Early Access Gambit
Ultima Online — "Yes, Chairman, this is Richard!" Since it was during work hours, a message was sent and a reply came right back. "How have you been?" Yoo Jae-won greeted him warmly in return.
"Very well! Ever since you visited, everyone has developed a clear sense of purpose and is working with fire in their eyes. I'm the same." Though the conversation took place through text chat rather than voice, Richard's cheerful tone came through clearly. Yoo Jae-won had gone in person to check how his money was being spent and how well the game was being developed, but it seemed Richard Garriott and his team had taken the visit far more positively. Richard was emphasizing that they were doing everything they could to actively accept and implement the feedback Yoo Jae-won had given. Thanks to that, it became easier for Yoo Jae-won to bring up his business.
"I happened to come up with a suitable idea regarding Ultima Online's development. Would you like to hear it?"
"Of course I should listen!"
"I'm not forcing anything on you."
"Understood. But after what you've shown us, I can't help but have expectations."
"Haha, hearing you say that makes me feel the pressure. I'd like to apply an Early Access policy to Ultima Online."
Early Access. It was essentially applying the concept of partial opening before full completion—much like how subway construction sites sometimes allow limited service before the entire line is finished—to a game. It meant releasing the game to players earlier than a beta test to gather feedback quickly. In the case of a beta test, despite the name, the game was nearly complete from the perspective of the overall development process. Since the game was already finished, feedback received at that stage was difficult to implement immediately. Early Access, however, was much earlier—releasing the game at the alpha stage to obtain feedback that could be applied right away. Because the game was still in active development, any feedback could be incorporated into the development process immediately.
"Oh! That sounds like a great idea!" Richard Garriott responded positively right away. From a developer's standpoint, it was a policy with no downsides whatsoever. Moreover, Early Access access wasn't being given away for free—it was being sold at a discounted price compared to the regular rate.
"But will there really be many people willing to buy an unfinished game and even provide feedback?"
Though Richard Garriott had approved of the Early Access policy, he voiced a note of caution. It was understandable—after Ultima 8 had flopped spectacularly, even Richard's once sky-high confidence had taken a hit. When developing Ultima 8, he had been absolutely certain of 100% success, but when the lid came off, sales had dropped to a quarter of the previous title. Meanwhile, development costs had increased two to three times compared to Ultima 7, to the point that the once-thriving Origin Systems had nearly collapsed overnight.
"Of course there will! There are plenty of loyal gamers who love the Ultima series. They'll definitely show great interest in the online version. And if we limit the number of Early Access tickets, the reaction will be even more intense, don't you think?"
"You're going to limit the numbers?"
The early appearance of TJ Soft and the unexpectedly rapid release speed of Lineage (Hyeolmaeng) had made Yoo Jae-won's decision to bring up Early Access a natural one. Ultima Online's completion level wasn't high enough for a proper beta test. High-level hunting grounds, magic systems, and summoning systems were still incomplete, and only half of the main quests had been developed. However, it was sufficient for multiple players to log in and engage in role-playing. Limiting the numbers was meant to increase rarity and concentrate netizens' attention. Even though Ultima 8 had flopped, the Ultima series still had a very thick fanbase. Furthermore, because it was a long-running series that had existed since Apple first released personal computers, Ultima's player demographic skewed older than typical gamers.
"Also, let's make the payment model monthly subscription."
"You mean charging a monthly access fee?"
"Yes! Would around $24 be appropriate? We'll offer it at half price during the Early Access phase."
A higher average age meant greater purchasing power. A monthly subscription model might feel unfamiliar to ordinary gamers, but it was very familiar to PC communication users who had enjoyed MUD games. At $24, the price was incredibly cheap compared to MUD games that had charged 30 won per minute. Moreover, since Early Access was being offered at half price, it would be strange if there was no reaction at all.
"When can we start?"
"Please wait a moment. I'll call the relevant team right away and check."
