89. The beginning of a sudden change (1)
“How do you feel?”
“I was really surprised. I used to experience VR equipment for broadcasting and commercial shooting, but it was different from that time!”
“At what point, specifically?”
“First of all, it is comfortable to wear and the resolution is very good. Shall we say that there is no sense of alienation in the virtual world?”
“and?”
“In AR mode… … that… … A man and a woman appeared in reality and right in front of my eyes… … Um, did you really get dazed for a while when you did that? I want to know what this is.”
“It was the same for me. Perhaps the test sample was re-engineered in a special way for this device.”
“okay? Anyway, with this, whether it’s an adult, a movie, or an animation… … I thought that if I enjoy content, smartphones and TV will become boring in the future. but… … .”
“but?”
“I wish it was a little easier than this. I heard that Google and Apple are making VR devices in the form of glasses… … Of course, performance is far superior to this, but you can never ignore the convenience.”
“yes.”
“It needs to be developed to the level of glasses before it becomes popular. Of course, it is innovative enough at the current level, and many people will use it, but it would be nice if it was simpler! The more portable the better.”
Convenience and portability.
Taeyeon also felt that it was important.
“I was talking about that anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to take out the liquid crystal only when necessary in the form of glasses and scouts?”
“What is a scout?”
“This is it… … .”
I showed you an image of Dragon Ball.
“hmm! I think this will be enough!”
The response is very good.
Since then, we have had many conversations while enjoying VR-only games together.
‘Certainly, the goggle shape feels a bit cumbersome after wearing it repeatedly. It would be better to reorganize with a focus on portability.’
* * *
Game development was more important than VR device development.
Taeyeon did not forget that she is a game developer and that Nexple is a company that creates and services games.
It was true that I was excited to acquire an unexpectedly great amount of talent and technology. However, if you get distracted by it, there is a high possibility that you will miss both the game and the virtual reality.
‘Because my value lies in being a competent game developer.’
It’s all base.
No matter what business you do in the future, no matter how the business goes, if you don’t miss game development, opportunities will continue to be given.
Recently, Taeyeon has been working on three games as executive producer and director.
Pantheon, Pandemonium. And the country of the moon, the original novel.
‘Raising a Elementalist is actually a personal project, so it should be excluded.’
Development is progressing steadily, but getting to know it was more like a friendly gathering.
Occasionally, I go hiking, have a picnic, or go on a trip.
It was possible because all the members were couples, and their personalities matched well. Recently, in the case of Yoona, we contacted each other or met each other and had individual time without a meeting.
In addition, there are as many as 10 new projects currently underway at the company. Excluding the games Taeyeon is currently producing, the number includes the new indie game lineup of the Challenge League.
Originally there were more than this, but all the works that did not meet expectations were cut.
A game that doesn’t seem to get any better just by improving it now.
Games that had serious errors and problems right from the start, from structural design.
In fact, the most difficult thing after becoming CEO is to turn over a project that was in progress.
The reaction to this notification was generally the same.
At first, he was taken aback by the unexpected notification, and later denied the reality and became angry, and only belatedly clung to him and ejaculated.
Don’t throw them away, ask them to give themselves a chance like they did in other games.
Taeyeon also wanted to give Taeyeon a chance, but as incompetent leaders, they couldn’t revive as long as they were holding the project.
A competent new producer would have to turn the whole thing upside down and start over from scratch with just the graphics sources, in which case it would have been better to start a whole new project.
Only five new projects disappeared like that.
A larger number of teams have disappeared if we add the places where we were preparing to launch as a formal team in the TF stage.
At this point the choice is different.
Those who want to stay and pursue other opportunities.
In the end, those who are not convinced to the end and will start anew with the project elsewhere.
The former is understandable enough, but the situation is different for the latter.
No matter how much the project failed and was decided to be scrapped, it was impossible to take it out because it was once the company’s asset. However, there were a few cases where a small number of directors ‘misunderstood’ that they had all the authority because they developed it themselves.
Taeyeon told them.
“There is no problem even if the program composition and planning are used as they are. There are not one or two similar games on the market… … But the art resource is a company asset, so it will have to be recreated from scratch.”
There was also a way to sell scrapped projects. Some, those whose investment was confirmed by an outside institution even requested it.
However, most of them offered 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 units, so the deal was not completed.
“How much do you think this cost?”
Even if you calculate only the cost of art, you get a lot more money than that. Crucially, Taeyeon had a plan to recycle this resource in a different way, so even though she was resentful, she did not hand over the resource to the end.
“I misunderstood the representative! I believed that you would fully understand our position and support us… … !”
It’s not like they’ve had huge successes.
How much did those who became independent receive investment because the project collapsed in the middle?
Even if billions of dollars of investment are finalized, the money does not all come in one shot. If you calculate the cost of this or that in tax matters, there is not much money that can be spent on this development cost.
Even though I explained this and even asked to hand over the resources at a low price, the point is still there… … .
“I fully understand that you resent me. But, let’s change our point of view. 3 years from now, if I told you that I would take over all the rights to the project you created for just 200-300 million won, what would you think?”
“… … .”
