Game Developer in the World of Anime

As for the two kittens left, although others in the company wanted to adopt them, unfortunately Yukino had no intention of giving them away.

After Eriri called Yukino to tell her about her and Yagami Kō's decisions, Yukino decided she would keep the remaining two herself. With her finances, just the dividends from her shares in Ichin's company alone were more than enough to support a few cats—let alone the fact that she was already a wealthy young lady who never lacked money.

Though they couldn't get these kittens, the others in the company didn't give up. Several of them were already planning to visit animal shelters that weekend to see if there were any stray cats suitable for adoption.

Ichin figured that in another six months, half the company would probably be cat owners.

Once the kitten video finished, Ichin gathered everyone in the large conference room.

After they took their seats, he looked around and said, "Alright, vacation's over. Time for a meeting. Persona's release has been going extremely well. Just during our week off, sales across all platforms went up by nearly a million copies, and the momentum hasn't slowed. I estimate that within this year, sales could rise by another two to three million."

Everyone froze at his words—then burst into excitement.

If Ichin wasn't exaggerating, that meant Persona might actually break ten million copies sold this year.

That was a terrifying number.

So far, what games had reached that level of sales?

Off the top of their heads: Nintendo's Mario series, The Legend of Zelda, the world's top IP Pokémon, Tetris, Animal Crossing, and Super Smash Bros.

Beyond Nintendo: Halo, Gran Turismo, Uncharted, Call of Duty, Battlefield, FIFA, Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto…

Every title was world-famous.

If Persona could join that list, it would be a massive boost—not just for the game itself, but also for the company's future growth.

After letting the excitement run for a bit, Ichin clapped his hands. "Alright, sales haven't reached that number yet—it's still only our projection. But it's not far off. And we're not stopping with Persona. Next, we're starting new projects."

This was the topic he had teased back during the celebration party. Now, it was finally time to reveal it.

Holding his laptop mouse, Ichin pulled up the prepared project plans on the projector.

"This time, we're preparing three-plus-one projects. As to why it's three plus one, let's go through them one by one."

He introduced them in turn: BattleBlock Theater, Dark Souls, Titanfall, and the battle royale game Apex.

When he finished, everyone sat there slack-jawed.

So many project proposals?

And just from the gameplay and system outlines, every one of them sounded exciting!

Of these, Dark Souls was the most familiar—Ichin had already created a small battle test program earlier for everyone to experience. But compared to that demo, the full proposal described a world, combat system, and mechanics far grander than they had imagined—clearly not just a single game, but something even bigger.

After finishing his explanations, Ichin, a little parched, sipped some coffee before continuing.

"Alright, you can see we've got a lot planned. That means we'll continue expanding the team. I've already rented the empty office space next door, and equipment has been ordered and is being set up. We'll need a lot of new hires. If you know anyone with solid skills, you can recommend them. If they pass and join, there will be referral bonuses—HR will share details later.

"As for project groups: Titanfall and Apex will be developed by the same team. BattleBlock Theater and Dark Souls will each have their own team. So the company will be split into three dev groups. Titanfall and Apex will primarily be handled by the Shanghai branch that's currently expanding. If anyone here is interested and willing to relocate, I'll arrange dorms and set you up there. By the way, Umiko will be one of the project leads—she'll be leaving for Shanghai soon."

His words caused quite a stir.

Shanghai! That wasn't just anywhere—that was one of the most famous international cities in the world. Even those who had never traveled abroad had heard plenty about it.

The only real barrier was language. Joining that team meant you needed at least some Chinese proficiency.

That discouraged some, but others in the company had already been studying and were seriously considering applying.

"Next is BattleBlock Theater and Dark Souls," Ichin continued. "Hazuki will lead BattleBlock Theater, while I'll oversee Dark Souls. Because of its smaller scale, BattleBlock Theater won't need many people. If you're interested in its style, go to Hazuki directly. Everyone else—aside from those traveling or working on BattleBlock Theater—will automatically join the Dark Souls team. Any objections?"

Of course, there were none. Just from the scope, Dark Souls would be tough—its maps, monsters, and art style were unlike anything they had done before.

And with that, the meeting wrapped up.

Back in his office with Hazuki and Umiko, Umiko immediately asked, "When do you need me to leave?"

"No rush, Umiko," Ichin said, glancing at the calendar on his desk. "It's mid-May now. Take your time to prepare. The Shanghai branch is still hiring. I'm thinking you can head out sometime after June. Oh, and before you go—why not visit your family? You haven't been home in a while, right?"

Umiko paused, then nodded. "Yeah, it's been some time. Alright, I'll go back this weekend and let them know."

With three projects kicking off simultaneously, the company was about to dive headfirst into another wave of busy days.

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