Chapter 10: The Console War Begins
📅 Date: January 1992
📍 Location: NexTech Studios, Seoul, South Korea
The cold Seoul winter showed no signs of letting up, but inside NexTech Studios, the heat of battle had only just begun.
With the NexBox Reveal Event just days away, Jin Hoshino knew this was more than just an announcement.
This was a declaration of war.
✔ NexBox production was ahead of schedule.
✔ Over 100,000 pre-registrations for the reveal event.
✔ GameSphere was scrambling to counter him.
Jin sat at his desk, flipping through reports.
His blockbuster RPG, Eternal Blade, was generating insane hype after a small teaser leaked online.
Gaming magazines were already calling it:
📌 "The most ambitious RPG ever made."
📌 "The game that will change the industry forever."
📌 "Is NexTech leading gaming into a new golden age?"
But while Jin's name dominated headlines, GameSphere wasn't staying quiet.
They had one last move before the NexBox reveal.
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GameSphere's Desperate Sabotage Attempt
📅 Date: January 5, 1992
📍 Location: NexTech Distribution Center, Incheon
Jin's phone rang at midnight.
"Boss, there's a problem."
Jin rubbed his temples. "What is it?"
"The shipment of NexBox prototypes for the event—someone hijacked the trucks."
Jin immediately sat up.
"How the hell did this happen?"
The voice on the other end hesitated. "We tracked the trucks. They were intercepted before they reached the venue. All the cargo is gone."
Jin's expression turned cold.
There was only one company bold enough to pull something like this.
📌 GameSphere had hijacked the NexBox shipment.
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Jin's Response: The Power Play
Most companies would panic.
Jin smirked.
He grabbed his phone and called Choi Da-hyun (Head of Marketing).
"Prepare a press release. Title it: 'GameSphere Declares War on Innovation.'"
Da-hyun grinned. "You want to make this public?"
Jin's eyes glowed. "No. I want to humiliate them."
✔ NexTech filed a police report for industrial sabotage.
✔ Jin had an emergency backup shipment of prototypes delivered within 24 hours.
✔ He leaked the truck hijacking to gaming magazines, framing GameSphere as a company afraid of competition.
By January 7, 1992, GameSphere was trending for all the wrong reasons.
📢 "Did GameSphere sabotage NexTech?"
📢 "Are gaming giants afraid of innovation?"
📢 "Jin Hoshino fights back against corporate corruption."
Within two days, GameSphere executives were forced to deny involvement, but the damage was already done.
Jin had turned their sabotage attempt into a PR disaster.
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The NexBox Reveal: Making History
📅 Date: January 10, 1992
📍 Location: COEX Convention Center, Seoul
Over 20,000 attendees packed into the venue.
Millions more watched via live satellite broadcasts, making this one of the most anticipated gaming events in history.
GameSphere's CEO Park Jae-woo sat in the audience, his expression unreadable.
Jin stepped onto the stage, dressed in a sleek black suit.
He scanned the crowd, his smirk confident.
"Welcome, everyone. Today, we're not just unveiling a console. We're unveiling the future of gaming."
The massive screen behind him lit up—revealing the first-ever live gameplay of Eternal Blade.
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The Game That Shook the Industry
The moment the demo started, the audience gasped.
Unlike the pixelated RPGs of the past, Eternal Blade showcased:
✔ Smooth 2D sprite animations (better than any existing console).
✔ A cinematic opening sequence (unheard of in RPGs at the time).
✔ A fully voiced protagonist (a first for console RPGs).
✔ A branching storyline where choices changed the narrative.
Jin turned back to the audience.
"For too long, RPGs have been limited by outdated technology. NexBox changes that. This is our first step toward AAA gaming."
The term "AAA gaming" was spoken for the first time in history.
The room erupted into cheers.
Even GameSphere's executives looked visibly nervous.
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GameSphere's Next Move: Rushing to Compete
📅 Date: January 12, 1992
📍 Location: GameSphere Korea Headquarters
GameSphere's boardroom was dead silent.
They had just watched the NexBox event footage.
One executive turned to CEO Park Jae-woo.
"We're fucked."
Jae-woo slammed his fist on the table. "No. We're fighting back."
📌 They announced a rushed reveal event for their own CD-ROM console.
📌 They promised their console would launch in early 1993.
📌 They doubled developer incentives to steal NexTech's game studios.
But rushing hardware development was dangerous.
GameSphere was desperate—and desperation leads to mistakes.
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Jin's Next Move: Expanding Beyond Gaming
📅 Date: February 1992
Jin sat in his office, sipping coffee.
His gaming empire was secured, but his true goal was much bigger.
He turned to his assistant. "What's the current status of our internet research team?"
The assistant hesitated. "Internet? It's still a niche technology."
Jin smirked. "Not for long."
✔ NexTech was about to enter the internet business.
✔ GameSphere thought they were competing over gaming—but Jin was thinking far beyond that.
✔ The next war wasn't just consoles. It was digital dominance.
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End of Chapter 10