"Why is there another new ga being released again? I rember that Gastar Electronic Entertainnt’s recent developnt cycles have all been quite long—usually at least one or two years before anything bears fruit. Could you be talking about that Olympics ga?"
Myron Kess had grown extrely wary of Gastar Electronic Entertainnt.
Any hint of movent, no matter how small, needed to be reported to him imdiately.
He even kept track of the release tilines of Gastar Electronic Entertainnt’s gas down to the dates.
Grand Theft Auto was expected to show results in about a year.
A new Final Fantasy entry would likely take two years.
Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda were also looking at roughly two years.
The only ga slated for near-term release—and personally supervised by Takayuki—was the 2020 Olympics project.
But according to investigations, that ga was a collaborative effort and not a core Gastar Electronic Entertainnt project. It was essentially a promotional product made to help Japan publicize the Olympics.
That type of ga was just a novelty—unlikely to make a big splash.
"No, it’s not that," the departnt head said. "It’s a ga personally made by Takayuki himself. A demo has already been released in the indie ga crowdfunding section."
"An indie ga? Made by Takayuki?"Myron Kess frowned. "Why would he do that?"
This was genuinely news to him. After all, this wasn’t an official Gastar Electronic Entertainnt project—it was Takayuki acting on his own. There wasn’t even a publisher attached.
"His goal is to further expand the influence of indie gas and help grow the indie ga scene."
"So that ans this ga is mostly just a side project, right?"
Myron Kess let out a sigh of relief.
An indie ga, after all—probably nothing to worry about.
What a false alarm. Takayuki really was an unpredictable guy, always springing surprises on people.
The ga departnt head continued, "It may indeed be more of a passion project, but I’ve played it. It’s actually quite interesting."
"That’s fine, then. An indie ga won’t affect our overall strategy."
Myron Kess didn’t give it much thought.
He knew about indie gas—by nature, they were niche.
Up to now, he hadn’t seen a single indie ga that truly exploded into a mainstream trend.
Wait...
Actually, there had been one.
He suddenly rembered a ga called Stardew Valley.
Its creator was highly mysterious, a big na within the indie scene. But in recent years, that developer seed to have gone quiet and stopped making gas.
That title’s sales had surpassed ten million units—it was the first ti people truly witnessed the potential of indie gas.
No... that shouldn’t happen again.
That kind of indie success was lightning in a bottle.
His subordinates had told him that the creator of Stardew Valley was a once-in-a-generation genius in the indie scene. Ideas like that usually ca from sudden inspiration, and even the creator himself would struggle to recreate that level of success.
After all, hadn’t that sa developer later chosen to collaborate with others to make Dead Cells?
That alone proved how hard it was to strike gold alone.
"Alright, I understand the situation," Myron Kess said. "You can continue releasing gas according to your schedule. The company will provide you with maximum support."
Since the boss had spoken, there was nothing more the subordinate could say.
And honestly, he also felt that a single indie ga wouldn’t have much impact.
There was no need to alter the company’s overall strategy for it.
Over the past month or two, Mikfo had lined up a number of major ga releases.
They planned to capitalize on the window when other major companies weren’t making big moves.
Mikfo did have a na in the gaming industry, but it wasn’t top-tier. Their strategy was to make money when the top companies were between releases.
Infinite World had already proven that this approach worked.
...
Murakami Kazuo, anwhile, felt completely hooked.
Even though he had already played The Binding of Isaac demo to death—thoroughly experiencing almost everything it had to offer—he still felt unsatisfied.
The ga’s equipnt system was exceptionally well done, and the difficulty of each stage felt just right—not too easy, not too hard. As long as you played a bit seriously, you could quickly gain a strong sense of achievent early on.
Even when he wasn’t playing, he found himself thinking about equipnt builds and strategies, eager to test them the next ti he picked up the ga.
At that mont, ti felt unbearably slow.
How could a month possibly feel this long?
If only release day could co sooner.
Many others felt the sa way as Murakami Kazuo.
After all, this was an indie ga that had raised over ten million dollars through crowdfunding. That ant at least a million players had effectively pre-ordered it, all waiting for its official release.
One month wasn’t actually that long—but for players eagerly anticipating the ga, it was pure torture.
They counted the days, waiting for launch.
Thanks to Takayuki’s reputation, The Binding of Isaac enjoyed far greater influence right from the start than the original version ever had.
Not just regular players—even most indie ga developers had pre-purchased it.
This was a solo indie ga personally made by Takayuki himself.
That alone made it a benchmark.
If it achieved extraordinary success, it would prove that indie gas still had imnse potential.
Hayakawa Ueto of Suri Electronics also noticed Takayuki’s recent activities. Unlike Myron Kess, he didn’t find them puzzling.
Perhaps because of their two-decade-long relationship as both rivals and allies, he understood Takayuki very well.
Everything Takayuki did had aning and purpose.
Even if it was "just" a solo indie ga, it could never be underestimated.
As a result, Hayakawa Ueto specifically instructed his ga teams not to invest heavily in marketing in the near future, nor to release any major titles—so as to avoid colliding with Takayuki’s release.
At the sa ti, he arranged for the team to obtain the full version of The Binding of Isaac the mont it launched. He planned to experience it together with them, to see what insights could be gained.
And so, one month later, on the day The Binding of Isaac officially released, Hayakawa Ueto stayed up late with his subordinates, waiting for the ga to unlock so they could play it imdiately.
Watching the clock inch closer to midnight, Hayakawa Ueto glanced at the employees beside him.
"By the way," he said, "I rember this ga has a demo. Did any of you play it?"
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