorks Animation and Blue Sky Studios.
The animation studios were already expecting the time-consuming and budget demands of 3D animation films, yet a few of them, especially the two mentioned, such as DreamWorks and Blue Sky Studios, and a few more were willing to take on the risks for 3D animation.
Meanwhile, Pixar, the first animation studio to delve into computer-generated 3D animation, is now utilizing the KiShin software "Unreal Engine."
Unbeknownst to them, Pixar played a significant role in enhancing the "Unreal Engine." As Pixar animators faced specific challenges and needs in their animation workflows, they established direct communication with KiShin software developers. Through this collaboration, they conveyed issues to KiShin "Unreal Engine" developers, guiding feature development and improvements.
Through collaboration between Pixar and KiShin companies, Pixar worked directly with KiShin engineers. They provided feedback, tested new tools, and suggested enhancements based on their real-world experience.
Pixar also contributed to educational materials, tutorials, and documentation, fostering a broader understanding of "Unreal Engine" for animation.
However, it wasn't only Pixar providing assistance in the improvement of "Unreal Engine"; Microsoft also played a significant role in contributing to these advancements.
So far, only a select few companies like Pixar and Microsoft have been granted full access to the "Unreal Engine." Other studios, whether in the video game or animation industry, upon learning about the capabilities of this software used by Pixar and Microsoft, expressed their eagerness to utilize it, even willing to pay a substantial price for access.
--
Shin recently received a report from Orio Masayoshi highlighting the strong desire among various animation studios and influential film studios in Hollywood to also adopt KiShin's "Unreal Engine," the same software employed by Pixar and Microsoft.
While KiShin aimed to preserve the exclusivity of the "Unreal Engine" to retain control over its direction and quality, Shin recognized that exclusivity might restrict the engine's impact and growth. Competing solutions could emerge over time from other companies. Despite the broader access of the "VG Engine" aiding in the improvement of the "Unreal Engine" software, Shin noted that the "VG Engine" was predominantly utilized by video game companies. Consequently, the animation features didn't progress as much as those in the "Unreal Engine."
Despite the ongoing improvements in both the VG Engine and Unreal Engine with the help of the data from VG Engine, the enhancements in the "Unreal Engine" stemming from collaborations with Pixar and Microsoft were exclusive to the "Unreal Engine." This was because the direct agreements through partnerships with Pixar and Microsoft only pertained to the improvements of the "Unreal Engine" and did not encompass enhancements for the "VG Engine."
Shin could potentially lift the exclusivity of the "Unreal Engine" at KiShin, offering broader access to companies and developers. However, the dilemma lies in the possible repercussions, particularly in alienating Pixar and Microsoft. While alienating Pixar wasn't a concern for Shin, given his significant ownership stake of 24 percent in the company, the prospect of alienating Microsoft prompted Shin to contemplate further.
The reason for potential alienation is clear. Opening up the "Unreal Engine" to other companies would diminish the unique advantages currently enjoyed by Pixar and Microsoft in the market. The software plays a pivotal role in propelling them ahead in CGI, animations, and various other aspects compared to companies using the VG Engine.
Shin weighed the pros and cons of maintaining exclusivity for the "Unreal Engine." The advantages included KiShin retaining exclusive access to advanced features developed in collaboration with Pixar and Microsoft, providing a potential competitive edge. There was also less risk of alienating current partners like Pixar and Microsoft.
However, the drawbacks of maintaining exclusivity were apparent. It limited the reach and potential revenue of the Unreal Engine by excluding most studios, potentially generating negative PR or antitrust concerns. There was also the risk of missing out on potential advancements from a wider pool of users and developers.
On the other hand, opening the "Unreal Engine" software to wider access, even to the public, presented its own set of pros and cons. The benefits included increased revenue and market share through licensing fees and wider adoption, a broader developer community contributing to its development, and an improved public image by promoting open access and collaboration.
Yet, the drawbacks included the possibility that studios using advanced features developed with Pixar and Microsoft might feel they've lost their competitive advantage. Maintaining separate codebases for advanced and basic versions of the Unreal Engine could be resource-intensive, and there was a risk of competitors using it to create better games or animated films, challenging KiShin's market position.
(What do you think, should the MC make "Unreal Engine" available to wider access? I want to ask if the MC should make it available to a broader audience, I don't want readers in Webnovel complaining later...)
After a few days since the "Modern Family" production, called Lucas.
Lucas still went to the restaurant as usual, and after working for quite a while, he told Liza that he would only be able to work for a few hours before asking for a leave.
Liza was a bit surprised, but when she inquired about the reason why, Lucas just informed her that it was about the fact that he would go to act in a TV series.
"What!? You're telling me that you'll participate in a TV series!?" Liza exclaimed when she heard that Lucas would go act in a TV series.
"You can't be serious, right, mate?" Leonard was also a bit surprised and asked in astonishment.
