Game Developer in the World of Anime

After the two entered the room, Aoba rubbed her arm and said, "Watching that scene reminded me of my high school days. Exams were always so nerve-wracking!"

"Was it really that bad?"

Hajime Shinoda commented nonchalantly, "Exams are just exams. As long as you don't fail, it's fine."

"Everyone's experience is different!" Aoba retorted. Then, with a slightly fearful expression, she recalled, "Our school's teachers were really strict. If you didn't do well, you'd definitely get scolded!"

Ichin laughed and asked, "So, Aoba, did you ever get scolded?"

"Well, no," she admitted.

"Then what were you so afraid of?"

Under everyone's amused gazes, Aoba blushed and raised her voice. "Just watching other people get scolded was terrifying enough! If you don't believe me, ask Nene!"

"Huh?" Sakura Nene froze for a moment. Crossing her arms as she thought back, she said, "They were pretty strict, but it didn't really concern me. I never scored at the bottom, after all. Humph! I never mentioned it, but I was a top student, you know. I majored in law at university!"

Among those present, Hazuki and Hifumi had university degrees, while the others had entered the gaming industry straight out of high school.

In Japan, this wasn't unusual. Despite not attending university, everyone had honed their professional skills remarkably well over the years.

Hazuki adjusted her shawl and remarked, "University can be a great place to grow, but for the game development industry, it's not essential. What matters most here is inspiration and talent. Of course, learning programming in school can be quicker and more structured than self-study."

Umiko, who rarely agreed with Hazuki, nodded in concurrence. "That's true. I regret not spending a couple more years in school. After entering the workforce, I had to figure things out on my own and took many detours. Ichin, did you teach yourself programming?"

Ichin nodded. "Yes, I'm self-taught. I read a lot of books, watched plenty of tutorials, and sought advice from professionals. Although I started developing my first game in March, I'd already been learning programming for a long time before that."

Including his years of experience in the industry before his transmigration, Ichin had transformed into a truly skilled developer.

Listening to him, Nene's eyes darted around, but in the end, she decided not to mention her own game project. She figured it would be better to improve it further before revealing it to everyone.

As the group relaxed after their meal, Ichin thought for a moment and said, "Since everyone is here and we don't have work today, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the studio's future direction in game development."

Borrowing Utaha's notebook, Ichin opened it and continued, "Right now, we're working on Slay the Spire and Hollow Knight. Slay the Spire is expected to receive two major updates within the next two months, bringing it to its official release. As for Hollow Knight, we aim to launch it by the end of the year.

"Of course, we're not a large-scale developer, so we have some flexibility with deadlines. As long as we maintain the quality and completeness of the games, minor delays are acceptable. That said, after completing Hollow Knight, I've decided to temporarily set aside Dead Cells, which was originally planned as our next project."

"Huh? Why?"

Hajime Shinoda asked curiously, "Isn't that game supposed to be a super exciting action game? I was really looking forward to working on it!"

Waving a hand, Ichin explained, "Don't worry, it's only postponed, not canceled. The development difficulty for Dead Cells isn't particularly high. Its main challenge lies in the pixel art style. However, compared to that game, I'm more interested in creating something with a grander world-building scope.

"So, I'd like to hear your thoughts. What kind of games do you envision for the studio's future? I don't want this place to be a one-man show. If you have any ideas or creative concepts, feel free to share them."

Yagami Kō listened to Ichin's words and smiled as she glanced at Hazuki.

"These comments remind me of what we used to say when Fairies Story 3 was released and we had one-on-one chats with everyone."

Hazuki chuckled and nodded. "You're right. I quite like this approach too. Ichin-kun, back at Eagle Jump, aside from outsourcing projects, we developed the Fairies Story series, which is a fantasy-style 3D action RPG. Could our studio create similar games in the future?"

"Why not?"

Ichin spread his hands. "As long as we have good ideas and engaging gameplay, I'd be happy to develop one. Actually, I do have some concepts for games like that, but I'm not sure if we can manage them with our current team size. That's why I want to hear everyone's thoughts first."

"Me! Let me go first!"

Hajime Shinoda, the liveliest of the group, immediately raised her hand. "I want to make a squad-based game! Or something with magical girls! If you need a pitch, Ichin-kun, I can give you a draft the day after tomorrow!"

Iijima Yun sighed as she looked at her colleague. "You're still hung up on that pitch of yours?"

"Why not?" Hajime pouted, clenching her fists. "I'm absolutely capable of writing an amazing proposal!"

Ichin noted her suggestion in the notebook and commented, "A squad-based or magical girl game, huh? For squad games, we'd need to be very careful to avoid copyright issues. The Super Sentai tokusatsu series is still releasing new seasons every year, so even fan games aren't easy to make in that space. Magical girls are more manageable, but the gameplay would need innovation—turn-based, action-oriented, or perhaps bullet-hell mechanics?"

Yun stared at Ichin in shock. "Ichin-kun, don't seriously consider this! There's no way we could make something like that!"

"Hmm?"

Ichin looked up with a grin. "Don't worry, I'm just thinking it through—I haven't decided anything yet. Besides, Hajime-san said she'd write a proposal. If it's good, we can give it a try."

"Leave it to me! I'll have the proposal ready!"

Next was Suzukaze Aoba. After a moment of thought, she said, "Well, I joined the game development industry because I loved Fairies Story. In the future, I'd still love to work on fantasy-style games. Most of the NPCs I've designed so far have been in that style. Hifumi-senpai, I remember you said you wanted to make a modern-themed game, right?"

"Huh?"

Hifumi, suddenly addressed, blushed and fidgeted with the hem of her dress before replying, "Uh, yes, that's right. I prefer modern settings with a touch of fashion."

Modern and fashionable…

Ichin narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed Hifumi. He realized her personal style really aligned with that theme—her outfits were different every day and always stylish.

Wait, a game with that kind of theme…?

...