Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Suguru
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"Thank you for coming."
"The honor is all mine to meet you like this."
The hand extended to me for a handshake.
As I grasped it, a surge of indescribable emotion welled up inside me.
'Meeting Suguru in person.'
If I had to name just one game director I'd admired most from my past life until now, it would undoubtedly be Suguru.
In Korea, where the console market had always been weak, it was hard to grasp his stature, but in Japan and the West, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that virtually everyone had grown up playing at least one of the games he'd created. He was a legendary director.
"After trying out Village Maker, Savior's latest game, firsthand, I was dying to know who the people behind it were."
"You've played it yourself?"
"Of course. I'm a gamer first and foremost, before I'm a developer."
A short while ago, at the end of a meeting, we'd decided to pursue the console port of Village Maker on Nendo's platform.
Seton wasn't a bad choice, but since Village Maker had been targeted at all ages and genders from the start, everyone agreed Nendo was the better fit.
Afterward, Scarlett and I had come to Nendo's North American branch for a meeting to iron out the details.
But I hadn't expected to meet Suguru here.
"Truth be told, I'm the one who proposed the Village Maker port to headquarters."
"You? Suguru, you personally pitched it?"
"If Nendo hadn't made the offer, wouldn't Seton have snatched up this gem?"
Now it made sense why Nendo had approached Savior with a second-party deal.
'Suguru was the one who got Nendo— a company that usually ignores non-Japanese firms—to move.'
The unbelievable story behind Nendo offering a second-party contract to a Western game company had Suguru at its core.
And it was because he'd been so impressed by my game. Honestly, it felt like walking on clouds.
"To be even more frank, I'd love to make a game together with Savior."
"Is this about Scanix, by any chance?"
"Word's spread all the way to America, huh? I can't say it had no influence. Their current project at Scanix definitely made me envious."
Hearing Suguru's offer to collaborate hit me with thoughts of Japan's legendary game dev studio, Scanix.
Japan's iconic RPG Dragon Mission.
It had bombed in North America, but that aside, in Japan, it held a national treasure status that even Suguru's Legend of the Elf couldn't touch.
And standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Dragon Mission was the RPG Last Fantasy.
Conversely, while it ranked below Dragon Mission in Japan, it enjoyed massive popularity overseas, especially in North America.
Thus, the two titans of Japan's RPG genre—often called JRPGs—had their directors team up at Scanix early last year, sending ripples through the gaming world.
"Would there be a single developer not curious about the dream team of Honda Yuji from Dragon Mission, Satoshi from Last Fantasy, and Torayama from Dragon Ring?"
"Some folks are worried, aren't they? Organizations with too many heads tend to fracture."
Suguru countered by asking if that dream team might actually cause problems.
He had a point. Even Nendo's rival, Seton, was a case in point.
Seton, uncharacteristically for a Japanese company, had what you could call a progressive—or chaotic, depending on your view—organizational structure.
With over ten decision-makers steering the ship, even when the company needed to pour all its resources into something, it often veered off course.
The result? Last year's disastrous flop, the Hyper CD.
But...
"You know it too, Suguru. Directors Honda and Satoshi have completely complementary strengths."
"So you think that way too."
"Honda Yuji excels at story and character design, while Satoshi shines in game systems and world-building. Together, they'll create massive synergy."
There was no need to worry about the sparks from two of Japan's top developers.
Their collaboration, set for release next year, would go down as one of the all-time great RPGs, easily in the top five.
"Playing Village Maker made me realize for the first time that someone else out there shares my vision for games. I want to work together."
Suguru, too, seemed spurred by Scanix's collab, extending his hand to me.
'Of course you did. My games draw straight from yours.'
I figured as much when he said it was the first time he'd encountered a creator with his exact perspective.
After all, I'd spent hundreds of hours playing, dissecting, and studying his games. His design philosophy had seeped into me without me even realizing it.
But that wasn't enough on its own.
"I'm truly grateful for the offer. And I mean that sincerely— just knowing someone like you sees that potential in me will have me grinning for days."
"So that means..."
"Yes, exactly as you're thinking. Separate from that joy, though, I'm not interested in becoming Nendo's second party."
Suguru's face registered surprise; he clearly hadn't expected a rejection.
"I know Savior focuses on PC games, but consoles will dominate the market for decades to come. You won't regret joining as a Nendo second party."
"True. But can I ever surpass Nendo that way?"
"Pardon?"
Being Nendo's second party is everyone's dream gig.
