The next day at noon, while chatting on the company rooftop, Furukawa Hirozawa seemed a bit hesitant, when a voice discussing something came from next door.
"Ah... Aoki Haruhi just likes to pull these flashy stunts. They're full of hype, but it's hard to say if they really have any substance.
Especially now that [Kogahara Tsubakiaki] is gone, Pokeni's new games are bound to take a hit in terms of influence and appeal."
He looked up and glanced over, realizing the person speaking was someone he had never seen before.
Must be a newcomer to the company.
He just hadn't expected this person's thoughts to be quite similar to his own.
They were probably both fans of Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
Ever since Kogahara Tsubakiaki retired, the games released by Pokeni seemed to have lost their luster.
Although Hirozawa Furukawa had also seen the GG for The Witcher, he just couldn't get excited about it.
"Hey, is that the name? The Witcher? Pokeni's new game, are you guys planning to get it?" Hayamigawa's voice pulled Hirozawa Furukawa out of his deep thoughts.
Hirozawa Furukawa hesitated and didn't say anything.
Should he get it?
Honestly, the impact of Kogahara Tsubakiaki's absence was greater than he had imagined.
It was hard to imagine what level Pokeni's new games could reach without the "Old Thief" Kogahara, and whether they could maintain their usual high standards.
Whether the quality of the work would hold up—not just in the script, but also in the cinematography and the pacing of the entire storyline—could they still reach the heights of previous games?
All of these were questions.
Hirozawa Furukawa didn't have the courage to find out.
But if he didn't get it...
It felt like he was dismissing the entire company just because of one person.
Kinoshita lit a cigarette and curled his lip. "Haven't you heard the discussions over there? Kogahara Tsubakiaki isn't even here anymore, what kind of new works could Pokeni possibly have? I've seen GG; to be honest, it's quite well-made, but it's a pity—I won't play it if it's not produced by Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
Who the hell is Shinji Mikami?"
"Yeah, who the hell is Shinji Mikami?" Hayamigawa asked, puzzled.
"I think Mikami was a level and combat designer for Diablo." Relying on his love for P Corporation, Hirozawa Furukawa easily reeled off some obscure trivia.
Usually, very few people pay attention to the credits that appear when a game is completed, but Hirozawa Furukawa could recite them by heart.
Especially back when he was grinding his teeth in hatred and wanted to kill someone, Furukawa had simply memorized every person's name and the module they were responsible for.
For example, the damnable Kogahara Tsubakiaki was the producer, that heart-wrenching script was written by Gen Urobuchi, and that original art was by Makoto Shinkai...
In short, this group of people at Pokeni are actually quite distinctive and easy to remember; it just depends on whether you pay attention to them or not.
"No wonder The Witcher is so similar to Diablo. You can tell just from the GG that it's an action game. So it turns out the producer is actually from the Diablo team."
Kinoshita chuckled and said, "Then I want to play this game even less."
"Kogahara Tsubakiaki isn't even there anymore, are you really going to give up on Pokeni?" asked Yamada, the newest member of the group.
"That 'really' isn't the right word, is it? It's precisely because Kogahara Tsubakiaki isn't there anymore that we should give up on Pokeni," Kinoshita said, giving Furukawa a look. "Furukawa, you think so too, right?"
"Hmm... maybe... I guess?"
Furukawa Hirozawa himself couldn't quite say for sure.
Actually, he thought Diablo was made quite well. Although the script and story didn't have that 'Old Thief Kogahara' style, it made up for it with strong gameplay, and it was the first top-down, flat ARPG.
The combat experience alone was excellent enough; it seemed like nothing else was really needed.
"Gen Urobuchi isn't bad either, right?" Yamada-kun tried to persuade him. "The Entropic Man was written by Old Uro, after all. Even if he is Kogahara Tsubakiaki's producer, his scripts are genuinely amazing."
"Kogahara Tsubakiaki has already retired. If we don't cherish Gen Urobuchi now, are we just going to let Pokeni stop making games in the future?"
"Hmm..."
The group fell into silence.
Yamada-kun made a valid point.
After Kogahara Tsubakiaki left, Pokeni really only had Gen Urobuchi, right?
The script for The Witcher was written by Old Urobuchi, so the plot was guaranteed to be good.
Even without Kogahara Tsubakiaki, at least there was still Gen Urobuchi!
"Mm-hmm."
Everyone nodded in agreement, seemingly starting to waver.
Was Gen Urobuchi perhaps the greatest treasure left behind by that old thief Kogahara for Pokeni?
Just then, Kinoshita slowly shook his head.
