Life is good. Life is especially good when you are the heir of a very powerful family that basically owns an entire country.
What do I mean by that? Well, let me introduce myself first.
My name is Jin Gosuko, heir of the Gosuko family.
So how does my family "own" the country? To explain that, I need to tell you a bit about this world.
It is already past 2100, and Earth is a shithole. Not only a shithole, but also a hellhole because that many shitty things in a single place will change one place from a shithole into a hellhole.
To begin with, it is heavily polluted. You need a mask just to walk outside safely—or you need to take booster pills that provide temporary immunity to pollution for a few hours.
Or, if you are as wealthy as my family, you can afford the best cybernetic and genetic enhancements to make yourself immune altogether. I am among those people. My entire family shares the same enchantment, not only making us immune to pollution but also making us very beautiful people.
The world is a shithole, and Japan is even worse because it is ruled by corporations after the war and the aftermath of that war hit the entire planet.
The Gosuko family is the strongest, wealthiest, and most influential family in Japan. We control the military, weaponry, transportation, food supply, and entertainment of the country and a large part of the world.
Yeah. You mess with us, and you're done.
Basically, I got reincarnated into the Arasaka family from the Cyberpunk universe.
Hmmm? Ah, right. I am a reincarnated person. I was born into this world with the memory of my previous life.
In my previous life, I was just an ordinary person. A corporate drone who watched anime, played games, and occasionally went out with friends. Nothing special.
How did I die? Heart attack.
Turns out staying awake for three days straight is not good for your heart—especially when you drink caffeine like water. One moment, I was typing, and the next, pain in my chest. Then darkness.
Do I question my reincarnation? Hell no. Why would I do that?
I'm grateful for a second chance. Even more grateful that I was born into a wealthy family. Especially when your parents love you so much that they are willing to bomb a country just to make you smile.
Anyway, as the heir of a powerful family, I need to be involved in business. So, I asked my parents to let me take control of one of the family-owned entertainment companies and become its CEO.
Lucky for me, I have a business degree in both this life and my previous one, so running the company is easy. Especially when you have competent and loyal people under your banner.
My company handles games and social media entertainment, such as V-tubers and Social Media celebrities. We develop games and use our small army of VTubers to promote them.
They are eager to work for me because, frankly, the world is a shithole. When you offer people a good salary, a good working environment, and a stable future, they become fiercely loyal. They are more than willing to die for me because they know that I will keep my word to take care of their families in case they die while working.
I even have to stop employees from stabbing each other in the back because they are afraid I might replace them. I want competition, not a toxic competition. But people here are so desperate for stability that they are willing to sacrifice others just to stay in my good graces.
The people of this world are very different from those back in my previous life.
Anyway, even with my job as a CEO, I still have plenty of free time. Most of it I spend playing the games my company makes—but I also play games from other studios. Not only that, but I also watch old anime that was produced here but not yet finished back in my previous life.
It is a great life, and something for which I will forever be grateful.
"Sir."
I snap out of my thoughts and look at the door. I can hear my secretary's voice.
"Come in."
The door opens, and a group of people enters. Three of them push in a whiteboard. They are one of the team in the Game department.
"Sir, Tanaka and his team are here to present their idea for a new game. With the success of Hunter Heaven and its closure, they are ready to start another project."
I nod and look at Tanaka, a portly man with a balding head and round glasses.
"Go ahead. Show me what you've got."
"Yes, sir!"
He steps forward and gestures at the whiteboard.
"The game is called YGGDRASIL! It is based on ancient Western mythology. There are nine realms for players to explore and discover themselves. What makes it different from Hunter Heaven is its size and player freedom. There will be hundreds of classes and dozens of races. In fact, we are already—"
I half-listen as something clicks in my head.
YGGDRASIL. A corporate dystopia. And a game that will shake the world for the next decade.
I know where I reincarnated to! This is the world of Overworld, the anime one, not the game. However, I've yet to arrive in the New World where Ainz and his band of murder hobos are wreaking havoc.
I am in his previous world. The dystopian world where he is a corporate slave.
