BattleBlock Theater was already confird for a full multi-platform release. Even Sony's platform had been settled—Hazuki had handled all the negotiations.
The ga's scale and hardware requirents weren't demanding. On every current-gen console, running it smoothly at 60 FPS was practically guaranteed.
As for _Dark Souls_, Ichin was also considering bringing it to consoles.
But porting _Dark Souls_ to the Nintendo Switch—that was a much bigger challenge.
After all, the Switch's hardware really wasn't that strong, and the version of _Dark Souls_ he was currently developing had graphics far superior to what he rembered. Even if it could be ported over, the in-ga visuals and special effects would have to be heavily cut.
Especially the particle effects for large bosses' attacks—like the Abyss Watchers, the Twin Princes, the Vordt of the Boreal Valley, the Dancer… Any one of them, if not stripped of most of their battle effects, would tank the frarate until it was unplayable.
In Ichin's eyes, even stabilizing it at 30 FPS would be extrely difficult.
And he really didn't want the end result to look like the Switch port of _The Witcher 3_—where everything was downgraded so much it barely resembled the original. If it ca to that, he'd rather not put _Dark Souls_ on the Switch at all.
"Sigh… what a headache."
Sitting in a library chair, arms folded, Ichin let out a quiet sigh.
Beside him, Utaha, who was reading, heard and bumped his shoulder lightly.
"Hey, what's wrong, Ichin?"
"Nothing much. Just thinking about how tough it'd be to bring _Dark Souls_ to the Switch, and whether it's worth it at all."
"Ah, that."
Hearing his troubles, Utaha couldn't think of a good solution either. After all, the Switch's hardware limitations were obvious. _Breath of the Wild_ might look great at a glance, but even that had gone through tons of trade-offs—and still only ran at 30 FPS.
If it were on another platform, its graphics and frarate would've leapt to another level entirely. But there was no changing that.
So… should they release on Switch or not?
Ichin genuinely couldn't decide.
In his mories, _Dark Souls Remastered_ did make it onto the Switch—but that was thanks to its age, and the fact it only needed to target 30 FPS. That was doable with enough optimization.
But for the _Dark Souls_ he was making now? Even the best optimization studio would likely struggle.
Shaking his head, Ichin muttered, "For now, let's just keep developing as planned—focus on PC and Xbox…"
Seeing his conflicted expression, Utaha gently took his hand and smiled.
"Alright, don't dwell on it. When the boat reaches the bridge, it'll straighten itself out. With your brains, Ichin, you'll figure sothing out in the end."
Her words made him laugh. He pinched her cheek softly.
"You really know how to flatter . I'm not omnipotent, I can't do everything. But you're right—worrying about it here won't change anything. No more brooding!"
Their playful exchange caught the eyes of nearby students studying in the library.
Three months into their ti at Todai, Ichin and Utaha had gradually beco well-known. Utaha's secret as Author hadn't been exposed yet, but her talent in the literature departnt had already earned her plenty of recognition.
And Ichin? No need to ntion it—hardly any young people didn't play gas, and it didn't take long for most students to discover who he was.
Their relationship was even labeled by classmates as "the most enviable couple on campus."
---
By 4 PM, with plenty of eyes on them, Ichin and Utaha walked hand in hand to the parking lot, got in the car, and drove off toward the company.
"Crazy, isn't it? He's not even 20 yet, and already runs such a massive ga company. Do you know how much his assets are worth now?"
"If you go by dia estimates of ga sales and company valuation, easily three to four hundred billion yen."
"That much?!"
"I'm studying economics—I even asked my professor. We calculated it together, and honestly, that's a conservative number! Just _Persona_ alone has already sold around 8 million copies!"
These discussions among students never reached Ichin's ears. He never bothered with valuation reports. He had no plans to sell his company, nor was he looking for extra investors.
The company was running smoothly. Revenue from _Persona_'s launch was more than enough to support operations and the developnt of future projects.
Driving into the company lot, Ichin spotted not only Eriri—who ca over after class to help with developnt—but also soone he hadn't seen in days: Haruno.
"Hellooo~~ Ichin, Utaha! Big sis is here to hang out!"
Dressed in stylish fashion, Haruno leaned casually against Yagami Kou's desk, looking dazzling as ever. Even after being surrounded by Utaha and the many beautiful won in the company, Ichin still found himself struck by Haruno's radiance every ti.
As the Yukinoshita family's eldest daughter, Haruno carried an aura honed since childhood. With her natural beauty and excellent sense of style, she was a woman who simply couldn't be outshined.
Her sister Yukino might edge her out in pure looks, but Yukino didn't care for makeup or fashion, and without Haruno's ever-present smile, she gave off a less striking impression.
And then, there was the matter of figure.
Haruno's body surpassed even so gravure idols, while Yukino's nickna "Flat-nose" wasn't given without reason.
"Haruno, what brings you here today?"
"Not busy." Haruno grinned. "The family company's projects don't need right now, and I've stepped down from student council this sester, so I've got way more free ti. After class I thought I'd drop by, and later I'll grab dinner with little Yukino."
Following Ichin into his office, Haruno settled comfortably onto the sofa.
"So, how's developnt going lately? You've got two teams here, plus one in Shanghai, right?"
"Don't worry, everything's on track."
After asking Utaha to fetch so coffee, Ichin smiled.
"BattleBlock Theater's demo is done, and the results are very promising. We've already finalized its full multi-platform release. As for the company's future direction, it'll stay similar to now: small but polished titles, large-scale single-player gas, and online multiplayer projects as the three main pillars."
***
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