Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Development Team 2
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It goes without saying, but a game studio doesn't focus all its manpower on a single game.
Everyone knows that would be like locking themselves in a cage.
Take Studio Rewind, for example.
Our main IP, Hellic, portrays a dark and gruesome world set in hell.
It's an RPG based on growth and combat, a niche IP that places the element of 'narrative' front and center.
Furthermore, its base rating is R18.
In other words, Hellic is strictly an adult game.
That was a double-edged sword.
While Hellic's niche elements were a clear advantage for securing a core fanbase, that same advantage became a barrier to entry when considering mass appeal.
In short, its ability to attract a diverse user base—its mainstream appeal—was weak.
Of course, I couldn't compromise Hellic's identity for that.
The very reason the IP could succeed despite its clear weaknesses was because of its niche nature.
To abandon its niche qualities in pursuit of mass appeal? That would be like losing the fish you've already caught while trying to net others.
Besides those external reasons, I couldn't tolerate it myself.
Fortunately, there was a way.
In fact, it was quite simple.
'I just need to create another, more casual IP.'
Secure a new IP.
An IP with the casual and lighthearted feel that Hellic lacked.
I had no doubt that this was the best choice for the overall prestige, revenue, and customer acquisition of Studio Rewind.
Thus, a sub-project team. Essentially, Development Team 2.
The establishment of a second development team was something I had been planning ever since moving to Pangyo.
That was also why I bought three floors of the building.
The bottom floor, not yet even properly equipped, was a space reserved for them.
I carefully examined the documents Yang Gil-sang had printed out for me.
They were all candidates I had already considered for the establishment of Development Team 2.
Since I haven't really used my advantage as a regressor much since returning, moments like this feel special.
It feels like playing a game, to put it metaphorically.
You know, those simulation games where you become the owner of a soccer team and build your ideal squad.
The ones commonly known as time machines.
Anyway, setting aside such idle talk, the conclusion was this.
'They're fresh.'
The prospects are all fresh.
A few seem underripe, but that's even better.
It means I can nurture them to my own tastes from now on.
Looking at the full list, they were essentially indie developers, with teams as small as three and the largest barely reaching seven members.
Among them, two teams in particular caught my eye.
They didn't deviate much from my initial scope.
'Team Evil Scale. Studio Moe Moe Kyun.'
An American team and a Japanese team, respectively.
I know the future.
Which means I know the game these two teams will make in the future.
It wasn't a difficult story.
These two teams, unable to produce a single proper title at this point in time...
'...will bring a storm to the future gaming scene.'
Not individually, but by joining forces.
Seven years from now, in 2020.
A mutant called 'Studio KawaiDemon' will emerge in the AAA market.
* * *
In any industry, if there are those who walk the righteous path, there are also those who walk the unorthodox one.
If there are those who succeed based on established systems, there are others who show explosive potential through imperfection.
Studio KawaiDemon was clearly a team of the latter type.
-Team Leader! Have you tried this? 'Demon's Relic'!
-Yeah, I heard it's selling well.
-It's amazing! To~tally amazing! The girls who appear in it are...
-But it's not really my taste.
-...Right. It's not the kind of style you'd like, Team Leader.
One day in June 2020, a game called 'Demon's Relic' suddenly appeared on Steam.
It was a monstrous anomaly that literally dropped a bomb on the industry.
The reason the game succeeded wasn't because it showcased shocking development skills.
Nor was it because it presented new and incredible gameplay.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Studio KawaiDemon's 'Demon's Relic' was a game that was the epitome of imperfection, both conceptually and systemically.
And yet, it was a game that recorded such phenomenal sales that it made one instinctively blurt out, 'That thing is selling that well?'
A single sentence was enough to describe the game.
-It's a dating sim RPG. I don't really get it.
-That's because all your romance cells are dead.
-Huh?
-...Nothing.
A combination of a bishoujo dating simulation and an RPG, commonly known as a 'weeb game'.
There was so much talk about it that even I, who had no interest in the game, knew the general gist of it.
To summarize, it was like this.
The protagonist, a demon worshipper, goes around freeing the 72 demons sealed by Solomon.
Along the way, he romances and fights with beautiful demon girls, and the protagonist, who is granted their powers, becomes the new harem king of hell.
It was a rather typical story with a typical ending.
