"President, Kamiya chose to come to pokeni."
Ayase Akane reported.
Aoki Haruhi didn't even lift his head, merely holding a newspaper, feigning seriousness.
"Isn't that obvious? Kamiya Hideki… Wait, what do you mean he chose pokeni?"
"President, didn't you know he applied to many companies simultaneously?"
So Ayase Akane recounted the entire process from beginning to end.
Kamiya himself didn't hide this; he told HR directly during the interview, even with a hint of pride.
Aoki Haruhi understood this feeling well.
When he left Tencent for miHoYo, he first secured an offer from NetEase.
However, this offer was merely a bargaining chip for Aoki Haruhi to drive up the price with miHoYo.
Think about it, NetEase offered me an annual salary of 1.5 million. No matter how much potential miHoYo has for the future, you can't be too low, right?
Otherwise, I'll just go to NetEase.
However, this tactic actually carries risks; the key is whether you are truly [worth it].
For miHoYo, they truly needed a programming genius like Aoki Haruhi back then. He had already proven his strength through Tencent and NetEase, so others could fall for his trick.
But—
You, Kamiya Hideki, a newcomer with no project experience, what makes you think you can do that?
Aoki Haruhi could only interpret it as Kamiya being a big-mouthed person with no ulterior motives.
In fact, this Producer's personality was indeed like that; he was even warned by Nintendo for [spoiling] games online.
In 2022, Kamiya received a warning email from Nintendo, which stated: "Poison Quail (Kamiya's nickname), keep a tight lid on it! Don't accidentally reveal content!"
This was almost a direct warning.
Moreover, when he worked under Shinji Mikami, he always acted on his own impulses. It was fortunate that Shinji Mikami truly doted on him, otherwise, many of Kamiya Hideki's self-initiated actions would have led to him being fired long ago.
Having a Producer with such a personality can indeed be a headache for a boss.
Fortunately, President Aoki Haruhi is also a person who cherishes talent, otherwise, upon hearing about Kamiya showing off multiple invitation letters, Aoki Haruhi would not have hired him.
However…
Aoki Haruhi thought about it from a different angle and couldn't help but laugh out loud happily.
Ayase Akane, watching the changes in his facial expression, grew increasingly alarmed.
How many days has the President been off his medication?
Just now he looked indignant, how could he suddenly burst into laughter?
"President, what are you laughing about?" Ayase Akane asked cautiously.
"So, we defeated Konami, Capcom, and Namco, is that what this means?" Aoki Haruhi asked.
"Uh… President, if you want to understand it that way, it's not impossible."
"Kamiya Hideki received invitations from Namco, Capcom, Konami, and pokeni simultaneously, and ultimately chose to come to pokeni. Doesn't that just mean we defeated the other companies?"
"From Kamiya's perspective, yes," Ayase Akane replied with a bitter smile.
"But that's just Kamiya's personal standard, you know."
Ayase Akane emphasized it again, fearing that the President might get carried away.
Pokeni has indeed been impressive these past two years, but the other companies are all ranked above them.
Should she say the President is big-hearted, or that he occasionally has his idiotic moments?
Ayase Akane couldn't help but admire Aoki Haruhi's optimistic mindset; he could even view being [chosen] as a good thing, truly remarkable.
Ultimately, Kamiya Hideki chose to come to pokeni, seemingly a victory for Aoki Haruhi and Shinji Mikami, but what Aoki Haruhi didn't know was that—
Actually, it also involved the favor of Kamiya's Landlady.
If the Landlady had said something different at that time, Kamiya Hideki might already be at Konami now.
…
However, in Aoki Haruhi's view, whether it was inexplicable confidence or even metaphysics, it was impossible for Kamiya Hideki to go anywhere else.
He had Shinji Mikami write the invitation letter, which was a psychological tactic. After all, to other companies, Kamiya was just a new college graduate, and they wouldn't put much effort into recruiting him.
In this regard, Aoki Haruhi held an absolute advantage.
Moreover, even if Kamiya Hideki went to another company, Aoki Haruhi believed that in this world, probably only one person could tolerate and bring out Kamiya's talent.
That would be Shinji Mikami.
