Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 786: Core Crisis

Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's mobile game division was now firing on all cylinders.

It remained the smallest team among all the company's development groups—just over 500 people even now.

But they were by far the most energetic.

On one hand, this was a brand-new department filled almost entirely with employees in their early twenties. On the other hand, they all wanted to prove themselves—to show that the mobile game division was just as capable as any other team.

In this kind of atmosphere, development of Candy Fun Match levels progressed rapidly. Takayuki barely needed to monitor it anymore. The team was constantly coming up with new gameplay ideas on their own—pushing the limits of what a match-3 game could be.

Seeing this, Takayuki felt comfortable letting the mobile team experiment freely.

Mobile gaming was still in an early stage of development.

In his previous world, it had seemed like every so often a breakout mobile game would appear, instantly becoming a hit, as if success was guaranteed the moment it was released.

...

...

But in reality, those games only thrived because they appeared at the right moment—built on the groundwork laid by those who came before.

Takayuki still had a few hit titles up his sleeve, but he didn't think the timing was quite right yet. He decided to wait a little longer. Until then, he'd let the mobile team continue doing their thing.

Thanks to Candy Fun Match, the department no longer had to worry about losses.

With mobile temporarily stable, it was time to refocus on the company's main business: home consoles.

Development of the Switch had now entered the chipset negotiation stage.

Gamestar's internal experts had already been in talks with multiple chip manufacturers for a while.

This stage was long and tedious, but Takayuki trusted the team to find the most suitable partner. All he had to do was wait.

Meanwhile, the current-gen GSX console was finally getting a major title: Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.

After extensive buildup and promotion, the game was now launching.

The release date was timed perfectly—late November, during the holiday shopping rush in the U.S.

In Japan, the U.S., and across Europe, long lines had formed on launch day.

Even in a world where digital distribution was becoming more common, many players still preferred to buy physical copies.

Because physical copies felt more "real."

And more importantly, physical games could be resold.

Many gamers without collector's habits would sell their completed games and use the money to buy something new.

As a result, their actual spending on games was quite low.

Video games were still considered one of the most affordable forms of entertainment—sometimes even cheaper than a movie ticket.

A movie lasted a couple of hours at most, but a video game could keep you engaged for days. The amount of content far exceeded any film.

"Aiko, why did we have to line up so early... yawn..."

In front of Gamestar's official store in Akihabara, Tokyo, the familiar trio—Kazumi, Oto-chan, and Aiko—stood somewhere in the middle of a seemingly endless line.

Kazumi couldn't stop yawning.

She'd been dragged out of bed at 5 a.m. by Aiko, who insisted on getting in line for the latest video game release.

Kazumi didn't get it. Why go through the trouble of lining up in person when online shopping was so convenient?

Even physical editions could be ordered online—sure, you'd wait a few more days, but still.

There was no need to be standing in line.

But Aiko insisted.

"Because if you line up here, you can get the development team's autograph. Don't you want an autograph from the Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core dev team?" she said.

Kazumi hesitated. "I mean... yeah, but I'm so sleepy. Couldn't you just come on your own?"

Aiko replied, "Each person can only buy two copies of Crisis Core, and only one autograph per person. So obviously it's more efficient if all three of us come, right?"

Oto-chan chimed in, "Exactly! I've been waiting forever for Crisis Core to release. There's no way I'm missing out on a signed copy! Kazumi, you lazy pig—don't you want a signature too?"

"Of course I do! But... but... wait, did you just call me a lazy pig? You're the lazy pig!"

"Heh, whoever's yawning is the real lazy pig."

"You little—!"

Aiko ignored their bickering and craned her neck to look toward the store entrance.

The doors had finally opened, and people were being let in in an orderly fashion.

In her line of sight, Aiko noticed quite a few older folks.

Some looked to be in their thirties—others maybe even forties or fifties.

Their shiny foreheads gave their ages away easily.

The crowd had a surprisingly high average age.

"Ladies, are you fans of the Final Fantasy VII series as well?"

While Aiko was scanning the area, a middle-aged man—maybe around forty—turned around and asked the group.

Aiko nodded. "Yeah, I love it. The story is amazing. Do you like it too, mister?"

"Of course! This game helped me rediscover the feeling of youth. There was no way I was going to miss this launch."

Aiko glanced around. "I see a lot of older people in line."

The man smiled warmly. "Yup, most of them are like me. Just shows how powerful this series really is."

A soft gleam lit up his eyes as he spoke—he couldn't help but recall the first time he'd played Final Fantasy.

He remembered when Aerith died—it was nighttime.

That morning, he'd overheard people talking at work about "someone dying," and that evening, he hogged the console from his son just to see the scene for himself.

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That memory—the moment Aerith died—left a mark he could never forget, like watching his own youth fade away.

After finishing the game, his wife had lovingly made him a bowl of instant seaweed soup to cheer him up.

He was deeply moved.

The only downside that night was not getting any dinner—probably because his wife had forgotten.

Aiko said, "This game was personally overseen by Takayuki. With him supervising, the quality is guaranteed. That's why Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is going to be amazing too."