Game Developer in the World of Anime

Signing contracts wasn't something that could be done on the spot. Ichin hadn't prepared anything in advance, but he quickly stepped outside to make a phone call. He contacted his dad's friend, who helped arrange everything, and a lawyer would come by tomorrow to draft the contracts.

The company registration process was also proceeding smoothly. Ichin had provided all the necessary documents, and with some connections, it would be completed by the afternoon.

Upon hearing that the contracts would be ready for signing the next day, everyone was visibly excited—they wouldn't be unemployed much longer.

Seeing their reactions, Ichin felt great as well. "Alright, now that we're all partners, let's move on to discussing the new game. Miss Hazuki, does this place have a projector?"

"Yes, it does. I'll go get it for you."

"Thanks."

As Hazuki left to fetch the projector, Ichin opened his laptop bag and took out his PC along with a stack of documents, distributing them to everyone.

"All the details are here. Please have a look. Each set contains information on two games, but I'll start with the first one: Hollow Knight."

As they flipped through the documents, everyone saw a unique cover design. It depicted a small figure with an odd white head adorned with two little horns, wearing a tattered cloak and holding a slender spear. The figure stood on a cliff, with blurry, insect-like carapace structures in the background.

At the top of the cover was the title: Hollow Knight.

"Hollow Knight? The character design is quite unique. It looks simple, but oddly cute," someone remarked.

Just then, Hazuki returned with a projector. After setting it up, she placed it on the table and said, "Okay, I'm not part of your studio yet, so I won't join your meeting. I'll go chat with my friend."

With that, she left the room.

Watching Hazuki leave, Ichin didn't try to stop her. After all, she had mentioned wanting to rest for a while, and she would most likely join them later. When that time came, she could participate in the development as well.

Ichin connected his laptop to the projector and displayed his design documents on the large screen.

"Hollow Knight is the name of my new game. The synopsis of the game's world is on the paper, and the character on the cover is the protagonist. This game belongs to the Metroidvania genre of 2D action games."

Hearing this, Kō Yagami looked up, intrigued. "Metroidvania? You're referencing Castlevania and Metroid, right? Hmm… A side-scrolling exploration action game. It's been a while since someone tackled this genre. Interesting."

The group quickly went through the world-building and storyline summaries and became quite intrigued by the game concept.

Ichin then started explaining the game mechanics, character designs, and other essential aspects.

Despite Aoba Suzukaze only having worked for a year and still being relatively new, everyone else in the room was quite experienced.

Notably, Kō Yagami, Rin Toyama, Hifumi Takimoto, and Umiko Ahagon were all seasoned developers. It didn't take long for them to grasp the scale of Ichin's ambition with this game.

Finally, Hifumi Takimoto, who had been quiet up until now, raised her hand and asked softly, "Um, in this type of game, isn't the map really important?"

"Absolutely, the map is crucial to the game," Ichin replied, pressing a key on his keyboard. The screen displayed an expansive, detailed map.

"That concludes the initial map design. Of course, this is just a rough draft with nothing inside yet. It still needs all of you on the art team to fill in, along with creating interesting enemies, puzzles, and mechanics to enrich the gameplay. Naturally, I'll be involved in this process as well," Ichin explained.

He then showcased several concept sketches of monsters and bosses. After looking at them, Hajime Shinoda, the short-haired girl, eagerly said, "These creatures look so unique! Completely different from our previous games. What about their movements? How do you plan to design the monsters' actions?"

"With the aim of conveying the challenges of exploring an underground world, we must carefully design the monsters' movement modules," Ichin said, smiling kindly. "We'll give players a bit of space to dodge, but there will also be some traps to induce errors. Games that are too simple and easy don't leave a lasting impression on players."

"I have a question," Umiko raised her hand, her expression calm. "For programming, is it just the two of us?"

"That's correct, for now, it's just the two of us," Ichin confirmed with a nod. "But don't worry. Once development begins, I'll focus primarily on programming. We have enough people on the art side, and with Yagami-senpai here, I'm confident."

"Oh-ho, trusting me this much, huh? Guess I can't slack off!" Yagami clenched her fists, looking fired up.

For lunch, the group headed to a nearby restaurant, where Ichin treated everyone to a meal. During this time, he got to know his future studio teammates better.

Kō Yagami and Rin Toyama were not only colleagues but also the same age and had joined the industry at the same time. They were clearly close friends, with Toyama constantly looking out for Yagami like she couldn't trust her to manage on her own.

Hajime Shinoda was a short-haired, lively girl with a bright personality who loved collecting all kinds of figures and merchandise. Most of her previous monthly salary had gone towards her hobby.

Yun Iijima, a petite girl with short blond hair, looked quite young, but she was actually the same age as Hajime Shinoda, both being 21. She seemed a bit tsundere, but unexpectedly loved drawing monsters.

Umiko Ahagon, from Okinawa, was a huge fan of survival and shooting games. She often appeared indifferent, but it seemed like she was easily flustered by Yagami's words.

Hifumi Takimoto was the most beautiful among them but was quite timid and seemed socially anxious. She rarely spoke, and when she did, her voice was very soft. She was close to Aoba Suzukaze.

Lastly, there was Aoba Suzukaze. She joined Eagle Jump straight after high school and was only 19, making her two years older than Ichin and Utaha. Despite her young age, she was quite skilled in art and could even handle some 3D work, indicating a promising future. However, she did look very much like a middle school student.

Ichin hadn't expected that everyone would be female. He initially thought he'd have to recruit fresh graduates from universities and train them to fit in gradually.

But with how things were shaping up, the release of his new game might come sooner than he anticipated.

While eating, Ichin addressed everyone, "By the way, I'll be checking out the office location this afternoon, and then we can start setting up the studio. I was thinking of leaving two of the bedrooms free to serve as resting rooms. How does that sound?"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Yagami immediately approved. "That way, if I have to work overtime, I won't have to sleep on the floor!"

"Senpai, I never said you had to work overtime," Ichin sighed internally. Don't be so eager about it, please.

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