So even if Kamiya Hideki went to another company, he would most likely eventually be kicked out, or be constantly criticized and frustrated.
At that time, Aoki Haruhi poaching him would even earn him more gratitude than now.
A miscalculation, a miscalculation.
As soon as he thought of this, Aoki Haruhi felt some heartache and regret.
The ultimate discerning patron is one who offers help in times of need; his type, which merely adds icing to the cake, can only become a stepping stone for Kamiya Hideki to showcase himself in the future.
But on second thought, he was too lazy to bother. He still had to sign him; the sooner Shinji Mikami trained him, the sooner he could be put to use.
Pokeni was still very short on Producers.
As the saying goes, it's easy to get an army, but hard to find a general.
After salary negotiations, Kamiya Hideki successfully signed the contract, and the very next day, he smoothly completed his onboarding procedures.
Ayase Akane took him on a tour. While getting to know other new hires and participating in the company's new employee training, Kamiya Hideki immediately took a liking to the quiet young man, Ninjin Makoto.
"Hey, what a coincidence, I'm also from Nagano Prefecture."
Kamiya Hideki couldn't help but feel happy.
"Please take good care of me from now on."
"Please take good care of me from now on." Ninjin Makoto nodded slightly.
But to be honest, he wasn't particularly fond of this fellow townsman.
This dislike wasn't hatred.
It was simply a clash of auras.
He just felt that their personalities were completely different.
…
However, Kamiya's arrival brought a lot of joy to the new recruits. He was like a drop of very hot water, placed among lukewarm water, if not boiling, then at least raising the temperature by a few degrees.
Although Ninjin Makoto felt they were two different types of people, he really enjoyed watching him bicker and joke with his other companions.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but smile.
On Kamiya's first day of new employee training, he was already clamoring to make games and become a great Producer, while also assigning roles to everyone.
Ninjin Makoto's role was the team's lead artist, described by Kamiya as a very talented artist who could replace Sakata Taiji.
Everyone couldn't help but be stunned and speechless; Kamiya truly dared to say anything.
"Shinkai, with you, the two of us can create a truly amazing game."
"Huh? Really?"
Ninjin Makoto was momentarily stunned.
Two people creating a masterpiece, such a statement was perhaps too arrogant, even unrealistic.
However, for some reason, Ninjin Makoto felt extremely happy after receiving such praise and having such hopes placed upon him by Kamiya.
"Kamiya, you can do it." Ninjin Makoto extended his small arm and punched him lightly on the chest.
"You can do it!!!" Kamiya Hideki shouted.
Akanishi Ken, the instructor for the new employee training, was having a massive headache at this moment.
Kamiya might corrupt Shinkai.
…
After the new employee training ended,
The day Kamiya stepped into the company, he saw many people bustling towards the conference room.
He quickly grabbed a colleague to ask what was happening.
Gen Urobuchi turned his head and glanced at him, "The initial version of 'pokémon 3d world' is complete. Producer Lisa Asano is giving a live demo in the conference room. We're going to see what it's like."
"Wow. So there's a demonstration stage as well?"
Kamiya immediately got excited.
In fact, during his time at the company, Kamiya Hideki had often wandered between different project teams.
Mainly due to his strong curiosity, he met many people and gained a lot of insight into game development.
"pokémon 3d world" was a star project, especially the [3D] gimmick, coupled with Sony's new PS console platform, all of which greatly interested Kamiya.
However, the project members were very secretive, which meant he could only see bits and pieces, never the full picture, leaving him itching with curiosity but utterly helpless.
He didn't expect the demonstration to start today!
So Kamiya Hideki quickly packed up his notebook and followed everyone into the conference room.
…
Lisa Asano, the Producer of "pokémon 3d world," was nervously preparing.
The President was seated in the very front row.
Behind him, a crowd of people filled the seats, and many who didn't have a spot stood along the walls. Essentially, apart from the small space in front of Lisa Asano, everywhere else was packed with people.
Although referred to as Senior Asano, this Producer was actually only 24 years old this year.
She was even younger than Kamiya Hideki.
As soon as Kamiya opened the conference room door, he was pushed out by the backs of the people inside.
"There's no more room; those in the back don't need to come in."