However, instead of being reincarnated into a regular Joe, where I work until the day I die, I reincarnated into a family that owns the bloody game!
I mentally shake my head and focus on the game itself. The game itself is not revolutionary. But its freedom will make it one of the most successful titles ever released.
Still, that is not why I am excited.
No.
I am excited because when the game shuts down, the players who stay in the game as it shuts down will be transported into a new world.
Of course, I am going to take advantage of that. Even with a perfect life, I still yearn for adventure. I wanted it in my previous life. But in this world, there is nothing to explore. The planet is already dying.
"And that is why I believe the game will be a massive success! We can squeeze the players dry while keeping them engaged with excellent gameplay!"
I snap back to reality and smile at him.
"What are we waiting for? Let's make it."
"Yes!"
The room erupts in celebration. To them, I just gave them permission to give birth to their dream project. Not only that, but there is also another reason why they are happy.
I am picky with games. I dislike titles that exist solely to generate revenue without providing any value in return.
Don't get me wrong. I still need my company to stay profitable—or my parents will move me to another division, and I don't want that. I love games too much, and this company allows me to play a lot of games.
That is why I continue to create extremely profitable games.
Like gacha games.
However, I make sure to tweak the game a little so it remains enjoyable for the players. What? VR is the perfect platform for gacha. Combine good gameplay with beautiful, lovable characters, and people will happily open their wallets to get those characters, you know?
I ensure the game is enjoyable, easy to understand, and has a compelling story to attract those who love narrative-driven experiences. All in all, we make a good game that will suck your wallet dry.
I know it works because other Young Masters and wealthy families spend obscene amounts on my games. They become the biggest whale my company wants to attract, but they are not the only people we attract.
My games attract both whales and small spenders.
Many companies chase whales. That is true. However, I also make sure to attract people who are willing to spend a little bit, but consistently.
A million small spenders can build a mountain, after all.
Making people spend 2,450 yen every week on a "Weekly Offer pack" may not sound good investment, right? Why only 2,450 yen? Why not make it a 10,000 yen pack? Well, when you have 50 million people doing it weekly, that becomes over 100 billion yen per week.
The trick is to keep the price low enough, but not too low, and make it look cheap and unappealing. Not only that, but making the offer appear once a week makes it feel more valuable and attracts people to buy it before the offer expires. It creates an illusion that makes people willing to open their wallets and spend almost 2,500 yen on a premium currency.
Anyway, while I am picky about which game to make, once I approve a project, budget is no longer an issue. As long as the game is bug-free and faithful to its original vision, I will fund the project without hesitation.
Which means my approval is worth celebrating. It comes with bonuses at launch, performance rewards, and long-term incentives, after all.
"How long will development take, Tanaka?"
I look him in the eyes. He opens his mouth, then stops when he sees my expression. He knows I hate it when someone lies to me to sound impressive. A rushed game is the worst, after all.
"I estimate one and a half years, sir. The foundation is ready. We only need to build on it."
"What if I hire more developers? Can you finish in one year?"
He hesitates. I can see him frowning at my words, and after a few seconds, he says.
"I cannot guarantee it. We are using new code and tools. New hires would need time to adapt. We need to teach them how to use the tools, and this will reduce the performance of the veteran developers."
"What about them handling things like audio and character design?"
"That would help, yes. But one year is still unlikely. Maybe we can finish the game in 14 months."
"That's fine. Give me your staffing needs, and I'll have HR handle it."
"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!"
I turn to my secretary and say.
"Rin, tell finance to fully support them. Also inform them that I'll be playing YGGDRASIL myself, okay?"
"Of course, sir."
Tanaka practically vibrates with excitement. When I play a game personally, it usually means unlimited funding. You don't want to disappoint the one who owns your company, after all.
After they leave, I lean back in my chair and smile.
I'm eager to play it and create the ultimate character for me.
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Heya! If you'd like to support me and read more, you can visit my Ko-Fi and Patreon! At the moment, there are only 3 chapters, but I will add more! Or, you can read my Darktide Fanfic in there. There are at least 7 chapters ready for you to read.
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