Tokyo Video Game Tycoon.

"Me too! I'm a seasoned sci-fi fan, and I just couldn't resist the allure of these special effects. I'm afraid the investment in these special effects is unprecedented, right? Do you think it exceeded two hundred million US dollars?"

"Hehe, you guys up there, let me tell you a secret. The total cost of this movie is probably only one hundred million US dollars at most. Don't ask me how I know, I'm just telling you it's inside information."

Chapter 288 A group of guys who got their comeuppance

"Starry Sea Unlimited" premiered on time, and the special effects were much better than expected.

Not top-notch, but good enough.

Coupled with effective cost control, the company grossed $100 million in its opening week.

With its meteoric rise, the film quickly became a topic of discussion.

This movie may not be a classic, but it is enough to satisfy its loyal fans, and it also attracts more viewers because of its large-scale special effects.

The large U-shaped Unreal Engine logo that appeared at the beginning of the movie also drew attention once again.

The Unreal Engine was featured in the opening logos of two consecutive blockbuster films, making it impossible for even ordinary people to ignore.

The most heated discussion was about the internet.

"Have you guys seen the really popular movie 'Starry Sea' lately? I noticed a new logo at the beginning of the movie. Is that some new film company? I think the name is 'Virtual,' but I've never heard of it before."

"Upstairs, I've investigated for you. That logo doesn't belong to a company, but to a software called Unreal Engine. The special effects were also created by the studio that developed the software, just like that Detroit Films superhero movie."

"Unreal Engine? It helps with special effects development? I've never heard of that before, and it doesn't seem to be very well-known."

"Let me tell you, I'm an industry insider in the film and television industry. This Unreal Engine has never appeared before. It's a brand new special effects development software. I heard it can greatly reduce the cost of special effects. Our film company boss is already considering buying it. However, the other party requires that if you buy it, you must buy it for more than ten years, but you can pay in installments. They also require that the Unreal Engine logo must appear at the beginning of the movie. Of course, this can be paid for as an advertisement."

The person who said this clearly knew a lot about the latest industry news, and he rattled off a lot of inside information.

This post immediately attracted even more attention.

Then, another person appeared in the comments below and revealed an updated message.

"According to my investigation, the developer of Unreal Engine is the strongest game company at present: Youxing Electronic Entertainment. Their games dominate the video game industry, and now it seems that they are planning to cross over and enter the special effects development market. Previously, many people thought that Youxing Electronic Entertainment was playing with fire, but now it seems that their crossover is very successful."

News about Unreal Engine and everything related to Yusei Electronic Entertainment was quickly revealed.

The media loves to ride the wave of trending topics.

They also like to use all sorts of exaggerated terms to describe Youxing Electronic Entertainment's crossover into the industry, calling it a very successful transformation. They say that even if the game industry stops progressing, Youxing Electronic Entertainment can still make a fortune in the future, and that it is still a very high-quality and promising company.

The only regrettable thing is that Yusei Electronic Entertainment does not accept any investment and always operates as an independent company, controlled by Yusei Take.

After many years, Takeyusei, this young Japanese entrepreneur, once again made the front page of many American newspapers.

Despite the constant doubts and criticisms that had been raised some time ago, they now act as if nothing had happened and have turned around to praise Yuxing Electronic Entertainment.

However, while some are happy, others are sad.

Especially those few who had made a bet with Tukarev before, now get a headache whenever they see any news related to Unreal Engine.

"Damn it! Damn Japanese!"

In the office of the owner of a film and television company, the boss was angrily smashing things.

He was a nouveau riche who had always been at odds with Tukarev. The two had competed against each other in the film industry and other sectors many times, and he had always come out on top. As a result, he had always been able to act arrogantly in front of Tukarev.

But Tukarev has always had a fiery temper. No matter how many times he fails, he will not easily admit defeat. He doesn't care about being humiliated after a defeat; he will get up and continue to fight against his rivals.

However, Tukarev had never made any big bets with his competitors before, and this time it was the biggest bet yet. If Tukarev failed, he would retire from the film industry.

Having had countless successful experiences before, Tukarev's competitors had no doubt that something would go wrong this time.

They were all prepared to wait until everything settled down, then mock and humiliate Tukarev, and send him back to his Russian homeland to raise pigs, so he wouldn't embarrass himself in the US again.

However, the sudden appearance of Yuxing Electronic Entertainment really disrupted their strategy.

The film "Starry Night" was a great success, with audiences responding positively. It grossed $100 million in its opening week and received generally positive feedback, so its box office performance is expected to be strong in the future.

It's clear that Tukarev will win this time.

Tukarev's opponents may win countless times, but Tukarev himself only needs to win once. Just one win is enough for him to finally hold his head high.

The owners of these film and television companies would be furious.

At this moment, no one dared to provoke their boss until he calmed down and sat alone in his somewhat messy office, lost in thought.

However, he quickly regained his composure, loosened his tie, picked up his phone from the ground, and randomly dialed a number.

"Hey, let's go out for a drink."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, before a simple "Okay" was answered.

The person on the other end of the phone was also Tukarev's competitor, someone who had also made bets against him.

Now that Tukarev has essentially won, it means that these guys all have to apologize to Tukarev in person, which is very hurtful to their pride, so they are preparing to band together.