Aoki Haruhi shouted,
"If you want to experience the game, apply to Asano. It will also be available in the company's game experience room later."
Damn it!
Kamiya Hideki's mood instantly exploded; he was just behind the cutoff line.
But no matter how much he tried to squeeze forward, there seemed to be no space.
"Ah~ What a pity, I really wanted to see what the final pokémon 3d world looked like." Kamiya Hideki said dejectedly, then turned to leave.
"Kamiya, Kamiya, come in."
Just then, Shinji Mikami, who was in the middle, called out.
A few people shifted their positions, and Shinji Mikami finally let Kamiya in.
(Everyone, imagine the scene in a packed train during the Spring Festival travel rush, where a dining cart attendant rolls over people's feet.)
All the colleagues whose feet Kamiya stepped on winced in pain.
However, Shinji Mikami was actually quite popular in the company now, and coupled with his usual hardworking demeanor, everyone had a good impression of him.
"You come in. I'll go out. You're a newcomer and need to gain more experience. A game demonstration is a great opportunity to observe."
Shinji Mikami let Kamiya in, then turned and squeezed his way out of the crowd, stepping on everyone's feet again.
And so, another collective gasp of pain.
Goodness, are you guys operating steamrollers here?
…
Aoki Haruhi saw everything.
Shinji Mikami seems to be becoming more and more like a big brother.
The current atmosphere in the company is genuinely good, exactly what Aoki Haruhi had envisioned.
Seniors are guiding juniors to grow together, and everyone is working hard to create better games.
If he grows a bit more, perhaps more important matters can be entrusted to this guy in the future.
…
The time was almost right, so at Aoki Haruhi's signal, Lisa Asano began the demonstration of "pokémon 3d world."
They were currently using Sony's latest developed console, PS.
After inserting the disc, the game started.
Lisa Asano held the white, futuristic dual-joystick controller in her hand.
Everyone was actually familiar with this controller, including the PS, but what was unfamiliar was how to use this controller to maximize its value.
"The game being demonstrated today is not the final version," Lisa Asano quietly wiped the cold sweat from her chin and said, "so there might be some minor bugs and some parts where sound couldn't be recorded. If there's a lack of sound later, please don't be too surprised."
Even demonstrating in front of so many people, she still couldn't help but feel nervous.
However, Lisa Asano still dutifully explained everything.
Afraid of missing any small detail.
The game began.
The familiar pokeni logo appeared on the screen.
Followed by the title "pokémon 3d world."
The current main interface was still a temporary one, so there was only a static Pokémon image.
It would be replaced with an animated cutscene later.
…
"This game can be played solo or with multiple players. Currently, it supports up to 4 players simultaneously."
"For the initial character, we offer four choices: Pikachu."
Lisa Asano demonstrated, and a yellow electric mouse with small pointed ears immediately appeared on the TV screen.
Those in the back could barely see, and couldn't help but urge their colleagues in front to squat down.
Pikachu's fur was all yellow, with two brown stripes on its back, and its tail was shaped like a jagged lightning bolt.
Everyone was very familiar with it.
But…
This Pokémon looks a bit blocky.
Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The 3D version of Pokémon, in everyone's imagination, would actually be closer to the image of figurines or plush toys.
However, current hardware levels couldn't support that many polygons, so Pikachu's head was made as round as possible, but it still had distinct angles, especially the body and tail, which were almost entirely straight lines.
"Don't let its appearance here with few polygons fool you; when it's scaled down in the game, it won't look so bad," Lisa Asano explained with a smile.
Besides Pikachu, other selectable characters included Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.
This had been the setting in previous Pokémon games and the anime.
To facilitate the demonstration, Lisa Asano chose Pikachu to enter the game.
At the very first level, Lisa Asano moved the joystick, and Pikachu walked [into] the television screen.
And the moment the entire scene was displayed, a [blocky] forest appeared before everyone's eyes.
Below, there was also a green grassy area shaped like square grids, and not far ahead, a Fearow perched on a jagged tree.
A chorus of exclamations immediately rose from below.
Wow.
"This 3D effect is amazing."
"It's a 3D mode I hadn't imagined."
"Honestly, when scaled down into the game, Pikachu really has that feel."
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