After a few hours in the hotel's business room, she and I spoke alone.
She realizes that she has a superior ability to manage the company beyond her expectations.
As vice president of the K. Student Council, she was clearly thoughtful enough to stay after her presidency, probably born as a man, and swiftly turned her brain.
Moreover, she was also a slightly western beauty with a cool nose and eyes.
'Then how come you're in business at this age? '
In the OEM way she said, Korea was the best choice for the time being.
Looking further into the future, it might seem wise to have factories in China or Southeast Asia, but OEM manufacturing was also a business that needed some skill.
In that sense, South Korea's latest trend in technological strength has been not a bad choice, she argued.
Minten, Sensony, Parasonic and Nicor were also reaching out to Thailand in the long run, so I slowly nodded my head.
Made in japan at a friend's house. Contrary to what it says, a friend made in Thailand. It says, "It's not fake." It reminded me of a real life.
'So I deliberately made in Japan and sold it at a more expensive retail store. '
I told Soyeon, who was drinking coffee, to organize the documents from Mantra in person.
"Starting tomorrow, Soyeon, go to the hotel business room here. "
"Yes? Here? "
"Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to run it at half speed, so be strong. Oh, and do you speak any foreign languages? "
"You can speak English somewhat. "
"Learn Japanese if you can. Soyeon may have a lot to talk about with the Pentagon in the future. "
"Yes, I understand. "
In her answer, I took the documents with a satisfactory smile.
"Well done, then. Go home."
"Yes? Already? It's only 4: 00 in the afternoon…"
"Soyeon's work is done today. Go back and get some rest, and I'll see you here tomorrow morning at 9: 00 a.m. "
"Yes, I understand. "
&
The next day.
She was waiting for me at the hotel lobby exactly before 9: 10.
In the morning, I heard from Soyeon that Korean users' reactions to Raon in the business room were more severe than I thought.
"I was also aware that the Korean console market is not that big, but this is a bit of a problem. "
As Soyeon said, Raon was almost dying in Korea.
This is because devices that were not available in Japan and the United States were declining in sales at a rapid rate except for the initial launch in Korea.
There were several reasons for this to happen, the first reason was the absence of dedicated soft ( ).
Currently released exclusively for Raon in Japan and the United States, there are about 23 softwares. However, in Korea, there were only 10 softs that were less than half of them. Except for Spa 2, Slam Dunk and Final Frontier 4, which were launched at the same time, there were only seven games launched in a year.
On the contrary, only in the early years of this year, more than 14 fully distributed games have already been released in the Korean market.
The "future boss", who formally signed a sales contract with Minten and the super family, only sold cases of games imported from Japan with stickers called the official domestic edition. I did not push for the game itself to be Hangul.
They deliberately brought in action-oriented titles that did not need to be translated, so it did not have a big impact on sales, even if they were not.
However, except for the first party, the Pentagon, the third-party, which is almost invincible. Even though the first company, the Pentagon, could not force other third-party companies to Hangul, it was also a sad part for me.
What the hell is "invincible"? Kim Joo... It was a hard judge to breathe... '
And number two. It was very ambiguous to wager a large shop nationwide on the Korean market.
Raon's current penetration rate is about one to two people in one of the public schools. It's literally one of those fancy game consoles where rich kids play.
If the supply rate of the device is low, even if it is a large store, the audience will also be low.
Kim Han-seok said the opening of the Raon Premium store was on hold until the rate of supply increased.
'Yes. Waste of money in the air is safe... but at least you should have tried marketing to increase supply...'
With a long sigh, I closed my eyes for a moment and cleared my mind.
Representative Kim has the ability of a publisher to contact popular games released in Japan. I also had no complaints about choosing a good game and formally distributing it domestically, but I couldn't keep waiting for Representative Kim to say this.
'Maybe I should look into the market situation myself. '
&
That afternoon. After eating with me at the hotel, Soyeon went to the bathroom.
I changed my clothes in the hotel room and came down. After wearing a hat on a pair of jeans instead of a casual suit, Soyeon tilted her head and asked me.
"Huh? Sir. Where are you going?"
"Yes, I'll go with Soyeon. "
"Yes? Where? "
"Soyeon will also be more helpful in experiencing the real world than the majority of Laon's shipments and sales volumes on paper. "
"Reality?"
"Yongsan is called Korea's best electronics store. Is there anything more realistic about the Korean gaming market today? I've got a car waiting outside. Come with me. "
After I eat. I took her out of the hotel door, which I hadn't digested yet.
&
Shortly after, I stopped in a public parking lot near Yongsan Station, and immediately opened the door, I frowned at the hot air I felt.
"God, it's so hot out here..."
At that time, Soyeon got out of the car and said to me, looking at the shopkeeper and the PC accessory store.
"This is Yongsan electronics store. "
"I see. I too have been for a very long time.) I've come to see you..."
Was the Yongsan landscape in the early '90s this bad? However, I was the best electronics store in the country, so my memory was a little heavy in my head.
Anyway, faced with Yongsan in the past, I smiled with my hands on my waist.
"Sir, let's go. "
Soyeon was very excited to see if she had been to Yongsan for the first time, as if she had been to an amusement park.
At that time, I had only seen the lady selling Dragon Toast at the Yongsan electronics store.
Amazing to her, but surprising to the people who work here.
I've already hurried behind her heading to the store.
After a while, we arrive at the entrance of the crying grocery store, called the game alley, looking into the tunnel that extends in a long straight line.
"Wow, there's a lot of game stores. "
When the mobile phone sales boomed into the 2000s, the game store was thrown out as an underground toad store, but during this time the game store was mostly located on the side of the street.
Even from afar, there were a lot of game cartridges on the shelf in front of the store, and a package box of the newest breeds, Super Family, Raon and NEGA drives, caught my eye.
Since it was a weekday, the inside of the tunnel shop was quiet, I entered the store with a light heart, and the eyes of the owners guarding the shop shined sharply.
