Chương 1710: -1691- Arrival of a new era
The bar fell silent in an instant.
Everyone turned their eyes to Agil, the bar's owner.
Under the gaze of all present, Agil cleared his throat.
"You all know that after the SAO incident and the ALO incident, the technology for FullDive caused a lot of controversy in society. Many people regarded it as a very dangerous technology that could no longer be trusted, leading to many VRMMOs announcing closures, and thus the virtual worlds disappeared from our lives."
Agil's words caused everyone to sober up, putting away their earlier smiles and falling silent.
Kirigaya Suguha also lowered her head, looking somewhat disheartened.
But Agil didn't stop explaining.
"Developing a system program that controls the input and output of the five senses to let people freely soar in virtual worlds is incredibly difficult. Before this, all the games running worldwide were created using the Cardinal System developed by Kayaba Akihiko at ARGUS. Using this system required paying extremely high royalties."
"And with the collapse of ARGUS, the rights to the program transferred to RECT, but now that RECT has also dissolved, coupled with public criticism of VR games, many companies no longer want to invest in the VR industry, pushing FullDive games into decline."
At this point, Agil's tone shifted.
"However, this situation has recently begun to change."
With that, Agil asked everyone a question.
"Have any of you heard of the World Seed?"
Agil's question sparked a series of exchanged glances among those present.
One person raised his hand swiftly.
It was none other than Kirito.
"I think I've seen something about it online."
As a web enthusiast, Kirito replied seriously.
"Apparently, it's a program suite for running full sensory VR environments using FullDive systems, introduced by the government. Online sources claim that this program is currently being distributed by the government to various corporations."
Kirito's explanation made everyone's eyes light up.
"What kind of program is that?"
"Released by the government?"
"Does it seem reliable?"
"Does this mean the VR industry will recover?"
People started chattering fervently.
Clearly, everyone was highly interested in this matter.
Rozen raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, merely observing quietly.
Asuna, however, seemed to recall something and glanced at Rozen.
"Hey, Agil, do you know what's going on?"
Klein asked Agil directly.
"I know quite a bit."
Agil nodded, scanning everyone before explaining.
"From what I've heard, it's a program based on a reorganized version of the Cardinal System, originally used to manage the automated SAO servers. The program has been scaled down to operate on smaller servers and includes a game development environment that supports the creation of new games."
The program works such that anyone wanting to create a VR world just needs to download the program, set up a server with decent bandwidth, and design 3D objects or configure existing assets from the program suite. Once everything is set up, the program can run, and a virtual world of their own can be created.
In other words, with this program, anyone could design a FullDive game of their own, leading to the birth of entirely new virtual worlds distinct from SAO and ALO.
"It requires minimal royalties, is highly functional, and, being a government-backed program, it carries no risks. As soon as it was released, corporations rushed to acquire it and began creating new VR games. Even games that were previously shut down have started to show signs of being relaunched. Public opinion online is gradually shifting, heralding the arrival of a new era."
Agil's words left everyone wide-eyed before the room erupted into excitement.
"Does this mean FullDive technology is gaining recognition again?"
"Virtual worlds are coming back?"
"And this time with government support!"
"With games being so easy to create, how many new ones will pop up?"
"Oh my god..."
Reactions varied—some were surprised, others apprehensive, while many were thrilled and delighted.
Particularly, Suguha appeared both excited and anxious as she spoke up.
"Even games that were shut down are coming back? What about ALO? Will Alfheim be relaunched?"
Suguha looked both hopeful and uneasy.
The person who answered her wasn't Agil—it was Rozen.
"It will be relaunched."
Rozen unexpectedly spoke up.
"A few entrepreneurs who were ALO players pooled their resources to establish a new company. They acquired all of ALO's data from RECT for next to nothing. They're planning to relaunch it, along with several new features. Former ALO players will not only be able to retain their accounts and characters but also enjoy new gameplay changes, such as the removal of flight time limits. From now on, you can fly as much as you want."
Hearing this, Suguha couldn't contain her joy.
For her, this was undoubtedly incredible news.
"You knew about this?"
Agil looked at Rozen in surprise.
To this...
"Of course I knew," Rozen said calmly. "Because I'm the one who handed that program to the government. I also proposed the relaunch of ALO and the removal of flight limits, which were passed on to ALO's new management through the government, and they immediately agreed."
As Rozen said this, the entire bar fell silent again.
Everyone looked at him in utter shock and disbelief.
That included Asuna.
And Kirito.
And Suguha.
Naturally, it also included Silica, Lis, Sachi, and Agil.
"You... You handed it to the government?"
Even Klein was stammering.
But it was the truth.
"Do you think the government could have developed such a program?" Rozen shrugged. "This was something given to me by Kayaba Akihiko, the pioneer of FullDive technology."
Indeed.
The World Seed that Kayaba entrusted to Rozen in ALO had been stored in the hard drive of his VR headset. Rozen had discovered it later.
He then handed it over to Kikuoka Seijirou, who pushed it to the world through the government.
"With the government backing it, public trust in FullDive technology will rise again. The government, unwilling to see FullDive technology banned, sees this program as crucial for reopening the market and reshaping public opinion to counter the aftermath of the SAO and ALO incidents. I handed it over in exchange for retaining the copyright. All royalties from the program belong to me. Additionally, for any game that uses this program, I will take 50% of the revenue if the game charges players."
Rozen revealed his deal with the government, leaving everyone speechless.
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