“Here you pour out multiple times your resources, go out and offer less than half the amount and appeal for recognition. That’s a really good way. Securing expensive resources by making them cheap… … .”
It was a ruthless statement, but since it was a fact, I am at a loss for words.
“Again, I can’t give you resources. Because this is a Nexle property. Nepple, not mine.”
Actually, this part was the most important.
As Taeyeon is the CEO, she did not have the right to use the company’s assets at will. Everything produced under the name of Nexle belongs exclusively to Nexple.
After confirming Taeyeon’s will, the developers took a weak step.
In fact, Taeyeon knew roughly where and how much they had invested.
The influence of a company called Nepple on the industry was enormous, and Taeyeon was its CEO. Even when I was still, I was able to access all kinds of industry information.
‘I heard that they rented two floors of a building in Yeoksam-dong and decorated them to the fullest… … . The development cost will be exhausted in about a year.’
Now, if you look at it roughly, you get a sense of how much you can endure. So it was more pitiful.
‘I was too greedy from the start. A nice office in a good location, hiring and managing an excessive number of people, large-scale projects… … .’
They were the people I had with them anyway, so even if I wanted to give them a tip, it was useless. He had been invested in it and was drunk with the fact that he had his own company, so he didn’t listen to anything he said.
From nob le mt l dot com
Most of the people who have left the company so far have been like that.
And the words were also similar.
Even though there were so many companies, there was not a single successful team.
Even PDs who launched successful works on Nexle did that.
‘Starting a business is such a difficult thing.’
When I saw that, I realized that I could be like that too.
* * *
New World Company.
It is a company that develops virtual reality technology and devices and was jointly established by Taeyeon and Optician.
This company has all the rights to related technology and equipment.
And Nexle, Mercury Games, Seoseong, TSMC, etc. It was planned to form partnerships with various companies to produce and supply products and contents to the market.
‘As long as you have established a company and jumped in, you must become an expert in this field.’
I had a lot of studying to do for that, but I don’t mind.
He trusted Taeyeon’s passion and effort, and the power of the mysterious bracelet.
‘If I have these three things, there’s nothing I can’t do.’
Pantheon, Pandemonium, Battle City 2, Land of the Moon.
The four aaa games that Nexple is preparing with a large amount of money will be supported in VR mode.
Not only this, but Elcross Re. And Monster Eater was also preparing for development to support VR mode.
It was progressing according to the natural flow even without Taeyeon’s instructions.
The experience zone in the new Yongsan building served as a catalyst.
Those who experienced the performance of the next-generation VR device being developed by the optical center started pouring out requests like crazy.
-Please support VR mode! And I really want to buy a VR device… … When does mass production start?
-Please support VR mode for Nexle games. I didn’t like it because it was messy and cumbersome, but I think I’d carry it around with me in my bag.
-When I tried that device, the general mode of smartphones, PCs, and consoles felt bland. If you would like to support… … .
As the rumor spread, more people flocked to the experience zone.
Surprisingly, however, the optician has upgraded several devices in the meantime.
“I think it would be better to categorize them into pros and generals. The Pro is a goggle form that supports an ultra-high-resolution, top-performing sound system. General spectacles are a bit different than that, but the portability is an advantage!”
“How long can I see the samples?”
“It is already at the completion stage.”
“already?!”
“It is not a finished product. Power efficiency, OS development, details, system optimization… … There are still many things to do.”
“That’s right.”
“If it’s a test sample that provides an extremely limited experience, there’s nothing wrong with it. Ah, but doing everything alone is a little too much for me, so I think I need someone, but a decent person.”
“When we start recruiting soon, people will flock like clouds. Since there are so many people who want to participate, it is possible to recruit world-class talent.”
“Um, everything is fine… … Does our company have that much money?”
“I have to spend all the money I earn.”
“that… … What will your sister-in-law say?”
“No matter how much money I earn, it’s nothing compared to Yoona’s profit. Actually, Yoona wants to quit her job and stay by her side… … No matter how much I love her, it’s kind of hard to do that.”
“Well, if you’re a gymnast goddess, you’ll make more money than some of the top stars… … Then it’s safe. Because I don’t think our company will ever go bankrupt.”
“You don’t have to worry about such unnecessary things. You only focus on development. No need to rush. Remember, your health comes first.”
In fact, contrary to what was said, there was no financial pressure at all.
But there was a corner to believe.
‘Not all the games I direct will be successful, but… … Even if only one thing goes well, I can get enough incentives.’
Even now, Elcross Re, Disney Fantastic World, etc.
Significant levels of incentives are coming in from the games that have driven development and remakes. In fact, it is difficult to operate the company with the salary level of the CEO and CTO.
However, as people come in and the size of the company grows, the amount of money required for this will also increase significantly.
You have to keep pouring money until you succeed in mass production and sales are good.
The only way to deal with this was to increase revenue from existing games and increase the amount of incentives accumulated by successfully launching new games.
‘External institutional investment and exit is the last option.’
I didn’t want to do it if possible.
Taeyeon and Angyeongwon had concluded an agreement not to invest or disclose the company for the free operation of the ‘Mirror Company’.
I’ll do it someday, but it’ll probably be in the distant future.