That's why the industry was in such an uproar when its first-month sales surpassed 1.5 million copies.
It was so bad that a director who was meddling in my project at the time said this to me.
-Yeon-ho, try copying that. Add some romance elements to this project.
-Director, this is an action game...
-Just make all the enemies and monsters girls! Have the players romance them or something!
...Even thinking back on it, it was a horrifying moment.
Flipping a project that was already halfway through development to insert romance elements naturally sent the game off a cliff. The final nail in the coffin was selling bishoujo monster pets as gacha products, and the game's service was terminated in less than a year and a half.
There was still something I wondered about.
Why on earth did he tell me to add dating sim elements to a game targeting men in their 40s and 50s?
Of course, it was impossible to know now, and it didn't matter anymore.
The point I'm trying to make is this.
How in the world did Studio KawaiDemon elevate such a game into a casual hit and record such phenomenal sales?
The answer lay in the development stories and analyses that were later revealed.
The one who told me about it was Jo A-yun.
-Two directors?
-Yes! Apparently, it was formed by two different indie teams coming together. The director of Moe Moe Kyun comes up with the weeb game concepts, and the director of Evil Scale gives feedback and builds on it. Isn't that fascinating?
-One person conceives, the other mediates. That's a risky way to make a game.
-You think so?
-Too many cooks spoil the broth. That kind of directing, in particular, can easily lose its direction, and the original planner's intent can become blurred or distorted. More often than not, feelings get hurt while exchanging feedback, and the team splits up.
-But they succeeded.
-I said it was risky, not that it would definitely fail. Well, they succeeded in their show and prove, so I don't really have much to say.
With the ensemble of two directors, Demon's Relic, which could have ended up as a simple weeb game, became a mutant that captured the market with its casual appeal.
At first, I thought the game's success was entirely due to the director of Evil Scale, who handled the mediation, but that was a misjudgment.
There was something I learned only later.
That, too, I learned through Jo A-yun.
-Look at this. Isn't her underbutt really sexy? I was so busy looking at this...
-A-yun, stop.
-No, just look!
-I am looking, so stop. I'm trying to eat here.
-A side dish with my rice...
-That's enough.
It seemed that in their own world, Demon's Relic had a clear charming point.
And it seemed the director of Moe Moe Kyun was the one who planned it.
I couldn't empathize, but I could understand.
To be honest, I still feel that way.
I don't know why that particular weeb sensibility became so wildly popular, but I could understand the mechanism behind it.
A risqué level of content that toed the line, just enough to avoid being censored.
The resulting character appeal and the emotional connection forged through an anime-like narrative.
An RPG with AAA-level volume built on that foundation.
They managed to capture the essence of the mobile bishoujo collection gacha games that swept the era and pack it into a single-player, AAA package.
In reality, they sold a level of quality unattainable in gacha games for a package price far cheaper than mobile games, so it was almost guaranteed to sell well.
The barrier to entry was lower than mobile gacha games, so it attracted more general users as well.
Anyway, to state the results, there was one undeniable fact.
Demon's Relic was definitely a mutant that appeared in the AAA package market. And while it met the laughable fate of winning zero year-end awards, its sales and reception were on par with any other major game.
So,
'If I'm going to capture the casual market, this is the way.'
To complement our different user bases and ultimately attempt a cross-pollination between IPs, 'Demon's Relic'—which stands at the opposite pole from Hellic—is the perfect choice for Rewind's sub-IP.
Even the timing is better.
'Bishoujo gacha games are just starting to gain recognition among users. Considering the development and release timeline, it's possible to ride the wave and boost sales.'
Perhaps I could even elevate it into a game that leads the trend.
Just as I was thinking that.
Click—
The door opened.
Yang Gil-sang spoke.
“Yeon-ho, the two have arrived.”
“Yes, I'm on my way.”
Today was the day I would meet with the directors of Team Evil Scale and Studio Moe Moe Kyun, the two companies that would become the twin pillars of KawaiDemon in the future.
* * *
The moment I entered the reception room, two men came into view.
A scrawny, nervous-looking white man and a portly, long-haired Asian man.
They were Jelen Copson and Nishimura Keisuke, the directors of Evil Scale and Moe Moe Kyun, respectively.
First impression assessment.
'Their development skills are sufficient.'
I was satisfied.
I extended my hand for a handshake.
