Tokyo Video Game Tycoon.

Tian Chong, an editor at the newspaper, was one of the many people queuing up.

This time, it wasn't his son, Oda, who asked him to come and buy the game; he came on his own initiative.

In fact, he has always had a dream in his heart.

That is to become a baseball player.

He was influenced by baseball from a young age, and by junior high school he was already a key player in the school's baseball team.

At that time, based on his baseball performance at school, he was almost ready to be selected as a professional baseball player.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, he suffered an accident shortly after passing the selection process, injuring his knee and leaving him with permanent sequelae.

He thus missed out on becoming a professional baseball player.

This became a lifelong regret for him.

Even now, he still occasionally reminisces about the past.

But as I grew up and had children, this became a completely forgotten memory.

His mind would probably have calmed down completely over time, and he would no longer have any thoughts about baseball.

However, when he saw the advertisements for the Super Baseball Tournament posted on the street, his heart, which had been at peace for many years, was stirred once again.

In the game, become a professional baseball player, fight your way through the baseball league, and win the highest national honor.

You may have had regrets, you may have dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player.

'Then the Super Baseball Tournament will fulfill your wish, giving you the chance to become a professional baseball player in a video game!'

'Give you a baseball player's dream'

It can be said that this advertising slogan struck a chord with his long-buried memories.

My fond memories of baseball have been rekindled.

Therefore, he was determined to buy the Super Series no matter what.

Among those queuing, there were quite a few who shared the same feelings as Wada Oki.

Experiencing professional baseball in a game might be a stretch, but it's still enough to make people willing to open their wallets and buy it.

And it wasn't even that expensive to begin with.

You can buy the game without spending the money you would have spent on alcohol, which is a great deal.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the shop doors slowly opened, and the people in line immediately stirred; they couldn't wait any longer.

We must buy the Super Baseball Series ticket as soon as possible.

Tian Chong felt the same way at this moment.

He looked intently towards the shop entrance, and then, with his sharp eyes, he spotted a familiar figure.

Oda Oki, his son.

His son was closer to the front of the line than he was!

What's going on? Aren't you supposed to be at school today?

He suddenly remembered that Xiaotian Chong had gotten up much earlier than usual today, and had even run out to go to school without eating breakfast.

So you came here in advance to buy the game?

You little brat! I'll give you a good spanking when we get home!

But then again, this brat lined up even earlier than me, so he got to buy the game before me.

So he immediately stepped out of the group and came to Xiaotianchong's side.

"You brat, how dare you skip class!"

Tian Chong looked furious.

Xiao Tianchong, who was staring intently at the queue in front of him, suddenly jolted and turned around in horror to find that it was his father.

"Dad... Dad?! What are you doing here?!"

"I... of course I noticed you were acting strange today, so I followed you. I didn't expect you to skip class!"

Oda was devastated, never expecting to run into his father here.

I should have gone further away and queued at another sales location.

But at the time, he thought that if he went further, he would probably have to wait in a longer line. He never expected to run into his father here. It was incredibly unlucky!

"Dad...please let me explain, today..."

"I'll deal with you when we get back. For now, you stay here and wait in line, then buy your things and come home with me!"

Oda Oki: "???"

He almost thought he had misheard.

Chapter 54 New Project Plan

At Aya's home, she dressed lightly as usual. Only at home did she feel safe and able to wear less clothing.

She simply squatted on the chair, her eyes glued to the pages, scrolling through all the posts related to video games and the Super Baseball League.

This was her first time participating in game development, and she was still very nervous on the release date, hoping to see positive reviews for the game online.

However, for a whole day after its release, the internet seemed calm, as if the game had never been released at all.

On a certain forum, the game console section, which was created to capitalize on the popularity of game consoles, was unusually quiet today.

Where did everyone go?

Could it be... that they all went to buy the latest games?

Aya Tsukino thought to herself, but she couldn't quite believe it.

