Game Developer in the World of Anime

Hearing her son express interest in learning how to cook braised pork, Ichin's mother immediately knew that this moment was bound to come.

Studying abroad alone, how could he not miss the taste of home-cooked meals?

With a cheerful demeanor, Ichin's mom agreed and started teaching her son how to make the dish. Ichin already had some basic cooking skills, so he picked it up fairly quickly.

As she watched him stir-fry the pork belly, Ichin's mom casually asked, "So, how are things with that girl next door?"

"Uh..."

The motion of stirring the meat paused briefly as Ichin sighed helplessly. "Mom, since when did you become so nosy?"

"I'm just showing concern for my son. Is that so wrong?"

She shot a glare at Ichin and added with a hint of exasperation, "After your dad convinced me, I've come to accept the situation. You've got great grades, and you're already earning money, so this is the only area where I can have any expectations now."

Fair enough. If Ichin hadn't gone abroad, this topic wouldn't even come up. In a typical Chinese high school, early romance is nearly impossible—it's extremely difficult.

Most kids wouldn't "unlock" the possibility of romance until they got to college.

But Ichin, having already achieved many of life's typical goals, left his mother with only one major question: what kind of girlfriend would her son eventually have?

Facing his mother's expectant gaze, Ichin sighed and replied, "It's fine, Mom. Please stop asking so many questions."

Ichin's mother squinted slightly, clearly suspecting that her son wasn't being entirely honest.

But she wasn't in a rush. Didn't he say he wouldn't come home during the summer vacation? Well, when she visited him instead, she'd find out everything.

Though, before visiting, she'd probably need to take a crash course in Japanese.

With this thought in mind, Ichin's mother decided to sign up for a short-term language class.

Under his mom's guidance, Ichin successfully learned how to cook braised pork. After tasting it, he nodded in satisfaction. "It's a little mild, but still pretty good."

Seeing her son's progress, Ichin's mom beamed with pride. "You're a quick learner, Ichin. I won't keep you. Go prepare the rest of your meal and enjoy dinner."

After ending the video call, Ichin prepared one more dish and enjoyed a hearty, satisfying meal.

Following dinner, he took a short break, showered, and quickly completed his school assignments. Then, he started planning his next steps.

"Hmm... Slay the Spire is already released. If everything goes well, it should transition to the full version within two to three months. As for Hollow Knight, the goal is to finish development by the end of the year. That gives us about eight months. With the current team, it should be doable. If we're running short on time, a slight delay won't hurt. Quality is the priority. After Hollow Knight comes... Dead Cells."

At the thought of Dead Cells, Ichin hesitated. Should he develop it or not?

As a pixel-art rogue-lite action game, Dead Cells was incredibly fast-paced and exciting to play—one of Ichin's personal favorites.

Ichin wasn't entirely satisfied with focusing solely on smaller-scale games.

"Maybe I'll put Dead Cells on hold for now," he mused. "Let's see what other games don't exist in this world."

Opening his browser, Ichin began meticulously searching. Before long, he discovered a game series absent from this world: The Tales Series.

This series, which could be considered a classic IP, originally debuted with Tales of Phantasia on the Super Famicom. From there, it evolved into a beloved franchise.

It was one of Ichin's personal favorites, excelling in character design, combat systems, and music. However, as the gaming industry progressed, the series had gradually stagnated. Like many Japanese developers, the franchise relied on past successes and struggled to innovate, with graphics and production values often failing to meet modern standards.

While other studios moved toward 3D open-world formats, some Japanese developers remained stuck in 2D or early 3D aesthetics. Even when they ventured into 3D, the quality of the models was subpar—let alone fan-service-heavy adaptations of light novels or anime.

The Tales Series, huh..." Ichin tapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "Remastering the older entries into a modern style is an option, but it'd require significant optimization and adjustments to the content. If I were to start now, Tales of Berseria and Tales of Arise would be the most suitable choices. Their gameplay style aligns well with the team's experience."

He pondered further, "If both are developed consecutively, the combat systems shouldn't differ too much. The visuals should follow Tales of Arise's watercolor-like full-3D style.

"As for the battle transitions, they don't need much change. While direct combat on the overworld map is an option, it's not strictly necessary. As long as loading speeds are minimized, it'll be fine. Lastly, the plots of both games have flaws that need refining, so I'll need to address those carefully."

Ichin opened a document and jotted down Tales of Arise and Tales of Berseria in his notes.

Having committed to creating a proper version of the Tales series in the future, Ichin resumed his search.

Dark Souls isn't here, and neither is Bloodborne. These are strong candidates. The Ori series is also absent—it would be an excellent follow-up to Hollow Knight. Its art style should be well-received by everyone."

Then Ichin paused, his eyes widening in surprise. "Wait a second... Is there really no Persona series here?"

After an extensive search, he confirmed the absence of Persona.

"Wow, that's fantastic. There are so few big-budget turn-based games these days. For Persona, P4 and P5 would both be worth making. While the original Shin Megami Tensei series is also good, it might not resonate with modern audiences. Eh, I'll just note them all down anyway."

Satisfied, Ichin leaned back in his chair and stretched.

"That's a lot of games. If I could develop them all one by one, the feeling would be incredible! But with the current team, it's nowhere near enough. If we move forward with something like Ori, it's doable. But for Dark Souls, Tales, or Persona, the studio's capabilities need a significant upgrade."

Rubbing his chin, Ichin resisted the urge to expand the studio just yet.

"Let's focus on what's in front of us first. No need to aim too high too soon."

He brightened at another thought. "For now, I can at least sketch some game concepts to indulge myself a little."

Plugging in his drawing tablet, Ichin eagerly began sketching.

"Which one should I start with?" he murmured.

After a moment of consideration, he decided.

"Alright, let's start with Persona 5. I'll begin by drawing the main characters."

...

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