At Yoo Jae-won's question, Richard Garriott moved immediately. The reply came about five minutes later.
"Ah, Chairman. Unfortunately, we won't be able to start right away."
The answer came back with a very troubled tone. The reason was simple. They had been so busy making the main game that they hadn't been able to create the database program and payment system needed to manage users.
"If that's the case, I can solve it for you. Nextcom has a one-click payment system, doesn't it?"
"Huh? I thought that was only for shopping malls?"
"It supports all payments made online. As a bonus, it also comes with a powerful member management system."
Nextcomcast's business scope was broader than expected. While its portal service Nextcom and wired cable, ADSL, and dedicated internet line businesses were the most representative, a closer look revealed an incredibly diverse range of business models. Among them, the one-click payment system and member management system were representative B2B services offered by Nextcom.
"Oh? Then do we have to pay to use that service as well?"
Richard Garriott, who had been following the conversation smoothly until this point, seemed slightly flustered. Since they were part of the same ID Group, he had apparently assumed they could use the one-click payment system and member management system without conditions.
"Even if I wanted to provide it for free, it could cause problems later. If lawsuits arise, things get complicated, don't they?"
If it had been a single company, such concerns wouldn't have been necessary. But as the group structure had formed and grown massive, there was a need to clearly define internal transactions between companies within the group. What had previously been done for free was now all conducted with actual money changing hands. Internal transactions were set at market prices—pricing above fair value would lead to toll issues, while pricing below would raise favoritism concerns.
"We don't have time. Just try it out first, and then decide later whether to continue using Nextcom's service or develop your own. We can offer it at a discounted rate for the first three months."
"Understood. But when you say we don't have time, what do you mean exactly?"
At the mention of the discounted rate, Richard Garriott agreed. However, the statement about not having time was incomprehensible, so he asked for an explanation. Yoo Jae-won had no choice but to explain about Kim Taek-jun's TJ Soft and Lineage (Hyeolmaeng). Yoo Jae-won didn't have much information on the matter either. All he had was the report from Team Leader An Jong-cheol that had arrived during lunch. If he waited a bit longer, Team Leader An Jong-cheol would provide a follow-up report, so there was no need for Yoo Jae-won to go out of his way to investigate. Furthermore, he could roughly guess the level of Lineage (Hyeolmaeng). Team Leader Kim Taek-jun had apparently worked on it in his spare time after work, and since it hadn't been developed by a proper development team, its quality could never surpass Ultima Online. However, since it would be the first large-scale RPG online game to be released, it might create a sensation similar to when Doom first appeared in the world.
"Good heavens. So we're not the only ones with innovative ideas!"
At Yoo Jae-won's explanation, Richard Garriott grew anxious as well. Well, strictly speaking, since Kim Taek-jun had also been part of ID Group until recently, the innovation was still ID Group's exclusive domain, but there was no need to explain that in detail. Richard Garriott hadn't been pleased about having to pay for features that could be developed in-house given enough time, but upon hearing there was a competitor, he immediately understood there was no time to be leisurely. Although the game was being released from a small country across the ocean called Korea, the internet had no spatial limitations. Moreover, thanks to Yoo Jae-won's unprecedented performance in the United States, Americans' perception of Korea had risen to another level, which had also heightened Richard Garriott's vigilance.
"I'll speak to Nextcom as well. Please contact me as soon as you're ready."
"Yes, Chairman!"
After successfully concluding the discussion about Early Access with Richard Garriott, Yoo Jae-won returned to his main task of Android development. He opened the milestone to update his own work and began assigning appropriate tasks to the developers in the Alpha Team. The work that began in this way continued without rest until quitting time, like hellish training for a special forces unit. Yoo Jae-won was faithfully carrying out his own words about working himself to death.
The next day, the breaking news that greeted Yoo Jae-won after waking up at his lodging were as follows:
"North-South Summit Adopts Joint Declaration!"