They provide ample funding, technical support from hardware up, and handle everything from promotion to sales post-launch. Developers can focus purely on creation.
Plus, releasing on Nendo hardware guarantees solid sales and big profits.
But you'd never eclipse Nendo that way.
"You're serious about surpassing Nendo?"
"I don't joke around much. Makes life in America a bit rough."
What kind of company is Nendo?
Even with ups and downs, at its peak, it topped global charts in revenue per employee.
The very word "Nendo" in America has become synonymous with "game console"—the undisputed king of the industry.
"As Nendo's own division head, it's awkward to say, but it'll take decades at least for PC games to overtake consoles."
"Savior won't stick to PC-only."
"Then wouldn't joining Nendo be smarter? Seton's been gaining ground lately, but I predict the gap between Nendo and Seton will only widen."
Fair point.
People were starting to think Seton was on the verge of collapse anyway.
"Neither Nendo nor Seton. Savior will enter the console hardware market ourselves."
"That's insane! Huck, that's sheer recklessness. Bigger companies than Savior have tried and gotten crushed. The console market is locked down!"
My declaration of jumping into console manufacturing—not just games like Nendo or Seton—raised Suguru's voice.
Not anger, exactly, but concern, like fretting over a reckless kid.
'What a good guy.'
Suguru knew this industry better than anyone, so Savior's hardware ambitions must've sounded utterly mad to him.
"Not right away, of course. It'll be years at earliest."
He tried persuading me again, insisting time wasn't the issue, but when I wouldn't budge, he even let out a sigh.
He could've just ignored it—no skin off his back—but his earnest worry showed what a genuinely good person he was.
"Two hit games, and he's already so arrogant? How lightly does he view Nendo to kick away a second-party deal and only contract this one title?"
"That's the shocking part. I never dreamed he'd turn down second-party status."
"You were too soft on him, Division Head Suguru. When he talked about manufacturing hardware, I nearly stormed out."
Suguru understood his subordinate Ren's frustration.
Other devs treated Nendo meetings like walking on eggshells, lest they slip up.
But Savior's rep, Seon Woo-hyuk—Huck—had acted like it was nothing, practically declaring war.
Especially insisting on contracting only Village Maker, even forfeiting some royalties. Without Suguru's push, the deal would've been dead on arrival.
'President Miyamoto might've whacked him with his cane.'
Current Nendo president Miyamoto was hot-tempered and rigid.
Unlikely scenario, but if he'd been at the table, chaos would've ensued.
"You're right. We probably should've walked away today."
"You think so too, sir? Then why...?"
Ren couldn't make sense of it.
Suguru had forced through Savior's terms single-handedly.
Yet now he said skipping the deal might've been better? Even for the Suguru he revered, Ren struggled to accept it.
Sensing his mood, Suguru continued quietly.
"Nendo's grown brilliantly over the past decade."
As a key figure in that growth, Suguru spoke with deep emotion.
"Back then, we entered the U.S. market empty-handed, everyone pouring ideas into pioneering it. HQ pushed innovative proposals to stay ahead."
"Yes! Especially Executive VP Gunpei and you, sir—your achievements from that era are legendary."
"But now... I'm not sure. We're still thriving, yet it feels like we've grown complacent."
"Well..."
Suguru had always preached that advancing the gaming industry was the path to advancing Nendo.
Not just talk—he'd proposed cutting Nendo's royalties and ROM cartridge costs.
Seemingly self-sacrificial moves that would grow the whole industry, ultimately benefiting Nendo.
But—
'Nonsense! Devs are just parasites leeching off Nendo! Without us, no one would sell their games—they should be paying more!'
President Miyamoto wouldn't even hear him out.
'Maybe it's a small rebellion, but I sense that guy from Savior... Huck... has something to show.'
To Suguru, today's deal was a worthwhile investment to witness it.
"You think Savior's worth that kind of bet?"
Ren still wasn't convinced, even after the explanation.
"Remember that Byte Line program we adopted recently?"
"Byte Line? The chat app?"
"Yeah. Few people realize Savior made it."
"What? Savior created it? Aren't they a game studio?"
Seeing Ren's shocked disbelief, Suguru mused.
'He'd faint if he knew Savior's revenue this year.'
Before the deal closed, Scarlett—the woman who'd come with Huck—had casually dropped Savior's annual sales figures. Staggering.
IT firms saw Savior as software devs; game companies as game makers. Amusing disconnect.
To Suguru, Savior was a tiger with hidden claws.
The moment those claws emerged, the world would reel.
Which direction they'd slash? Only Savior knew.