Lucas chuckled when he saw their reaction, smiled, and said, "It was only a supporting role... Not like I was a main cast or something..." And then he added shyly, "Besides, it was just the pilot episode. I don't know for sure if I'll appear in frequent episodes after that, right?"
Liza and Leonard exchanged glances, and then Leonard walked in front of Lucas, patted his shoulder heavily, and said, "Hey, don't underestimate yourself! Besides, even if you are just a supporting role, you'll still appear on the screen! Many people will be able to see you on television! That's fantastic! You know what? My dream as a child was to become famous and appear on television! And you are already achieving—"
Before Leonard could finish his speech, Liza pushed him aside and interrupted him. She then said to Lucas, "Young man, oh, young man! I didn't expect this at all! To become an actor? I really didn't expect this from you!"
Lucas felt a bit awkward, and thoughts wandered, 'What could you have expected from me?'
"At first, I thought you were just some pretty face I picked up from the street, but it looks like you're not just a pretty face; you're actually an actor..." Liza smiled as she recounted with a thoughtful expression, patting Lucas on the shoulder.
"Uh..." Lucas felt a bit embarrassed and intended to move slightly away. But then, he heard Liza saying, "Lucas, if you become famous, make sure to promote my restaurant, alright?" Liza said with a smile, hooking her shoulder against Lucas, not allowing him to create some distance at all.
Lucas felt a bit awkward as his face blushed from the close distance with the manager, a beauty with a finely shaped body. Being so close to him, Lucas could even feel Liza's breath brushing his cheeks and the fragrance reaching his nose.
"I'll promote your restaurant if I become famous, don't worry..." Lucas said with a smile, looking directly into Liza's eyes, breaking free from her grasp, and creating some distance.
When Liza noticed this, she smiled and thought, 'Oh, he's a shy boy, I see...'
Liza smiled upon seeing the inexperienced lamb distancing himself from her. She began to develop some ideas.
Leonard, who was just pushed by Liza, looked at her with narrowed eyes and said to Lucas, who had just distanced himself, "Lucas, don't mind my cousin. She's just like that, a bit—"
Before Leonard could continue, Liza interrupted him.
"Looks like you want your salary to be cut in half, then."
When Leonard heard that, he continued his speech, but the words were not really what he intentionally wanted to say. He altered it by saying, "A beautiful maiden. Yeah, my cousin is just like that, Lucas." After that, Leonard approached Lucas, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I can understand why you are very shy right now. With such a beautiful maiden like my cousin being so close to you, I can understand your feelings..."
After saying all of that, Leonard glanced at Liza with eyes that were different from the praise he was preaching; his eyes were pleading when looking at Liza.
When Liza saw that, she sighed and said, "Alright, maybe you can get your full salary. Just better watch your words next time."
Leonard was about to snort, but then he saw Liza's frowning expression, so he just smiled at Lucas while patting his shoulder, "Good luck with your role."
Lucas, who was able to see what just happened, noted the shift in expression and words of Leonard, like the changing of pages in a book.
"Thank you..." Lucas nodded and said.
"By the way, Lucas, what is the name of the TV series you're about to participate in?" Liza asked as she looked at Lucas.
Leonard also looked at Lucas with a curious expression.
Lucas smiled and said, "The TV series is named 'Modern Family.' Make sure to watch it if it airs."
"We'll certainly watch it! Don't worry, Lucas." Leonard smiled as he said.
"Yeah, although I am your boss and you are asking for an early leave, I'll allow it since the TV series must be your first project and opportunity. Good luck to you, kid..." Liza nodded and also encouraged Lucas.
Lucas nodded as he looked at the two people. To be honest, these people are just the ones he has met recently, yet so far, Lucas felt more attached to them compared to his roommate.
While Lucas was confused about why Liza kept talking as if he were a junior when he could clearly see that she seemed not older than him, he also slowly and gradually saw her as an older sister...
"Thank you." Lucas smiled and said gratefully before adding, "I'll be off now."
Liza and Leonard nodded, both offering words of encouragement.
"Do your best, kid!" Liza nodded with a smile.
After Lucas spoke with Liza and borrowed some money, he left.
Leonard walked Lucas out of the restaurant.
When Liza was left in the office, she smiled and thought, 'It looks like it was a good choice to accept the kid, although there is someone out there who seems to have a beef with him...'
--
Lucas hailed a taxi and headed to the airport to reach the filming locations of the "Modern Family" pilot.
The location was in Los Angeles, Cheviot Hills, and to get there as fast as possible, Lucas needed to take a flight. He had already booked a flight a few days ago.
Lucas managed to borrow some money from his supportive boss, Liza. She willingly gave him $2,000, even though Lucas only needed a few hundred dollars. He tried to refuse the large amount, but she insisted, so Lucas could only promise to pay it back as soon as he received his earnings from acting as "Marshall Dylan." Liza just smiled at that time.
Lucas smiled as he remembered it. He felt fortunate to have such a boss in this life. He swore that if he became famous and rich, he would invite her to dinner.