The carnival beca even more personal and aningful to players after this unexpected proposal.
If players could muster the courage to propose at such an event, what couldn't they do?
Just like what the carnival had shown the outside world—it was a festival for players. Everything was made with the players in mind.
As long as the players were happy, the carnival was a success.
Besides the unforgettable proposal, there was another major highlight on the second day: a brand-new ga announcent from the company.
A three-day carnival required pacing—the big reveals couldn't all co on the first day, or the excitent would quickly die down.
The spotlight of day two belonged to Gastar Electronic Entertainnt's first female producer of a large-scale ga.
Her na was Tsukino Aya.
...
...
She was one of the company's founding mbers, having been with Gastar since the very beginning.
In the past, Tsukino Aya had worked on various gas, but nothing on the sa scale as this project.
After years of learning under Takayuki and with support from the latest engine and motion capture technology, she presented a new real-ti action RPG reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Ti, titled "Legend of the Moon."
The visual quality alone was on par with Final Fantasy X from Takayuki's previous world—undoubtedly among the best-looking gas in the current industry.
Tsukino Aya herself was also a highly skilled developer, so the ga's stability was not in question.
Additionally, it featured incredibly polished action and combat chanics.
These detailed animations and combat systems were part of Gastar's signature strengths.
In the trailer, the protagonist was a woman.
This marked the company's first major ga featuring a female lead.
She played a character similar to an adventurer, embarking on a journey through a world of swords and magic.
While the ga's structure seed fairly traditional, its visuals stood out, and the trailer boldly claid it had "the greatest ga story ever."
The combination of presentation and marketing instantly attracted strong interest from players.
And the fact that it was created by a female lead developer was also emphasized in the announcent—clearly used as a promotional angle to broaden attention.
If it could attract even a segnt of female gars, all the better.
From the audience, Aiko and her friends—who had already ford their own ga developnt trio—watched with excitent. They dread of one day creating a ga of that scale themselves.
Day two of the carnival ca to an end, and since it fell on a weekend, attendance rose to over 70,000.
Including spectators at the esports arena next door, the total attendance had definitely reached the 100,000 mark.
That kind of turnout was usually reserved for nationwide events. Officials in the Tokyo governnt were probably smiling in their sleep.
For a brief mont, Tokyo seed to return to its bubble-era glory.
If the officials were smart, they would seize this opportunity to reinvigorate Tokyo's economy.
It might even beco possible to restore the city's forr brilliance.
This led the Tokyo governnt to throw its full weight behind promoting the carnival—even coining the phrase "Tokyo, the capital of video gas."
And of course, the biggest beneficiary was none other than Takayuki.
Esports was now rising fast and had developed a solid competitive ecosystem. Other companies wanted to jump in, but none had succeeded like Gastar Electronic Entertainnt.
In gaming overall, no other company could compare to them.
On to the third and final day of the carnival.
Player enthusiasm showed no sign of fading.
Even after playing for two days straight, no one seed tired.
Events like this were rare—being surrounded by like-minded people and imrsed in this joyful environnt made everyone genuinely happy.
Takayuki spared no expense for the third day's events either. Each day featured celebrity appearances, and today was no exception.
TV Tokyo also enjoyed soaring viewership, with news reports and live broadcasts both earning high ratings.
The station's executives were thrilled—they had backed the right horse.
While other dia outlets had attacked Gastar in the past, TV Tokyo had taken Takayuki's side.
Now, they were reaping the rewards—better public image, higher advertising revenue, and lots of profit.
There had been major announcents on day one and day two, so naturally, day three had one as well.
And Takayuki believed this one was no less important than Monster Hunter—perhaps even more so.
Though he wasn't deeply involved in the project, he provided the vision and the frawork.
It was the announcent of a Final Fantasy VII animated film.
The Final Fantasy VII franchise had always been one of the most iconic.
In his past life, it had spawned countless spinoffs—most famously the original ga, Crisis Core, and the animated movie Advent Children.
Throughout the day, players enjoyed themselves to the fullest. After three full days, they were physically exhausted but ntally energized.
When night fell, the top of the main venue was removed, revealing a clear night sky filled with stars.