"Are you all missing the point? Gen Urobuchi is fine, but that only guarantees the script. The soul of a game is its producer.
Whether a game turns out well or not depends primarily on the producer's skill.
Even a brilliant script can be ruined if it falls into the hands of a lousy producer."
"It's just like making a movie. The director bears 90% of the responsibility. If you get a bad director, even the most amazing script can end up as a terrible film."
"Hmm... that seems to be the case."
Everyone became uncertain once again.
"This is equivalent to the production of a movie; the director bears 90% of the responsibility. If you get a bad director, even the most brilliant script can end up as a terrible film."
"Hmm...
I guess that's true."
Everyone began to waver again.
After the news of the upcoming release of The Witcher broke, many players expressed similar concerns.
They were mainly afraid that Mikami Shinji wouldn't be able to handle it and might tarnish P Corporation's reputation.
There have been cases in the industry where a company started to go downhill after its key producer left.
Since Kogahara Tsubakiaki was the founder of Pokeni's games, his disappearance would naturally affect Pokeni's future.
"Mikami Shinji—never heard of this producer. Can he really do it?"
"I don't know, but I feel like Pokeni is just a small company after all, and they've only gotten this far because a god-tier producer like Kogahara Tsubakiaki single-handedly pulled them up with his sheer talent.
Now that Kogahara Tsubakiaki is gone, it's possible they might just revert to their original state."
"Isn't Aoki Haruhi still okay? Diablo and Pokémon both turned out pretty well."
"But he's not Kogahara Tsubakiaki. Kogahara Tsubakiaki is one of a kind. Plus, when Kogahara Tsubakiaki was there, everyone felt reassured, which is why people were willing to try out other types of games released by P Corporation.
It's different now. Without Kogahara Tsubakiaki, it's hard for players to have confidence in Pokeni."
"Hmm... what should I do? I was actually quite looking forward to playing The Witcher, but now that you mention it, I'm starting to hesitate."
In fact, it wasn't just the players who were skeptical about P Corporation's new game, The Witcher.
Industry peers also expressed similar concerns.
Actually, it wasn't just the players who were not very optimistic about P-Corp's new title, The Witcher.
Industry peers also expressed similar concerns.
The employees at ELF, who had always looked to Pokeni as a benchmark and Kogahara Tsubakiaki as a mentor, were all shaking their heads at this moment.
"The Witcher is in for a rough time."
"Yeah, I really feel for this new producer, Mikami Shinji. Poor guy. It's mostly just bad luck that he became P-Corp's successor after Old Thief Kohara retired."
"But Old Thief Kohara's influence and the high bar he set are undeniable. Even Aoki Haruhi would be overshadowed by him."
"For a newcomer like Mikami Shinji to step directly into that position, it's hard to say what kind of abuse he'll get from the players."
"This game doesn't seem to be taking the galgame route, though, does it? Would it still face such issues?" an ELF artist asked.
In his view, the art style was completely different.
Kogahara Tsubakiaki excelled at creating galgames, known for an aesthetically pleasing and healing art style, using images and text, coupled with excellent narrative control, to guide players' emotional experiences to a peak.
"Clearly, 'The Witcher' isn't following that route. It's an action RPG, after all—isn't it enough as long as the combat is done well enough?"
"It's not like that. Or rather, it should have been viewed separately like that. But players won't think this way.
Kogahara Tsubakiaki is too dazzling. Once Pokeni removes this sun, no matter what games they release afterward, they will subconsciously be compared to Kogahara Tsubakiaki by the players.
Even if they are different genres of games.
Players will set extremely high standards for the new games.
The moment even a tiny flaw appears, it will be magnified infinitely."
"Tsk tsk, that's true. So this Mikami Shinji is truly miserable. As long as the game fails to reach the standard in the players' hearts, he'll be criticized until he's bruised and battered.
Just thinking about it makes me feel like I wouldn't be able to bear it at all..."
"Ah~ that's true. Putting myself in Mikami's shoes, it's just too miserable."
"However, it could also be the day Mikami becomes a legend. As long as the game has sufficient quality to make players completely convinced, then Mikami Shinji will be lifted to the heavens.
This is also a huge opportunity."
"Haha, but that possibility is just too small, isn't it?"
"If he can become a legend, it really would be a miracle."
Tokyo.
Pokeni Corporation.
Here, Mikami Shinji is under immense, immense pressure.
He hasn't slept well for several days in a row.
Tokyo.
Pokeni Inc.
Mikami Shinji was under immense pressure here.
He hadn't slept well for several days in a row.
The closer it got to the game's release date, the more anxious Mikami became.
