Chapter 7. What Does He Really Know About Making Games?
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After finally hauling Ishino to her apartment door, Kiyoshi Yuuma set her down and gently patted her cheek.
"Hey, Ishino, we're here."
"Oh, thank you~"
Ishino squinted her eyes halfway open, then started fumbling through her handbag.
She pulled out her keys and tried unlocking the door a few times, but no matter what, it wouldn't open.
"Ishino, you really are an idiot."
Kiyoshi Yuuma stood nearby, visibly frustrated, took the keys from her, and gave it a try himself—only to find it really wouldn't unlock.
Just then, a man's voice came from inside the apartment.
"Hey! Who are you people?! Keep this up and I'm calling the police!"
Kiyoshi Yuuma's hand froze in place, the key still half-jammed in the lock.
What the hell was going on?
At the same time, Ishino, leaning against the wall, suddenly looked up, tilted her head, and let out a snort of laughter, pointing across the street.
"Ah~ My place is over there."
"…"
You moron!
…
The next morning, even before Kiyoshi Yuuma arrived at the company, three men had already gathered in a small meeting room at Pokeni.
They sat there with furrowed brows and heavy expressions, staring at each other in silence.
These three were the key department heads of the company: Chief Planner Mizutani Takashi, Chief Artist Sakata Taiji, and Chief Programmer Akanishi Ken.
The three major players were all gathered—and without the President. What did this mean?
The air in the meeting room was tense.
Chief Planner Mizutani Takashi tapped his finger on the table and looked at the other two.
"Akanishi-san, Sakata-san—so it's settled then. We go see the President together and hand in our resignations. Blue Wings is waiting. I've already paved the way for us."
Blue Wings, also known as BW, was another game company. Its President had previously been in the pachinko business, but with home consoles becoming more mainstream, he now wanted to break into the home gaming market.
After several meetings with Blue Wings' President, Mizutani felt it was a decent opportunity.
If he could take the whole dev team with him, he might land a producer role over there—with double the salary.
In Japan, all games are made by producers. On any project, the producer had absolute authority, which was similar to the director of a movie. They controlled every aspect of development, and some games even bore the unmistakable personal style of their producers.
For example, the future Miyazaki Hidetaka is famous for abusing players in the Souls series.
In some companies, the producer's fame could even surpass the brand of the company itself.
Whether you were in art, programming, or planning—everyone ultimately wanted to become a producer.
For Pokeni's now-flopped project Heart of the Sword, the producer had been none other than the President himself: Kiyoshi Yuuma.
"And let's be honest, don't we all know what kind of state Pokeni is in right now?" Mizutani continued tapping the table. "The only reason we're still here is because the company hasn't formally declared bankruptcy yet. In this kind of economy, being able to jump ship is lucky. There are tons of people out there who can't find a job."
After hearing Mizutani's proposal, Sakata Taiji looked troubled. He didn't rush to agree.
"But… isn't the President out trying to get investment? If the next game does well, maybe—"
"Sakata-san, stop lying to yourself already, will you?" Mizutani cut in sharply. "The President's been chasing investors for how long now? In this climate, stock prices have been cut in half. It's already a miracle we haven't gone bankrupt. Who still has spare money to lend us?
Besides, Blue Wings clearly has deeper pockets. Moving over there means stability.
So ask yourselves. Do you want to stay here and gamble on tomorrow, or go somewhere better and build your future? I think any rational person knows what choice to make."
"Emmm..."
Sakata Taiji glanced sideways at Akanishi Ken out of the corner of his eye and said, "I'll go with whatever Akanishi-san decides. He's been here the longest, the first to follow President Kiyoshi. He's the backbone of the company. If he leaves, I will leave. If he stays, I will stay."
The group fell silent for a moment.
Akanishi Ken closed his eyes slightly, pretending to be deep in thought. "To be honest, Kiyoshi Yuuma and I go way back."
He didn't use the title "President," nor did he speak formally—mainly because Akanishi had been in the gaming industry even longer than Kiyoshi Yuuma. They had worked at the same game company before, where Akanishi was technically his senior. It wasn't until Kiyoshi Yuuma left to start his own business that he convinced Akanishi to join him.
"Kiyoshi Yuuma is a man with dreams, with drive, and with skills. I still remember the dinner we had when he asked me to join Pokeni. Even now, when I think back on it, I feel that same blood-pumping excitement. It was Kiyoshi Yuuma who showed me how joyful game development could be—that it wasn't just about writing code."
Watching him bask in the nostalgia, a look of bliss spreading across his face, Mizutani rolled his eyes. "So what? Akanishi-san, are you going to regret it now? Do you plan to stay behind as his loyal regent?"
Akanishi folded his arms, raised an eyebrow, glanced at Mizutani, then sighed and shifted tone. "But I was wrong. Once we actually started the company, I realized—Kiyoshi Yuuma is just an original artist. What does he really know about making games?"
Eh?
Sakata Taiji, also originally from an art background, suddenly raised his head. Hey, why did you just drag me with the President into this insult too?!
"Akanishi-san~" Mizutani clutched his chest and groaned dramatically. "Can you stop dropping emotional bombshells like that? You're going to scare someone to death."
He let out a long breath. "Anyway, it's settled then. We'll all go together and hand in our resignations. Blue Wings is waiting for us."
Just then, a knock came on the glass door, followed by a voice outside: "Senpai, the President asked you to join a meeting and said that he has something important to announce."
The three looked at each other and clenched their fists secretly.
…
They entered the meeting room to find Kiyoshi Yuuma seated at the head of the table.
Also present were hardware engineer Asakawa Hiroki and scriptwriter Mika Ishino.
Mizutani was aware of what they'd been working on lately. Kiyoshi Yuuma had originally intended to bring Mizutani on board for the new project, but with a new company lined up, Mizutani had mentally checked out.
Everyone took their seats, and Akanishi went to close the door.
Mizutani opened his mouth, ready to bring up the resignation—
"The funding issue has been resolved. DUN has agreed to invest in us—70 million yen in total."
Right as the meeting started, Kiyoshi Yuuma went straight to the point. "The company's cash flow is now very healthy. We can go all-in on the new project."
Akanishi Ken turned around and gave him a big thumbs-up. "Impressive, President! We're definitely going to make an amazing game!"
Nani?!
Mizutani Takashi's eyes bulged wide.
Akanishi-san~ That's not what you were saying earlier!