It's like an Impala jumping from the African meadow into the belly of a beast.
On the other hand, before walking for a few steps, we started hearing the voices of the employers calling us from all sides.
"Sir, are you looking for something? "
"Sir, I'll take good care of you. Come here, sir. Customer!?"
There's a lot of tourist behavior called "Peekee."
I ignored their words and looked at the shops because I didn't have any guests at all on weekdays.
"Hey there, pretty lady. What are you here to buy? I'll make it cheap for you. Come in here. "
"Gosh, what is that guy, buying a game with his girlfriend? I'm furious."
I was nervous about the sound coming from everywhere, and Soyeon whispered in my ear.
"Are these really people who do business here? Why is everyone trying to attract guests like gangsters? "
"Well, because of the local nature, shopkeepers only gather as men, and guests tend to treat men more harshly than anywhere else. "
In fact, there are a lot of flying and gangsters in this period, so there are rumors to be careful when you come to Yongsan, so you don't have to explain how bad the security of the area is.
As I passed through the long line of Han Nation tunnels around 200 meters, I turned back and started looking at the opposite line.
- Get super family stock. ₩ 1800!! -
- One hundred and ninety thousand won portable gaming machine!! -
-Emergently acquired. Get many of the latest Super Family games!! -
While looking at the propaganda phrases that were attached to each store, I stopped walking on the propaganda phrases that were attached to one store.
- For Super Family. Dragon Warrior V reserved. -
The Dragon Warrior series in Phoenix, which will be launched next month, was very popular in Korea. Moreover, in this case, the Super Family was launched two and a half years later, and it is currently ranked # 1 in Japan's expectations.
Usually, Yongsan gaming shops in this era were called "pouch sellers." They often went back and forth to Japan to buy second hand games or new games and made a profit by selling them at an expensive price in Korea.
Of course, trading is to make a profit, because the profit itself was taking a violent action that greatly contradicted the state of the art.
I stopped in front of the store for a moment, and as if I had waited.
"Can I help you find something? "
A man who looked like a dry weasel lifted his front teeth and smiled at me.
I asked him in peace with his smile.
"Dragon Warrior 5. Are you getting booked? "
"Ah, yes. Of course. Do you want to book? "
"Yes. How much? "
Then Karju glanced at me and Soyeon behind my back, raising one mouth tail and answering.
"How much did you find out? "
" · · · · · ·. "
This is the same time as answering a guest's question... I swallowed a ridiculous laugh and answered his question.
"How much will you give me? "
Then the owner's eyebrows twitched and replied.
"For now, the Dragon Warrior Series is the first game to appear in a superfamily, and it's going to be a very hard title to find in Japan. "
Looking at the passage description, he never seemed to give a cheap price, and even after that, he stretched the explanations of how hard the Dragon Warrior was to find titles and offered a price at the end.
"US $1,800."
· · · · · ·.
Now the exchange rate is 7 to 800 KRW per 100 yen. How does a 9200 KRW game work when you run a calculator?
That's it - foam
"The down payment is 50,000 won. Do you want to book?"
"That's enough."
"It's the same for everyone else. We only take out one or two things as a service to our customers. Actually, we don't have anything left. "
Ha-ha! You have to hit some gau to take the bait.If you change 9200 yen to the current won, it will be around 73,000 won. But 180,000 won, does it make sense that there's nothing left to eat after receiving 2.5 times more?
I looked at the super family price tag in front of the store and said, "I'm exhausted.
"A game costs the same as a console? "
"Oh, this was cheaper because it was officially issued in the country by my future boss. Last year it was ₩ 380,000. "
I'm proud of you, asshole.
I blew the curse into my heart and took a step. Then Soyeon followed me closely.
"How unfriendly is the gaming store? "
"That's just the tip of the iceberg. "
I next went to a fairly large store in a tunnel shop.
Then the rich man gasped up slowly in the shop.
"Welcome. You've come to buy a lover's game. It's rare here. You like games, miss? "
"Oh, yes. I like it."
The shopkeeper smiled at Soyeon's answer and squirmed the debt he had in his hand.
Lowering your awareness of yourself through these day-to-day conversations makes it easier to sell, so it was one of the most frequently used methods for people with some sales experience.
The owner turned to me next and asked.
"What are you looking for, young man? It's quicker to ask. Hey, ask him. "
"I'm here to buy some Raon. "
"Looking for a new one? Looking for second-hand?"
"How much is the new one and what is the used one? "
"How much did you figure out? "
" · · · · · ·. "
These people are really...
I felt blue at the moment, but I replied with the quietest expression possible.
"It says $300 in front of the store, right? "
"That's right, 1900 won. "
The owner rummages inside the cramped counter, pulling out Raon's package box and placing it on the shelf. And I lost my word on that part again.
The box in front of me was scratched and crumpled because it was not properly stored.
"I meant the new one. "
"That's new. Open it and see."
The owner was sweating in a narrow counter and rubbing his elongated debt.
Finally, I sighed a little and looked at the opening before opening the package box. Naturally, the 'seal' was damaged.
If I could've ripped the seal out of my mind in such a hurry, I would've used it.
It wasn't cut with a knife, but I looked at the owner for a trace of cautious removal of the sticker, and he frowned in embarrassment.
"We are supposed to check with our retailers to see if the original product is well contained when it is delivered. In case they sold it, if the customer insists it's not contained, we don't have a choice. "
I can't believe that a merchant would suspect a customer before a defective item...
Soyeon asked the owner if she could do better than then.
"Then you can open it when you sell it and check with the customer. "
"Ahhhh! I don't know what she doesn't know because she's young, but at that moment, this product becomes second-hand. If you change your mind, you won't be able to sell. "
This man, armed with a typical old-fashioned mind, did not seem to be able to speak a word. So I decided to use what he said.
