I am the Entertainment Tycoon

Akio Matsuda stood in the center of the RainX Indie Game Studio's cramped meeting room, his phone still pressed to his ear. He stared at the wall, hearing the faint hum of his team's conversations behind him, but his attention was consumed by the woman on the other end of the call.

"Umbrella Corporation?" Akio repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion. He had never heard of the company. Certainly not in the gaming industry. And yet, here was Samantha Walker, the CEO of a managing company, talking about an offer that sounded too good to be true.

"Yes, Umbrella Corporation," Samantha's voice came through, professional yet warm. "It's a newly founded organization. We've been operating behind the scenes for a while, and we're ready to expand into the gaming industry. The investor behind it is a successful entrepreneur looking to create his own gaming studio. That's where your team comes in."

Akio blinked, still unsure what to make of it. "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of Umbrella Corporation working in the gaming industry. Why us?"

He could hear the sound of papers shuffling on the other end of the line before Samantha continued. "That's understandable. We're not yet public in this sector. Our investor recently attended PrimCon and noticed the impressive stand from RainX. He sees potential in your team. Enough to extend a generous offer."

Akio glanced at his team, still deep in discussion about their post-PrimCon plans. They were unaware of the conversation he was having a conversation that could potentially change everything. He moved toward the corner of the room, lowering his voice as if to shield the others from hearing too soon.

"What exactly is the offer?" Akio asked, his skepticism starting to fade into cautious curiosity.

Samantha didn't hesitate. "We're offering RainX full creative freedom for your projects, with substantial funding to back it. You would work under our newly formed gaming division, Genesis Game Studio. Each of your ten members will receive a generous monthly salary- double what you'd likely earn elsewhere-and we'd provide enough capital to fully fund Wanderer and any future games you wish to create."

Akio's hand tightened around his phone. The words echoed in his mind: full creative freedom. Generous funding. Double the salary. For a small indie studio that had scraped by for months, barely staying afloat, this sounded like an offer made by their guardian angels.

From the beginning, they weren't willing to work for other companies because they were afraid that they would lose control of their own creations. In other words, they would lose control of what they created and instead, they would have to follow someone's else idea over their own creations. But with this offer, they would retain total control over their independent creations.

"What's the catch?" Akio asked. He knew there had to be one. Offers like this didn't come without strings.

Samantha's voice remained calm and straightforward. "There are two main conditions. First, while your team will have complete control over your original projects, our investor will require you to work on certain game designs he has in mind. You'll follow his creative direction for those projects, but outside of that, your team retains autonomy over your own work. The investor told me to assure your team that although he has several ideas, he would make sure to give your team enough time to work on your own projects as well."

Akio processed that carefully. They would be developing their own games but also working on someone else's vision. It was a compromise, but not an unreasonable one. Not if it meant that their dream could survive and thrive.

"And the second condition?" Akio asked, feeling the weight of the conversation building.

"You'll need to make a decision by tomorrow night," Samantha said. "We've sent a formal proposal to your email with all the details. I recommend reviewing it carefully. But I want to be clear: our investor believes in your team's potential and is offering you a rare opportunity to grow without losing creative control."

Akio's mind raced. This investor was no ordinary financier. Someone at PrimCon had seen their stand, been impressed by Wanderer, and decided that RainX was worth betting on. But who was this investor? Why the secrecy?

Before Akio could ask more questions, Samantha added, "I know it's a lot to take in but take the time to read over the proposal. It's all there. You have until tomorrow night to decide. If you have any further questions, my contact information is in the email as well."

"Understood," Akio replied, his voice steady despite the whirlwind in his mind. "We'll review it and get back to you."

"Thank you, Akio. I look forward to hearing from you," Samantha said. With that, the call ended, leaving Akio standing in the corner, his phone slowly lowering from his ear.

For a moment, he stood there, processing what had just happened. Umbrella Corporation. Genesis Game Studio. A mysterious investor who saw their potential. The offer of creative freedom, funding, and double their usual salaries. It was the kind of offer that could turn their indie studio into something much bigger than any of them had imagined.

Taking a deep breath, Akio turned back to his team. The casual buzz of conversation around the table quieted as they noticed the look on his face. Mei, Yuki, and Hana exchanged glances, sensing that something important had just occurred.

"What's up, Akio?" Yuki asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Akio took his seat at the head of the table, resting his phone on the surface. "I just got a call," he began, the weight of his words settling in. "From a company called Umbrella Corporation. They're offering to buy our studio."

The room fell silent. Eyes widened. For a moment, it seemed as though no one quite knew how to react. Umbrella Corporation? Buying their studio?

"What?" Mei asked, breaking the silence. "Buy our studio? Who are they?"

"They're a new company, apparently," Akio explained, still wrapping his head around it himself. "They're looking to break into the gaming industry, and they're forming a division called Genesis Game Studio. According to the woman I spoke with, their investor saw our stand at PrimCon and was impressed. They want to fund Wanderer and our future projects."

A ripple of disbelief passed through the room, followed quickly by excitement. The thought of full funding-enough to keep the lights on, pay their salaries, and give them the freedom to create was a dream come true.

Yuki raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "Wait, wait... so they're just going to give us money to make whatever we want?"

"Mostly," Akio replied cautiously. "There's a catch. We'd have to develop some games according to their investor's designs. We'd have free reign over our own creations, but for his projects, we'd be following his creative direction."

Hana, ever the pragmatic one, frowned slightly. "How much control are we talking about? Are we just making his games while working on our own in our spare time?"

Akio shook his head. "It doesn't sound like that. From what she said, we'd still have plenty of time to work on our own projects. But this investor-whoever he is-has some specific ideas he wants us to bring to life. Plus, the investor apparently said that although he has several ideas for games, he would give us enough time to work on our projects."

"And the money?" Mei asked, leaning forward with eager eyes.

"Double what we'd make at any other studio," Akio said, smiling slightly as the reality of it all sank in. "Plus full funding for Wanderer."

A ripple of excitement passed through the room. Mei's eyes widened, and Yuki let out a low

Whistle.

"We need to check the details," Akio added quickly. "There's a formal proposal in my email. We have until tomorrow night to decide."

Without another word, Akio grabbed his laptop from the desk, quickly pulling it open to access his email. The others crowded around as he found the message, eyes glued to the screen as he clicked on the document.

As the terms of the offer appeared on the screen, the excitement in the room became palpable. Full creative control. Generous salaries. Funding for their dream projects.

RainX had just been given a chance to level up-if they were willing to take the plunge.

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