A $50 million development budget is a massive gamble for a Japanese game developer like NTsoft. While it wouldn't completely tank the company if the game flops, it would definitely cause some serious ripples.
Everyone knows that even though Sekiro has been greenlit, there's still a long road of meticulous discussions between Tetsu Fuyukawa and the company's top brass before full development kicks off. After all, it's not unheard of for projects to get scrapped mid-development—or even after they've been greenlit—if things don't feel right. For an ARPG, the combat system is the absolute heart and soul of the game.
This morning, Tetsu Fuyukawa is set to meet with President Asai and the entire Asai faction—veteran game producers with action game experience—to discuss Sekiro's combat system. It's no secret within the company.
"I heard the game's got a ninja theme set in a fictional Sengoku era. The combat's probably gonna lean hard into stealth assassinations with some QTEs thrown in, right?" one employee speculated.
"Probably not," another chimed in. "Players these days are way more impatient than before. A super hardcore combat system would just feel unsatisfying to them. Remember SATE's Tensatsu? That stealth assassination game they hyped up as 'showing the world the charm of ninjas'? Cost over $90 million between development and marketing, and it sold barely a million copies globally. Total flop. The studio shut down on the spot."
"Hardcore games are tough to pull off these days. Plus, Department Four used to make fighting games. Sure, that genre's faded, but they've got tons of experience with tight mechanics, hit feedback, all that jazz. Maybe Sekiro will be more like a Musou game, mowing down hordes of enemies. Think about it—the title's Sekiro, lone wolf. Could it be about cutting through waves of grunts to take down a big boss?"
"Hey, that makes sense! Look, they're coming out!"
On NTsoft's top floor, a commotion in the hallway caught the attention of a few women gossiping in the break room. They peeked out, eyes glued to the meeting room door.
Soon, a stream of employees from Department Four and Asai's loyal Department Two filed out. Some looked frustrated, shaking their heads, while others were buzzing with excitement, whispering to their colleagues.
"Minister Koharu's grinning ear to ear! She's worked on several big ARPGs before. Looks like whatever Tetsu showed her really impressed her," one woman noted.
"Not so fast," another countered. "Vice Minister Kuroki looks pretty grim. He's a Department Four veteran who knows combat systems inside and out. That frown doesn't bode well."
"They're not the ones who matter most. It's all about President Asai. Oh, here he comes!"
Under the watchful eyes of the break room crew, a man in his early fifties with impeccably combed hair emerged from the office, laughing and chatting with Tetsu Fuyukawa and Mitei Miyano.
"Tetsu, that proposal was solid," President Asai said. "But you need to get a playable demo ready ASAP. That's the only way I can push for more funding at the board meeting. You know what Tsume's been up to lately. The company can't fully back two massive ARPGs at once."
"Understood, President," Tetsu replied with a slight bow.
"Good. Get to it!" Asai said, waving him off.
Tetsu grabbed his briefcase and headed for the elevator. Mitei followed close behind, a look of relief on her face, almost as if she'd dodged a bullet. "I didn't expect Asai to be this sold on your pitch," she said. "I thought we'd be stuck in negotiations for ages." She tilted her head, smirking playfully. "Didn't know you were that deep into ARPGs. You had Minister Koharu completely floored in there."
"You're oversimplifying it," Tetsu said with a chuckle, hands in his pockets as he watched the elevator descend. "It's not just that my proposal was good or that Sekiro's combat system has potential. The real key is that Asai—and Minister Koharu, who he personally promoted—desperately need a big win right now. A game of Sekiro's scale flopping would be a disaster for Asai, but its long development cycle buys him time. With Chairperson Tsume coming out of 'retirement' to meddle in company politics, a lot of neutral factions are already uneasy. As long as Sekiro feels substantial, innovative, and promising enough to keep the board hopeful, Asai can use it to hold his ground and deal with Tsume. Simply put, he's trading time for leverage. That's why I had no qualms about you jumping ship to Asai's team. Compared to Tsume's faction, his side needs us more. In the workplace, alliances built on mutual interests are the strongest—until those interests clash, we're rock-solid with Asai's group."