"So you've opened this product once? "
"That's right. We need to make sure there's nothing wrong with the contents. "
"I don't need a product that you've confirmed. because I had already opened and taken out a new product at that point. "
"Ugh... Young people don't understand. "
I don't know who you're talking to. Don't you know the difference between a new and a second hand?
At that time, the host bowed again with an unpleasant expression and pulled out a new Raon from under the shelf. Then, this time, an intact one appeared.
"220,000 won."
"What? That new one was $300..."
"It was new yesterday. The seals are completely intact, which is ₩ 220,000. "
What's the point of entering the store if it's the same device anyway? After talking to this guy constantly, I felt very confused.
Since then, I've been asking about gaming software, but the game is also selling a little bit more than the regular price for such nonsense reasons.
I wanted to give up the purchase and go outside, but I heard his voice as if to listen behind my back.
"It's hot in here, and these crazy bitches are bothering me. Oh, this sucks. "
I looked around a few more stores since then, but other places had similar unit prices.
Sometimes I felt like the shopkeeper exchanged his eyes with the owner of the store across from us and exchanged signatures.
Eventually, I returned to the entrance of the first tunnel shop, circling around in the deep heat and finding a fast food spot far away.
"Let's stop by there and get a little thirsty. "
"Yes..."
Soyeon was quite shocked by the retail scene she had never felt before.
And it was the same for me.
As the next generation of media enters the CD, Yongsan will be home to the replicated CD.
The MOD chip attracts users who come to purchase the genuine item, and in the process, more evil owners change lenses or parts, and Yongsan crashes from the best electronics store in the country to a market where immoral merchants gather.
CD players, cameras and PC parts as well as silk games have been tampered with by consumers just a little bit of caution, so there's nothing wrong with being screwed...
But this is 1992.
At least until the early 2000s, when Internet shopping malls were active, there was no choice but to weep and mustard to find Yongsan in order to get the latest games or PC parts.
"I really don't understand. How can I get more money depending on when the product comes in? I mean, there are some sealed stickers that are ripped out of the retail store daily and check the contents in advance, and of course there are some products that are faulty by the misses when they're shipped out of the factory, but this is clearly against public trade. "
I opened my mouth to calm Soyeon who was angry like fire.
"Perhaps the one with the broken seal was the return product. "
"Returns?"
"If it's just a customer's transformation, or if it's something wrong with the device, or if it's not... it's on the shelf. "
"How do you know that? "
"First of all, the box is crumpled. You can see that the box has been emptied for quite some time. If there was content in it, it would never have crumpled that way. It's a common technique. because display is essential for consumers to see the real thing. "
"Absolutely not. I'm sure our mantra offers a display demo for our guests..."
"Sell it anyway. And you take out a new product and you show it to your customers, and if it's too old, you clean it up and you put it back in the box. And then they sell it at the top, and then they display another new product. "
I also remember buying an expensive MD player on display in a store in high school because I was fooled by this technique once. I asked her who was swallowing the drink with a depressed look.
"Were you surprised? "
"I was very disappointed rather than surprised. If you come out of a retail store like this, no matter how hard we try, the consumers end up having to deal with the damage. "
"Yes, that's why it's important to build the right distribution line. It's also important to market it. "
"But we don't have that department yet. "
Mantra had 70 employees, but it was a company that did a lot of work.
There was a division of editors who make console magazines and sales who publish games, so the marketing side was minimized to be featured in monthly magazines.
In the early '90s, even small businesses and large businesses were not so keen on promoting their products…
"It will be made soon. And Soyeon needs to play an important role there. "
Soyeon tilted her head in my words and made a puzzled face. Instead of answering, I just smiled and drank soda on the table.
'I was roughly anticipating, but I thought there'd be one or two conscientious shops, so how come they're all the same people? I'm sure there were a few good stores around the corner when I was a kid…'
Wait, a corner place?
Then again, why were they not well-mannered tunnel shops, and in deep alleys they never would have known if they didn't look for them on purpose?
Maybe they had a reason to be.
&
After taking a break for a while, Soyeon and I went to a remote place, not a tunnel store where the game stores were gathering this time.
I saw a game store or two even where the stores that were dealing with electrical wiring were still selling at relatively normal prices.
"Why are the prices different from here at the tunnel store? "
The shop owner sighed and answered my question, looking like he was in his early 40s.
"The shops are all there once they come to buy the game, so they usually go there when they come to Yongsan. But it turns out it's quite different from the floating population. Everyone who shops there seems to have their own stores, but one person actually has several stores. You may look like a business owner, but in fact, you're mostly a paid trouser owner. "
"Ah…"
"The owners who run the store go to Japan once or twice a month to buy the game, but if they pass customs well, they can make a huge profit. And when you bring in a game like that, you call it at the beginning. Employers offer their managing trouser owners double the selling price, and trousers take a half-percent gain and take their own salary. "
Huh... They're not gangsters running a tavern.What a stupid distribution system.
Having heard the explanation, I couldn't be more than just an outrageous behavior.
So Raon is pushed backwards, and the superfamily games are pushed in...
That evening, I sat separately with the head of Mantra's Kim Han-seok from a fairy in Gangnam.
"As soon as you come to Korea, you have no time to breathe. I heard from Soyoung that you visited Yongsan Electronics Shop today. How was your day? "
"It was a mess. "
"Yes, I also ran a PC game retailer four years ago, but it wasn't that great. A conscientious business is a difficult business to succeed in. "
"First of all, I'm busy with my appointment with the chairman of Somnori Soft tomorrow." I came to Korea to talk to Somnori in the first place. But in this market, even if it goes smoothly with Somnori, Laon's failure will continue. "
"Phew... I really don't feel sorry for you. "
"No, Jules. It's not too late to try. It's okay."
