The gaming market these days was dominated by role-playing and FPS shooter titles. Most new projects leaned heavily into those genres.
To Mori Kenji, Saito Hayate's proposed game, Slay the Spire, was completely out of step with the mainstream. He'd never seen anything like its unique "tower-climbing" mechanic, and he doubted players would bite.
"Don't worry, just help me make it. It's a small project, so even if it flops, I'll take the hit," Hayate said with a calm smile, radiating confidence.
Mori eyed him skeptically, unsure where this assurance came from. But Hayate had a point—card-based strategy games weren't complex to develop. A loss wouldn't be catastrophic, and it could serve as a learning experience for a young graduate. Everyone had to start somewhere.
"If you're sure, I won't argue," Mori said. "We can do it, but we're swamped with other projects, so we're short on manpower. It might delay things. If you're okay with it, I'd like to loop in our parent company to help."
"Fine by me, as long as the final product meets the specs," Hayate replied without hesitation.
He was desperate for funds. The faster the game was made, the quicker he'd recoup costs and move to his next step.
"Alright, give me a seconz." Mori didn't waste time, grabbing his phone and dialing a contact.
The call connected, and his expression grew serious. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he laid out the project details.
"A card-based strategy game?" the voice on the other end said. "Mori, you know how poorly those perform. I'd love to help, but we're buried in other projects. No bandwidth. Try someone else. Gotta go."
Click. The call ended abruptly, leaving no room for argument.
...
At StellarGames' headquarters, a man in a suit slammed down the phone, muttering curses under his breath.
"What's got you so pissed?" a colleague asked.
"It's that Dawnlight Studio again, trying to dump their shitty projects on us. Do they think StellarGames is a fucking landfill?" the man grumbled.
Every industry had its rules. For a company like StellarGames, taking on random outsourcing jobs—especially small, private ones—was risky. A flop could tarnish their reputation, making other developers wary and drying up future contracts. In today's cutthroat, oversaturated market, that was a losing move.
...
Back at Dawnlight Studio, Mori looked up, embarrassed. "Well, that was awkward."
After years in the industry, he could read the subtext. He just hadn't expected such a blunt rejection.
After a moment's thought, he offered a solution. "Here's the plan: I'll reach out to some industry contacts to help. We'll aim to finish the game in two months at market rates. Sound good?"
"Two months? Works for me. It's in your hands," Hayate agreed after a quick mental calculation, diving into the details.
...
Meanwhile, Valiant Hearts continued to gain traction, fueled by streamers and video platforms. In just a week, it sold over 10,000 copies. After platform fees and taxes, Hayate netted about 220,000.
That was with a modest price tag due to his lack of fame. Many players bought it on a whim, only to get hooked, unable to stop playing. The comment section exploded.
[This is hands-down the best game I've played. After the gunshot, I sat in silence at my screen for who knows how long.]
[The moment I instinctively hit the D key against the officer, I knew this game had won.]
[Family, friendship, courage, justice—rescuing enemies, rebuilding trenches, rolling in mud, letters worth more than gold. A simple game paints the battlefield's brutality with a few strokes.]
[What's incredible is the mix of epic moments and high-ressolution restored photos, making you feel the urgency, sorrow, pain, despair, and… struggle up close.]
["Did we do wrong?" "No." "Did they do wrong?" "No." "This is war."]
[Designer, get out here! I swear I won't kill you!]
The reviews were unanimously glowing. Some players griped loudly, but their actions spoke louder—politely asking for the designer's address, gifts in hand, like model citizens.
Clips of streamers breaking down, shared across video platforms, gave the game another boost, delighting countless players.
Two months later, Mori delivered. "Saito, the game's done. I've sent the files to your email."
"Thanks. The 300,000 is in your account," Hayate replied, honoring their agreed outsourcing fee.
The short timeline kept costs low, though technical labor was pricey. After thanking Mori, Hayate opened his email, pulled up the game files, and inspected them closely.
Mori's work was impeccable. Every detail matched Hayate's specs, with the final product closely resembling his vision—even with slightly improved visuals. Hayate couldn't help but admire the studio's efficiency.
[Game Wealth Points: 650,000/1,000,000]
Checking his Wealth Points, Hayate noted that Valiant Hearts had earned 650,000 in profit over two months. It was far from its performance in his previous world, but this was a different market, and he lacked the brand power of major studios. At least the 300,000 spent didn't deduct from his Wealth Points, or hitting the million-point goal with one game would've been tough.
"This should be enough," Hayate said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Spending Wealth Points reduced his task progress, requiring him to rebuild it. But two games would accumulate points faster than one, so it was a fair trade.
With a slight grin, he opened the system interface, created a custom CG trailer for Slay the Spire, and uploaded it alongside the game to the platform and major video sites.
It was April, the start of the second quarter and a festive time for VideoHub users. The platform flooded with new animated shows—action, romance, mystery, originals, and isekai fluff. There was something for everyone.
Though content moderation had tightened in recent years, it didn't stop fans from diving in to unwind. Tonight, with several blockbuster sequels dropping, people rushed home from work or school, refreshing their browsers eagerly.
"Weird, where'd this extra show come from?" someone noticed, spotting an unfamiliar title in the corner of the VideoHub page.
Slay the Spire: Original Action-Adventure Animation?
"It wasn't on the release list, was it?"
"Maybe it's a last-minute add or slipped through the cracks?"
"Been a while since I saw an original. Wonder who made it."
Curious, users clicked through.