Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: GameStation
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"Jackson, the story for this game is incredibly straightforward."
The graphic design team at Savior had ballooned to twenty members before anyone realized it.
And Jackson, who was now leading that team, was scribbling notes furiously in his notebook with his pen, hanging on my every word.
"The setting is the 'Eastern Continent,' a stage where humans, beasts, and the beast kings who rule those beasts all coexist."
The Eastern Continent was a land where humans and intelligent beasts lived side by side.
Unlike real-world animals, the beasts of the Eastern Continent possessed intellect and reason—they were the classic half-human, half-beast creatures.
"Humans were once at the mercy of these beasts, getting devoured left and right. But a thousand years ago, a human hero named Haemosu appeared. He slaughtered the beasts that preyed on people and founded a human kingdom. That's the backstory for this game."
The endless struggle for dominance on the continent—recorded in history from the very beginning—had raged between humans and beasts. Haemosu's arrival ushered in an era of peace.
"But at the start of the game, the conflict between humans and beasts reignites."
"Hmm... What sparks it?"
"The emergence of beasts that have lost their reason: the 'yokai.'"
Yokai was the term for those beasts that devoured humans.
After Haemosu's rise, their numbers had dwindled to near extinction. But now, a thousand years after his death, yokai have resurfaced, reigniting the all-out war between humans and beasts.
"To combat these yokai, a group of human warriors called the 'Fighters' investigates why they've suddenly appeared, uncovering the root cause. That's the main storyline of our new title."
"It's straightforward, no twists or complications—very intuitive."
I nodded in agreement with Jackson's assessment.
'The story in a game should be like the story in porn,' as the creator of Demon Slayer, John Carmack, once put it.
It was a shocking statement about game stories: they were necessary, but not truly important.
But when you dug deeper, it nailed a crucial point.
'We're not making games to tell stories. Stories exist to get players into the game.'
Carmack was warning against inverting priorities.
Whenever developers in the future obsessed over messages at the expense of core fun, this quote would get reevaluated and spotlighted time and again.
"Sure, some games thrive on story, but what we want to showcase here isn't narrative—it's dazzling graphics and immersive action."
That's why I'd streamlined the story for this new title, stripping out anything overly complex.
Complicating it risked alienating Western players unfamiliar with Eastern settings—they might tire out or lose interest mid-playthrough.
So, I'd focused solely on justification.
'Players need a clear reason why they're hunting these yokai.'
Familiar monsters like orcs, trolls, or dragons? Players would slaughter them no questions asked.
But yokai, drawn from Eastern legends, might leave players unsure why they should kill them. So, we had to provide that moral clarity for the hunts.
"Got it. We'll start on concept art for character designs, monster designs, and backgrounds based on the story you just outlined, sir."
"Once the concepts are done and I approve them, we'll dive straight into graphics production. You guys ready?"
The physics and graphics engines—the game's foundation—were nearly optimized for GameStation.
With programming and graphics left, this was Savior's first 3D project. We needed to be rock-solid prepared.
"Over the past year, you've trusted me completely and given me this shot. I've had plenty of time to master 3D graphics."
Jackson answered my question with confident swagger.
'He has every reason to be cocky. He spent half a year training at a Hollywood studio, after all.'
When Jackson learned the next game needed 3D, he'd come to me asking for a chance to work at a Hollywood studio—the pinnacle of cutting-edge 3D tech.
Of course, they wouldn't just hand that knowledge to an outsider.
'We'll invest $20 million in Pixar's Buzz & Woody. In return, can you hire one of our guys?'
Pixar, struggling for funding on the world's first feature-length 3D animated film, jumped at the deal: $20 million for one employee slot.
Thanks to that, Jackson got six months immersed in the world's top 3D tech.
Then, blending what he'd learned with tech from RenderMorphics, he trained his team for another six months. The graphical quality for this game was going to be stellar.
After wrapping up our discussion, Jackson jumped into a design meeting with his team.
I watched them for a moment, lost in thought.
'To make this game a hit, we can't do it alone.'
The success of our new game, Fighters—now entering full development—was critical.
By the time it launched and sales figures dropped, Savior would list on the New York Stock Exchange.
Companies don't just arbitrarily set their IPO share price, tied to company value.
Typically, they pick an investment bank as lead underwriter for market research and demand forecasts, which determine the offering price.
The biggest factor? Revenue and net profits.
'Scarlett says our conservative IPO estimate is $100 per share.'
If that held, Savior could raise about $2 billion through the IPO.
A staggering sum in the '90s.
But even that fell short of my plans, so I needed to inflate Savior's value further.
'Byte Office and Savior Engine can't boost revenue right now, but games can.'
Savior's top seller was Village Maker, with over 4 million units across PC and console.
That made us top-tier on PC and solid on console.
But breaking 10 million? Game-changer.
Only two companies had games over 10 million: Nendo with Super Daniel, and Seton with Running Hedgehog.
They were console makers, sure, but valued sky-high as developers with massive growth potential.
If Fighters hit 10 million, Savior's dev cred would skyrocket beyond current valuations.
Then, $100 per share? We could aim for double.
'For that, GameStation's hardware needs to step up.'
I was confident in perfecting the game.
The one hitch: GameStation's specs, slated for Fighters' release.
It had the best 3D graphics of any current console, true.
But it still couldn't tap half of Savior Engine's potential.
'Guess I gotta do Uni a solid.'
Knowing Uni would be a future rival,
I concluded it was time to execute the plan I'd agonized over.
Upgrade GameStation's performance.
Looks like I'd have to step in personally.
"This is driving me insane. If even Seton can't top it easily, we've got no hope."
Agara Ken.
The project lead for Uni's console and team leader of GameStation, he was deep in thought.
- Seton's Neptune, Hojo's hit: Over 2 million units sold in Japan!
Seton's console, Neptune, launched alongside Uni's GameStation.
GameStation had surged ahead early on, but sadly, Neptune overtook it over the past year.
"Losing not on hardware specs, but lack of games?!"
GameStation only lagged Neptune in one area.
Number of released games.
Seton, second to Nendo, leveraged years of third-party support and their IP library to lure buyers.
And on top of that,
- The 3D graphics hype in gaming: Too soon?
Magazines and press influenced by Seton mocked GameStation daily: "Games are still 2D territory."
"Everyone knows 3D is the future! But we have no games to prove it!"
Ken was frustrated.
GameStation crushed Neptune in 3D graphics power.
Yet only Bancco's Nitji Drift and Fist of Fury truly harnessed it.
Dev studios were still green on 3D.
Plus, consumers soured on half-baked 3D efforts, trapping the cycle.
Without change, Uni's ambitious console project could crash and burn.
"Team leader! Savior's requesting an urgent meeting."
"Savior?"
Pondering GameStation's salvation, Agara blinked in surprise at his subordinate's report.
'They canceling the contract?'
With GameStation slumping, several exclusive partners had paid penalties to bail.
Savior's sudden meeting request chilled him to the bone.