"Do you have any good ideas? "
"There's no better way. It just pays back the same way. "
"There's no better way. We have to pay them back the same way they did. "
"The same way? "
"The owner of a store outside of Yongsan that doesn't have a lot of floating population said that the area already has a good neck in Yongsan, which is occupied by several large businesses. "
"Yes, it is. The other day, we tried to set up shop nearby, but the landscape was so heavy that we had to give up whether the owners were united or not. "
I'm sure they will. If Raon's professional stores get in there, their unethical distribution network will collapse.
"By the way, that tunnel stall. In fact, it's not a good place to do business in some ways. "
"Well... definitely not a good location. There's a street in the station..."
So you've made the entire affordable street market a specialty for selling games.
I emptied the glass in a heartbeat. I smiled at Kim.
"Then let's change the board. "
"Yes?"
"On August 15th, the Raon 1st Anniversary launch will take place in Yongsan. "
&
The next day.
I came to Mapo-gu, Seoul, but I couldn't find a place to stop, so I was circling the same area.
"Is there really no place we can stop the damn car? '
So I got out of the car grumbling and barely parking around a few times.
As I learned from Representative Kim, Somnori was making a game at the home of Representative Lee Won-seung, without having a company office.
In 1992, the game development environment in Korea felt like seeing Japan 10 years ago.
A character designer and a programmer in a cramped backroom. And one of the main directors that coordinates these two.
Somnori, who created the story of Actonicia, was also one of the amateur game producers with similar numbers.
As I understand it, the story of Actonicia was 1994.
The game was made by 5-6 people who knew Lee Won Seung Won. The total development cost for the year was about KRW 3 million.
Usually in the case of indie game producers, after selling the game, they often acted as a side business rather than a business because it was a form of distributing revenue among their team members.
Some people blame the total development fee of KRW 3 million for nonsense, but there is no rent because the office is not paid for separately, and all work computers have brought in personal items and worked on them, so there is no facility.
Only use the minimum cost of food and expenses to craft the game and then distribute the proceeds sold among your team members.
This was the beginning of South Korea's development of indie games in the early '90s.
Ding-dong.
After a long time following the enemy's address on the note, you hear the voice of the man hanging from the intercom as you ring the doorbell of the house you found.
"Who are you?"
"Hello, I'm Kang Jun-hyuk, who I contacted yesterday. Are you Lee Won Seung Won from Somnori? "
"Oh, yes. Wait a minute."
- Tick tock, tick.
A private house with a small courtyard, in the early '90s, faced by a large red brick house with a typical middle class household, a glass front door opens, revealing an awkward image of a man.
"Are you from Mantra? "
"Yes, it is. "
I smiled at the man who was staring at me in a tired tone.
"Your house is a bit messy, but you should come in. "
"Now, if you'll excuse me. "
As I walked into the house's workshop, the smell of a wily widow provoked my sense of smell, according to Lee Won Seung Won's suggestion. The cups on the table were all stacked with different types of containers, and the 1.5L petting bottle next to it was filled with butts and had a strange color.
In the bunk bed in the corner of the workshop where the light was not very good, I noticed that someone was taking a detour after finishing the work.
'Hah... It's too clumsy to talk about work here. '
After wandering around the workshop because there wasn't enough room to sit to talk, Lee Won Seung Won's representative was embarrassed and scratched his back head.
"Can we just talk at the dining room table? "
"That's better. Haha..."
Soon after moving to the dining room table, Lee Won Seung Won picked up a juice bottle from the refrigerator, but there was no cup to put it in.
Seeing a pile of dishes that seemed to overflow in the sink, it was probably natural.
"I'm fine. "
"I didn't think you'd be here in person, so I wasn't prepared. "
"No, I'm in a rush to schedule a visit. I'm here to talk business anyway, so you don't have to worry about tea. "
I once again introduced myself to Lee Won Seung Won, sitting across from the dining table.
"Hello, I'm Kang Jun-hyuk, who I contacted last night. I'm not actually from Mantra, but I'm from Pentagon Soft in Japan..."
"Then you must be the developer of the Dragon Emblem...!" "
"Oh... yeah, that's right. "
Lee Won Seung Won was furious with my answer, and he couldn't help but open his eyes.
"Somehow. I heard your name yesterday, but I really didn't know you were Kang Jun-hyuk."
· · · · · ·. Was my name that famous in Korea? It felt awkward, so I scratched my cheek and opened my mouth.
"Thank you for noticing. So you don't have to explain me in detail. "
"Of course. We've all played the game that Joon-Hyuk created. "
"Thank you."
"By the way, what brings you to Somnori? "
At that moment, I asked Lee Won Seung Won's question, 'I had a lot of fun with Actonicia as a child.' I almost replied.
Somnori's story was remembered as a masterpiece of the Korean gaming industry.
While escorting the stalk of Cainan, knight Lloyd, who was robbed by the enemy raid, wrote a story of taking his granddaughter Ilene with him on a journey to retrieve the staff.
The story stream was influenced by the JRPG at the time and had a simple story structure that led to the village buying new armor and repeating the level nogada.
Nevertheless, the story of Actonicia was very popular with its users, a surprising possibility of graphics and stories that were not found in the local games at the time. And it was thanks to the unique combat system that represented SRPG.
Although it didn't come to mind at first, Actonia began to increase in sales volume through word of mouth from PC users. However, after 80,000 copies, the sales started to decline dramatically.
At that time, the story of Actonicia was released at a time when illegal copying of the game was very high.
Of course, to prevent unauthorized copying, a total of three times appeared in the middle of the story, which resulted in a password character asking the users for a password, but the 'cracked file' that made that effort a blunder led to a rapid decline in sales.
So the 1st Korea Gaming Promotion Agency. After 100,000 copies of the target game, he got down on his knees to illegal replication... but this small number of people brought 100,000 copies of hedge money to the domestic market won't be ignored.
It's just that he can't get far...
100,000 copies is 100 million won per soft incentive.