"503 Joint Declaration Confirms Peaceful Unification of North and South!"
"Economic Cooperation Also to Be Actively Pursued!"
"Kim Il-sung Promises to Visit Seoul!"
"North Korea-U.S. Summit to Be Pursued!"
"Mirae Group to Actively Participate in Mount Kumgang Tourism Resource Development!"
"Sinuiju, Rason, and Kaesong Designated as Special Economic Development Zones!"
"Hmm, the agreement itself is ordinary, but the implementation measures are more concrete than expected."
Yoo Jae-won's impression upon reading the declaration was that it was ordinary. It was a single A4 page document, written in large letters. In other words, the agreement itself contained no specific details. Kim Il-sung's visit to Seoul had also been part of the original June 15 Joint Declaration. Of course, the Korean media was enthusiastically claiming that this agreement would fundamentally change inter-Korean relations. Citizens who responded to media interviews with flushed faces, perhaps caught up in the atmosphere, raised their voices saying that unification might happen within 20 years.
As expected, the stock market's reaction was also enthusiastic. Most Mirae Group affiliates hit their daily upper limits. Even though it was a massive company with a market capitalization in the trillions and a correspondingly large number of shares in circulation, there were almost no sell orders—only buyers. Furthermore, any stock rumored to be able to enter North Korea immediately turned red. In fact, the rise of North Korea-related stocks in the stock market had begun a month earlier. If Wall Street in the United States was experiencing an IT boom, Korea was in the midst of a North Korea theme frenzy. Normally, when such a wind blew, it would die down like a deflated balloon the moment the event occurred. This was the so-called disappearance of upward momentum. Since the North-South summit had taken place and the joint declaration had been issued, North Korea-related stocks should have declined, but they continued to rise.
"Is it because this is the first time?"
This was the first time inter-Korean relations, which had been in a state of tension, had been opened up so successfully. Therefore, it was clear that not only individual investors but also institutions and major players hadn't yet grasped how far things could go.
"But it doesn't seem like things will change much from before, either."
On the other hand, Yoo Jae-won made a cold analysis that things wouldn't change significantly going forward. This was because a critical element that should have been addressed at this North-South summit had been omitted—namely, North Korea's nuclear program. The direct cause of the North-South summit had been Jeon Myeong-heon's cattle drive to North Korea. Thanks to the 10,000 cattle, there were reports that North Korea's spring farming this year had gone well. It was understandable—while South Korea used modern agricultural equipment like tractors to plow fields for rice or field crops in one go, North Korea had to do everything by hand due to the lack of machinery and fuel. But now, with the cattle sent by Jeon Myeong-heon, more efficient farming was possible. Even though 10,000 cattle couldn't cover all of North Korea's vast land, concentrating them in the Pyongyang Plain could maximize productivity. While the cattle drive to North Korea was an impressive event, the more practical cause lay in North Korea's nuclear development. It seemed that suspicions about the operation of the Yongbyon reactor, IAEA inspection issues, and denuclearization promises had not been approached at all.
"Well, until a third-generation hybrid dictator appears, nuclear weapons were strictly for use against the United States, after all."
Thanks to that, the only thing worth having some expectations for was the follow-up report about pursuing a North Korea-U.S. summit. During the bilateral summit, Chairman Kim Il-sung had expressed his willingness for a North Korea-U.S. summit to President Kim Young-sam, and President Kim had said he would mention it to the United States once.
"It would be good if a North Korea-U.S. summit happens too, but……"
Yoo Jae-won trailed off. It was because he thought that if he said everything to the end, his words might become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Kim Il-sung's appearance on television was enough to make such thoughts arise naturally—he looked like a terminally ill patient with not much time left. He had clearly applied heavy makeup for television, but it was impossible to hide his condition. President Kim Young-sam, standing alongside Chairman Kim Jong-il, looked even younger than his actual age thanks to his daily jogging routine to maintain his health, creating an even greater contrast.
