Before taking his vacation, Kobayashi Tetsu made a few minor personnel adjustments.
The current development work would continue unchanged. However, in terms of personnel, Iwata Satoru was appointed Manager of the Technical Development Department. His first task was to develop a game engine suitable for 2D game production. After that, Kobayashi Tetsu planned to license this game engine publicly, allowing any developer with a dream to use it at an affordable price.
Of course, any games developed using this engine would still need to share a portion of their profits with Atlas.
On the other hand, Naka Yuji was promoted from Manager of the First Development Division to the overall Manager of the Game Development Department.
When he received the thin personnel order, Naka Yuji was nearly moved to tears.
All his hard work and careful "bootlicking" had finally paid off! It seemed he had managed to flatter Kobayashi Tetsu to perfection.
Sometimes, Naka Yuji couldn't help but sigh with regret.
Why don't I have a younger sister in high school?
Kobayashi Tetsu was too embarrassed to say it, but based on Naka Yuji's own appearance, his sister would probably not fit Kobayashi Tetsu's aesthetic preferences anyway.
"Don't get too excited," Kobayashi Tetsu said. "A promotion in rank comes with a corresponding increase in responsibilities. Power and duty are two sides of the same coin. Having experienced the development of so many games, you have a good grasp of overall project planning and coordination. From now on, I'm entrusting you with the resource planning and coordination for several game development departments. If a project like Ninja Gaiden ever happens again—where the development cycle is so long that it leads to repeated overhauls—you'll be sitting at the same table as the Development Manager."
Kobayashi Tetsu tapped the desk. "Meaning you'll both be punished together!"
Naka Yuji immediately bowed. "I will oversee the development work diligently."
This is a promotion, after all, he thought. I have to go home and show off a little! He decided to give his father a heads-up first.
"Dad! It's me, Naka Yuji!"
His father looked at him in sheer astonishment. "Oh my! Is that really you, Naka Yuji? I thought you'd become a real Tokyoite!"
Although the personnel lists were finalized, Kobayashi Tetsu still needed someone to take over the development work for Department 1 and the Second Division. He left the selection of these individuals to Iwata Satoru and Naka Yuji.
After a month or so of familiarizing themselves with the work, they could formally assume their new roles.
In April, Kobayashi Tetsu planned to conduct a proper recruitment drive. Since Japanese students graduate in April, it was the ideal time for hiring. This would allow them to naturally recruit technically competent individuals to replace the staff in Department 1 and Department 2.
—Kobayashi Tetsu would directly reassign personnel from Atlas's current development departments to work on the game engine, rather than relying on new hires.
This was primarily for confidentiality reasons.
Once everything was settled, Kobayashi Tetsu could finally take a break.
Setagaya Ward.
Kobayashi Tetsu lay sprawled across the sofa, completely disregarding his image.
Koyakawa sat opposite him, her expression a mix of amusement and helplessness at his posture. He bore no resemblance to the serious man she knew from game development.
"I'm telling you, just ask your boss for some time off! I don't want to go out by myself," she said.
Kobayashi Tetsu replied, "If you really can't, I'll personally call him and demand he give you a vacation."
"Absolutely not! Rinko is taking this job very seriously!" Koyakawa said without blinking, though her tone was laced with jealousy. "Why doesn't Tetsu-kun go find Nene-senpai? She's so gentle and caring, and even that—"
She looked down at her chest, then quickly looked back up. "Anyway, why don't you just go see her?"
Kobayashi Tetsu asked, "Can't I just go see you guys together?"
Koyakawa's brow furrowed instantly, a hint of grievance on her face.
The nerve!
"No way! That would be so awkward!"
She turned her head away, unable to stop her inner complaints.
How could we possibly go out together? I can't even imagine how awkward it would be to see Anegasaki Nene. Although Koyakawa felt she was the one who had come first, who knew what Kobayashi Tetsu was thinking?
But—
Thank goodness it's only Anegasaki Nene. And thank goodness it's just her.
Seeing her resolute refusal to go out, Kobayashi Tetsu could only sigh softly.
"Then I'm really going to see Sister Nene."
"Go ahead!"
"When I get back, we'll still have our own time together."
"Pfft!"
"If you don't like that, I might just spend the whole break with Sister Nene!"
"No!"
Koyakawa quickly grabbed Kobayashi Tetsu's arm.
That's not allowed! While she didn't want to go out with Anegasaki Nene, having their own time together was still the best possible outcome.
Kobayashi Tetsu could only return a somewhat helpless expression.
Girls really do change their minds quickly, don't they?
After some lighthearted banter with her, time flew by—soft seats turned into hard seats, hard seats turned into power outlets—and before they knew it, evening had arrived.
As the evening breeze blew, the two, who had just finished dinner, walked back toward the apartment building together.
Passing by the park downstairs, Kobayashi Tetsu's ears twitched. He suddenly heard a loud shout from that direction.