However, Im Won-seung Representative of Somnori was unaware of the sale option contract at the time, and made a big mistake in handing the finished game over to a company called Soft Ray for a cheap price.
As a result, all sales revenues in Actonicia went to Soft Ray, and Lee Won Won said that he really only had a small amount of money in his hand.
If we add a little bit to the story of Soft Ray, which embodied all of Actonicia's great masterpieces, they run a institute that nurtures industry professionals themselves called Game School, created games such as Poinsettia, the Invincible, but not so great, and subsequently changed their mission to ST Entertainment and produced a few more games, but closed the company doors leaving a monster called "Speaker Blue Bird."
With the exception of Actonicia's distribution, there was not a single success, and they were also buried in the ruins of illegal replication of the game and were forgotten for a moment.
I answered Lee Won Seung Won's question, "What brings you here?"
"I've played a demo version of Actonicia you sent to Mantra. "
"Oh, have you done it yourself? "
"Yes. I had a little bug, but it was definitely fun. "
In my acclaim, Representative Lee Won opened his mouth, blushing his face.
"In fact, the battle system in Actonicia was inspired by the SRPG method of the Dragon Emblem. And the person who came up with the idea said so, and I don't know how to react to this. "
"I heard the head of Mantra's Kim Han-seok is looking for investors. "
"Ah… yes. Yeah, we're amateur game producers, but we're all just as passionate. But to unleash that passion..."
"You're going to need money. "
He said, "Yeah, well, we're all out of work, and we're not even costing enough to live. So we created a prologue section and sent it out to a number of companies to attract investment. "
"Did you get the answer? "
"Oh, thank God I got a few calls. There are positive answers for Mantra, Soft Ray and Myrine Soft, famous for their legendary new swords. "
"Soft Ray..."? "
I said, "Yeah, it's a popular place for PC magazines these days. Do you know it? "
"Oh, yeah... a little bit. "
"But, Joon-Hyuk is the first person to come to the office like this. "
"I'm also very interested in the story of Actonicia. "
"Oh, thank you for saying that. But…"
"Hmm? Is there a problem? "
"Well... actually, I made a deal with Soft Ray last week. "
"Yes!? "
"I'm in a bit of a hurry, actually..."
Lee Won Seung Won, who scratched his back head with an awkward smile, avoided the look of apology to me.
I looked at him with my fist wrapped around me for a moment and carefully opened my mouth.
"May I see your contract with Soft Ray for a moment? "
"Yes?"
"I'd like to check on you for a moment. in case there are any improper contracts in Somnori. "
"Wrongful... contract? "
Surprised by the appearance of an improper contract, Lee Won Seung Won's representative tilted his head a moment later and brought over the contract documents from Soft Ray.
"I've checked a few times, but nothing's wrong. You will receive KRW 3 million in advance, and after the game, you will then be offered KRW 7 million in Soft Ray. "
"Oh my, you've got a lot of money. I don't know how much Actonicia will sell..."
I swallowed an empty laugh into my heart and examined the terms of the contract I received from him.
'As expected, there are no contracts for future incentives. '
And I immediately passed it on to Lee Won Seung Won's representative. Then, Lee Won Seung Won replied with a big smile.
"It's not the right time for PC supplies in a typical home yet, but how much would I pay to sell it?
If you go out two or three thousand, it's going to be great. "
This guy... He's totally underestimating his own Actonicia.
I answered his pranky reply with a serious look.
"What if they sell over 100,000? "
"Yes…? "
"A mere $100 million is an incentive. Will you give up?"
"Uh, uh, well..."
At this time, the amount of 100 million won was unimaginable, so Lee Won Seung Won suddenly started to sweat.
"Well, can we sell that much? "
"I'll let you sell a million. So you can cancel the contract on Soft Ray and come with us. "
"Yes? One million!! "
The door slammed open inside the workshop with a thud, like the scream of Lee Won Seung Won's representative.
"W-what's going on!? Brother."
The programmer who was in the middle of conception woke up to the shout of Lee Won Seung Won.
However, Lee Won Seung Won didn't care, but he was just looking at the contract in my hand and my face.
"Is that really possible? "
"Yes, I can. I'll pay for the breach of contract as well. But there are conditions. "
"Condition?"
"The story of Actonicia is not published for PC. Release only for Raon, the Pentagon's mobile device. "
Then the programmer who just woke up said to Lee Won Seung Won.
"Sir!? What's that guy? What the hell is he telling you to do? "
Then, Lee Won Seung Won opened his mouth while drying up his excited brother.
"You fool. Can't you be quiet? What are you doing in front of a guest? "
"Sir, do I look like I'm going to stand here?" Your answer is making a mess right now. "
"What is wrong with you? What's your problem?"
"Of course I'm upset!! If you were to develop the Achto for Raon, as he said..."
The programmer takes a deep breath and opens his mouth, almost broken.
"Shouldn't we be working from the beginning..."
Hey, don't freak out. I'll join you this time.
The next day, the first thing I did was rent an office near Marpo.
Raon's first anniversary is in a month. Somnori's cooperation was absolutely necessary for a successful event to be held. And in order to do that, a smooth development environment was essential.
By changing the platform from PC to Raon, all developments that have been made to date have again changed 0%. In fact, there was a demo version of Raon Actonicia from Mantra that I had sent earlier if I could get some, but it was honestly only Mana level.
And why is that?
Would I have come all the way out here and ported back to Actonia?
Akto was clearly a masterpiece in the gaming industry at the time, but it was not a massive masterpiece. There was definitely something that needed fixing, and there was something that needed fixing.
First, the SRPG's undercover combat. Here's a bit of a blur.
At the classic RPG, which was the main level nogada, Actonicia was very slow in tempo. One of the reasons is that the size of the battle map is too wide for the number of allies and enemies that appear.
At the point of hitting and fighting anyway, I had to spend 2-3 turns just going to meet the enemy, but this part only felt very frustrating.
