"Wait—did I see that right? Is that announcement really from Jing Yu's official studio site?"
"'Fate/Zero' is going to be adapted into a game?"
"What are you saying? It should've been adapted into a game—it's perfect for it!"
"For real! Swordsman, Berserker, Mage, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Assassin—this whole setup is practically a game framework already."
"Feels like Jing Yu's playing 4D chess here."
"But I love it! If it becomes a game, does that mean we'll be able to summon Artoria in-game?"
"Probably! No clue how the mechanics will work though."
"Man, Jing Yu really knows how to get us hyped."
"I'm a bit disappointed, though. 'Fate/Zero' is technically well-made, sure—but so far, it still feels weaker than his past works. The ratings and discussion buzz are high, yeah… but something about it just feels off. Did he start chasing profit now that he's famous, and that's why the story's being criticized?"
"Is the plot bad though? I don't think so!"
"I'm not saying the story is bad, just that it doesn't feel as strong as his earlier work."
"What's that got to do with adapting it into a game, though? Isn't it good to have more to enjoy?"
"That's exactly why—if Jing Yu has time to tinker with games, maybe he should focus more on tightening up the plot first."
"I mean, I don't mind the game adaptation, but… have you guys seen the official concept art on the site? The style is so weird! It's not realistic, but also not quite cartoony—huge eyes, dot for a nose… yet somehow it just works. It's wild."
The news that Jing Yu was investing in a 'Fate/Zero' game quickly spread among his drama fandom. Some fans were thrilled; others were skeptical.
But among Jing Yu's peers in the film and TV industry, many were baffled by what exactly he was trying to do.
Game adaptations of dramas? Reverse-engineering like that?
It was rare.
Still, none of the industry insiders were putting the 'Fate/Zero' game on too high a pedestal.
A drama could survive with only ratings and no reputation. But when it came to derivative products like games, a bad reputation meant zero sales.
'Fate/Zero' had a surprisingly strong viewership. But its reputation? Not great. Sure, audiences enjoyed the thrilling effects and fights while watching—but once it ended? Nothing stuck.
It's the same as a typical popcorn flick—fun while it lasts, but afterward, there's nothing left.
Jing Yu browsed through the online commentary about 'Fate/Zero', reading every word with great interest.
But after wasting half an hour, it was time to get back to work.
His studio had more than just 'Fate/Zero' to deal with. The game division alone would be busy for the next six months.
To capitalize on the show's heat before it cooled, Jing Yu had already issued a strict deadline.
The game had to be released by this winter—ideally by mid to late fall.
The timeline was tight, but Jing Yu wasn't aiming for some massive 3D production. It was just a typical anime-style RPG—fairly simple by current Great Zhou industry standards. No elaborate CG cutscenes, no complex environments.
Even with the rush, Jing Yu wasn't stingy about budget or staffing. It should be doable.
On the other hand, his film department had over a hundred employees waiting for the next project to launch.
As much as Jing Yu wanted to kick back and be a salted fish for a few months, letting the company sit idle was just dumb. Salaries still had to be paid.
So he had to think seriously about the next drama.
Being a company boss sounded glamorous, but in truth, it came with plenty of constraints.
Jing Yu let out a long sigh.
"Don't sigh—get cracking on the next project already. You've got a hundred people waiting for your green light," Cheng Lie said.
"Yeah, yeah. Give me half a month—there'll be news by then," Jing Yu replied.
"But seriously, Jing Yu… are you planning to stick with fantasy dramas like 'Fate/Zero' going forward?" Cheng Lie asked after a beat.
"Why do you ask?" Jing Yu smiled.
"If that's the plan, you'll have to speed things up. Special effects take forever—at least three or four months lead time. And your crew's already been idle for two months."
Cheng Lie was offering advice from a financial standpoint.
To be honest, with a lean team like theirs, monthly payroll was just a few million—not a huge burden.
But idling indefinitely was no good either. Little costs add up.
"To be honest, I do want to focus more on these kinds of effects-driven action fantasy shows going forward," Jing Yu admitted.
Because they're lucrative!
Cheng Lie didn't yet realize how valuable this genre was, but Jing Yu knew. In another month, 'Fate/Zero' would hit its narrative peak. At that point, the impact it would generate would far exceed Cheng Lie's expectations.
And the 'Fate/Zero' game, launching in the second half of this year, would also outperform his forecasts.
Jing Yu never once considered the possibility that the Fate game adaptation would flop—not especially after 'Fate/Zero' had already been dramatized.
As for future adaptations, Jing Yu had his eye on titles like 'Gundam', 'Attack on Titan', 'Fullmetal Alchemist', and 'One Punch Man'.
But those would need at least half a year of prep work and coordination with VFX studios. So for now, even if he wanted to move ahead, it wasn't realistic. He'd revisit those after 'Fate/Zero' finished airing and meet with his effects partners to plan next steps.
As for the near future...
"The next project will be something easier to shoot, but I really do need to think carefully about the choice. Audiences are getting pickier by the day. One misstep, and we'll get buried in bad reviews," Jing Yu said after some thought.
"Honestly, with your current reputation, creating something new is a huge challenge," Cheng Lie replied, feeling the same pressure.
"Expectations are through the roof. Your entire fanbase followed you all the way from 'Hikaru no Go', 'Trust & Betrayal', '5 Centimeters per Second', and 'Initial D'. Their standards just keep rising. But the truth is—those kinds of works don't come easy."
"That's why even though 'Fate/Zero' is already well-written and highly compelling, people are still criticizing it as a downgrade in your screenwriting quality."
Just like in Jing Yu's past life, Makoto Shinkai's 'Weathering With You' wasn't actually bad, but 'Your Name' was simply too good. So 'Weathering With You' received tons of flak.
If 'Weathering With You' hadn't carried Makoto Shinkai's name, audiences probably would've been much more forgiving. But on the flip side, it wouldn't have earned nearly as much at the box office either.
It's a trade-off.
Achieving fame is hard. But to maintain a reputation like Jin Yong or Hayao Miyazaki, delivering work that's consistently excellent all the way to the end of one's career? That's even harder.
Jing Yu understood that perfectly.
There were still plenty of anime titles he could adapt into live-action. But realistically, none of them would ever surpass the level of 'Initial D'. That was basically the peak.
If he really wanted to launch a new project, he might have to start exploring completely different genres.