Meanwhile, at the Yusei Special Effects Studio, Takeyuki is personally overseeing the development of a new project.

After the Starry Sky Unlimited project ended, Youxing Electronic Entertainment immediately put them into preparations for new work.

And this new job will naturally be related to games.

Just then, Tukarev arrived at the studio, looking very happy.

"Zhuyou, my good friend! You helped me win this bet! I must thank you properly!"

Tukarev flashed his signature big brotherly smile; he was genuinely happy today.

Winning a bet is more satisfying than doubling his box office revenue.

He felt really good seeing those guys get their comeuppance.

Zhu Youxing naturally congratulated Tukarev as well.

"What are you doing? Another new movie special effects project? Which company is it?" Tukarev asked curiously, glancing at the busy employees in the studio.

Zhu Youxing shook his head: "This time it's not a film and television special effects development project, it's a game development project. You forgot, I am still a game company after all, and I still have to continue doing my main business."

Chapter 289 The Chain Reaction of the Video Game Industry

"Stop making video games, Zhuyou. How about coming with me to make a name for yourself in the film industry? It's much more profitable than making those games. Besides, the film industry is easier to gain international recognition these days, and it has a much larger audience. Video games can't compare to that."

Tukarev greatly admires Zhu Youxing and his team.

Their special effects development technology is very advanced, which shows that Zhu Youxing has a very unique vision. If we can cooperate with him to develop in the film and television industry, it will definitely be very promising.

Zhu Youxing smiled and declined, saying, "I will definitely try to make movies in the future, but I don't plan to make it my main job. However, I can consider the derivative production of the IP in the future, such as adapting games into movies and movies into games. Wouldn't that be great? You can also take advantage of the popularity of Starry Sky to make a video game. I think you can make some extra money."

Tukarev didn't seem to care much about Zhuyouxing's suggestion; he really had little interest in video games.

At this moment, Zhu Youxing asked again, "By the way, didn't you make a bet with some old rivals before? It seems that if you win, they will apologize to you in person. Have you arranged a time? I'd like to go and witness it."

After listening, Tukarev shook his head: "Heh, how could those guys who value face more than anything apologize to me? They'll have all sorts of excuses to avoid apologizing. But it doesn't matter, disgusting them this time has already given me a lot of satisfaction."

Tukarev didn't seem to care, but deep down he probably still wanted to see those guys apologize in person.

Ideally, they could also learn from Japan and bow deeply at a 90-degree angle to apologize.

Of course, this is just wishful thinking.

These big shots would never do that.

But the fact that he won the bet is something he can't ignore.

He'll use this incident to annoy those guys all the time, bringing it up to rub salt in their wounds whenever he has a chance, which will be enough to make them suffer.

Tukarev then invited Zhu Youxing to have a meal and a few drinks. Zhu Youxing did not refuse, but put it aside for the time being and would make an appointment another day.

Tukalev then left, no longer disturbing Zhu Youxing's work.

The turmoil in the outside world had little to do with Zhu Youxing at the moment; he needed to focus on developing a new game.

His core business is still in the gaming industry, and he wants to bring more excellent games to the world without wasting any time.

……

At the same time, in a grand-looking company building in a city in California, several senior executives and board members of Red Fruit Company held a new shareholders' meeting.

Every year at the end of the year, the CEO chairs a meeting to report to shareholders on the year's sales performance.

Myron Case, then CEO of Red Fruit, turned on the projector with a heavy heart, and rows of data were presented to the shareholders.

"This is our sales performance in 1997."

The data shown in the projection is the sales data for that year.

Overall, the sales performance was decent, with at least a profit margin of over ten percent.

However, compared to the results of the previous few years, this profit of only a little over ten percent and less than two hundred million US dollars is really not impressive.

Myron Case was therefore in a heavy mood.

However, as CEO, he must be accountable to the shareholders. He must disclose these data truthfully. If he falsifies even the slightest bit, he can forget about being CEO.

"I have something to ask," a major shareholder spoke first at the conference table. "Why has our performance declined again this year, and so rapidly at that?"

All the shareholders stared directly at Myron Case, their gazes sharp.

When Myron Case first took over as CEO, Red Fruit was thriving.

Their personal computer business and newly expanded mobile music player business are both doing very well, and their products are selling very well.

At the time, its annual profits exceeded one billion US dollars, making it one of the leading companies in the US electronics industry.

At the time, Myron Case also had a very ambitious vision, aiming to more than triple the performance within three years.

Moreover, he places particular emphasis on the personal computer sector, believing it to be a promising area for future growth that deserves close attention.

In his first year in office, he did indeed lead the company to rapid growth, and the personal computer business was also developing very well. It seemed that his goal of doubling the company's performance in the first year was about to be achieved.

But just as the company was about to double its revenue, the sales figures for the next quarter suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

Sales did not decline immediately, but the sales in the current quarter were only on par with the previous quarter.

Myron Case believed at the time that consumers were experiencing a short period of sluggish spending and would recover quickly.

But what he didn't expect was that that quarter would be his shining moment.

For some unknown reason, the personal computer business began to decline slowly.

At that time, it wasn't just his company that was experiencing a slow decline; the sales performance of the systems sold by the neighboring Morgan Group was also slowly decreasing.