Game Tycoon C521 A movement

The room was filled with stunned silence.

“Linux?” one executive finally echoed, eyebrows raised. “I thought we were going to build an operating system from scratch…”

Confusion lingered. Then, a younger, less experienced executive blurted out,

“Chairman, are you saying we should acquire Linux? Isn’t that… a free, open-source OS?”

A few others chuckled at the question. They all knew of Linux—KiShin’s backend teams used it for some tasks, though it was limited and still lagging behind Windows 2000 and XP in mainstream usability.

A more technically aware executive clarified,

“Linux can’t be bought. It’s under the General Public License. No company owns it. We could never acquire it, no matter how much we pay.”

Murmurs spread across the table as the realization dawned.

Shinro, still smiling, gently tapped his fingers on the table.

“We don’t need to acquire Linux,” he said, calm and certain. “We use the GPL to our advantage. We take the open-source code—for free—and build our own operating system on top of it.”

The room fell silent again.

“A KiShin OS,” Shinro continued. “Built from the Linux base, customized for our games, apps, and users.”

Understanding began to settle in. Some executives started nodding, slowly connecting the dots.

“That’s… actually brilliant,” said one of the younger executives in his 30s. “That saves us years of development. No need to reinvent the wheel. We take what’s there and make it ours.”

The room hummed with agreement. Until a round-faced executive raised his hand, skeptical.

“But… is that even legal?”

Shinro chuckled. “Perfectly legal. Free and open.”
He paused, then added, “The only condition is transparency. If we modify the Linux kernel, we must share those changes back with the community. That’s part of the license.”

Some executives looked uneasy at that—KiShin wasn’t used to sharing what it built.

Reading the room, Shinro raised a hand and shrugged lightly.

“We’re not doing this to dominate the OS market. This isn’t about profits. We’re building the KiShin OS purely to support our PC games and apps. We’re just… building our own gate.”

He leaned back, eyes gleaming.

“We’re escaping the Windows tax. That’s all.”

That line struck a chord. Several executives nodded, some reluctantly. They weren’t thrilled about not having full control—but Shinro had made the logic clear.

They didn’t need to own Linux.
They just needed to outmaneuver Windows.

---

The term "Windows Tax" was beginning to echo across the tech world. Developers everywhere, from small indie teams to global tech firms, were now facing a harsh reality.

There was no real alternative to Windows.
No rival.
No escape.

And so, many bowed their heads—not out of respect, but necessity.

In China, Tencent, which had only recently begun to find its footing in overseas markets, was hit hard. The looming "Windows Tax" posed a major threat to its growth and stability.

But the consequences ran deeper than what the average person could grasp.
Even before the tax was officially enforced, the industry was already reacting—pulling back updates, raising subscription prices, and reconsidering expansion plans.

Then, when things seemed bleak, KiShin’s official YouTube channel dropped a video that would send shockwaves through the developer community.

The thumbnail was simple: Shinro Suzuki, seated calmly in front of a dark backdrop, his expression relaxed. Handsome and composed, he hardly looked like someone in his 30s.

The video opened with his voice.

“Greetings. I’m Shinro Suzuki—owner and founder of KiShin.”

He smiled warmly, almost disarmingly. “I’m a father of two… and a husband to a very amazing woman.”

He chuckled softly. “My company builds video games, consoles, smartphones. We’re exploring chipsets, aerial technologies—maybe even space, someday.”

“In short,” he added with a grin, “we’re doing quite well.”

His smile faded slightly as he leaned forward.

“But today, I’m here for a different reason. To make an announcement.”

He paused.

“Starting today, we’re launching something new. We call it the Freedom Project.”

“What is it?”

“We’re forking the Linux source code and developing our own operating system—Freedom OS. It will be secure. It will be free. And most importantly—it will be capable of running games.”

He sat back, speaking clearly and directly into the camera.

“Our developers are already working on it. Since it’s built from Linux, it’s open-source. And we’ll keep it that way. We’ve created a section in the KiShin Forums where you can track real-time progress, line by line.”

Then he pointed gently at the camera.

“You. Yes, you. No matter where you are in the world—you can join us.”

“Help us build this OS. If you contribute, we’ll credit you properly. Your name, your work—immortalized in the software credits.”

“Together, we can build an operating system that belongs to no one… and everyone.”

The video ran for ten minutes—Shinro explaining KiShin’s vision, its goals, and how this wasn’t about fighting Microsoft head-on…

It was about giving developers and gamers a way out.

By the end of the day, the video had over 50,000 views.

In Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, New York, London—massive billboards began playing the video on loop, completely ad-free. KiShin paid for the space themselves.

The media responded instantly.

“Is this how the Godfather of Gaming plans to challenge Microsoft’s dominance?” — CNN

“Breaking: KiShin unveils Freedom Project, inviting global developers to build a new OS.” — The New York Times

“Shinro Suzuki’s Freedom OS is already trending. Can open-source finally go mainstream?” — The Verge

A movement had begun.

---

The news reached Will Gates as he lounged in the comfort of his Seattle estate, a cup of coffee in one hand and a freshly printed newspaper in the other. The headline on the front page caught his eye:

“KiShin Declares War on Windows Tax — Announces Open-Source ‘Freedom OS’”

His eyes narrowed.

Setting the paper down, he picked up his iPhone, opened YouTube, and typed:
“KiShin official channel.”

Right at the top was the video.
208,000 views.

Shinro Suzuki, calm and composed, sat in a minimalist room, addressing the world.

Will tapped the video and watched in silence.

Ten full minutes.

When it ended, he set the phone down, his expression dark and unreadable.

“So this is how you push back… Shinro,” he muttered coldly.

He didn’t believe for a second that a forked Linux OS could rival Windows. Not technically. Not commercially.

But this was Shinro Suzuki.

And when he did something—even if it started small—it had a way of shaking the world.

Hours later, Will convened a meeting with Microsoft’s board of directors. The executives filed in with little urgency, some laughing as they took their seats.

“Come on, it’s Linux. That thing’s been around for years and never came close to touching us.”

One director chuckled.

“Even if KiShin gathers a global army of coders, it’ll still fall short. Windows is the standard. Too advanced. Too embedded.”

Another smirked.

“Besides, it’s open-source. How do they plan to monetize that? There’s no business model there.”

“At best, it’s a PR stunt,” one shrugged. “At worst, it’s just a way to dodge the Windows tax.”

Laughter rippled through the room.

But Will didn’t laugh.

He sat silently at the head of the table, watching them dismiss the threat.