Potential

In the meantime, KiShin has unveiled a slew of new video games, including Super Mario RPG, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Breath of Fire, and Pokémon Yellow.

In a typical household.

"Finally... A new day with fresh KiShin video games!!!" exclaimed a young man, his excitement evident upon seeing the advertisement for KiShin's latest releases.

One particular highlight that grabbed his attention was Super Mario RPG, as well as Pokémon Yellow.

Being a devoted Pokémon fan, he was eager to dive into the new Pokémon video game.

He's not alone; in one of the Pokémon cafes constructed by KiShin a few months ago, several people clad in Pokémon merchandise have gathered.

A young woman named Aira, donned in 'Misty' attire and accompanied by a Pikachu and various Pokémon plush toys, engaged in conversation with her female friends. "Did you hear? Pokémon has a new video game coming out!"

Her friend Kazu nodded and remarked, "Yeah, it's based on Pikachu!"

"Oh, I've always been a fan of Pikachu!"

"Let's buy it tomorrow!"

"Absolutely!"

While the boys in the same Pokémon cafe, engrossed in their Pokémon game, exchanged thoughts. "Oh? Another Pokémon video game? I spotted it in the advertisement. The gameplay seems no different from Pokémon Red and Blue..."

"Yeah... just a different Pokémon this time..."

"Hopefully, they release something more interesting... maybe a new Pokémon..."

---

Meanwhile, some Tora and Suzuki fans expressed discontent with KiShin's new Pokémon video game based on Pikachu.

"A new Pokémon game that isn't any different from Pokémon Red and Blue..."

"Yeah, I think ToSuKi's 'Mech-O-Battle' video game was better."

"I agree..."

Many critics of KiShin believe that the company relies solely on the popularity of the Pokémon anime for the sales of their Pokémon video games, which appear almost identical to one another except for the introduction of a different Pokémon as an in-game character.

Despite the criticism, the sales of KiShin's video games remain unaffected. Upon each new release, sales surge rapidly, contributing to a notable rise in KiShin's overall video game sales.

Everyone thought KiShin would stop releasing new video games this October, but they were surprised when KiShin unveiled "Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters" and "Tales of Phantasia."

Upon the release of these games, Saw Arata and other video game professionals became alert.

Why? Particularly because of Kid Icarus. It left a lasting impression on video game professionals as an extremely challenging game. They rushed to purchase it for review, and their excitement grew when KiShin announced the release of "Pokemon Trading Card Game" in December, along with a few other video games.

---

Meanwhile, in the USA, Game Boy was gradually being adopted by older generations for playing "Tetris," proving to be a significant boost to KiShin's Game Boy sales.

As the current CEO of NewLand, Archie Scott, observed the widespread popularity of Tetris, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret, especially when he noticed his wife engrossed in playing Tetris on her Game Boy.

When his wife inquired about Tetris, Archie Scott's regret deepened. "Honey, doesn't your father's company, NewLand, which you inherited, own the rights to Tetris? You must be profiting from the Tetris on Game Boy, right?"

Archie Scott could only offer a wry smile as he explained to his wife that he had already sold the rights to Tetris to KiShin.

Upon hearing this, his wife felt disappointed. Typically, Archie Scott didn't delve into the company's business with his wife. However, now he explained, saying, "Honey, you know that NewLand was struggling at that time. If I hadn't sold the rights of Tetris to KiShin, NewLand would probably have filed for bankruptcy..."

His wife experienced a bit of relief upon learning this. Simultaneously, Archie Scott recognized the potential of video games. Recalling the existing library of NewLand video games that they still owned, Archie Scott couldn't help but contemplate the idea of developing improved versions of the old video game collection at NewLand.

Inspired by this idea, Archie Scott promptly grabbed a piece of paper and began outlining his plan. Currently, KiShin stood as the sole open platform in the USA, providing independent video game developers the chance to create their own games for the KiShin platform. Additionally, news of the Tora and Suzuki alliance in the video game sector, operating as an open platform in the Japanese market, was set to expand to the USA soon.

Archie Scott couldn't help but view this as a significant opportunity. With the burgeoning video game market, it seemed inevitable that numerous games would be developed. As long as the market avoided being flooded with subpar games, it had the potential to thrive through the innovation fostered by the competition between KiShin and Tora-Suzuki.

Even some brokers and investors on Wall Street recognized the potential of video games and began investing in video game development companies.

They could already anticipate the substantial market in the industry. Although the video games industry couldn't be directly compared to other rapidly growing sectors like the cellular phone market, it was evident that the video games industry was not to be underestimated. With current estimates placing the number of casual players at around 230-280 million people, video games were particularly popular in first-world countries that could afford video game consoles and games, such as the USA, Japan, and various European nations.

Especially in the United Kingdom, the most popular video game in Europe, including the UK, was Super Mario World. It sold approximately 14 million copies in just one year.

In a certain place in the UK, within a particular small apartment, a beautiful woman named Joanne Kathleen was engrossed in writing. Inspired by video games she had played, such as The Legend of Zelda and Tetris, she found herself captivated by the fantasy worlds and engaging gameplay they offered.

While Joanne typically enjoyed chess, the rising popularity of video games made her aware of the fantastic experiences modern games could provide. One thing was certain—video games served as a significant inspiration for the book she was currently writing.

Given that one of KiShin's subsidiaries in London was a bookstore named "Ruki," which specialized in releasing Japanese books translated into English, Joanne felt that KiShin Bookstore would be a good choice. She observed that they provided more favorable offers compared to other book publishers.