Chapter 147: Across Europe

May.

Ethan sat aboard a plane with a thick French dictionary in his hands.

Castlevania was, without question, an outstanding game. And its vampire and gothic themes had given him an idea.

Europe, where the legends of vampires stretched back hundreds of years.

At a time when Europe was already filled with stories of vampires, those legends had yet to reach the distant lands across the Atlantic. But the image that later generations would remember as the classic vampire did not truly emerge until the classic 1897 novel, Dracula.

In a sense, it was practically the world's most successful piece of fanfiction. It transformed the terrifying, grotesque vampire of folklore into a polished, gentlemanly aristocrat while incorporating a wide range of gothic elements.

Although it had become something entirely different from the original folklore, that very interpretation became the definitive image of the vampire.

And in the novel, Dracula's homeland was Transylvania, Romania. Of course, the man who created the novel was an Irish author. But Ethan didn't have the time to get caught up in the complicated history behind the legend.

It was enough for him to know that vampire stories were an enormously popular theme throughout Europe.

As for now, he needed to learn some French before landing.

"Bon... Bonjour?"

.....

Brittany, Morbihan, Carentoir, France.

Standing before an old stone building, Ethan was speechless for a long while.

Some entrepreneurs started their companies in garages or basements. Those with better conditions might rent a detached house or an office building. Others simply launched their businesses from their own bedrooms, it all came down to personal preference.

After all, Ethan himself had started GAMENOVA in a rented apartment. But this place belonged to another world entirely.

He looked toward the sky, where towering stone walls blocked out much of the sunlight. The walls were still damp from the weather, and moss had taken root in the shadows. Beyond them, sea winds from the distant English Channel swept across the quiet lowlands.

This was an old manor, or rather, an ancient castle, likely built centuries ago by some forgotten noble family.

Truthfully, this was the first time Ethan had ever seen a startup company rent an actual castle as its office. His gaze drifted away from the weathered stone walls, steeped in history, and settled on the newest addition to the building.

A sign hung there, displaying the company's name.

Ubisoft.

A fledgling game studio that had transitioned from distribution to game development only two months earlier. The five Guillemot brothers ran the company together, laying the foundation for what would eventually become one of the world's largest game publishers.

Taken from NovelPhoenix, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?"

The one who answered the door was the third brother, Yves Guillemot.

"Are you looking for a publisher for your game? Or... are you interested in joining us as a developer?"

Ubisoft had recently begun recruiting young developers from across France. The company brought these programmers, most in their twenties, to the castle, where they lived and worked together. It felt less like a traditional company and more like a video game club.

Yves looked at Ethan with curiosity. His face seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. Since Ethan appeared so young, Yves instinctively assumed he was there to pitch his own game, which made sense given that Ubisoft was still primarily a game distributor.

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, Yves heard an odd choking sound behind him. Then came hurried footsteps racing toward the entrance. At the same time, Ethan took out a business card and handed it over.

.....

"GAMENOVA?!"

"You want to establish a European branch?!"

"You're interested in Ubisoft?!"

What kind of company was GAMENOVA? It was one of America's biggest game companies, while also being a pioneer in the semiconductor industry. Even in Japan, a fiercely competitive foreign market, it had become one of the industry's major players.

Its annual revenue exceeded $300 million, making it an absolute giant.

Ubisoft, on the other hand, was tiny by comparison. The entire company's revenue in the previous year had amounted to only a few million euros.

After deducting transportation, warehousing, inventory costs, and every other operating expense, they could hardly be considered a major corporation.

After all, they had only entered game development a few months ago, and they hadn't even officially greenlit their first game yet, so most of their income still came from their old distribution business.

Faced with a giant operating on an entirely different level, the brothers couldn't even bring themselves to entertain other possibilities.

"In the past, we've sold products in Europe," Ethan said in fluent French as he sat across from them, calmly explaining his intentions.

"But those sales were all through third-party distributors, so we need someone to help us expand across Europe."

"And in my opinion, Ubisoft is the best choice. Don't you agree?"

Regardless of what Ubisoft would eventually become decades later, before corporate bureaucracy slowly eroded it, Ubisoft was still a studio capable of producing masterpiece after masterpiece.

"The company won't change, the brand won't change, and neither will your people."

Ethan glanced around the castle. Although it was centuries old, the brothers had turned it into a lively workplace.

The setup was surprisingly modern. It was here that games like Rayman and Rabbids would eventually come to life. As for Ubisoft's future flagship franchises, most of them would actually come later through the Montreal studio established after the company went public.

"I only have one requirement: establish GAMENOVA's presence across the entire European market."

Europe was different from Japan, so Ethan didn't need a comprehensive subsidiary like Game Freak. The acquisition of Ubisoft was mainly about giving GAMENOVA its own publishing and distribution network across Europe.

"As for the funding for your game development projects, GAMENOVA will provide it. That includes technical support as well."

The acquisition negotiations progressed remarkably smoothly.

After quickly settling several key contractual details, Ethan stood up to leave. The remaining matters would be handled by Sam.

Naturally, Ethan had no intention of leaving Ubisoft completely without oversight. Sid's old friend Bill just happened to be looking for a sales position, making him the perfect person to step in.

.....

One week later.

After releasing three consecutive PC titles, GAMENOVA finally launched its highly anticipated new console game.

CASTLEVANIA

It released simultaneously in North America, Japan, and Europe.

.....

Shizuoka, Japan.

"Well, well... if it isn't Miyazaki. Haven't seen you around for quite a while."

The shop owner recognized the young customer immediately and greeted him with a grin.

This kid, who had become famous for his incredible Fire Emblem skills, had certainly made a lasting impression. After all, he was the one who had won the free PC.

"I'm here to buy the new game!"

Miyazaki counted out several coins from his wallet and proudly placed them on the counter while standing on tiptoe.

The money came from the strategy guides he had written for Fire Emblem and submitted to gaming magazines. Now was the perfect time to put those earnings to use.

Beside the small pile of coins lay a brand-new copy of Castlevania.