In June, Tokyo was scorching hot.
Aoki Haruhi and Tsuda Nao were eating ice cream in a cold drink shop. Tsuda Nao was savoring the sweet taste while looking at the man in front of her with a playful, fox-like smile.
"Isn't this something to be expected? I thought you were already prepared for it."
When she heard about the Waterloo of Pokeni's new work, "The Witcher," Tsuda Nao asked as a matter of course.
Aoki Haruhi frowned deeply. "Hey, could you please not say things like that?"
Who could have imagined that it would have such a negative impact?
"That's why many famous directors, even if they stop making movies, will still attach their names as directors to let the company continue making money to train newcomers," Tsuda Nao sighed as she looked at Aoki Haruhi, finding this guy both funny and pitiful. "I didn't expect you to step down so thoroughly."
At the very least, you could have let Kogahara Tsubakiaki be credited as the director on the new work.
"Or perhaps have Kogahara Tsubakiaki come out to endorse Mikami Shinji, cheer him on, or something. That would at least recover some popularity."
Aoki Haruhi frowned and didn't speak.
Kogahara Tsubakiaki had indeed retired too thoroughly, which was also due to his lack of experience.
The main thing was that the operating methods of Chinese companies in his previous life were completely different from those in Japan. The "producer" effect didn't exist at all; players followed the company. Who would care who the producer of Genshin Impact was?
And for companies like Tencent, it went without saying.
Producers would even be embarrassed to have their names associated with the games.
Therefore, whether a game made money or became famous, it all belonged to the company.
But the gaming environment in Japan meant that a producer's influence was pivotal. Players didn't follow the company itself; if this producer was gone, the popularity would basically take a huge hit.
It was this habitual thinking that led Aoki to have Kogahara Tsubakiaki retire too early and too completely, and now it was too late for regrets.
Besides, he didn't really have anything to regret; Kogahara Tsubakiaki was a persona Aoki had wanted to discard a long time ago.
"But having said that, when are you going to have Kogahara Tsubakiaki return?" Tsuda Nao asked curiously.
She scooped a small spoonful of ice cream, put it in her mouth, and savored it, her eyes sparkling.
"I... I have no such intention," Aozora said.
I'm not Hayao Miyazaki; how could Kogahara Tsubakiaki possibly have such a huge influence?
"Tsk, tsk."
Tsuda Nao clearly didn't believe him.
"It's really not easy to cultivate a famous producer, you know," she pouted. "Why not have Kogahara Tsubakiaki come work for DUN?"
"Huh?"
"Did you forget you promised to be our consultant and advisor?" Tsuda Nao's eyes curved into crescents, truly resembling the "Miss Moon" that Aozora often spoke of. "The team is almost assembled.
I think this is perfect. Since Kogahara Tsubakiaki is no longer at Pokeni anyway.
Why shouldn't I just hire him?"
"Hey!" Aozora's expression stiffened. "Could you please not say such terrifying things?"
I abandoned Kogahara Tsubakiaki precisely because I didn't want to be "forced back into the industry." If you do that, aren't you just dragging him back in?
Can't a guy just retire in peace?
"See you on Monday."
"See you on Monday."
"If you guys get The Witcher, make sure to let me know what you think, so I can decide whether to get it or not."
"Hey, why aren't you the one trying it out?"
"Haha, just kidding. Anyway, have a great weekend, everyone. See you on Monday."
"See you Monday."
After getting off work, Furukawa Hirozawa exchanged a few pleasantries with his colleagues and walked home, briefcase in hand.
Three years had passed in the blink of an eye.
He had been working at this company for nearly eight years.
Logically speaking, by now, Furukawa Hirozawa should have at least made it into management, or perhaps doubled his salary and been sent abroad to Europe or some other more developed country to open up new markets.
But...
Nothing.
Everyone lived the same repetitive life day after day.
Waking up in the morning, leaving home for the company, grabbing a croissant and a black coffee from the breakfast shop downstairs, picking up a newspaper from the mailroom, heading to his desk, and then starting the day's schedule.
I endured until work was over and returned home, continuing this cycle.
There had been no changes in my position. Furukawa remained a clerical worker, handling data statistics and printing the same old reports, including information about partners and clients. It had been like this for three years, with no changes whatsoever.
