Chapter 89: Brunyad Development Team

Of course, since there was no company like Ras’s that had achieved massive success with every single game it released, it was difficult to make a proper comparison. Still, one thing was certain: he was definitely not a cheapskate.

“This project is something I have very high expectations for, so I’m thinking of offering a special bonus as well. If someone creates a good character and that character generates profit, I plan to pay a portion of that revenue to the designer for several years.”

At those words, the Graphics Team members stirred in shock.

It was a remarkably groundbreaking proposal.

Especially in this world.

On Earth, Ras vaguely remembered hearing about somewhat similar cases. But in this world, it was considered common sense and absolute truth that since employees were paid salaries, every right to the resulting work belonged entirely to the company.

But Ras remembered just how enormous a success Pokémon’s characters had become on Earth. Since he wanted to recreate that success, he simply wanted to do his best.

“No, this doesn’t apply only to the Graphics Team. If anyone has a good idea, please write it up and submit it as a proposal. The same performance bonus will apply.”

Later, Ras posted the announcement separately on the company bulletin board. But it had been unnecessary. The story was so shocking that everyone present had already been listening closely at the time.

The actual results remained to be seen, but judging from the excited atmosphere, it definitely seemed to have succeeded in boosting the development team’s morale.

Not long after development began on this world’s version of Pokémon, currently titled Project “Spirit,” Meta Soft’s Management Team submitted a report regarding candidates for a Brunyard local development team.

Originally, they had planned to simply recruit people directly in Brunyard and create a development team there.

“It’s not impossible. But since we’re a foreign company, and Brunyard isn’t exactly on good terms with us, it’ll probably be difficult to secure high-quality talent that way.”

After hearing Martin’s opinion, however, they changed directions.

Instead, they would acquire an existing local development studio.

There were more game development companies in Brunyard than expected. Since computer distribution rates there were lower than in the Republic of Smite, and many games from the Republic were already entering through various channels, Ras had assumed there would not be many local developers.

But that was not the case.

However, as games from the Republic of Smite, including those from Meta Soft, flooded into an already relatively small market, the financial conditions of those studios had deteriorated badly.

Saying they could acquire them cheaply might have been too cold-hearted a way to put it.

Of course, these were developers operating in a market already overwhelmed by games from the Republic of Smite. Naturally, their development capabilities were not especially outstanding. Many of them had originally made clone games in the first place.

“These are sample games made by those companies. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I’ve already filtered out the truly terrible ones.”

Still, even if their development capabilities were somewhat lacking, there was no reason to be too disappointed.

After all, Ras did not expect the development teams to display incredible creativity. He simply wanted them to create the games he personally wanted to make.

So even if they were weak creatively, as long as their technical abilities met a certain standard, he believed they could still be fully utilized.

Ras played through samples from several companies one by one before selecting a few.

Still, he could not help having at least some expectations, but disappointingly, none of them truly stood out.

“Understood. We’ll contact these companies and begin acquisition negotiations.”

Most of them were already in unstable financial situations.

But that did not mean they would automatically sell their companies. Some owners identified themselves completely with their studios, while others might rather go bankrupt than sell to foreigners.

From that point on, it was up to the Management Team’s capabilities.

The waiting period turned out to be shorter than expected.

About a week later, another report arrived.

“Hexa Soft?”

It was apparently the company that had made shooting games and brick-breaking games. They had not been particularly original, but the quality of their games had been decent enough for Ras to remember the name.

Curious how they had agreed to sell the company so quickly, Ras read the report carefully. If the president was the type to care only about money, he might simply sell the company and disappear or deliberately slack off afterward.

But it turned out there were understandable circumstances behind it.

Originally, the problem had begun when the distributor that had promised to publish their games vanished without warning. The game Hexa Soft had been developing was suddenly left hanging in limbo.

Hexa Soft, who had trusted that distributor and diligently worked on the game, had been thrown into complete confusion.

Still, they could not simply abandon a game they had already poured time and wages into creating. So they desperately tried to sell it elsewhere.

But the recent popularity of games from the Republic of Smite had become the problem. No one wanted to distribute the shooting game Hexa Soft had made.

“Huh...”

Realizing that his own company’s impact on Brunyard was much greater than expected, Ras felt conflicted.

In any case, Hexa Soft had virtually no reserve funds. They were already struggling just to pay rent, utilities, and employee wages, and they had been pushed directly to the brink of bankruptcy.

A selfish owner would probably have fled immediately.

But Hexa Soft’s president, Dnallin, had instead been running around desperately trying to at least pay his employees’ wages. Then, just at that moment, visitors arrived offering to acquire the company, and he immediately accepted.

“Ella, please send this to Mr. Martin.”

The acquisition terms involved paying overdue wages, rent, and utility costs, while also retaining the employees, so Ras accepted almost immediately without much hesitation.

Even after calling Ella and waiting for her to arrive, he reread the report several more times, but it did not seem like there was any room for fraud.

“Can I take it?”