"Finishing Move! Izuna Drop!"
Kobayashi Tetsu looked up abruptly.
Two kids were playing. One of them had just jumped off the park equipment, shouting "Izuna Drop" at the top of his lungs.
The other kid corrected him loudly, "That's not an Izuna Drop!"
"Yes it is!"
"No it's not!"
Kobayashi Tetsu looked at Koyakawa and saw her watching as well. He smiled knowingly.
"It feels like Ninja Gaiden has a huge influence," Koyakawa said. "I can't quite explain the feeling, but it seems to have affected a lot of people and a lot of things. For example, sometimes I see kids imitating the moves from the game. Yesterday, I even heard the Editor-in-Chief mess something up, and he said it was just like an 'Izuna Drop.'"
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded. "After all, the theme is something Japan is more familiar and comfortable with, so it's only natural that it would spread more easily. On the other hand, as a completely new and different visual brought by the 16-bit console, both players and non-players will be amazed."
However, this slang made Kobayashi Tetsu want to laugh a little.
In fact, there are many idioms in language that are themselves derived from popular slang.
Comparing a topsy-turvy situation to an "Izuna Drop" with the head down and feet up was indeed a good metaphor.
"After all, it's the famous Tofuya Fami-bo. Kadokawa Haruki found a treasure by getting this talent as Editor-in-Chief."
As Kobayashi Tetsu was speaking, he suddenly felt Koyakawa stop walking, and he turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?"
"Um..."
Koyakawa stopped, hesitant to speak.
She was actually thinking about what Keiko Koei had said before.
You have to do something useful to be liked.
Thinking of Anegasaki Nene, Koyakawa took a deep breath and mustered her courage.
"Actually, I want to make a game, too."
"Huh?"
"I mean exactly what I said." She looked at the stunned Kobayashi Tetsu. "Rinko went to a movie with a friend recently, and it seems she suddenly got an idea for a game. Even though Rinko doesn't know anything about programming and all that, as long as you have an idea, you should be able to make it happen, right—"
She carefully watched Kobayashi Tetsu's expression, silently adding, "A female friend, by the way."
"You don't need to go out of your way to emphasize that," Kobayashi Tetsu said, tapping his temple as he thought rapidly.
Could someone who didn't know how to program make a game? Actually, yes. Many game producers or lead designers don't know how to program, but that doesn't stop them from designing games. What you need to make a game is a vision; as long as the vision is clear, the technical side can come later.
For example, after the programmer for The Scroll of Taiwu quit, the producer learned to code as he went, making the game by himself. Although the later stages of The Scroll of Taiwu and its pacing led to a decline in its reputation, one had to admit that the game was actually quite impressive.
The game's brilliance lay in its producer's unique vision.
Technically, however, it was a complete mess of spaghetti code.
After a moment's thought, Kobayashi Tetsu's expression turned serious.
"If you're truly serious about this, I suggest you stay at Kadokawa Game Magazine for a while longer. Not to continue working as an editor, but to experience more games and study their design philosophies. You can always find programmers, musicians, and artists, but you can't just find a unique vision."
Kobayashi Tetsu spread his hands. "Wait a few more months. I'm preparing a secret weapon. Once it's ready, I'll support your dream of developing your own game."
He was referring to his 2D game engine. Once it was complete, the difficulty of creating 2D games would plummet. At that point, the only thing that would matter was the core design philosophy. Those with technical skill could still add custom features, but even someone who couldn't code a single line could create a game as long as they had a vision.
Come to think of it, this whole conversation had actually given Kobayashi Tetsu a new idea.
He had once told Yamashina Makoto that no single person could support a console on their own, because a console needs a diverse array of games to thrive. The best way to secure more games was to win over more third-party developers.
And now, Kobayashi Tetsu had thought of the perfect opportunity to build those relationships: a Developers Conference.
By using such a conference to announce their game engine, Atlas could fund developers to create their own games. They would then select the highest-quality titles for publishing, thereby establishing a complete industry chain.
From another perspective, Atlas could be replaced by any console platform within this same chain. If Kobayashi Tetsu ever decided to enter the console industry himself, the third-party developers he met at the conference would play a crucial role.
Kobayashi Tetsu grabbed his pen and quickly jotted down the idea for the Developers Conference in his notebook.
Koyakawa was bewildered, but seeing Kobayashi Tetsu's expression, she could tell he was extremely pleased.
After finishing his notes, Kobayashi Tetsu didn't even bother to hide. He pulled Koyakawa into a hug right there in the park and gave her a kiss.
"You've given me a great idea," he said. "This is going to be useful. For now, just play a lot of games and organize your thoughts. It would be best if you could put together a complete project proposal. You can't just start making a game on a whim!"
Koyakawa wiped her cheek and lowered her head, a blush creeping across her face.
"How annoying... It would be so embarrassing if someone saw us," she murmured, glancing around warily.
What a shame no one saw, she thought.
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