Matsuhiro immediately relayed the news to Takayuki, and when speaking with him, she no longer hid her emotions.
She said excitedly, "President, it looks like this collaboration is basically settled. The rest is up to you to organize the development team for the game. Will there be any issues with development? Like, for instance, a shortage of manpower? If we're short-staffed, I might be able to figure something out."
Right now, Matsuhiro had extensive connections, having already established cooperative relationships with several world-class universities.
It wasn't just entrepreneurs who were interested in the video game industry—academic institutions were as well.
Creating a brand-new major meant opening a new career path.
So these days, with just one phone call, Matsuhiro could reach out to multiple universities for recruitment.
Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had also become a dream employer for many. It boasted the best working environment, a relaxed atmosphere, and once people joined, they rarely wanted to leave.
It was the textbook example of "high pay, low stress, close to home."
...
Takayuki said, "That's actually something we can put on the agenda now. It'll also be a good opportunity to give the team more experience and prepare for even larger-scale projects down the line. Oh, right—there's something else I wanted to ask you."
"Go ahead, President."
"Has Surei Electronics or any other company made any moves recently? I'm not talking about game development—I mean, are there signs of any new game console projects?"
"Hm... not that I know of," Matsuhiro replied after shaking her head.
She had been in the business battlefield for many years and was extremely well-informed. If Surei Electronics or any other company had made a move, she'd be the first to know.
She smiled and said, "President, we currently hold a massive advantage. Not many companies can catch up with us. The cost of developing a new game console isn't something most companies can afford. I think it's unlikely any company will enter this field in the short term."
Takayuki thought for a moment, then asked, "What about the Morgan Group? Any signs from them?"
Matsuhiro paused, thought it over, then shook her head. "No, I don't think so. At least for now, there's been no sign of it. President, they're our partner. Up to now, we've had a smooth and cooperative relationship. I don't think they'd try to enter the game industry and compete with us, would they?"
She believed that the Morgan Group clearly understood Gamestar's strength. Even Surei Electronics, a tech giant, had been struggling to compete for years and was still being overshadowed. The Morgan Group couldn't possibly underestimate how difficult it would be to go head-to-head with Gamestar in the gaming industry.
Gamestar was the only company in the world that had stayed at the top for over a decade, unmatched.
Even if the Morgan Group did want to enter, they'd at least need to form a development team, right?
And according to all the intelligence networks Matsuhiro had, there were no such movements. The Morgan Group was still deeply invested in their OS business.
Takayuki thought it over. He was sure the Morgan Group had considered competing.
In his past life, Microsoft was essentially the Morgan Group of this world.
And back then, Microsoft had only begun developing the Xbox in response to Sony's aggressive push into the living room entertainment market—a move of passive defense.
But in this world, thanks to Takayuki's presence, the Morgan Group had a game-specialized ally from the very start. With Gamestar choosing to stay within the gaming sector and not expanding into operating systems, there had never been a reason for the Morgan Group to feel threatened or to react defensively by launching a console.
Still, the Morgan Group was filthy rich. There was no telling what they might decide to do.
They may be friendly allies now, but business had no permanent friends—just like on the battlefield, they were only on the same side because of aligned interests.
Who knew when the alliance might break?
"President, did you hear something?" Matsuhiro asked cautiously.
She was always curious—every so often, the president would suddenly drop strange predictions.
And more often than not, they turned out to be true. It was like he had some sort of prophetic power.
But Takayuki never seemed to benefit personally from these predictions. It always felt like he was just casually stating them.
Matsuhiro had a hunch he might be tapping into that mysterious prophetic mode again.
Takayuki shook his head. "Nope, I didn't hear anything. Just asking out of curiosity. It'd be great if we didn't have any new competitors… though honestly, it's getting a bit boring. Surei's not much of a challenge these days."
Matsuhiro was speechless.
No competitors? That was a good thing. Total market dominance meant maximum profit.
But her president had always thought differently from most CEOs. To him, success meant making great games. Becoming the number one company in the world was more of a side effect.
She chuckled. "President, if I hear anything, I'll report it to you immediately. Will that put your mind at ease?"
"It's not about peace of mind," Takayuki replied. "It just feels like things have been a little too quiet lately… like something's coming."
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
Right. It was already 2004 in this world. If this world's tech was about ten years ahead of his original timeline, then this was supposed to be the explosion point for mobile technology and the internet.
With smartphones entering the scene, the internet was about to rocket into everyday life. Eventually, people wouldn't even know how to live without it.
By that logic, smartphones should've already started booming.
And that made Takayuki think of one person.
Someone very much like Steve Jobs in his past world—but younger, and without the health issues. Still healthy and energetic.
That man was Myron Case. After leaving Redfruit, the company went bankrupt, and the world's version of Apple ceased to exist—but Myron Case was still around.
Where was he now?
"Oh right, Matsuhiro—do you have any news about Myron Case?"