Days passed, one after another.
The final CG illustration was done. The voice and subtitle edits were finished.
Looking at the compiled game build on his computer, Lucas's face lit up with excitement.
"It's finally done!"
"So now we look for a publisher?" Rachel asked. She was also a little excited.
After all, it was a project they had spent the whole month working on together.
Well, even if she hadn't been paid a single cent by Lucas Hart.
"No." Lucas Hart gently shook his head at her question.
"Huh?" Rachel Ruan looked surprised.
She didn't know much about games, but she at least knew Lucas Hart was considered an indie game developer now.
Just like how manga artists or filmmakers need to find a publisher or distributor, right?
"Games are a bit different. And we're not targeting local platforms—we're aiming for overseas official platforms."
"Though domestic players can also access it directly…"
"There's no choice, really. Just like selling doujin books, most of the traffic comes from overseas platforms. Mirror is 100% an R18 game, and this type of content is in a pretty awkward spot." Lucas Hart explained to her.
"Then why are you even making this type of game?" Rachel Ruan asked, confused.
From the way he described it, it sounded like the game might get shut down before it even launched.
Even if that really happened, it would mean that Lucas could be her assistant from now on.
But to be honest, Rachel's thoughts were a bit different now, after spending a month working with Lucas Hart.
She had a much better impression of him, and she also gained a simple understanding of the gaming industry — it actually seemed kind of interesting.
Plus, she had put some of her own effort into this project. To be honest, she really hoped it would succeed.
"One step at a time. I'm well prepared for the next stage of Mirror. Just wait for the good news, senpai. When the time comes, I'll definitely give you a big red envelope!" Lucas Hart smiled.
"Alright, I'll be waiting then." Rachel looked at Lucas, who was full of confidence. Even though she was still a bit puzzled, she nodded along.
Somewhere in a residential area in Magic City.
A woman in a white shirt and jeans was leaning against the wall inside Rachel Ruan's home.
"Rachel, are you really not thinking about helping me? With your art and my game design skills, we could definitely make a name for ourselves in the gaming world!"
Looking at the excited Anna in front of her, Rachel put her juice on the coffee table. For a moment, she felt like she could understand how Lucas Hart must have felt.
"Anna, not to be mean, but haven't you already made three games? And weren't all of them a loss?" Rachel Ruan rolled her eyes.
She didn't know much about games before, but after a month working with Lucas Hart...
Even though for her, the job wasn't that different from drawing comics — she was still just drawing.
Still, she learned a bit about games, and then she realized that Anna, who used to brag so much to her, had actually made three games and not a single one broke even.
"The next one will definitely sell big! As long as you help me!" Anna said confidently.
"Yeah right. Didn't Uncle say that once the startup money runs out, he won't invest any more? So, Anna, what's your plan then?" Rachel, sitting on the sofa, looked doubtful as she glanced at Anna Young's confident face.
"Ahem... by the way, Rachel, how's that game your junior is working on? Has he found a publisher yet? Do you want me to introduce one?" Anna cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.
"No need for that. Lucas said he's going to upload it directly to the official platform, without using a publisher." Rachel shook her head, thinking back to what Lucas had told her.
"No publisher? That's a big disadvantage. Without the promotion from a third-party platform, you're basically relying on the official platform to recommend your game as a new release. Unless the quality is amazing, it's really hard to stand out," Anna said with the tone of someone who'd been through it.
"Well, Anna, Lucas said the game won't be on the new game list, and he's uploading it to an overseas platform," Rachel recalled their talk from the day before.
"No new game listing? Overseas platform? Is it an 18+ game!? No wonder he came to you, Rachel. But your junior is being too naïve. A game that only sells with sex appeal is really hard to make successful." Anna, who had a decent understanding of the game industry, immediately figured out the type of game from Rachel Ruan's words.
Even for games with blood and violence, as long as it's not over the top, they can still make it onto the official new game list.
But if it's not launching on a domestic platform, and it's going overseas without a new game listing—
Games like that are almost always 18+ adult games.
"Seriously? Lucas should have his own plan, right? And Mirror isn't just a plain adult-only game—it actually has a pretty rich story too," Rachel said, thinking back to how confident Lucas Hart looked. She sounded a bit unsure.
"Don't I know that already? You said that junior of yours is just as good at art as you are, right? He's clearly counting on the artwork to be the main selling point. But a game isn't going to succeed on art alone. And as for the content? What kind of deep story can an adult game even have?"
"That's the opinion of a professional game developer! And since it's not going into any big game stores, with no third-party publisher—unless he pours money into advertising, this game probably won't even make a splash," Anna declared boldly.
"So, Anna, do you think that game will sell over fifty thousand copies?" Rachel asked, looking at the confident Anna Young.
"No way."
Even though she hadn't actually seen the game Rachel worked on yet.
Still, Anna gave her verdict without hesitation.
Based on what she knew, it was a low-budget indie game with no publisher, adult-only content, just two people working on it, and the guy used to draw manga and only did some outsourced work for games.
Sure, adult games always have some kind of audience.
Let's be real, who isn't a little pervy?
But the competition in this kind of game is huge.
With that kind of setup, how could the game possibly succeed?
You have to understand—she's already made three failed games herself, so she knows just how hard this industry really is.
"Fifty thousand is out of the question. But adult games usually sell cheap. And with your art skills, Rachel, if the quality's not bad, it might sell ten thousand copies. At least you won't lose money."
"From a risk perspective, adult games are actually kind of safer," Anna added, trying to comfort Rachel Ruan a little.
"This is coming from a professional game developer!" she repeated, just to reinforce her point.
"I see." Rachel, still only half-familiar with the game industry, looked a little worried.
(End of chapter)