Game Developer in the World of Anime Chapter 440: Fun Is What Matters Most

Although they were technically competitors, there wasn't any direct conflict of interest between them, so Ichin didn't mind sharing his own thoughts on ga developnt with Akane Kosaka.

"Honestly, the genre or the doesn't matter—whether it's an RPG, an action ga, a card ga, or even a racing ga. For , there's only one thing that truly matters: fun. If it's fun, then it's worth developing."

"Fun is the only thing that matters?"

"Isn't it?" Ichin leaned back on the sofa, shrugging. "Gas are ant to be played. The reason I want to make gas is because I want to make fun gas, so that everyone can enjoy them. Making money is just the natural result of creating sothing fun. Think about it—players feel a sense of accomplishnt when they beat a level. For , I get satisfaction when I release a fun ga, sell copies, and make money. In the end, it's basically the sa thing."

The corners of Kosaka's lips lifted. "Fun being the most important thing… your philosophy reminds of Nintendo."

"Because that's the essence of gas, isn't it?" Ichin chuckled. "I can't call myself a die-hard Nintendo fan, but I really do love their gas. The very first ga I played as a kid, apart from Tetris, was Super Mario Bros. on the Famicom. Back then I was awful at it—I'd die multiple tis just trying to clear 1-1, and for years I never actually beat the ga. But it was fun. Even today, I'd still find it fun. That's what a good ga should be.

"There are so many different ways to make a ga fun—whether it's the adrenaline of a shooter, the tricky platforming in a jump-based ga, or the visceral impact of a fighting ga. These are things players can feel directly. You know imdiately if it's fun or not.

"Of course, technology has advanced. Graphics have evolved from pixelated 2D to realistic 3D, and they keep improving. But I don't think graphics should be the end-all. No matter how gorgeous a ga looks, if the core gaplay isn't fun, then it's not a good ga."

As he spoke, Ichin couldn't help but think of Ubisoft. Their gas were still solid overall, but they often ended up feeling repetitive—like "Ubisoft open-world formula" in a can. Still, there was no denying that among the major publishers, Ubisoft was still near the top. If they could just shift their design philosophy and innovate on gaplay, they could definitely go further. The only question was when they'd actually make that change.

Shaking his head, Ichin pushed Ubisoft out of his mind and looked back at Kosaka. "I don't know what made you decide to formally step into the ga industry, but since you've done so, I naturally hope my peers will also make fun, interesting gas. You've already proven you can write bestselling novels, which ans you're never short of good ideas. What matters is figuring out how to make those ideas fun in ga form and keep players engaged."

Finishing his words, he took the last sip of coffee from his cup.

Kosaka sat in thought for a while before clarity dawned on her. Ichin's words resonated deeply with her. After all, when she wrote novels, her approach had been the sa—if readers found her stories interesting, they would naturally spread and succeed.

But when she first started developing gas, she had chased after what the big companies were doing—giant open-worlds—taking steps that were far too ambitious. The final product had been decent, but for soone as perfectionist as Kosaka, it was barely a seventy out of a hundred. In so places, even worse.

Taking a bite of cake, she exhaled lightly. "Looks like I really ca to the right place today. My company is working on two gas right now, but after seeing your success, I kept obsessing over how to make a big hit—when really, I was overlooking the most important thing: gas should be fun. If a ga is fun, people will discover it naturally. And since I already have plenty of promotional resources, as long as the ga itself is fun, I can always get it exposure. The two will feed into each other, and sales won't be a problem. Ichin-kun, thank you—you saved from overthinking myself into a corner."

Ichin smiled. "It's nothing. Just sharing my own thoughts. If it helps you, all the better."

With the serious talk over, Kosaka relaxed and glanced around the office. "By the way, is Kasumigaoka not here? I didn't see her on my way in."

"Utaha? She's with the Fall Guys team. You know the ga is launching next month, right? She really likes it and went over to pick out so skins so she can grind them out right after release."

"Oh! Is that so?" Kosaka's interest piqued. "Can I go see? I really like Fall Guys too!"

"Of course. I'll take you."

After leading her to the Fall Guys developnt team, Ichin left her in Utaha and Hazuki's care while he himself headed over to the Dark Souls art team to check in with Kou Yagami on their progress.

Kosaka genuinely was fascinated by Fall Guys and stayed until past five before finally taking her leave.

After seeing her off, Ichin returned to his office with Utaha.

This ti he didn't go back to work. Instead, he sat on the sofa with her, letting her cling to his arm.

"Who would've thought?" Utaha murmured, leaning against him. "Akane Kosaka actually ca here… was she asking for your advice?"

Ichin nodded. "Yeah. She probably felt a bit lost after seeing how quickly our gas co out and how well they do. Can't bla her. Honestly, we're just too strong. Not just her—Hazuki told several other well-known studios are also scratching their heads at our efficiency."

"Our pace really is outrageous," Utaha agreed. "It's not that the developers at those big studios aren't skilled. More likely, it cos down to planning and project managent stretching out the developnt cycles."

Project managent… yes, that was a huge factor.

And that was sothing their company had always excelled at—breaking down every part of a project's design and organizing it clearly. That was how they could maintain such efficiency.

*

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