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[Game] Chapter 439-440
🕑 Added 2025-09-15 16:50:08 +0000 UTCChapter 439: A Visit from Akane Kosaka
Another game had opened for pre-orders, and it was going to be released directly next month. Players were thrilled, but many developers in the industry were utterly baffled.
How on earth was this company developing games so quickly?
Among those with the same doubts was Akane Kosaka.
Her own company was currently split into two development teams. One was using the engine she had obtained from Ichin to work on small, high-quality indie games, while the other was sticking to the original plan of developing a large-scale single-player game.
Neither team was taking too big of a step this time. The smaller team was working on a pixelated roguelike action platformer inspired by The Binding of Isaac and Hollow Knight. The larger team, meanwhile, was developing a linear ARPG.
As for making another open-world game, the studio had decided against it for now. To do it well would consume enormous effort and costs, and there was no guarantee of success. It simply wasn’t worth it.
Just when both of her company’s games were moving along smoothly, with plans to announce something in about half a year, Ichin’s side suddenly launched a free two-week online test of a brand-new gameFall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
Akane Kosaka couldn’t for the life of her figure out when this game had even been developed.
Out of curiosity, she downloaded Fall Guys.
And then, she ended up playing it for two straight weeks, logging in almost every day for over two hours at a time.
Her grind was far more extreme than even Utaha and Eriri’s.
When the test ended and the servers closed, she barely had a chance to catch her breath before the game opened for pre-orders—set to release officially the very next month.
Even during testing, Kosaka could already feel how polished the core gameplay system was. All that remained was adding new maps and levels over time to keep the game fresh.
And knowing Ichin, she was certain the official release would still have plenty of content that hadn’t yet been shown. There was no need to worry about the game becoming dull.
Still, with her head full of questions and thoughts, Akane picked up her car keys and left her company, heading straight to Ichin’s office building.
After parking in the underground garage and confirming Ichin’s car was there, she pulled out a compact mirror from her bag, touched up her lipstick, and only then took the elevator up to the company floor.
She’d been here several times before, so the receptionists didn’t stop her. After signing in and being announced over the phone, she stepped inside.
As always, the place was bustling with energy.
In the art department, she spotted Eriri discussing something with Kou Yagami.
“Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, long time no see~~~”
The name made Eriri instinctively flinch. Eyes wide, she turned and snapped at Kosaka:
“I told you not to call me that! And didn’t we just meet at a banquet last month? What are you doing here?!”
“As a fellow developer, of course I’m here to pay a visit and learn a little. After all, your company’s results have been amazing.”
With a bright smile, Kosaka walked over and glanced at the 3D modeling on Yagami Kou’s screen.
“Hmm~~ nothing I shouldn’t be seeing, right?”
Kou waved her off without much care. “It’s just a model in progress, nothing sensitive. Miss Kosaka, you’re really here to see Ichin, aren’t you?”
“Mm. Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll go find Ichin-kun.”
Nodding politely to Aoba and Hifumi, who were watching nearby, Kosaka headed for Ichin’s office.
She knocked, then stepped inside.
“Sorry to intrude, Ichin-kun~~”
“Long time no see, Miss Kosaka.”
Though a little surprised by her sudden visit, Ichin didn’t turn her away. He stood up with a smile and gestured toward the sofa.
“Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, perhaps? We just got in a batch of great beans. And since it’s afternoon tea time, there are also fresh pastries from a nearby bakery.”
“Then I’ll trouble you for that.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
He sent a quick message to HR, and before long someone brought in steaming coffee and a slice of cake, setting them down before her.
Ichin carried his own cup to a single armchair and sat.
“People don’t usually drop by without reason. You must have something in mind, Miss Kosaka?”
After tasting the cake with a satisfied nod, she said, “Yes, I do. It’s something that concerns both my company and myself.”
“Your company? And you personally?” Ichin sipped his coffee, curious. “What’s the matter?”
“Ichin-kun, the game your company just released for testingFall Guys—I played it,” Kosaka said with a smile. “It was so much fun. The moment I tried it, I was hooked.”
So… was she just here to praise his game?
“If you think the game is excellent, you should really be telling that to Hazuki. I only came up with the initial concept. She was the producer and handled most of the development.”
“But that’s still your contribution, isn’t it? The initial concept is vital—it sets the tone for the whole game.”
Smiling warmly, Kosaka continued, “Actually, the main reason I came today is to discuss game development with you. My company is currently working on two titles—one is a pixel-style roguelike action game, the other a linear ARPG.”
Two projects at once? Given her company’s size, it wasn’t unreasonable.
She went on: “Development is going smoothly, but I keep wondering about the future. Should my company focus on making big AAA single-player games, or should we follow inspiration and create different kinds of titles? From what I see, your company has clearly chosen the latter.”
Ichin nodded firmly. “That’s right. I don’t set a single rigid target for development. As for you, if you’re unsure of your company’s path, why not simply follow your instincts for now? Didn’t you hire a lot of talent? Put all the ideas on the table, let everyone discuss them, and pick out the ones that are most suitable to develop. You hired them for a reason—make use of them.”
“Make use of them…”
Indeed, she was still clinging to her old way of doing things. Maybe it was time to give her team more freedom to shine.
