The Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga... and a series of local European event groups, shortly after FIFA granted the YOO brand authorization, collectively announced that they would grant the football team brands under their respective control to Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
The day before, FIFA and YOO had loudly announced their strong partnership.
From event broadcasting to event-based game adaptations, and a range of cultural products, they were set to work together and achieve a win-win outcome.
Then, the next day, these local events delivered a sharp blow to FIFA.
Nagao, who had been so pleased the day before, suddenly found himself unable to smile.
If he had gone directly to FIFA for the brand authorization, the cost would likely have been around $500 million.
However, if he went to individual teams or smaller events, the cost could end up being even more than that.
Gamestar Electronic Entertainment ended up spending more money.
...
...
But the outcome was that the team names under these smaller events were now exclusively Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's.
Nagao could hold the FIFA brand authorization, but he lost the brand of the well-known teams.
It was like an NBA game where you can't use team names like the Lakers, Spurs, Rockets, and instead have to use names that sound similar or approximate.
Those who know might not care too much, but it definitely feels awkward—it's a bit like the difference between Li Kui and Li Gui, making the game less enjoyable.
This sharp blow came very suddenly, and Nagao was caught off guard.
Clearly, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had come prepared.
When FIFA first hinted that there might be changes in the partnership, Takayuki had already had Matsubashi make a second plan.
This second plan was actually more important to Takayuki.
After all, this game was initially aimed at the European market. Even if they couldn't secure FIFA's brand at first, it didn't matter.
Now, backing off to a second choice was actually better than before.
Nagao's high-profile press conference was a big news event.
But since it had been announced in advance, reporters only came to take pictures and ask a few inconsequential questions.
However, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's press conference was a completely unexpected big news event.
Once these reporters found out, they would immediately rush to the other press conference venue.
It seemed like Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had anticipated this, giving them plenty of time to get there quickly.
At this moment, Matsubashi was laughing and chatting with the management of several local event groups, with a few team owners talking and laughing with her.
These team owners were all major capital giants from various industries, their status similar to the Japanese zaibatsu or the Korean conglomerates—no, perhaps even higher.
Usually, such people rarely appear in public, preferring to handle matters behind the scenes.
But this time, Matsubashi had a lot of face, or rather, she had paid a lot.
Originally, Matsubashi had prepared nearly $400 million for negotiations with FIFA.
But seeing the negotiations might fall through, Matsubashi immediately followed Takayuki's suggestion and contacted the local events.
Then came the issue of money.
The status of a single local event wasn't comparable to FIFA, so the cost of licensing a single event brand wouldn't be too expensive—exclusive licensing for ten years wouldn't exceed $100 million.
But as the number of local events increased, the costs added up.
Matsubashi gave different quotes depending on the popularity of the events, and in total, she would end up paying around $600 million. However, there was no need to pay it all at once. The first year could be paid annually, and the subsequent payments could be made in a lump sum or annually, depending on the situation.
The local events were much easier to negotiate with than FIFA. They didn't hesitate much when Matsubashi presented the prices and agreed immediately, without much negotiation.
Next came the distribution of the benefits... or rather, the allocation of profits.
The local events brought in the major teams and discussed this matter with them. Many team owners were interested in Gamestar Electronic Entertainment and didn't reject the idea of cooperation.
They weren't concerned about the distribution of profits; what mattered more to them was Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's position as the leader in the gaming industry.
This was an industry giant, a presence on equal footing with them.
Matsubashi naturally became their focus of attention.
She was undoubtedly the representative of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, and they knew they had to form good relationships with her.
These owners were capital giants in their respective industries and had long been interested in the video game field.
They had already looked into it, particularly in Japan and Korea.
In those regions, local financial conglomerates had benefitted greatly from cooperating with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
Japan had been in a slump after the bubble burst, but Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's rise had provided a small boost to the economy, which was remarkable.
Simply put, they didn't care about the licensing deal.
What they cared about was their future relationship with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
They wanted to be part of the video game industry's rise.
This collaboration with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment was just a stepping stone.
Matsubashi understood this idea immediately.
It was a win-win situation for both sides.
At the press conference, the atmosphere between the big players was very harmonious, and they all showed their desire to deepen cooperation with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
If they could help us earn more money, licensing these teams would be nothing.
These capital giants were the power brokers in Europe. Building good relationships with them was definitely beneficial for Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
At this moment, the press conference didn't feel like an official event at all. It was more like a small gathering of people who were chatting and laughing as if they were old friends.
Then, the reporters finally arrived.
When the main figures of the press conference walked in, Matsubashi smiled.
"Everyone, it looks like the press conference is about to begin. Let's take our seats."
"Of course, of course. Matsubashi, you're in charge here," they said with smiles and nodded, then promptly sat behind the tables on the stage.
The reporters quickly entered the venue as well.
Soon, the venue was packed.
Among them were several video game media outlets.
Video game media had only recently emerged, but it was already on the rise, gradually becoming mainstream. The click-through rates for gaming-related content were increasing, and no one dared to underestimate the influence of video games anymore.
Then, the press conference officially began, and Matsubashi and the others publicly announced the details of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's cooperation with the local events.