Although they were technically competitors, there wasn't any direct conflict of interest between them, so Ichin didn't mind sharing his own thoughts on game development with Akane Kosaka.
"Honestly, the genre or theme doesn't matter—whether it's an RPG, an action game, a card game, or even a racing game. For me, there's only one thing that truly matters: fun. If it's fun, then it's worth developing."
"Fun is the only thing that matters?"
"Isn't it?" Ichin leaned back on the sofa, shrugging. "Games are meant to be played. The reason I want to make games is because I want to make fun games, so that everyone can enjoy them. Making money is just the natural result of creating something fun. Think about it—players feel a sense of accomplishment when they beat a level. For me, I get satisfaction when I release a fun game, sell copies, and make money. In the end, it's basically the same thing."
The corners of Kosaka's lips lifted. "Fun being the most important thing… your philosophy reminds me of Nintendo."
"Because that's the essence of games, isn't it?" Ichin chuckled. "I can't call myself a die-hard Nintendo fan, but I really do love their games. The very first game I played as a kid, apart from Tetris, was Super Mario Bros. on the Famicom. Back then I was awful at it—I'd die multiple times just trying to clear 1-1, and for years I never actually beat the game. But it was fun. Even today, I'd still find it fun. That's what a good game should be.
"There are so many different ways to make a game fun—whether it's the adrenaline of a shooter, the tricky platforming in a jump-based game, or the visceral impact of a fighting game. These are things players can feel directly. You know immediately if it's fun or not.
"Of course, technology has advanced. Graphics have evolved from pixelated 2D to realistic 3D, and they keep improving. But I don't think graphics should be the end-all. No matter how gorgeous a game looks, if the core gameplay isn't fun, then it's not a good game."
As he spoke, Ichin couldn't help but think of Ubisoft. Their games were still solid overall, but they often ended up feeling repetitive—like "Ubisoft open-world formula" in a can. Still, there was no denying that among the major publishers, Ubisoft was still near the top. If they could just shift their design philosophy and innovate on gameplay, they could definitely go further. The only question was when they'd actually make that change.
Shaking his head, Ichin pushed Ubisoft out of his mind and looked back at Kosaka. "I don't know what made you decide to formally step into the game industry, but since you've done so, I naturally hope my peers will also make fun, interesting games. You've already proven you can write bestselling novels, which means you're never short of good ideas. What matters is figuring out how to make those ideas fun in game form and keep players engaged."
Finishing his words, he took the last sip of coffee from his cup.
Kosaka sat in thought for a while before clarity dawned on her. Ichin's words resonated deeply with her. After all, when she wrote novels, her approach had been the same—if readers found her stories interesting, they would naturally spread and succeed.
But when she first started developing games, she had chased after what the big companies were doing—giant open-worlds—taking steps that were far too ambitious. The final product had been decent, but for someone as perfectionist as Kosaka, it was barely a seventy out of a hundred. In some places, even worse.
Taking a bite of cake, she exhaled lightly. "Looks like I really came to the right place today. My company is working on two games right now, but after seeing your success, I kept obsessing over how to make a big hit—when really, I was overlooking the most important thing: games should be fun. If a game is fun, people will discover it naturally. And since I already have plenty of promotional resources, as long as the game itself is fun, I can always get it exposure. The two will feed into each other, and sales won't be a problem. Ichin-kun, thank you—you saved me from overthinking myself into a corner."
Ichin smiled. "It's nothing. Just sharing my own thoughts. If it helps you, all the better."
With the serious talk over, Kosaka relaxed and glanced around the office. "By the way, is Kasumigaoka not here? I didn't see her on my way in."
"Utaha? She's with the Fall Guys team. You know the game is launching next month, right? She really likes it and went over to pick out some skins so she can grind them out right after release."
"Oh! Is that so?" Kosaka's interest piqued. "Can I go see? I really like Fall Guys too!"
"Of course. I'll take you."
After leading her to the Fall Guys development team, Ichin left her in Utaha and Hazuki's care while he himself headed over to the Dark Souls art team to check in with Kou Yagami on their progress.
Kosaka genuinely was fascinated by Fall Guys and stayed until past five before finally taking her leave.
After seeing her off, Ichin returned to his office with Utaha.
This time he didn't go back to work. Instead, he sat on the sofa with her, letting her cling to his arm.
"Who would've thought?" Utaha murmured, leaning against him. "Akane Kosaka actually came here… was she asking for your advice?"
Ichin nodded. "Yeah. She probably felt a bit lost after seeing how quickly our games come out and how well they do. Can't blame her. Honestly, we're just too strong. Not just her—Hazuki told me several other well-known studios are also scratching their heads at our efficiency."
"Our pace really is outrageous," Utaha agreed. "It's not that the developers at those big studios aren't skilled. More likely, it comes down to planning and project management stretching out the development cycles."
Project management… yes, that was a huge factor.
And that was something their company had always excelled at—breaking down every part of a project's design and organizing it clearly. That was how they could maintain such efficiency.
*
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