"Why is this battle map so wide? "
"It's for the broadness of the battlefield..."
"I've only slaughtered three or four monsters, but the map is a bit... small for a battlefield. As soon as the battle begins, I'm faced with the enemy once or twice with the vastness of the battlefield. I get bored when I level up like this in RPG games that require battles every time. "
And number two.
I applied unique settings for each character's job. In fact, magic was very useless in Actonicia.
In a fantasy world where swords and magic thrive, magic has a huge impact on the world view. However, due to the excessive consumption of one MP magic in Akto, after just one or two strokes, there are no more points left to use magic.
After fixing half the system parts of the original draft except for the story, the faces of some of Somnori's team members, including the Lee Won-seung representative, began to harden.
"Jules, who the hell is that? "
"This is Kang Jun-hyuk from Pentagon Soft, Japan. "
"Ah, Pentagon Soft..."
" · · · · · ·. "
"No, wait. Kang Jun-hyuk from Pentagon Soft!? "
"Yes, my dear, I am the main director of the Dragon Emblem series. "
"Ugh..."
The developers who created the story of Actonicia in Somnori for the first time were not actually professionals who created the game.
It was just a group of indie games where a few people who liked the game gathered to make the game as a hobby.
Suddenly, if you create a professional game for those people, it will be confusing, and such confusion will bring about refusal.
"Hey, I came to see Lee Seung Seung Won because I thought I was making a really simple role-playing game, but if I spend too much time here, my career will be difficult. "
While researching the project book, while filtering out unnecessary parts, a skinny programmer carefully spoke to me. I continued to examine Akto's plans and answer his questions.
"What are you working on? "
"Oh, well, a small company is building an English language education program for children. "
"What is your monthly income? "
"Well, when you're done, your boss says he'll take care of it, but basically he gets about 100 a month. "
In the programmer's answer, I looked at Lee Won Seung Won.
"There will be a deposit coming in from Mantra this afternoon. Have lunch later and check your bank account. I'm not going to interfere because you're in charge of the crew. Keep in mind that you don't have much time to convince and drag people you don't want to do it with. And…"
I turned my head toward the development team and looked at them for a moment, followed by horses.
"I can assure you, by the end of this project, you will all be able to grow by a few steps. But I've been working for the next few months. Family at home, friends. You'll have to put all that behind you and get on with it. If you're that excited, we'll guarantee you a monthly salary of KRW 2 million until the game is completed. "
"What... 200!? "
In the early '90s, the fixed income of 2 million won per month was equivalent to the base salary of a small and medium-sized enterprise, so it was not surprising for them.
"What do you think? Can you do it? "
The people who were gathering in the office at my question slowly nodded up and down.
&
August 14, 1992.
Since a month ago, many people have gathered on the first floor of Yongsan Terminal, as well as Soyeon and Mantra's employees have been actively promoting around Yongsan Station.
Terminal stores that were able to enter the building directly from Yongsan Station Exit along a long corridor tended to be more rented than anywhere else, instead of having a lot of customers.
'But there's no place like this for an early subjugation of the aircraft. '
I smiled gladly at the growing parade of people.
There's been a lot going on in the last month. I've been busy with almost no time to breathe except for the weekend Yuki visited Korea.
The second thing that was lacking in manpower was taking amateurs who didn't even understand basic coding, which was frustrating and crazy, but I slowly worked with the feeling of suppressing anger and soothing the crying child as much as possible.
In the end, I always had time to teach programmers after work, rather than progress in the development of the game. As a result, I don't think I've made the progress I was expecting, but I think I've reached an acceptable level.
'The rest is up to the users. '
At that time, while drinking machine coffee on the second floor, I saw some familiar faces in my eyes as I gradually looked at the users coming to the event.
Huh? They're the owners of the old tunnel store, aren't they?
Apparently, with news of a large-scale event in Raon, a disturbing rumor made Yongsan gaming store owners feel uneasy.
Terrible rumors that they reveal discomfort.
To clarify that, I emptied the remaining coffee and baked a paper cup.
"After a while. Raon's first anniversary in Mantra is about to begin. As I previously announced at the event, Kang Jun-hyuk from Pentagon Soft, who has developed the Dragon Emblem series and mobile device Raon, will be invited as a special guest. "
"Oh..."
"We also hope that Raon's exclusive RPG game, made purely of our technology, will be released after the event today. "
"Whoa!"
This event celebrates Raon's first anniversary. The reaction of the users gathered here was hotter than ever because it was the place to announce Laon's march in South Korea.
I came down the stairs from the second floor and slowly took a breath back onstage until the moderator called.
I've been there many times, but I was always so nervous that I could feel my heart pounding before I came onstage.
Moreover, this time the first presentation in Korea.
Maybe today will be the trigger for the re-evaluation of a device called Raon by Korean users.
"Then, I will take you to Kang Joon-Hyuk's stage to announce the full event. "
With the sound of shouts coming from the stage, the curtain heads up to the stage.
As I stepped onto the stage following the event assistant's instructions, the shouts of those surrounding the stage began to louder.
"Ah, you'll also see that Kang Jun-hyuk, the main director of the Dragon Emblem series and the streets without me, is also very popular in Korea. Please greet Korean users first. "
"Hello, I'm Kang Jun-hyuk from Pentagon Soft. "
I looked around at the users clapping with a light smile.
Some were waving a family dragon emblem genuine case in their hands, while others were making a hand-held picket.
"Thank you for welcoming me here. In fact, I should have set up a seat like this soon.I 'm just sorry to see you after the first anniversary of Laon's launch. "
I bow once again in their reactions and raise my head after raising my apology.
Then I noticed the faces of some of the older retail owners who appeared to be among the users and began to distort severely.
"He was with a woman back then..."
It seemed that I recognized myself at a glance because it was a very rare time for a customer to go to the store with a woman.
I opened my mouth, making eye contact with one of them, with a big smile.