If so many people are willing to buy online, then perhaps even more people who don't use the internet will buy?

No way, this game isn't that fun.

Aya Tsukino isn't the target audience for sports games, but making games and experiencing games are two different things.

She enjoys the moment when the game is created and runs successfully, which represents a world being created in her field.

It's like the Creator.

This is more interesting than the game itself.

She shared the same nervousness as the dozens of employees who worked on the game's development.

Throughout their entire workday, they would constantly inquire about the sales process of various stores.

When they hear that there are many people in line, they breathe a sigh of relief, but then they start to worry about whether the quality of the game itself is up to par.

When Zhu Youxing arrived at the company, he found the nervous look on everyone's face quite amusing.

"Everyone."

Zhu Youxing stood in front of the desk on the second floor and clapped his hands to get the programmers' attention.

“I know what you’re worried about right now, but what I’m trying to say is that a game’s popularity can’t always be judged solely by its initial release.”

Everyone looked up, staring at Zhu Youxing with a puzzled expression.

What should we look at if not the initial release of the game?

"Just like a brand new TV series or a brand new product, it may not be popular at first. It also needs word of mouth to spread. Sometimes you put in the effort but you may not actually get a return."

"Game development also involves a lot of uncertainty; sometimes, games become popular for no apparent reason."

"Did you find the game fun while you were playing?"

Everyone nodded.

They genuinely enjoyed the game.

"That's enough. Just like a work of art, games are also a kind of art. I would call it the ninth art. And art, first and foremost, must move itself before it can move others."

"If you can move yourself enough, then you've already succeeded halfway."

"Then, boss, what about the other half?" a programmer asked loudly.

"As for the other half, that depends on the players. No one can control that, but remember one thing: respecting the players is the most important thing. If you do that, the chances of success with the other half will greatly increase."

Zhu Youxing's words didn't completely put their minds at ease, but they did at least put their minds at ease a bit more.

Perhaps there's no need to be so tense and anxious.

"Alright, that concludes our discussion of the Super Baseball Tournament for now. We'll be moving on to some brand new projects."

Zhu Youxing came to encourage them with a purpose: he wanted these people to regroup and not be trapped in one circle. He didn't hire these employees just to make one game and then it was over.

“This time I will separate you. It’s a waste of manpower for fifty or sixty people to work on a game together. What I need is to spread you out.”

During the first month of game development, Zhu Youxing was also able to observe and discover some of the people among them who truly had the ability to create games.

Just like the producers of Japanese TV dramas, they are responsible for the overall planning and coordination, ensuring the success of the drama.

After the game was developed, it's clear that some people are already starting to make a name for themselves.

While I wouldn't say they can handle things independently, they are capable of doing their jobs well under my guidance and even occasionally stand out.

His next plan was to split the game into several production teams to develop the game separately.

"Zhang Ben-kun, Miyaji-kun, Ohara-kun, and... you twenty people will be temporarily divided into the second game development group. I will give you the production direction next. You will be responsible for the production of the rocket car game."

“Ishigaki-san, Shimokawa-kun… the fifteen of you will be in charge of a long-term project, a sequel to Dragon Quest. It may take six months to a year to complete, so you will need to be patient.”

"As for the remaining computer electronics engineers, Airi Hayazawa will lead you to be specifically responsible for the development of the game console. The game console not only needs the console itself, but also some additional peripheral devices to improve its expandability and playability. I have already given Ms. Hayazawa the specific research plan, and she will explain it to you."

Zhu Youxing quickly divided everyone into roughly three groups.

He then planned to expand the workforce again after these people completed the game's production within a year, allowing some of them to become producers again, branching out to be responsible for more types of games simultaneously.

The employees who were assigned to the producer position seemed very excited.

This means that their work is valued and given attention, but at the same time, the responsibilities they bear are heavier than before.

Once people start to feel pressure, their previous worries about game sales figures gradually diminish, and they begin to invest in new projects.