Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 365: You Said “Round It Down,” and You Erased All th

"XunTeng?"

At the sound of the na, Moriya Tetsuya froze, even a little stunned.

What does this have to do with XunTeng?

Besides, Mr. Gu already said earlier that there was no need to bother with Kora this ti.

Once Call of Duty drops, no one can compete!

This ti, they really didn’t need to do any publicity—just sit back and watch Night Owl Island collapse, letting ga quality dominate the industry.

"...Mr. Kamikoshi, I think you misunderstood," Moriya Tetsuya said, "We did not organize any public-opinion attacks against Night Owl Island."

"Ah... oh, I..."

Hearing that, Uekoe Kagemasa was montarily taken aback, then his expression cleared as he said, "Rest assured, Moriya-san. I’m truly asking for help this ti—no recordings, no hidden anings. What I an is, can we... temporarily put aside past grievances? For that, I’m willing to give your company...”

Before he could finish, Moriya interrupted him with a mix of helplessness and amusent.

"Mr. Kamikoshi, I am speaking to you honestly. We wouldn’t enlist a competitor’s help unless absolutely necessary. And looking at Call of Duty’s current form, do you really think we... need to?"

That hit hard.

Even though Moriya had restrained himself and used the mildest wording he could, his words were still like a knife, stabbing deep into Uekoe Kagemasa’s chest and nearly making him spit blood.

[With your performance, would we really use a heavy hitter like XunTeng? Do you think our eighty thousand first-day players and 9.9 review opening were fake? Public-opinion attacks? Ha, do you even deserve that?]

That’s exactly what Moriya ant.

It was brutally soul-cutting.

And the worst part?

Uekoe Kagemasa realized Moriya was right.

Indeed.

Call of Duty’s heat right now far surpassed any Golden Wind title in history!

It was the blockbuster with monster scores!

A so-called new benchmark for modern shooters!

A total investnt of 312 million dollars—surpassing even Kora’s works for the first ti!

Global-level buzz!

With a ga like that... was there really any need to launch a sar campaign against them?

Just as Moriya’s words implied, Uekoe found himself asking inwardly—do I deserve it?

The answer, clearly, was no.

But just as that thought ford, a sudden bolt of revelation flashed through Uekoe Kagemasa’s mind.

If this targeted public-opinion attack... was not Golden Wind’s doing...

Hiss!

Uekoe’s whole body shivered.

Immature tuning that should never have been done... horrific BUGS that should never have appeared... a tidal wave of attacks on Night Owl Island... repeated accusations aid at him personally...

Shift bla, pin the pot on soone else!

A terrifying yet undeniable possibility swelled up in Uekoe’s heart, and he instantly wilted.

This failure might truly have nothing to do with Golden Wind.

Soone had done it on purpose.

They had deliberately sabotaged the exhibited Night Owl Island into this state to pin the bla entirely on him—the president who insisted that Night Owl Island be showcased—and use that as a pretext to co after him!

Yes, he could claim that it wasn’t his intention to have Night Owl Island participate, and shout from the rooftops to exonerate himself!

But would it help?

If you don’t know, ask Moriya Tetsuya on the other end of the line—would that help?

Life is full of drama!

Right now, at this exact mont, Nakamurai Seiichi and the shareholders backing him...

Uekoe instantly understood who wanted to hold him accountable.

Only Nakamurai, as the studio’s lead, could make so many last-minute alterations to the ga.

Even without tampering with the tactile tuning or introducing those nasty BUGS, Night Owl Island still wasn't a match for Call of Duty, but at least he wouldn’t be in such a helpless position now.

A chill ran through Uekoe.

Then, his tone fully changed to pleading—he no longer cared about dignity—and he hurriedly said, "Moriya... Moriya-san! When will President Gu be back? Please give a chance to speak with him!"

"After all... right now, only President Gu’s involvent can fundantally reverse my current decline!"

"Listen, as long as President Gu considers it, let him na the price—we can certainly negotiate..."

"Mr. Kamikoshi—"

Before he could finish, Moriya cut him off, his tone cool as he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Kora’s internal conflicts are none of Golden Wind’s business."

"Right now, our company is busy with internal affairs. As president, Mr. Gu has many official duties and cannot accept special invitations."

"That is my formal corporate reply."

Moriya paused, then continued in a personal capacity:

"As for my private answer—"

"Shareholder power struggles co both openly and covertly. I will not let my president risk himself and be dragged into this dangerous internal fight. After all..."

"President Gu is soone worth loyal followership."

Thud!

At those words, Uekoe Kagemasa collapsed weakly into his seat, as if his soul had been sucked out, staring blankly.

No doubt.

Moriya’s last sentence was a direct ssage to him:

[You are not worthy of such loyalty—your private greed is too great—but Gu Sheng is.]

For the safety of the one I loyally follow.

"This matter—I'm afraid we are unable to help," Moriya said after a mont’s pause.

"But if one day Mr. Kamikoshi truly has nowhere left to turn, feel free to call again. Maybe Moriya-san can find a way."

Click.

Moriya Tetsuya hung up.

The line went dead.

With that uncomfortable conversation, the entanglent between Moriya and Uekoe seed to reach a close.

...

