Isekai Online Game Developer

The first tournament hosted by the Empire came to an end after a series of ups and downs.

As someone familiar with modern tournaments, I felt quite disappointed.

“Many people enjoyed it, but… there’s definitely something lacking,” Leo said with a bitter expression.

I was watching the closing ceremony from the VIP seats alongside the royals and other key figures.

It seemed that everyone shared a bit of that disappointment.

“There were so many people wanting to participate, it was hard to establish a proper structure. But I’m sure it will be better going forward.”

“I appreciate that, Sir Riot. It would have been amazing if Zebit had come…”

Hey now, is that what you’re disappointed about?

Before the tournament, Leo had mostly skipped work and just played games.

For some reason, this time he was working like a maniac again.

“I think next year will be better. I’ll provide some advice, and research at the Academy is also progressing actively.”

Thinking about modern tournaments, I figured it would be helpful to offer some advice.

Firstly, this time there were far too many participating teams from various regions, and we lacked proper criteria to organize them.

“It might be best for only representative teams from each country or qualified factions to participate in the royal tournament. Before that, each country can hold preliminaries.”

“That’s a really good idea, Riot.”

The Emperor nodded in agreement.

Still, it seemed he enjoyed this tournament enough himself.

“Well, now that this year’s over, it looks like everyone still had fun.”

No need to talk about work right now.

I gazed down at the stage and the audience, which was a whirlwind of excitement.

Even though it was the first tournament, there were plenty of exhilarating moments.

Users with star power showcased their skills without any limits.

Among them, there was one user who was particularly noteworthy; someone with an overwhelming presence even before and during the tournament.

– Now, I’d like to announce the MVP of this tournament!!!

The legendary mid-laner who had dominated from the very beginning of COL.

Once he was named MVP, his already-established fanbase erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

“At that level, it’s almost like a cult,” I remarked.

“Well, it fits,” Leo said.

It was like worship rather than mere support, as Leo mimicked the fans’ actions.

I was no different. Damn it… I had to worship him too.

By the way, winning here without even entering the Academy is something else.

If he’d been a student of the Academy, there would be restrictions on participation and team formation.

It was quite legendary and a bold choice to make.

I was looking forward to his future endeavors.

*

“Hohoho! It seems we’ll have to wait for that a bit. As you know, that child has been invited to teach at the Academy as well.”

“Please, just one request. My child, only 16, has already hit Diamond. With your guidance, he could grow even more.”

Countess Logos’ shoulders had lifted several times higher than last year.

The reason was Dennyan winning the first COL tournament as well as being invited to teach at the Academy.

Initially, she was dissatisfied when he said he wouldn’t enter the I-SPORTS major.

But now that Dennyan had proven himself with results, she couldn’t complain anymore.

Rather, she was just bragging about her son to high society.

Thanks to Dennyan, the Countess had become a superstar in social circles.

And at the same time, there was Dennyan.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dennyan, in charge of the ‘Real COL Strategy’ lecture.”

– Waahhhh!

He began his first lecture as a professor to tremendous applause.

His classes were so popular that they burst open enrollment day.

There were even other majors trying to sign up just to attend his class.

Even with an increase in students from the initial plan, the lecture hall was packed full, even exceeding the number of illegal auditors.

“Professor! How can I become good at COL like you?”

Before class even began, one student asked.

“I see. To be good at COL…”

Everyone held their breath, eager to hear his words.

“Train your reflexes every day. Always analyze the meta and study various champion counters.”

This is how the jungle should be, and mid should go like this…

The expectations of the students, who thought they were going to hear such replies, crumbled as Dennyan opened his mouth.

“Read books.”

““???””

“Work out every day and go to sleep on time. If you see trash while walking, pick it up, and have a mindset that believes in yourself and moves forward.”

None of those things were related to the game at all.

One of the confused students asked again.

“What does picking up trash have to do with being good at COL?”

“If you don’t have good stamina, you can’t show a solid performance in COL. Without accumulating culture and knowledge, you’ll struggle to adapt to any meta. The meta is a world of its own. COL is a result. The fundamentals never change.”

“So then, what’s the deal with picking up trash?”

“That’s similar to picking up good fortune that others have discarded.