Akane Kosaka fell silent, deep in thought.
***
Chapter 440: Fun Is What Matters Most
Although they were technically competitors, there wasn’t any direct conflict of interest between them, so Ichin didn’t mind sharing his own thoughts on game development with Akane Kosaka.
“Honestly, the genre or theme doesn’t matter—whether it’s an RPG, an action game, a card game, or even a racing game. For me, there’s only one thing that truly matters: fun. If it’s fun, then it’s worth developing.”
“Fun is the only thing that matters?”
“Isn’t it?” Ichin leaned back on the sofa, shrugging. “Games are meant to be played. The reason I want to make games is because I want to make fun games, so that everyone can enjoy them. Making money is just the natural result of creating something fun. Think about it—players feel a sense of accomplishment when they beat a level. For me, I get satisfaction when I release a fun game, sell copies, and make money. In the end, it’s basically the same thing.”
The corners of Kosaka’s lips lifted. “Fun being the most important thing… your philosophy reminds me of Nintendo.”
“Because that’s the essence of games, isn’t it?” Ichin chuckled. “I can’t call myself a die-hard Nintendo fan, but I really do love their games. The very first game I played as a kid, apart from Tetris, was Super Mario Bros. on the Famicom. Back then I was awful at it—I’d die multiple times just trying to clear 1-1, and for years I never actually beat the game. But it was fun. Even today, I’d still find it fun. That’s what a good game should be.
“There are so many different ways to make a game fun—whether it’s the adrenaline of a shooter, the tricky platforming in a jump-based game, or the visceral impact of a fighting game. These are things players can feel directly. You know immediately if it’s fun or not.
“Of course, technology has advanced. Graphics have evolved from pixelated 2D to realistic 3D, and they keep improving. But I don’t think graphics should be the end-all. No matter how gorgeous a game looks, if the core gameplay isn’t fun, then it’s not a good game.”
As he spoke, Ichin couldn’t help but think of Ubisoft. Their games were still solid overall, but they often ended up feeling repetitive—like “Ubisoft open-world formula” in a can. Still, there was no denying that among the major publishers, Ubisoft was still near the top. If they could just shift their design philosophy and innovate on gameplay, they could definitely go further. The only question was when they’d actually make that change.
Shaking his head, Ichin pushed Ubisoft out of his mind and looked back at Kosaka. “I don’t know what made you decide to formally step into the game industry, but since you’ve done so, I naturally hope my peers will also make fun, interesting games. You’ve already proven you can write bestselling novels, which means you’re never short of good ideas. What matters is figuring out how to make those ideas fun in game form and keep players engaged.”
Finishing his words, he took the last sip of coffee from his cup.
Kosaka sat in thought for a while before clarity dawned on her. Ichin’s words resonated deeply with her. After all, when she wrote novels, her approach had been the same—if readers found her stories interesting, they would naturally spread and succeed.
But when she first started developing games, she had chased after what the big companies were doing—giant open-worlds—taking steps that were far too ambitious. The final product had been decent, but for someone as perfectionist as Kosaka, it was barely a seventy out of a hundred. In some places, even worse.
Taking a bite of cake, she exhaled lightly. “Looks like I really came to the right place today. My company is working on two games right now, but after seeing your success, I kept obsessing over how to make a big hit—when really, I was overlooking the most important thing: games should be fun. If a game is fun, people will discover it naturally. And since I already have plenty of promotional resources, as long as the game itself is fun, I can always get it exposure. The two will feed into each other, and sales won’t be a problem. Ichin-kun, thank you—you saved me from overthinking myself into a corner.”
Ichin smiled. “It’s nothing. Just sharing my own thoughts. If it helps you, all the better.”
With the serious talk over, Kosaka relaxed and glanced around the office. “By the way, is Kasumigaoka not here? I didn’t see her on my way in.”
“Utaha? She’s with the Fall Guys team. You know the game is launching next month, right? She really likes it and went over to pick out some skins so she can grind them out right after release.”
“Oh! Is that so?” Kosaka’s interest piqued. “Can I go see? I really like Fall Guys too!”
“Of course. I’ll take you.”
After leading her to the Fall Guys development team, Ichin left her in Utaha and Hazuki’s care while he himself headed over to the Dark Souls art team to check in with Kou Yagami on their progress.
Kosaka genuinely was fascinated by Fall Guys and stayed until past five before finally taking her leave.
After seeing her off, Ichin returned to his office with Utaha.
This time he didn’t go back to work. Instead, he sat on the sofa with her, letting her cling to his arm.
“Who would’ve thought?” Utaha murmured, leaning against him. “Akane Kosaka actually came here… was she asking for your advice?”
Ichin nodded. “Yeah. She probably felt a bit lost after seeing how quickly our games come out and how well they do. Can’t blame her. Honestly, we’re just too strong. Not just her—Hazuki told me several other well-known studios are also scratching their heads at our efficiency.”
“Our pace really is outrageous,” Utaha agreed. “It’s not that the developers at those big studios aren’t skilled. More likely, it comes down to planning and project management stretching out the development cycles.”
Project management… yes, that was a huge factor.
And that was something their company had always excelled at—breaking down every part of a project’s design and organizing it clearly. That was how they could maintain such efficiency.
***