"...And I should go out fishing and enjoy life now, hahaha—"

At the sa ti, the man sitting across from Gu Sheng, wearing a baseball cap, a leather jacket, and a T-shirt bearing the Resident Evil 7 logo, smiled easily.

Shinji Mikami.

Indeed.

Moriya hadn’t been deliberately stonewalling Uekoe—Gu Sheng had genuinely stepped out today to handle business: the acquisition of the Resident Evil IP rights!

Yes.

This trip to Neon Higashi was not only to attend the expo; Gu Sheng had a crucial eting—to et Shinji Mikami, the fad father of Resident Evil, to negotiate purchasing the Resident Evil IP.

Actually, this was at Shinji Mikami’s initiative.

Gu Sheng wasn’t in a hurry.

Resident Evil 7 had only been out for a short ti. Even though 7 and 8 were a continuous narrative, within the ga-world tiline years had passed—the child of Ethan and Mia had been born.

Though in reality sequels rarely took years like in the story, developing Resident Evil 8 wasn’t an urgent priority for Golden Wind.

"I’m in a hurry..."

Shinji Mikami said sincerely, with a teasing tone—he was eager to finish work and go fishing in the Pacific.

It was clear.

Shinji was very pleased with Resident Evil 7’s massive success.

A brand-new story! A brand-new protagonist!

Under a deeper worldview, the struggle of ordinary people affected by Resident Evil had been powerfully portrayed by Golden Wind.

Gu Sheng had kept his earlier promise.

This was a story of ordinary people, a simple husband’s tale.

It returned the series to its horror roots and, with nearly perfect pacing, delivered a terrifying, scream-filled experience.

Although so players later called it "the least Resident Evil-like Resident Evil," Shinji Mikami, as an experienced creator and the originator of the series, highly praised Resident Evil 7.

He saw novelty and recognized Golden Wind’s capability.

More importantly, he was eager to see what would happen to Ethan Winters—the ordinary but more-than-competent husband—in Resident Evil 8.

According to Gu Sheng, Ethan’s role would undergo a qualitative leap in Resident Evil 8—he would beco a father.

An extrely exciting sequel.

Shinji gave it very high marks.

Thus, the matter of Golden Wind acquiring the Resident Evil IP suddenly didn’t seem controversial.

Shinji had found a trustworthy studio to continue Ethan’s unfinished story and complete the world of Resident Evil.

As for price...

Shinji didn’t demand anything.

"Five hundred million dollars?" he joked—he had no lack of money and only wanted to retire fully and go sea fishing.

"One dollar"—Shinji even tossed out that price as a joke.

Just a token amount.

Gu Sheng, of course, declined modestly yet was happy to accept.

Shinji: fine.

Gu Sheng: fine.

Shen Miaomiao: I’ll kill you both.

No! Not fine!

Absolutely not!

Upon hearing Gu Sheng’s remote report, Shen Miaomiao nearly flew from Binjiang to Higashi on the spot!

Buying the IP for one dollar?!

What kind of international joke is this?!

I told you you could round off zeros appropriately—and you removed all the zeros?!

Even if you erased zeros leaving five dollars, you still took away billions!

And now one dollar?!

If you dare agree to that price, I will murder you when you get ho!

"Open the video call now!!!"

Shen Miaomiao berated those wasteful old n.

Damn it—if you buy the IP for a single dollar, my Resident Evil 8 project will be ruined!

And so, Shen Miaomiao beca a permanent iPad fixture at the negotiation table between Gu Sheng and Shinji Mikami.

Every ti Gu Sheng glanced over, he frowned, almost tempted to place two fruit plates in front of Shen Miaomiao.

"...Ahem. I understand Mr. Shinji's urgency—truly," Shen smiled on the video call.

She wasn’t just talking—Shinji’s lifestyle was indeed her dream.

"But... please understand our current situation and difficulties," Shen Miaomiao said.

"Right now, Golden Wind is surrounded by strong rivals; we dare not make any rash moves."

"I understand Mr. Shinji is very satisfied with our Resident Evil 7—this one-dollar price is an affirmation of our work, and we are honored."

"But we really cannot buy such a huge IP for one dollar."

"Too many people are watching."

"If we truly acquired the Resident Evil IP at that price, it would invite trouble not only for us but would create many hidden risks for developing Resident Evil 8. I’m sure you understand?"

Shen’s argunt made sense. Shinji nodded.

Whether for an individual or a company, many people resent soone getting a bargain—fellow industry mbers most of all.

Shinji empathized—he rembered the unwarranted attacks and abuse he endured after Resident Evil’s initial success.

And Golden Wind was about to snatch an irresistible super-IP.

"So, Director Shen ans...?"

Shinji nodded and looked at Shen via video.

Shen smiled and slightly raised a hand to gesture:

"What I an is... Mr. Shinji, could you perhaps raise the price a bit? So that we can accept it with peace of mind."

At the sight of that, Gu Sheng’s face twitched.

Ah!

Shen Miaomiao, you spendthrift woman—what are you doing?

What does that gesture an?

We’ve seen strong rivals before—don’t be confused!

He would sell sothing for one dollar, what are you doing?!

But before Gu Sheng could speak, Shen Miaomiao smiled cutely over the video and said sweetly:

"Raise the price a bit? That will make us feel more secure!"