Persona's total sales across all platforms had already broken the ten-million mark during the Spring Festival earlier this year. Now that the spring promotion had passed, total sales had climbed to over twelve million.
On the Switch, Persona's sales only ranked sixteenth, but that alone was already a remarkable achievement. After all, Persona was a brand-new game released just last year, and it was the very first entry in the series.
And what were the games ahead of it on the charts?
Mario Kart, Zelda, Super Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., Pokémon—each one an industry-famous series.
For Persona to sell over five million copies on the Switch within a single year, catching up to those massive IPs, was more than impressive.
After learning the news, Ichin returned to his office and checked the Switch platform sales report. Sure enough, between digital and physical shipments, it had surpassed five million. From March through April, sales had steadily climbed until reaching that milestone.
"Not bad, another new achievement."
Looking at the numbers before him, Ichin began thinking seriously about future strategy for the Switch. Big titles were still necessary, but optimization couldn't be ignored—it was hardly an easy issue to solve.
Moreover, there was no sign of Nintendo's next console yet. Even though Ichin was now one of their key third-party partners, Nintendo hadn't sent over any new development kits. If he could get one, that would mean the reveal of new hardware wasn't far off.
"For now, it's better to focus on development and optimization based on the Switch's current capabilities."
The next titles—Fall Guys would certainly launch on Switch, though it would need careful optimization. Some of its larger stages, combined with network issues, could cause stutters, and that wouldn't do.
Opening his notebook, Ichin began considering projects for after Titanfall and Dark Souls released next year. First off, small-scale, high-quality titles were a must. Such games had always had a solid player base and often drew in casual newcomers.
Sakura Nene's custom engine was still useful, perfect for developing side-scrolling 2D cartoon platformers.
And then there was Shinoda Hajime, who had been clamoring for a tokusatsu-themed game. They couldn't get the rights to Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, or Ultraman adaptations, but tokusatsu IPs weren't limited to just those.
GARO, for instance—one of the more popular tokusatsu series, running for nearly twenty years now, with solid quality across the board. Its suits, in particular, were extravagant. The glittering golden armor of the Makai Knight GARO was still vivid in Ichin's memory.
This IP was worth approaching. The scale couldn't match something like Dark Souls, but a linear, story-driven 3D action-adventure was entirely feasible. The script hardly needed rewriting—just adapt the existing plot, expand a few side stories, and it would be enough.
Turning tokusatsu into a game was definitely a challenge, but sales potential was uncertain. Still, even if one title didn't succeed, it wouldn't matter much—they weren't a one-game studio.
By the time Dark Souls and Titanfall launched next year, the company would easily recover its costs. Add in the steady revenue from Apex and Fall Guys, and there was room to experiment.
The more he thought, the more viable it seemed. Ichin jotted down GARO in his project notes, alongside the already-planned Tales of Berseria and Castle Crashers, then called Hazuki and Shinoda Hajime into his office.
Hazuki glanced at Hajime, then at Ichin. "Calling us in like this… this must be about new projects, right?"
Ichin nodded but didn't reveal it immediately. Instead, he asked about Fall Guys.
"Hazuki, the network test in June—can we make it?"
"Relax, we'll be ready. With our current progress, as long as the network test goes smoothly, the game can launch between September and October."
She noticed the open notebook on Ichin's desk and smiled. "Another new plan?"
"Quite a few, actually. I just haven't written up full proposals yet."
Tapping the desk with his pen, Ichin turned to Hajime. "Hajime, remember when we talked about making a tokusatsu game?"
Her eyes lit up. "We're really starting? Which one? Rider, Sentai, or Ultraman?"
Raising a hand to calm her down, Ichin said, "Those three are tough, so I'm thinking of trying another IP first. How about GARO?"
"Ohhh! GARO?" Hajime shot to her feet, practically bouncing. "What kind of game? Fighting? Action-adventure?"
"Action-adventure, of course. We haven't decided which storyline yet—we still need to talk with the rights holders."
Then Ichin turned to Hazuki. "I called you in because I was hoping you might have some industry connections—someone who could help us negotiate adaptation rights."
"GARO, that would be Toei's Tohoku Shinsha," Hazuki mused. Instead of questioning the feasibility, she went straight to logistics. "I don't know anyone there personally, but I do have friends in the tokusatsu circle. I can ask around. Give me a couple of days—if I can line up a meeting, we can try negotiating."
Hajime's fists clenched with excitement. "Hazuki-nee, I'm counting on you!"
After wrapping up the GARO discussion, Ichin let Hajime leave first.
Once the office door closed, Hazuki looked at Ichin. "So what made you think of doing a tokusatsu adaptation?"
"You forgot? I'm a tokusatsu fan myself." Ichin tapped his chest. "I was thinking about next year's projects, and the idea just kept snowballing. Plus, I'd promised Hajime we'd try someday, so why not now? Besides, I've got other project ideas too—it's not like we're staking everything on just this one."
Hearing that, Hazuki finally relaxed. "Then there's no problem."
***
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