"When I arrived in Korea about a month ago, I was sad to see Raon's distribution line. And the most unfortunate distribution market... is right here. Yongsan."
Subsequently, my long sigh echoed through the speakers everywhere and I took a step towards the center of the stage.
"The Yongsan electronics store is the heart of the gaming industry, which currently has the largest distribution line in the country. Games that are released locally and sold overseas can be found here as much as you want. Do you have any idea what Laon is worth? "
Then, different prices started pouring out of the mouths of the people gathered on the stage.
"Isn't it $300? "
"No, it's 198,000 won. "
"What? I bought it for 220,000 won. "
"I'm 2300 won. What's wrong with the price? "
The faces of the employers who were mixed among the users began to stiffen at the prices of the different Raons, which were revealed in detail.
I sent an autograph to Soyeon, who was waiting downstairs with a mischievous look on her face, and she came up on the stage with two Raons in her hands and put them on the table.
"This is Raon, who was just bought at Yongsan's 'Out' Shop through our staff. Here's the receipt: 1: 10 p.m. on August 15th. I bought this just 20 minutes ago. "
I hold one Raon on the table in my hand.
"Usually our products have these sealed stickers on them to see if they are open. However, this product appears to have a broken sticker once. Well, let's rip it out. By the way, the store owner said it was a new product, and there was nothing wrong with the contents. "
I put down the microphone for a moment and opened the box. Then Raon, wrapped in plastic, reveals himself inside.
"Now, as you can see, the components are fine, but if you look closely, it feels a little strange. First of all, the plastic surrounding the product is crumpled up strangely. And the adapter wires are also roughly tied to something. So let's open another product. This is a regular priced product from a store on the outskirts of Yongsan for ₩ 198,000. First of all, there are no signs of damage to this seal sticker.
That means they've never opened it. "
Again, I put down the microphone and opened a new product. And it appeared next to the box that was just opened.
"Let's compare the product body this time. Fortunately, Raon is white, so the color difference is noticeable when compared to a new product. "
At my request, Soyeon took out the two raons in the box and held them in both hands.
"Oh, it's much cleaner on the right. "
At first glance, the left side was slightly yellow to make the usage feel stronger. It was a persistent problem of white plastic discoloring due to the heat inside the instrument.
"Oh, fuck. I bought a new one for the first time, but something's stuck..."
I held the microphone on the table and cared for a moment.
"Of course, not all companies will operate this way, but the real damage is what the users here are losing, and I thought you should have a reasonable reward and remedy. So I decided."
The users at the venue looked at me with a nervous look on their eyes.
"No more time on the spot. I will not distribute any products regarding Raon to the tunnel stalls. "
"Oops!! "
"What!!! "
This was the harbinger of the horrific rumors that were circulating among the emerging commercial owners.
"No more time on the spot. I will not distribute any products regarding Raon to the tunnel stalls. "
"Oops!! "
"What!!! "
This was the harbinger of the horrific rumor that wandered among the established businessmen. And the effect was immediately seen by the employers interfering with the users.
"You're not giving us anything at all!? "
"I'm ridiculous. You have no intention of selling anything. "
At that moment, the employers' eyes were pierced by the unexpected words. What an idiot. It's like a suicide bombing out here.
Either way, I walked back to the center of the stage, ignoring them.
"Why do you use the Yongsan electronics store? Don't you have a game shop in your neighborhood? No, there is. If you live in the suburbs of Seoul, you won't find one or two PC shops in the same time period today. And they're definitely selling games there. whether it's illegal software or genuine software. "
"Nevertheless, the reason you're looking for Yongsan, located in the heart of Seoul, is because you might be able to live a little cheaper with the diversity of game titles. Of course it is, because today the only game stores representing Korea are Yongsan and Cheonggye Cheon. "
The users who gathered at the venue began nodding at my words, and the employers who were mixed in the crowd began to slip away with a red face.
I was in a hurry before they all got out.
"But Yongsan has changed. Of course, not from the beginning. But games are becoming bigger and bigger, and more and more stores are being mean to users. "
Then, one user who was just listening to my story raised his hand and asked a question.
"But if you want to find games that are only released in Japan like Dragon Warrior 5, you have to use the merchant. "
"Well, that's true. I have nowhere else to go. "
I sighed and replied to their voices.
"That's right, our country is still missing games and animation in negotiated items that can be fully funded with Japan. So here's Mr. Kim Han Seok from Mantra, who has been walking around Yongsan electronics store with employees for the past month, categorizing conscientious stores and unconscious stores. And at the end of this month, we will write an example of this in the Gaming World, which is published in Mantra. And I also want to ask you one thing. "
"Consumer rights need to be found by consumers. When I visited Yongsan last month, he was booked by Dragon Warrior 5 in several stores. It is also a very popular series in Japan, and since the cartridge unit price of the super family is so expensive, it will be launched at a somewhat higher price of 9200 yen. That's about 73,000 KRW at the current exchange rate. "
"But I noticed that the purchase price of this software in Yongsan was ₩ 180,000. Recently, they've been receiving up to 200,000 won. And of course, it doesn't mean that they should ignore the hard work that comes from Japan. But getting more than twice as much money is a clear explosion. That's why I want to emphasize to you more and more about consumer rights.
'Expensive is expensive.', 'cannot be purchased at this price.' Why can't you talk? I understand your desire to play your favorite games a little sooner, but if you continue to support the seller in this way, there will be no end to it. "
In my words, the user who just asked me another question.
"So what the hell are we supposed to do? You have to tell me how to do it rather than telling me that I can't do it. "
"Yes, it is. So I'm going to show you how to do that now. As I said just now, a new corner of the Yongsan gaming store will be posted in the Game World at the end of this month. The first month was when Mantra's staff jumped on their feet, but after a few more rounds, they might reveal who they were. So from now on, I ask you, Discuss with the magazine the kindness of your store and the pricing of the games sold. "
"There are definitely a lot of friendly shops here in Yongsan at good prices. But they're pushed into a corner by the tyranny of the big business. This type of harassment is prevalent not only in games, but also in other electronic products. The biggest power of consumers is the choice of outlet. Instead of forcing them to buy at a price that they feel is unfair, we ask that they spend the right amount of money through information sharing. That's it."