“It's an honor to have you here. I'm Cheon Yeon-ho, the President of Studio Rewind and the executive director of the Hellic series.”
At that moment,
the two men, who had been fidgeting, awkwardly stood up.
The first to shake my hand was Jelen Copson.
“I'm Copson. I'm a fan!”
Jelen Copson's eyes sparkled.
“I've been playing the Hellic series since the first one came out! It was really fun! When I heard you made it with just a two-person team...!”
The moment he started talking about games, his initial nervousness vanished, and even his anxious demeanor disappeared.
It was a bit awkward, but I felt good regardless.
It meant I had made a good first impression.
“Thank you.”
I replied and then greeted Nishimura Keisuke.
“I-I'm Nishimura.”
“A pleasure to meet you.”
Just as I was about to pull my hand away,
“...Mr. Nishimura?”
“...”
He didn't let go of my hand.
His grip was surprisingly strong.
Puzzled, I looked up, but Nishimura's gaze was fixed on something over my shoulder.
There stood a figurine of Alice.
The corners of Nishimura's mouth twitched.
“...A-Alice.”
“Pardon?”
“Alice, good. Yeon-ho-san, you know moe...”
Seeing his breathing grow heavy, I tried to calm him down.
I don't know why I was getting goosebumps on my arm.
For now, I decided to think positively.
...Right, this is all part of their development talent, isn't it?
A director just needs to be good at developing.
“...Let's have a seat for now.”
Sitting across from them, I cleared my throat.
And then I got straight to the point.
“I believe the purpose of this meeting was conveyed in the email I sent. To put it bluntly, it's a scouting offer.”
Jelen Copson's fists clenched.
“Yes! I heard! But why me, of all people...?”
“I-I don't really understand either...”
They seemed to lack confidence.
I understood.
At this point in time, before they had joined forces, neither of their development teams had shown any tangible results.
As I knew it, the two would meet for the first time at an indie game festival two years from now, join forces, and then spend five years creating Demon's Relic.
Before that, right now, they were the smallest of the small.
To put it simply, the answer to their question was this.
'I'm trying to buy low.'
Of course, I couldn't say that out loud.
“I make it a habit to play indie games from time to time. After all, our own Hellic started as an indie title, and our company has only ever officially released indie games. I believe in the potential of indies. And I have a personal desire to recruit any exceptional talents I find.”
The two men began to listen intently.
It was an understandable reaction.
The position makes the man.
I tend to interpret that saying a little differently.
It's not that the position makes the man, but that it creates the man's image.
“S-so, you mean me...?”
“An h-honor...”
Public perception.
Cheon Yeon-ho of Rewind had written a legend in the indie scene.
He was a rising star in the industry, challenging the AAA market with an indie IP that had set record-breaking results.
This was a moment to be aware of that myself.
To these people, I was a big shot. If I showed them respect without shattering that perception, it would be quite easy to build rapport, wouldn't it?
“Yes, I've played games from both of your companies. First, Mr. Copson's 'Evil Blood' was clean. I could see the special attention paid to restraint and systemic intuitiveness. It suited my tastes well.”
Of course, it had the drawback of being too clean, to the point of being bland.
“Mr. Nishimura's game, 'My Yandere Little Sister is Too Much Trouble!', was a bishoujo dating sim. It was quite impressive. Especially the direction, dialogue, and the hidden devices in the narrative.”
This one, on the other hand, focused so excessively on the characters that the game itself faltered.
A fact I learned from playing them before today.
Looking at it this way, it's clear.
'They can compensate for each other's weaknesses.'
A two-director system is actually a better fit for these two.
If they combine forces, I'm sure it will produce a good result.
I didn't hide my anticipation as I spoke.
“After playing both of your games, a thought occurred to me. I felt that combining Mr. Copson's design skills with Mr. Nishimura's world-building and character creation abilities could lead to something quite interesting.”
I met each of their eyes in turn.
And then I said.
“Studio Rewind is preparing to establish a second development team. I would like to scout both of you, and your entire teams.”
At that moment.
“With him?”
“Eeeh...”
Both men's brows furrowed.
A subtle contempt filled their eyes as they looked at each other.
'...Huh.'
“Uhm, this guy is...”
“He doesn't know moe...”
They only muttered a few fragmented words, but I could tell for sure.
'These guys...'
...They openly despise each other.
Development Team 2 (2)