“Yeah.”

After handing the documents to Ella, Ras suddenly thought that once Meta Hardware finished developing the corporate network package, the first place it should be implemented was their own company.

Constantly receiving papers, approving them, and physically handing them back was terribly inconvenient. If they could just approve things electronically, everything would be resolved quickly, and piles of useless paper would stop accumulating.

Once approval was granted, Martin immediately sent payment and personnel to acquire Hexa Soft.

That was how they gained their first overseas development team.

They decided to call it the Brunyard Development Team.

And Ras had already decided what game they would make there.

The problem was how to convey it.

Not because it was difficult. Although there was no internet, Brunyard was still a neighboring country. He could simply send a letter or send someone in person.

But now that they were part of the same family, Ras felt he ought to personally visit them at least once as their president.

And if he wanted another excuse, there was also the feeling that game planning concepts were communicated much better when the planner explained them personally.

Overseas, huh...

If he went, it would be his first time leaving the country since arriving in this world.

Ras felt slightly excited.

At the same time, since it would be his first step abroad, there was also some hesitation.

But as if pushing him forward, another excellent justification appeared.

A report arrived from Arcade Game Land’s Management Team stating that they had finally expanded into Brunyard and opened a branch there.

In truth, Ras had approved that expansion quite some time ago.

He had continued receiving updates saying the process was underway, but perhaps because it involved a foreign country, things had progressed frustratingly slowly. This time, however, it seemed everything had finally been resolved.

In any case, since it was their first overseas expansion, visiting personally as chairman would carry significance.

Since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they planned to continue opening more branches, it would also help future strategy if Ras himself understood the characteristics and atmosphere of Brunyard firsthand.

And so, Ras decided to visit Brunyard while taking care of several matters at once.

And since he was going anyway, he decided to finally try something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he had long wanted to experience.

“Ella, reserve tickets for an airship to Brunyard. Two tickets, since you’re coming with me.”

“Huh!? We’re going to Brunyard? By airship?”

“Yeah.”

Ella had noticed there had been many conversations about Brunyard at the company recently, but she had never imagined they would actually go there in person.

Still, judging by the expression on her face as she nodded, she seemed excited and full of anticipation.

And naturally so.

Ras himself felt exactly the same way.

Unlike Earth, foreign countries in this world truly felt like alien worlds. Information was simply too limited.

Of course, people still traveled back and forth in reasonable numbers. But compared to the total population, it was extremely few, and information was not shared efficiently. The absence of the internet was more suffocating than one might imagine.

The only glimpses of foreign countries available were through limited media like television, and because the information was so restricted, it instead stimulated curiosity and imagination.

On top of that, riding an airship itself was no ordinary experience.

In a world where overseas travel was rare, transportation options were equally limited, and anything that failed to become widespread naturally remained expensive and difficult to access.

And since the transportation method in question literally flew through the sky, it was inevitably an object of admiration.

Among the poor, there were even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠people whose lifelong dream was simply to ride an airship once.

And although Ella was no longer poor, she had once belonged to that group.

So it would have been stranger if she had not been excited and thrilled.

Four days later, Ras headed to the airship airport together with Ella.

Before that, passports and visas had briefly become an issue, but Ras was already receiving favoritism from the government as a promising businessman.

As a result, after paying a small express processing fee, they received the documents the very next day after applying.

According to Ella, the government workers, who were usually stiff and unpleasant, had handed over the passports with astonishingly friendly smiles.

“They’re usually not like that at all. It was honestly so strange.”

“Haha...”

Ras felt both smug and somewhat guilty at the same time.

Since Keynes was still one of the Republic of Smite’s twenty-seven major cities, it had its own airport, even if it was small, so they did not need to travel to another city.

“We’ve arrived. Have a safe trip.”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Radmi.”

Taking his suitcase, Ras smiled and said goodbye to the driver, whom he had grown much closer to lately.

Ever since hiring him, they had practically seen each other every day. Now they would not meet for several days, and strangely enough, Ras felt slightly disappointed.

Of course, unlike Ras, Mr. Radmi was probably enjoying an unexpectedly pleasant vacation.

The airship airport was located on the northern outskirts of the city, but unlike the airports Ras remembered from Korea, the building was extremely small.

There was only a single stone building the size of a railway station in a small town.

Moreover, the gigantic airship looming behind it made the structure appear even smaller.

“Wow... That’s it, right?”

Ella pointed at the airship with amazement.

Ras, equally overwhelmed by the scale that distorted one’s sense of distance, nodded with an excited expression.

The structure resembled an elongated oval covered in a silver metallic outer framework, but it was far larger than even the large airplanes he remembered from his previous life.

It looked about the size of a twelve-story apartment building laid sideways. Rather than a vehicle, it gave off the grandeur of a massive building.

The departure procedures were simpler and more modest than expected.

Unlike the grand airports of Earth, all they had to do was show their passports and visas to an employee sitting inside a booth smaller than a highway tollgate and exchange a few words.