When Koyakawa bounced into the office, Kobayashi Tetsu had just finished revising the proposal for the Developers Conference.
"Tetsu-kun!" Koyakawa greeted him, sliding the folder in her hand across the desk.
"It's done! I put a lot of effort into this game proposal, even consulting the Editor-in-Chief and others. Let's see if it can pass the discerning eye of the 'God of Atlas'!"
Kobayashi Tetsu nearly spat out his black tea.
"What 'God' are you talking about? Who gave me that nickname and when?"
Koyakawa replied, "The Editor-in-Chief said so."
Kobayashi Tetsu had to restrain himself from storming into the Kadokawa Game Magazine office and bashing Tofuya Fami-bo over the head.
Where did all these gods come from? It's like Japan is just a breeding ground for deities and immortals.
He wiped his mouth and took the folder, flipping it open to read.
At first glance, the proposal seemed polished and professional, clearly having been guided by someone experienced.
But upon closer inspection, Kobayashi Tetsu was somewhat surprised.
This was a game genre that didn't even exist yet.
Well, okay, it did exist, but with current gaming technology, it would be quite difficult to pull off.
Because this was actually a horror game.
Kobayashi Tetsu had played many 2D horror games, most of which were indie gems made on RPG Maker, like Ib, The Witch's House, Yume Nikki, and Yomawari. It was a niche genre with a limited audience, rarely selling in large numbers. Even a few dozen thousand copies sold would be cause for celebration; many early works were even released for free.
Horror games were already a niche genre, and over the years, with the exception of a very few titles, most could pop champagne if they sold 100,000 copies. A game like Outlast was a rare exception.
And 2D horror games, which focused on narrative and emotional immersion, were a niche within a niche. Even 50,000 copies sold would mark a title as a masterpiece.
A company on Mysterious Island was banned for hiding adult content in its game. Yet, their highly acclaimed debut title sold fewer than 200,000 copies.
That was back in the modern era, when games were cheap and easy to buy.
If it were released today, the sales would be even lower, not higher.
However, the audience for 2D horror games is incredibly stable. The community is tightly knit; players who enjoy one such game have almost certainly played others. As long as the development team doesn't make any major blunders, these games are guaranteed a dedicated following.
Though labeled as horror, these games don't rely on jump scares as their core element. Instead, they use a horror exterior to package a compelling story, weaving in elements of suspense and dread.
To pull this off with current hardware, the art and music would need to be absolutely top-notch.
Kobayashi Tetsu set down the folder and clasped his hands, his expression unusually grave.
"Why on earth would you think of making this kind of game?"
"Eh? Is it not fun?" Koyakawa asked nervously, tugging at the hem of her sleeve as she sat opposite him.
Kobayashi Tetsu shook his head. "It's not that it isn't fun, it's just that the audience is small. But if you do it well, this is the kind of game that often becomes a masterpiece, something players will remember for a long time. If you're serious about making it, I have a few suggestions. First, you absolutely need to find a great artist and a good composer. The technical side is actually secondary. Second, the story has to be written well! Don't focus on just scaring the players, or on horror and jump scares. Instead, use the horror elements to highlight the game's story. The narrative needs to be substantial—not necessarily long, but it must have a powerful emotional impact."
Koyakawa seemed to understand, yet still felt unsure. "What's a jump scare?"
Kobayashi Tetsu kept his head down, saying nothing, fully absorbed in flipping through the files. He looked completely focused.
She rested her chin in her hand, sitting opposite him and watching his expression.
Kobayashi... Thinking of Kobayashi made her think of herself, and then of the similarity in the pronunciation of their surnames.
For some reason, this led her to think of soba noodles.
Koba and soba... they really do sound alike. Maybe we should have soba for lunch.
Speaking of soba, it's a fun word to say, isn't it? If I ever have my own studio, I'll call it SOBA.
Just as she was thinking this, Kobayashi Tetsu suddenly let out a loud "Bwah!" and thrust his face right in front of hers.
Kobayashi Tetsu jumped, nearly punching Kobayashi Tetsu in the face.
"See? That's what a jump scare is."
Kobayashi Tetsu cleared his throat. "Using it at the critical moment can create an unexpected shock. But if you make this your only way of scaring players, it becomes the cheapest tactic."
Still shaken, Kobayashi Tetsu raised his hand and pounded Kobayashi Tetsu's shoulder in complaint.
But that was really terrifying!
Kobayashi Tetsu, meanwhile, grinned triumphantly.
He really loved messing with Kobayashi Tetsu.
It was just so much fun!
Time slowly ticked by, and June arrived.
Matsuoka Satoshi still refused to accept any gifts. The computer had been returned over twenty times, but Kobayashi Tetsu didn't mind. He kept shipping it, each time asking Naka Yuji to add a few new parts—keyboards, mice, gamepads, joysticks, headphones, speakers, and so on.
Kobayashi Tetsu also spoke with the shopkeepers around Matsuoka Satoshi's neighborhood. He left them a sum of money, instructing them that if Matsuoka Satoshi or his family came in, they shouldn't charge them for anything. All expenses would be covered by Young Master Kobayashi.
One day, the day before the release of Final Fantasy II, Iwata Satoru came to report some news to Kobayashi Tetsu.
"President, Matsuoka-kun's thesis defense passed. That means he's now a PhD from Tokyo Tech."
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded, not surprised by the news.
"But—"
Iwata Satoru's expression turned strange. "He hasn't yet joined Tokyo Tech as a research assistant. It seems he's taking a break for a while."
Kobayashi Tetsu looked up.
It worked!
Someone like Matsuoka Satoshi, capable of earning a doctorate, would have been offered a position by the university long ago. If he hadn't accepted, it could only be due to personal reasons.
In other words, Matsuoka Satoshi was indeed conflicted.
"It's only natural! Although he refuses to accept any favors from me, these omnipresent benefits are always there."
Kobayashi Tetsu shook his head inwardly and decided to set the matter aside for now.
Anyway, as long as he kept moving forward steadily every day, if Matsuoka Satoshi still chose to join the Tokyo Tech Research Institute, Kobayashi Tetsu would just have to accept his fate.
Iwata Satoru reported again: "The game development engine for the MD is already showing results. If we ignore a few minor issues, it should be ready for a smooth release around August. Currently, we just need to solve the fast packaging problem so that anyone can complete the packaging work after getting started. At the same time, it also needs to be compatible with the MD platform and multiple other platforms."
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded: "This is an easy problem to solve. I will make a trip to Sega Corporation and Nintendo. The licenses from these two companies will be enough for now."
However, money would definitely have to be spent. After all, the games needed to be packaged into the cartridge formats of these two companies' game consoles, and all future games would be packaged in this format. No matter how good the relationship was, money still had to be paid.
Fortunately, Kobayashi Tetsu was not short of money.
Since the Developers Conference could be completed by August, the GG for the Developers Conference could be launched now, with preparations for it to be officially held in September.
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