Mitei laughed as Tetsu rambled on. "So, you're the fisherman watching the clam and the snipe fight, huh? You're sneakier than you look."
"Come on," Tetsu shot back with a grin. "If I were some naive, honest guy, would you trust me enough to follow my lead?"
"Hmph, not going there," Mitei said, rolling her striking eyes. "By the way, I sent the shortlist for the production team to your Line. Pick them out soon, okay?"
"Got it," Tetsu nodded.
---
Sekiro passed its "initial review" with President Asai!
The news hit NTsoft like a shockwave, instantly setting the company abuzz. Tetsu Fuyukawa, who'd just pulled off an industry miracle by selling five million copies of a game made on a ¥100 million budget, was now seen as a near-mythical figure by some employees. Even though he was crossing into ARPG territory, plenty within the company believed in him and wanted a piece of the action.
On top of that, a $50 million-plus blockbuster production isn't something that comes around often at a major Japanese studio like NTsoft. Getting on the Sekiro team would be a golden ticket on anyone's resume. If Sekiro succeeds, it's promotions, raises, and bonuses all around. If it fails, the worst you lose is some bonuses, but you still walk away with experience on a high-profile project—a huge boost for future career moves.
Everyone wanted in on Hikari Studio, and not just NTsoft employees. A $60 million project like this typically involves outsourcing, and external teams were just as eager to get involved. For them, working on Sekiro was a win-win, regardless of the outcome.
The gaming world was buzzing. Fueled by the lingering hype from I'm Surrounded by Beautiful Women, the excitement was intense—not just in Japan but in Europe, America, and China, where all eyes were on Tetsu Fuyukawa.
Tokyo Game News: "Miracle Producer Tetsu Fuyukawa's new project is about to start development! Can the man who turned a ¥100 million budget into five million sales work his magic again?"
London Gaming Weekly: "NTsoft, a fading giant, is making a bold bet. President Asai is staking the company's new era on a 26-year-old prodigy. In an exclusive interview, Asai declared, 'Tetsu is a highly talented young man. I believe his game will shock the world—an ARPG unlike anything else on the market!'"
Dragon Nation Star Report, Editor-in-Chief Ma Weiguo: "'Innovation' was the word NTsoft's President Asai used most in our interview. It's clear he understands the dire state of Japanese gaming. In large-scale open-world games, Japan lags far behind the West. On mobile, they're being crushed by us. Their only path forward is innovation in gameplay, but that's easier said than done. For someone like Mr. Fuyukawa, who has no standout ARPGs under his belt, to attempt bold innovation right out of the gate feels incredibly risky. As the saying goes, 'A young man with no experience can't be trusted with big tasks.' He'd be better off learning from his seniors for a few more years before tackling something like this."
New York Pioneer Press, Deputy Editor Zack Byrd: "'Souls-like'—(laughs) honestly, this is the first time I've seen a game labeled as its own genre before it's even in development. I get it; when we're young, we all dream of that one brilliant idea that'll change the industry. But then you realize those ideas have already been tried—and they didn't work. Frankly, I'm not optimistic about this game called Sekiro or this so-called 'Souls-like' label. I bet they'll realize early on that this 'Souls-like' path is a dead end and have to start over."
Sekiro's development announcement sent shockwaves through the industry. Unsurprisingly, most outsiders weren't sold on it. But none of this fazed Tetsu Fuyukawa.
Since I'm Surrounded by Beautiful Women, he'd kept a low profile, avoiding the spotlight. And, to be honest, while game companies and their titles often have rabid fanbases online, game producers aren't like singers or actors. Players might bicker over studios or games, but they rarely get into heated debates about which producer is the best. It's like how Mihoyo and Genshin Impact get torn apart online, but their CEO, Da Wei, still has a decent reputation.
Honestly, that suited Tetsu just fine. He had no interest in his personal life being under a microscope. Still, while his private life stayed quiet, his work life was anything but.