Ahh…!

Students were astonished beyond just admiration.

Even with many COL challengers, his unparalleled respect stemmed from such reasons.

“He’s… a god…”

After that, recommendations for 100 must-read books and following daily routines started trending.

*

“The more games thrive, the more strange complaints seem to arise.”

I said, skimming through complaints and reports coming from each game.

“Ugh… I’m so tired…”

Next to me was Hina, who had come back after her lecture and was now melting into exhaustion.

She seemed to be ignoring my words, likely because she was too tired.

In fact, I typically let her take it easy on days she attends the Academy.

But recently, there had been so many related issues that she was helping out.

“I want to keep watching games, but it’s hard to do so. Why are you suddenly writing worship posts again?”

“There are even talks about how sad it is not being able to watch Zebit play…”

With the advancement of games and the emergence of renowned users like “Empire’s Light,” their interest grew, and fans began to take form.

Naturally, more people wanted to see them more often.

“That’s right. There’s just no information delivery medium other than newspapers…”

It was something that could be seen as a natural phenomenon.

While the history of games evolved with the advent of the internet in modern times, right now, they were simply making games with fantasy magic.

Moreover, after the introduction of the I-SPORTS major, the development of games skyrocketed.

“I can’t help it… The next update might take a bit longer.”

I had been thinking I needed to do it at some point.

But now I felt I really had to make it happen.

“Next game, Rai?”

“No, I’m going to create something even more amazing. I’ll be busy for a while, so everyone do well managing the servers.”

At my words, Rain tilted her head.

Better to show than to tell.

This required more effort than just making a game.

Everyone would have their own streaming sources, and viewers could access the broadcasts they wanted to watch.

Unlike before, where everyone just shared fantasy through a main server, creating this system would require a more complex framework.

It would take a lot of work, but I felt confident I could handle it with my current skills.

“Don’t come looking for me unless it’s something major. I’ll be diving into big development.”

I was thinking of creating a streaming service.

*

I had been pondering names for this artifact between two options.

Either ‘America TV’ or ‘Twatch.’

I was thinking of two streaming services famous in modern times. In the end, I decided on the latter.

Since it had fallen in modern times, the meaning was to regain glory here.

And since I was planning to create a service focused on gaming, this felt more fitting.

“This… would be better to make like ‘Auto Chess’ rather than implementing it into fantasy-realism.”

A streaming service, in modern terms, is akin to internet broadcasting.

Personal streamers would broadcast games and interact with viewers.

I envisioned viewers being able to watch broadcasted content through a fantasy screen created in the air, just like ‘Auto Chess.’

And I needed to make a separate artifact for the streamers.

First, an artifact that allows them to connect and share their gameplay to the Twatch server; it would work like an existing artifact. (The videos shared that way will be broadcasted to each viewer’s artifact from the main server.)

Moreover, I would also need an artifact capable of broadcasting the streamers’ personal appearances.

Thus, I’d require an artifact that records, conveys, and shares videos in real-time.

This part would need the help of the Light Tower to implement light magic.

Fortunately, they gladly agreed to help.

“So, once this is completed, it means we’ll be able to see Zebit anywhere…!”

“If Zebit is planning to stream, then… that will be the case.”

“Whoooa!!”

The thought of being able to watch gameplay from someone like Zebit immediately got a yes.

Of course, whether Rikal will do it is another question.

I was planning to set the internal system somewhat similar to the modern one.

Such as searching for broadcasts from a list, getting notifications when a streamer starts, and enabling communication through chat.

After much deliberation, I decided to include a donation feature.

The original reason for creating the streaming service was to make it easy to watch famous people’s gameplay.

And people like Zebit probably wouldn’t care about donations much.

But if it was just that, streamers would lose the fun in broadcasting.

The purpose wasn’t solely money, but for communication and the enjoyment it brings.

“Development… seems to be about done.”

So after months of focusing on development.

The artifact felt like it was finally complete.

“Then shall we scout some streamers to attract attention at the beginning?”

I reached out to several famous users.

I asked if they could dedicate even a little time for promotional broadcasting.

Having finished preparations down to the initial streamers,

Twatch was unveiled to the world.