"Judging by his complexion, it seems he'll go as originally planned in early July."
Even if a North Korea-U.S. summit were to happen at breakneck speed, it would be absolutely impossible before July, so everything after that depended on Kim Jong-il.
"Then there won't be any funeral controversy now?"
In his previous life, when news of Kim Il-sung's death had spread, there had been a tense standoff between those who said they should attend the funeral and those who said they should ignore it. Naturally, the former argument came from the progressive side, while the latter was the conservative camp's position. This had caused such significant South-South conflict that it became a social problem. But now the story was somewhat different. Although President Kim was an outsider who had rolled in, he was at the apex of the conservative forces. Having met Kim Il-sung in person and even shaken hands with him, it could be expected that if Kim Il-sung died, it wouldn't escalate into a political issue over attending the funeral. The North Korea-U.S. summit was also somewhat positive. Clinton had been someone who took a very active stance on North Korean issues. Even without this North-South summit, he had been considering visiting North Korea directly. In particular, this story was well documented in Clinton's memoirs, where he wrote that he had postponed the decision to visit North Korea due to Arafat's demands. Of course, memoirs didn't contain only facts. Therefore, whether that was the real reason or an excuse to avoid responsibility for the deterioration of North Korea-U.S. relations was something that needed to be examined carefully. In any case, the North-South summit had gone well, except for the North Korean nuclear issue. Yoo Jae-won thought that he should also assess the possibility of entering the telecommunications infrastructure market as Jeon Myeong-heon had suggested, while watching the subsequent developments between North and South Korea.
"Now, the only thing left is the economic reform bill."
With the big event of the North-South summit over, the political controversies that had been pushed back would now surface. Namely, the economic reform bills. Though the name sounded grand, it actually referred to the bundle of bills that Yoo Jae-won had proposed to be processed before OECD accession, including labor law revisions. Interestingly, the political landscape was forming differently from what Yoo Jae-won had expected. First, the labor sector had shown an intense reaction, calling it an "economic deterioration bill" and even refusing to participate in discussion forums. Going beyond merely refusing discussion, they had resolved to hold a large-scale nationwide May Day general strike that had originally been planned in abbreviated form due to the North-South summit. The Democratic Party, which had been losing its presence amid President Kim's popularity, joined forces with the labor sector, pouring oil on the fire. The Tongil National Party stated that this issue would not be a party line but left to individual lawmakers' judgment. Of course, while they said that, the majority of people actually supported Yoo Jae-won's agenda. However, because the labor sector had reacted so strongly, they were essentially playing individually to avoid the downpour. In this structure, the Minja Party, the largest party, showed a positive attitude toward labor law revision. While they were lukewarm about other economic reform bills, an increasing number of lawmakers agreed with the labor law. When Choi Kang-wook investigated the reason, it was apparently due to a very simple logic: "If the labor sector is fiercely opposing it, then it must be good for businesses!" When Yoo Jae-won first received the report, he wondered if the logical flow was too simplistic. However, he couldn't deny it when told that many politicians and even citizens had changed their minds after seeing the labor sector's backlash. Since the economic reform bills had been entirely entrusted to Choi Kang-wook, Yoo Jae-won only thought up to this point. Even if the legislation and revision failed this time, the National Assembly could be convened at any time, so there was no need for regret.
Several days passed. As the weather gradually warmed, a report came in that Richard Garriott of Origin Systems had finished preparations to begin Early Access. From that day onward, Yoo Jae-won launched an advertising campaign for Ultima Online, mobilizing not only online media including Nextcom but also print magazines. The advertisement recruited 3,000 people who would be the first in the world to experience Ultima Online. It stated that 1,000 people would be selected on a first-come, first-served basis, and the remaining 2,000 would be chosen through a lottery, and it clearly specified that it would cost $12 per month. The Early Access start date specified in the widely distributed advertisement was May 31st. It was a proper counter to TJ Soft's Lineage (Hyeolmaeng).