November 27.
Raimon found that the sale was just a poorly written script, with random ideas and a folder of Dungeons & Dragons games they had organized for some time. The mistakes were clear. And Raimon felt that he disappointed Billy, by all his actions.
-I got the game, - he sent a message, still disappointed and worried about the poor imitation. He hadn't counted on things developing in this way. He sent the data to RPG Platforms and looked at his next purchase. He would have to travel to Maryland to meet with Steve Parks, but now he had much less confidence in what he could and couldn't do.
He continued his journey to Lux Animation without first going to the area being developed for Billy. There, he would have an apartment all to himself. The building housed 14 apartments, each 90 square meters, along with commercial spaces on the facade covered by expensive clothing brands. There was the plaza, the museum, and another famous restaurant in the area. Two acres were reserved for a fast-food area, with the best locations that Billy wanted for his food company.
-I expected you to take much longer than expected, - said Joseph Blinky.
-Well, it was a folly. Interplay got the better of us. However, now I think it's best to wait for Billy. He'll know what to do, - said Raimon.
-It doesn't matter. If Billy sent you to buy them, it was for a special reason, and I don't think he's telling us everything he should. However, Steve Parks has already made the deal for Elder Scrolls. He exchanged a license for the engine developed by ID Software for the sale of their video game and paid $800,000 for them to continue developing the game, along with sales percentages. He mentioned that as long as they can keep doing the work well, they'll have ownership of the game, and he even left negotiations open, - said Joseph Blinky.
-From now on, let the negotiators do things for their own business, - thought Raimon, while taking a seat. Being swindled, the anger in his heart could not be calmed. For the first time, he went up to the fifth floor of the company and started sorting out the accounts, from Lux Animation, Lux Distribution, and Lux Comics, to stocks. Over the next few days, like a hunting dog, he concentrated all his anger on his work, along with long conversations with Jim Gianopulus. They began to lay out the first steps to develop the television program, which already had a video game for sale but hadn't caused much sensation, as it was an online game.
Joseph received the task of expanding to a second team by Billy. He had to make a game according to his specifications, and later he would assign new and different tasks.
Billy now had no negatives. He would consume all the great RPG platform games he knew and expand to a third team. For now, the Pokémon, Baldur's Gate, and Fate series franchises were enough for games in the next twenty years.
The Fate series was a historical RPG game featuring great heroes of history, starting with Joan of Arc, followed by Arturia Pendragon, Gilgamesh, Sigfrid, Achilles, the Fifty Thieves, and the story of Emiya Shirui. Additionally, Divinity, Triangle Strategy, Valkyria Chronicles, and others could fit into animated series, similar to X-com.
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During the following days, he had many talks and schedules, although he stayed in space if Billy's assertions were true. He only smiled at the time of departure for him. It was 1997 when he could use his constant source of income that was beginning to earn. The extra income from advertising and toy sales added at least 3 to 4 million dollars monthly, along with video game and comic sales of at least 9 million dollars monthly. The monthly profit was enough to continue his extracurricular activities, such as buying shares in Marvel and investing in technology companies.
Autodesk's revenues were generating extra income to continue investing in the company, and now they were sufficient to invest in 3D software development. However, what paid the bills were the high revenues from movies. In December, they would receive royalties from The Lion King, with international box office earnings and some domestic, totaling $243 million, of which $90 million remained after paying off some credits and debts. The company was now focused on one thing: the Star Wars franchise. Scripts had been approved, and by the end of 1995, filming would begin, with a probable release date in 1997. The next film would start production in 1997, with a probable release date in 1999, and the following one had no fixed date yet. However, expenses kept increasing due to the studio they wanted to build in San Jose. The investment for the construction of the entire studio began at $12 million, dedicated solely to Star Wars for now.
Microsoft assigned a special employee for the development of the video game company. They appointed Phil Spencer as the official developer, and together they planned the sale of the various loans they made.
-Well, you were right. Seeing the contract you have with Sony and the clear facts that they've created a video game company, it's evident they'll enter the video game market. But what gives me more clarity is the news that on December 6, the PlayStation 1 will be released, a console by Sony, - said Phil Spencer.
-in that case, I think I'll make the licensed game for Microsoft, as promised. It can only be used for two updates of the company, then there'll be a price for its use that we'll set based on the success of the game, - said Billy, finishing the final test of his game, one that would be hailed as one of the best of its time, Jewel Blitz, and then he would immerse himself in Candy Crush development.
The licensing terms also did not exceed six years, which was a crucial piece of information, as lengthy developments often falter. It was clear that the company would be under allied video game corporations, each developing their own game houses, and both investing in console production. Profits would be higher than with other consoles because the games sold belonged to each company, and console sales would be split evenly.
Each contract was evidence of an ongoing negotiation, such as the license. All terms were binding. Billy's capital was both industrial and social, as he would provide the extra products for the gaming console, along with the roadmap and funds.
The investment money from each party was $50 million, but Billy would have to invest $80 million since Microsoft's technologies and factories would be used. Billy was the creative director and co-president. The list of options for the company's birth required all the assertions he mentioned to be fulfilled in the coming years.
-Well, let's hope for your game. If you can make a game for February 1995, which is when we'll launch Windows 3, - Phil Spencer mentioned.
-Don't worry, we'll have it ready. However, you should know that these kinds of video games are not so easy to make. I might make updates to the game in the coming months, - said Billy.
-We understand. For now, let's focus on the routine details of game delivery, - Phil mentioned, concluding the meeting. The four three days of constant meetings had many things that were important in their way for both companies