Furukawa could almost recite these contents from memory.
As for the things being printed, as long as the title and date were changed, they could be used again.
In this era where social strata are gradually solidifying, especially after the collapse of the bubble economy, young people see almost no hope of moving up; just staying alive is already quite good.
In some newspapers, experts call this phenomenon "stagnation."
Japan has entered an era of stagnation, like a stagnant pool of water, without a single ripple.
It's just that no one knows how long this stagnation will last, or what the meaning of our existence is.
In an era like this, what is the meaning of life?
Ah~
Must not think about it.
Hirozawa Furukawa shook his head. Once one starts thinking about the "meaning of existence," one has truly lost the "meaning of existence."
This is a terrifying paradox.
It's just like something the President often says—
When you seriously try to think about making money and the meaning behind it, you end up not being able to make money at all.
The direction of making money and what you are doing are mutually exclusive things.
Furukawa didn't understand this before, but now he finally has some realization.
However...
There is another paradox within this, which is—
The more you try not to think about it, the more abruptly it appears in your mind.
For example, the meaning of life.
What is it exactly that we live and work for every day?
How despairing a life that you can see to the end of at a single glance must be.
At least for our parents' generation—no, let's not even talk about the older generation, even just 5 years ago during the bubble economy, everyone felt that every future day would be a brand-new day.
Holding great yearning for the future.
Every day was lived solidly and happily, even if it was as false as a bubble.
It's just a pity that the dream was too short.
Arriving at the game store on the street corner, Furukawa stopped.
He stared blankly at the sign for a long time.
On the glass door of the store, a large poster was pasted.
It was Pokeni's new game, The Witcher.
He finally realized one thing—
Video games were the greatest variable in the already determined lives of this world.
In games, he could experience different lives, different stories, and different futures.
Only the moment he held a game controller did he feel he was truly alive.
It wasn't that Furukawa Hirozawa was a complete nihilist; it was just that the coldness and order of reality compelled him to seek change and solace elsewhere.
This was a product of the prevailing environment of the era. If you couldn't change your own life and destiny, why not seek a new experience in a game?
A chance to start over?
In life, what one fears most is the lack of change and the possibility of change. Once the future is entirely certain, then a person's life is effectively over.
After losing Kogahara Tsubakiaki's games, his life no longer even had that single variable.
Furukawa Hirozawa hesitated for a long time, but eventually decided to walk in.
Screw it, Furukawa thought to himself.
I'll give Pokeni a chance, too.
If I lose faith in Pokeni just because Kogahara Tsubakiaki is gone, that would be too cruel.
It won't be too late to bash it after I've played it.
When the store manager saw Hirozawa Furukawa, a flash of surprise appeared on his face.
He adjusted his glasses and smiled.
"Eh? You're a bit late this time."
The store manager could be considered an old acquaintance; he knew Hirozawa Furukawa reasonably well, at least as far as gaming was concerned.
This guy hadn't missed a single Pokeni game in three years. Even if he hadn't picked up Pokémon at launch, he'd bought it later.
However, it was genuinely strange that he hadn't been seen since "The Witcher" had been released for quite some time now.
"Sorry," Hirozawa Furukawa nodded slightly.
"I haven't been able to make up my mind about whether to buy 'The Witcher'."
"Hmm, I understand."
The store manager nodded.
"But, I can guarantee it."
He raised his right hand and said with a smile, "'The Witcher' is absolutely worth buying. You won't be disappointed."
"Eh? Really?"
Hirozawa Furukawa became interested immediately.
Carrying the game box, Furukawa Hirozawa returned home, took the console out of the cabinet, reinstalled it, and inserted the cartridge.
The packaging for "The Witcher" was incredibly exquisite.
Unboxing it felt like unwrapping a very precious gift.
Although it wasn't made by Kogahara Tsubakiaki, it was written by Gen Urobuchi, after all.
Who knows? Maybe there would be a pleasant surprise.
The game began, and the Pokeni logo, which he was very familiar with, appeared on the TV screen.
When Aoki Haruhi designed it, he probably never imagined that one day he would have a falling out with Nintindo, so he used a red and white design, which also looked quite friendly and approachable.
