Everything was arranged properly. The animation was handed over to Kyoto Animation for production, and TV Tokyo had scheduled the broadcast slot for January of next year.
With the groundwork for this matter laid, Aoki Haruhi felt just a little bit more relaxed.
However, the mental pressure was still immense.
Although DUN was sharing the costs, Pokeni's financial situation was still incredibly tight.
It was only natural, of course. They had worked hard to earn two or three hundred million yen, but more than half of that had already been spent on the company's own game development expenses.
The animation production had cost another 100 million, and TV Tokyo had also taken a significant amount.
To develop a game console alongside Sega and Sony, Pokeni had even taken out a 1 billion yen loan from the bank with DUN as a guarantor.
After careful calculation, Pokeni was actually still in the red.
Ah...
Sure enough, expansion is like throwing money into a bottomless pit.
Except for Nintendo, which has always insisted on debt-free operations, other companies have more or less some debt.
Sega, in particular, borrowed quite a bit of money from banks to fight the console wars.
This planted the seeds for the company's future bankruptcy.
From this perspective, Sega's Hayao Nakayama was truly a gambler in the truest sense of the word.
He loved to go all in and place heavy bets.
Once a certain game console performed poorly in sales, it would drag all of Sega into the abyss of bankruptcy.
Thinking of this, Aoba couldn't help but shudder.
He would have to be more cautious in the future and not repeat the same mistakes Sega made in his previous life.
Honestly, the feeling of being in debt is not pleasant.
If Aoba hadn't been in such a rush to get on board, there would have been no need for the 1 billion loan from the bank.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, October had arrived.
The development of Diablo was complete, and it had entered the final testing phase.
As long as the bugs were mostly ironed out, it would be ready for release.
The development progress of Diablo was very encouraging, and one could tell from the excitement and expressions on the employees' faces—
This was a good game.
In the afternoon, while I was up on the rooftop terrace having a smoke, I happened to run into the lead programmer, Akanishi Ken.
The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the sun was shining just right.
The two of us sat on a bench and chatted for a while.
As he smoked, Akanishi Ken said with a smile, "President, you really are amazing. To think you could come up with a game like Diablo."
He let out a sigh, tilting his head back to look at the bright sun in the sky.
Since late October, the weather had turned cooler, so it was quite comfortable to come up here and bask in the sun.
He meant it sincerely.
For some time now, although Akanishi Ken had felt exceptionally exhausted—he could even say that developing Diablo had pushed his hairline back quite a bit.
Because Diablo was different from typical games; whereas before, the focus was mostly on turn-based combat, here it had shifted to real-time combat.
What was even more daunting was having to incorporate a monster-grinding mechanic, and the AI for the monsters was also a significant problem.
The "randomized structures" of the underground labyrinths were enough to drive the programmers to the brink of collapse.
At the time, Akanishi Ken had more than his fair share of arguments with Aoki Haruhi over it.
"Is this kind of design even something a human could come up with?"
"How could such an outrageous request possibly be implemented?"
"Could the planners please give it some serious thought? Isn't this going a bit too far? Do you have any common sense at all?"
"Can the planners stop confusing dreams with reality? If I say it can't be done, it can't be done!"
Akanishi Ken complained about things like this constantly, and in the dead of night, he often felt like quitting.
A company like this was truly a form of torment for a programmer.
However...
Each time, Aoki Haruhi would always manage to find a solution and successfully persuade them.
And as all of this slowly became reality, Akanishi Ken felt an extraordinary sense of satisfaction deep down.
It was a feeling of achievement like no other.
When you complete a task you once thought was impossible to finish.
When you defeat an opponent you once thought was impossible to overcome.
When you successfully reach the summit and look back, you realize—
All the toil, sweat, frustration, and cursing from before seemed worth it.
"To be able to develop a game like Diablo... it really is incredible."
Akanishi Ken smiled, stuck a cigarette in his mouth, and took a drag.
"To be able to come up with such an excellent game, offer reasonable solutions, and even provide guidance in the field of programming—President, you really have exceeded my expectations."
"You weren't like this before."
Huh?
Aoki Haruhi felt a sudden chill.
Was his identity as a transmigrator about to be exposed?
"Come to think of it, to be able to achieve all this," Akanishi Ken said, lowering his head with a sigh, "it can only mean that you, President, have been working even harder than anyone has seen, right?"
"Um... I suppose so," Aoki Haruhi smiled embarrassedly.
Ah...
Sure enough, it would be impossible to reach this point without perseverance and effort far beyond that of an ordinary person.
The pressure the President has been carrying all these years must have been immense.
"Do you not need to sleep?"
"Ah... this..." Aoki Haruhi tilted his head, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.
"Take care of your health, or you'll be going downhill once you pass 30," Akanishi Ken said, eyes fixed straight ahead, not looking at him.
After a two-second pause, he added, "And please, rely on us a little more from time to time."
"Don't make it seem like I, the lead programmer, am just for show."
"O-okay," Aoki Haruhi smiled happily.
This guy probably hasn't realized the severity of the problem yet, has he?
Talking big like this now, there's going to be plenty that requires the programmers' hard work in the future.
"Yeah, but I'm really happy."
"Happy that I've been able to work alongside you, Aoki-san, for so many years," Akanishi Ken said with a smile. "I wasn't sure at the beginning, but now that feeling in my heart is getting stronger and stronger."
"Huh?"
"It's the feeling of success," Akanishi Ken said, pointing at the sun in the sky. "Although it isn't very bright yet, just like this sun, Pokeni will be shining with a dazzling light before long."
Maybe it could even aim to be number one in Japan.
"Hmm, that would be wonderful if it happens." Aoki Haruhi smiled.
Being recognized by others, especially by an old employee who had been with him for so many years like Akanishi Ken, gave Aoki Haruhi an immense sense of satisfaction.
In an excellent company, the employees are filled with pride and a sense of identification with their own firm.
As long as the employees have confidence, it means they are on the right path forward.
"That guy Mikami Shinji has really been groomed excessively by the President," Akanishi Ken said with a smile. "He's only just started working not long ago, but he's already grown to be quite impressive.
"He might even be able to take on the role of lead planner for the next game."
"Hmm, I'm looking forward to that as well," Aoki Haruhi said.
"But tell me, President, shouldn't you consider your own personal life?"
"Hmm?" A blush appeared on Aoki's face. You don't know that President Tsuda and I are hitting it off, do you?
"You should occasionally take Mikami, Wada, and the others out for mixers. How can it be okay for them to spend all their time on work?"
"The programmers and artists can't take it either, being tortured by them like this," Akanishi Ken complained.
Heh, so that was what this guy was really getting at.
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