Game Developer in the World of Anime

Thanks to a good night's sleep, Rin Toyama skipped the afternoon nap after lunch. Instead, after a cup of tea and a short break, she jumped straight back into work, to tackle some of the more complex art tasks.

Ichin, however, didn't immediately return to his tasks. He decided to spend some time with Utaha first.

Ichin's perspective had started to shift. While work was undoubtedly important—especially with the studio still in its early stages—it wasn't a reason to neglect his significant other.

The two moved to the adjacent lounge area to avoid disturbing the others in the workspace. Snuggled on the couch, they watched videos on a tablet while chatting casually.

After finishing a video, Utaha suddenly said, "Ichin, I've made a decision."

"Oh? What is it?" Ichin turned his head, only to see Utaha grinning proudly.

"I think... I should start learning Chinese."

"Chinese?" Ichin blinked, then nodded as the realization struck him.

It did make sense. If Utaha wanted to truly be a part of his life long-term, learning the language was essential. Ichin himself had no issues with communication, but if Utaha hoped to converse with his parents or relatives, at least basic conversational Chinese would be necessary.

Nodding in agreement, Ichin said, "That's a great idea. Go for it. But you should know—learning Chinese isn't as simple as it might seem. It's definitely more challenging than your school courses. You'll need to prepare yourself mentally."

(T/N: Oh, trust me I know it's not that simple...)

"Don't worry. I've already looked into it and even ordered some learning materials. They just haven't arrived yet," Utaha said confidently, holding onto Ichin's arm. "Plus, I've got you! If there's anything I don't understand, I can just ask, right?"

"Fair point," Ichin chuckled. "Alright then, focus on learning, and I'll correct you if needed."

After wrapping up their discussion about learning Chinese, Utaha began searching for another entertaining video, while Ichin pulled out his phone. He logged onto Bilibili to check the update announcement for Slay the Spire and see the feedback on his post.

The update had gone live at 8 a.m., and it was now 1 p.m. Being a Saturday, many players had already tried out the new character, the Defect Robot, and left comments on Ichin's post.

As expected, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Some players were already sharing strategies and builds they'd discovered for the new character.

After reading through the comments, Ichin felt reassured. Although he hadn't checked the Steam reviews yet, he wasn't worried—the game had no significant bugs, and the optimization was flawless.

"At this pace, the next update should go smoothly too," he thought.

Utaha, having found a video, glanced at Ichin's phone screen and asked with a smile, "Now that I think about it, I forgot to ask—how are your game sales doing, Ichin?"

"We're nearing 450,000 copies sold. I checked last night," Ichin replied, unable to suppress a grin. "With today's major update, I think many of the players who were on the fence will decide to buy it. After all, I've already shared the development roadmap. Once the next two major updates are done, the game will officially leave early access, and the price will go up a bit."

Though the price increase would be modest, most gamers preferred to save where they could. With Slay the Spire nearing a month since release and its glowing reviews, anyone still interested would likely make their purchase soon.

"Close to 450,000?" Utaha was thrilled to hear this. "Keep up the good work!"

"Of course."

After watching another video and enjoying some affectionate time together on the couch, the two returned to the workspace. Ichin opened Steam to read the store reviews, while Utaha searched for Chinese learning video tutorials, intending to get a head start before her books arrived.

As expected, the Steam reviews were overwhelmingly positive. None of the new comments mentioned optimization issues or bugs, which reassured Ichin. Satisfied, he closed Steam and prepared to dive into work.

Then he remembered he had left the Bilibili app running on his phone. Picking it up, he decided to close the app. After exiting his post, he habitually scrolled through the recommended videos and stumbled upon one that caught his attention.

Pausing for a moment, Ichin clicked on it. After watching for a bit, an idea began forming in his mind.

Fall Guys.

It seemed this game didn't exist in this world. If not for coming across a video of a TV obstacle course show, he might have completely overlooked this once wildly popular game.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a multiplayer obstacle course game. The premise involves a large group of players competing through a series of wacky challenges, controlling their jellybean-like characters to race to the finish line or sabotage others. Players face elimination in each round until one emerges victorious.

The game drew its inspiration from TV obstacle course shows, which have a timeless appeal, whether in domestic or international formats.

At its core, Fall Guys is a battle royale game. However, instead of combat, the gameplay revolves around comedic and chaotic obstacle courses. Players' only "weapons" are their characters and the various in-game mechanics.

Upon its release, Fall Guys became an instant sensation. It brought the thrill of obstacle course shows to the gaming world, allowing everyone to participate rather than just watch.

However, like other battle royale games, Fall Guys faced challenges such as hacking issues and a decline in player interest over time. Additionally, Ichin recalled that during the game's initial surge in popularity, its development team struggled to release timely updates, largely because no one had anticipated its sudden success.

Rubbing his chin, Ichin began evaluating the feasibility of creating a game like Fall Guys.

The game was developed using Unity, so the engine wouldn't be an issue. Its core components were the diverse obstacle courses and the unique appearances of the jellybean characters—features that weren't particularly complex to develop.

However, one critical aspect stood out: the server infrastructure for a battle royale-style game.

For a game like Fall Guys, where 60 players compete in a single match, server stability is paramount. This was an area Ichin had never delved into before.

Similarly, another idea he had previously considered, Apex Legends, would also require a robust server setup to support a large number of simultaneous players. Without stable servers, the game would crash under the load, ruining the experience.

"Hmm, let's jot down this Fall Guys idea for now," Ichin thought. "I'll shelve it until I've researched online multiplayer systems more thoroughly. Then I'll revisit the idea."

...

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