Since getting used to it, the font has changed a few versions, but the colors have remained fixed.
After Pokeni appeared, the entire screen went dark.
A pair of crimson eyes suddenly opened.
Followed closely by a bloody, gaping maw.
Hirozawa Furukawa was nearly scared out of his wits.
His fingers even trembled a little.
The entire interface suddenly changed; the background was a city full of futuristic technology, and in the middle-right was the silhouette of a curvaceous young woman.
Corresponding to her, on the other side, was a young man in a leather jacket, back-to-back with her.
The connection between the two formed a winding S-shaped outline, which was traced out to become a dividing line for the interface.
On the left side is the large "The Witcher" logo.
A line of small text near the bottom reads: Pokeni/1993.
Although Hirozawa Furukawa was initially led to believe it was a dark-themed game, the initial interface was not as gloomy as he had imagined.
On the contrary, apart from the black clothing worn by the male and female protagonists, the background actually uses bright colors.
It must be said that Pokeni's concept artists really have some serious skills.
Terrifying things, or things that can truly strike fear into someone's heart, should not necessarily be expressed through conventional dark tones. A bright background contrast can actually leave a much deeper impression of other elements.
It's like suddenly seeing a large tree in the middle of a desert; the whole world seems to become vibrant and full of life.
And all your attention and focus will be drawn to that one green tree.
This is gaming psychology.
Aoki Haruhi had studied this thoroughly.
Select "New Game" and start.
The intro animation begins playing on the screen.
Strictly speaking, it falls far short of the standard of a cartoon, and can only be considered similar to the style used in Pokeni's Diablo I, featuring dynamic images accompanied by text.
Pokeni has already become quite proficient with this method.
Having played so many galgames, Hirozawa Furukawa is now quite accepting of this presentation style.
[This is a world where the Blood Tribe and humans coexist.
Wolves and sheep, two species fighting for survival.
The Blood Tribe possesses powerful physical strength, even beyond the limits of human imagination.
And although humans are barely hanging on, they have developed weapons unique to themselves.
Using technology to counterattack the Blood Tribe.
Both sides are locked in a struggle.
Time goes on.
And Witchers are the special beings that exist to naturally oppose the Blood Tribe.]
These parts are displayed through hand-drawn static images. The art is slightly rough, but inexplicably full of epic and bleak atmosphere...
After the intro, the heroine appears in the center of the screen.
She had long, silver hair and delicate facial features, with a bright red scarf around her neck that provided a sharp contrast to her silvery locks.
The clothing on her upper body was minimal, resembling a leather bikini armor that barely covered the essentials.
She had a slim waist, and the lower part of her outfit was an asymmetrical skirt; the back was similar to a tailcoat, with two very long tails trailing behind her.
Her legs were straight and slender, each encased in a pair of high-tech white boots.
In addition to the 2D character model that walked on the main map, a character portrait would appear on the right side of the screen during conversations.
The portrait was a purely refined illustration, looking exceptionally alluring with spot-on details.
Tsk, tsk.
Pokeni's artists were as excellent as ever.
They really understood the players, didn't they?
These girls were becoming more and more exquisitely designed.
Hirozawa Furukawa just took one look and felt that this game was no simple matter.
In terms of art style, "The Witcher" was completely different from all of Pokeni's other games, whether it was the dark, Western-style "Diablo" or the beautiful, fresh, anime-style "Your Name"...
Neither.
The Witcher feels more like a product created out of thin air, sitting somewhere between Diablo and Your Name.
Or perhaps, a fusion of the two.
And a fusion that takes the best of both.
Aesthetically, it leans closer to Eastern sensibilities: refined faces, rich colors, and an anime-style comic aesthetic.
Yet, in its use of elements and world-building, it leans toward the West.
It possesses both Western mythical flair and a futuristic, technological urban feel.
This kind of thing is like a stitched-together monster; if not done well, it can easily turn into something horrifying.
But Pokeni has done an outstanding job. The game's art style is blended incredibly well, so much so that one could say it's unique, creating an entirely original style. It's also very natural—so natural that you wouldn't even think to analyze what "genes" it carries.
Or where it came from.
"Huh? It's unexpectedly good."
Hirozawa Furukawa thought to himself.
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