" · · · · · ·. "
Buddy, buddy, buddy.
Applause, which began with one person, spread widely and quickly began to fill the first floor of the terminal store.
"Wow... I feel so good!! "
"If you launch Game World this month, you must buy it. I'm only going to the stores listed there. "
"Oh, shit. From what I hear, I was a coward. I have to cancel right now. "
"I could really use some help with this right now..."
After hearing the complaints that had been piled up, the employers who were still at the event looked very troubled.
'I don't know how much this will change, but we've got at least one high wire...'
I hold the microphone in my hand and open my mouth again.
"That's all the Pentagon and Mantra have to offer. But I think it's clear that our responsibility, which was poorly managed, So this time I'm going to tell you about the reward. "
"A reward? What else is there? "
The venue, which was buzzing with the word reward, became quiet for a moment.
At that moment, I saw the knight riding across the bridge on the screen behind my back. Immediately, the opening video of the game along with the great background music began to play.
"Huh? What is it? Is this Raon's new game? "
I stepped back to the edge of the stage to prevent the screen from obscuring and watched the opening of the new game with the users.
The title of the blue sky with the bright sun shining on the bridge where the knight rode was the 'Actonician story'.
Morita could have made a nicer opening, but she couldn't ignore the effects of purely domestic RPG titles made by domestic developers.
Instead, the opening made up the initial event scene of the game and increased the amount a little more, which was quite responsive than I thought.
"Domestic RPG? "
"Oh? What is it? Feels pretty good. "
Especially in the convoying scene of Kainan's staff, elasticity began to leak from people's mouths in a solemn atmosphere. I originally drew a decent picture because it added a sprite effect in a convoy event that might have been a little empty.
And in the subsequent battle scene, I was appalled by the faces of the people gathered at the event.
"That's how we fought out of Dragon Emblem 2!? "
Yes, by improving SRPG's formerly obscure combat approach and introducing tactically actionable tactical formats on a narrow map, Gamability felt 180 degrees different.
"Wow... did the local RPG advance to this much quality? "
Somewhere I heard a criticism of following the Raid method of the Dragon Emblem, but as soon as my name came up to the Battle System Director, the user's work ( ⁄ 21917;) immediately turned into cheer.
"Oh!!! The creators of the Dragon Emblem participated!? "
"Awesome!! So this game can be seen in collaboration with the Pentagon!? "
The short opening video ended with the title "Actonicia Story" branded by users again at the end.
I opened my mouth as I approached those who were making a blank face with the introduction of a new game.
"The story of Actonicia is a pure national game created by an Indian game developer called Somnori in Korea. As you can see, I was assigned a combat system in Actonia to assist with the task. "
Since my name worked well in Korea, the users gave a big applause with cheer. Somehow, I felt like I was snatching the ball of Somnori's Lee Won Seung Ry. I rushed him onstage.
Lee Seung Won, who received the microphone from me, hesitated for a moment and greeted the users with a trembling voice.
"Hello, I'm Lee Won Seung, the main director of the Actonician story you just saw. I'm very proud and very excited to see the story of Actonicia, which started out as a fun gathering of gamers, being released as a console game. Although domestic game development is still lacking in comparison to Japan or the United States, I am very happy to be able to make such a great game in my relationship with Kang Jun-hyuk. In the meantime, I want to leave you with one word: Our Somnori Soft is committed to starting this year in Actonia and working hard to win the Korean Games. "
"Oh, is there a professional game developer in my country? "
"I'm impressed. It's not like when the Final Frontier or the Dragon Emblem were engraved..."
"Cheers!! Make lots of great games!! "
In the support of the users, Lee Won Seung Won said his head bowed and greeted them, not being able to speak anymore. I was also the moment when I felt overwhelmed by the support of Korean users.
After handing the microphone back to me from the Lee Won Seung Won Representative, I smiled slightly and added an additional explanation about Achto.
"Actonicia is currently working hard to target this winter issue. In addition, this game is a token of our appreciation for Raon's first anniversary and for those of you who have loved Raon so much..."
Shortly after I finished my presentation, I came downstairs, filled the hall with enormous shouts and applause.
&
After Laon's first anniversary.
I had a quiet drink at the fairy I met with Representative Kim Han-seok the other day.
"We were surprised at the announcement and free distribution of the Actonian Story Bundle. Tell me in advance..."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you in advance. I wasn't able to tell you beforehand because I was working at Somnori until yesterday. "
"But the reaction was very good. Increased sales of temporary distribution Flash cartridges, right? "
"Please complete your market research in advance and win the Pentagon. Maybe you can get Soyeon to do it well. "
"Yes, I'll do that. "
"You're still young, but Soyeon has a different talent for management. I think it would be more useful to keep Kim's assistant than a general office assistant. "
"I'm sure you've learned a lot from Joon-Hyuk over the last month. This is an anticipated employee. We will do as you say. "
"Oh, and can I ask you one more thing? "
"Yes? What kind of favor..."
When I told Kim what I thought about Laon's production line later, he looked at me with the surprised rabbit's eyes.
"Joon-Hyuk, there's really nothing there. It's just a wasteland. I don't understand how you could build a manufacturing plant in such a place. "
"It's just a temporary production plant that looks at it for about a decade anyway. Subsequently, production lines may change to other countries. But before that, I'm going to buy up all the land. "
"Huh... It doesn't matter to me, but I'm worried you're wasting your money."
Kim said to himself, emptying the cup to see if my choice would bother him.
"The Pancho of Bundang. There's something there... Ha-ha-ha..."