When Aoki Haruhi arrived at the office in the morning, he found the guy sporting two huge dark circles under his eyes; it was obvious he was suffering from insomnia.
Aoki felt a pang of sympathy and called him into his office, then closed the door behind them.
"Mikami-san, your dark circles are quite heavy."
"The pressure is just too much," Mikami Shinji confessed.
He sat on the sofa, continuously rubbing his temples. Although both his body and mind were exhausted, he couldn't fall asleep the moment he lay down in bed.
Aoki sighed and said, "This is all normal. I was the same way when I was a producer for the first time."
"Eh? Even you, President?" Mikami asked, surprised.
"Was your first time as a producer before or after you became Kogahara Tsubakiaki?"
"Hmm..."
Aoki Haruhi thought for a moment. "It must have been before, right?"
In terms of the timeline, he first worked as a game producer in his previous life in 2020.
But in this timeline, the first game Aoki Haruhi made after transmigrating was indeed under the guise of Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
"When I made games as Kogahara Tsubakiaki, I was just as nervous," Aoki said as he sat down and handed a glass of plain water to Mikami Shinji.
The company only had plain water, coffee, and tea; anything else wouldn't have been appropriate at this hour.
"At the time, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. If that game hadn't succeeded, Pokeni would have ceased to exist."
"Ah... that sounds dire..." Mikami Shinji exclaimed, cradling his cup of hot water.
"It was. So, Mikami, you don't need to have any reservations," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile. "I chose you to be the producer of The Witcher precisely because I have confidence in your abilities.
You've already done an exceptional job.
And even if this game were to be a total failure, what would it matter if it didn't sell well?
Pokeni has accumulated enough capital now to withstand such a failure.
Besides, the next game will be even better.
Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Hmm.
Mikami Shinji nodded, pondering Aoki's words.
Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
"Furthermore, I don't believe a game this good could possibly fail."
Aoki said this while holding up a single finger.
Mikami Shinji looked at him, puzzled, not understanding what he meant.
"One million."
Aoki said with a smile, "At least one million copies. Combining Japan and the West, we won't lose."
"Although it's not really a matter of winning or losing, trust me, we won't lose."
The gameplay and art style of The Witcher were truly one of a kind for this era.
In this game, Aoki could already see the shadows of the future Devil May Cry.
The gameplay and art style of "The Witcher" are truly one-of-a-kind for this era.
In this game, Aoki Haruhi could already see the shadow of the future "Devil May Cry."
Japanese fantasy style, fused with the aesthetics of both Japan and the West—it combined Eastern and Western cultures, and more importantly, it did so quite well. It contained both the style of Mikami Shinji and the shadow of Gen Urobuchi.
It was exactly what Aoki Haruhi had imagined.
If it weren't for hardware limitations, Aoki Haruhi had reason to believe this game could have been an epoch-making product.
No.
Even in this era, despite the graphics not being that refined and it not being a 3D action game, this game was still an epoch-making product.
"Thank you, President." Mikami Shinji nodded, trying to squeeze out a smile. "I feel much better now."
Having received some comfort, Mikami felt his mind relax, and drowsiness washed over him like a tide.
His eyelids began to fight each other.
Seeing this, Aoki Haruhi smiled and said, "Mikami-san, you can sleep here for a while. No one will disturb you."
"Is that really okay, President?" Mikami was surprised.
"The game is finished anyway, so there's no point in being anxious now. Just wait for the results; everything will be fine."
Let's give it a try.
"In that case, I'll take a short nap. Excuse me for letting you see me in such an unseemly state."
A week later, "The Witcher" was officially released.
However, the actual sales figures fell far short of Aoki Haruhi's expectations.
Even though the quality of the game was very high, it had only sold less than 10,000 copies within the first week.
For some small companies, this might have been decent, but this was Pokeni.
When you've grown accustomed to every game maintaining sales of at least several hundred thousand, it's hard to go back to an era where total sales are just a few tens of thousands.
Yabai.
Aoki Haruhi finally realized that the problem was even more serious than he had imagined.
Back then, the retirement of "Kogahara Tsubakiaki" had allowed Pokeni to completely cash in on the momentum, leading "Your Name" to achieve an unprecedented 3 million copies in sales.
How could a galgame ever manage something like that?
And Aoki Haruhi had been so delighted to shed the "Kogahara Tsubakiaki" persona.
He had thought that in the future, he could make the entire gaming industry tremble using his own real name, but now he was truly experiencing the "post-retirement syndrome."
In this business, you always have to pay the piper eventually.
The positive effects brought about by his retirement back then were just as strong as the negative effects caused by the disappearance of Kogahara Tsubakiaki were ruthless now.
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