The day after the meeting, he was back in the grind. At 9 a.m., he arrived at his cubicle, hung up his suit jacket, and sat down to review the team shortlist Mitei had sent him.
Normally, picking a production team wouldn't be too tough. In a world without "Souls-like" games, any experienced ARPG talent would do. But Tetsu had bigger plans. After Sekiro, he wanted to go independent and take as many of the Sekiro team members with him as possible—not just the outsourcing teams but also some of NTsoft's core internal team. That way, future projects like Bloodborne or Elden Ring would be a breeze.
Finding employees with potential and skill who weren't already tied to NTsoft's internal factions was delicate work. Luckily, Mitei's work ethic was top-notch. She'd already done a preliminary screening of the list, so Tetsu only needed to focus on skills and resumes. Even so, the workload was immense.
He buried himself in the resumes, and before he knew it, the morning was gone.
"Phew—my eyes are about to give out," Tetsu muttered, leaning back in his chair under the warm spring sunlight. He took off his glasses, rubbed his nose, and stared at the laptop screen.
It had been a busy morning, but it was productive. After Mitei's initial filter and his own review, he'd narrowed it down to 43 names—mostly planners, tech developers, and art designers.
"I'll handle the core stuff like narrative planning, combat design, balance, and tech development," he thought. "Marketing and other areas can go to Mitei. As for art design…" His mind flashed to Sayoko's face, and he frowned slightly. Planning, tech, art, and marketing—these were the critical pillars, and ideally, he'd want them all handled by his trusted allies.
Mitei was a marketing genius NTsoft had poached at great expense, so he had full confidence in her there. But art was trickier. Sayoko was skilled in visual design, but as a concept artist, her expertise was in original illustrations. She had some experience with 3D modeling, skill effects, and motion capture, but she wasn't a master in those areas—and she had zero management experience.
"I'll talk to her tonight," Tetsu decided. Sayoko was sharp, and after breaking through her personal barriers, she'd started showing real promise in art. Just recently, in her spare time, she'd drawn some 18+ manga to "spice things up" and had surprisingly racked up decent sales on an adult website. But…
"She's got no ambition," Tetsu sighed, shaking his head. Unlike the driven Mitei, Sayoko was the quintessential traditional Japanese woman—content to live a quiet life, maybe settle down and raise a family, like a vine clinging to a sturdy tree.
"I'll figure out the art side after talking to her," he mused.
As he was lost in thought, the door swung open.
"Got lunch plans?" Mitei asked, striding in wearing a sharp black OL uniform, her shapely legs wrapped in white stockings.
"Nope, what's up?" Tetsu replied, sipping his coffee.
Mitei crossed her arms, looking down at him. "I set up a meeting with an outsourcing team. Wanna come with?"
"Already picked one out?" Tetsu raised an eyebrow.
"Yup. An… old friend of mine. She wants to meet you in person."
"Old friend?" Tetsu's curiosity piqued.
Mitei nodded. "Yeah, we worked together back at SATE. And you've probably heard her voice before."
"Her voice?" Tetsu blinked, then his eyes widened as it clicked. "Wait, you mean the one who said you—"
"Yes!" Mitei cut him off, a flash of embarrassment in her eyes as she lifted her chin defiantly. "Anyway, her team's small but has solid ARPG experience. So, you in?"
A small, experienced team sounded promising. Tetsu thought for a moment, then stood, grabbing his suit jacket. "Alright, where are we meeting?"
"Newcomer's Cannon Restaurant in Shinjuku."
Tetsu paused, surprised. That place again? His gaze drifted to Mitei's curvaceous figure, a playful glint in his eyes. There was a certain bet they hadn't settled yet.
Feeling his stare and guessing his thoughts, Mitei's cheeks flushed with annoyance. She shot him a glare and marched toward the door, but paused at the threshold. "We'll deal with that after the prep work's done! I'm swamped right now!"
"Didn't forget, though," Tetsu teased.
"...Just come on!"