"Aiko, this carnival was amazing! We have to co every year!" Hazumi said, eyes sparkling with excitent.
She was already planning to study computer science in college—and if that didn't work out, she'd go into art or music.
All fields needed in ga developnt.
In their trio, Aiko was the clear programr and planner, and Oto would be the creative director.
"Let's hope our ga becos a hit!"
"Yes! Let's make a hit ga!"
The three girls shouted in unison.
Around them, others were also shouting out their dreams. The atmosphere was electric—everyone had forgotten life's burdens and was simply living in the mont.
Then, fireworks began to bloom across the sky.
This ti, the display had a hint of finality to it.
One by one, familiar ga characters who had greeted players on the first day reappeared in firework form to say goodbye.
Mario, the heroes from Dragon Quest, Link and Zelda, Cloud from Final Fantasy...
Their goodbyes reminded everyone that even this celebration would eventually end.
But over in the esports stadium, emotions were reaching a peak.
Championship matches for several gas were happening at once.
A Japanese player had pushed through countless challenges to beco the Street Fighter world champion.
Unlike other gas, Street Fighter's prize was a wrestling-style championship belt.
The champion proudly raised the belt as the crowd cheered wildly.
Elsewhere, Need for Speed was won by a foreign player, while Street Basketball—an Arican specialty—was taken by a U.S. competitor.
The matches had been nail-bitingly close.
Except in StarCraft.
There, the South Korean players absolutely dominated.
They swept the gold, silver, and bronze—just like in Takayuki's previous life.
It was a ga backed by national support. In South Korea, pro gars had the status of Olympic athletes, which created an environnt perfect for nurturing elite talent.
The Korean fans were ecstatic, ready to invest even more into StarCraft.
Which, of course, ant more profit for Gastar Electronic Entertainnt.
Back at the main venue, when the fireworks ended, many players slowly rose to their feet, reluctant to leave.
They knew the carnival had co to an end. It was ti to return to real life.
But during these few days, they had let go of their stress, and now they could face the future with renewed strength.
Even those who had felt lost or hopeless found new courage.
Video gas—even with their cheesy or fantastical plots—could be incredibly inspiring, like Japanese manga. They taught people valuable lessons.
"Cough, cough... Adventurers, scientists, warriors—are you really just going to leave like this?"
As the crowd began to leave, Takayuki's voice suddenly echoed from the speakers.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, turning toward the stage.
Takayuki appeared in the center of it once more.
"Wait—it's not over?" people murmured in confusion.
Then Takayuki spoke: "I know most of you are getting ready to leave, but I'm sure many of you are still holding onto so hopes... Waiting for sothing. And now, I think it's finally ti to share it with you."
The crowd stirred with excitent.
"Our most anticipated surprise? What is it?"
"A new console!"
"A new Pokémon ga!"
"A new troid!?"
People began shouting from the audience.
But none of them were guessing correctly.
Because on day one, Final Fantasy VIII had already been teased, and nobody expected another Final Fantasy title so soon.
Even though Takayuki had the manpower, it seed unlikely he'd announce two titles from the sa series at once.
Hayakawa Ueto, who was about to end his livestream, paused and frowned.
"What's he planning now?" he wondered aloud.
Takayuki always had a way of catching people off guard.
"Alright, no more teasing. I present to you the final mont of this carnival. I hope it brings you complete satisfaction."
The lights went dim.
A thin green thread appeared on the giant screen in the center of the stage.
"Wait! I rember this! This thread..."
So sharp-eyed players looked excited but couldn't quite place it.
It looked like a lifeline.
A lifeline that had strong ties to a certain ga.
"No way... Final Fantasy already has a sequel. There's no way..."
"Final Fantasy? Final Fantasy VII?! Oh my god!!"
The crowd erupted.
At least 80% of those in attendance had played Final Fantasy VII, and nearly all of them had been deeply moved by its story.
Aeris' death. The desperate survival as teor approached. All unforgettable.
Then, the music began to play.
"It's Final Fantasy! It's really Final Fantasy VII!"
The lody was unmistakable.
Aeris' The.
Gentle. Haunting. Beautiful.
So emotional fans couldn't hold back tears.
"It's Aeris..."
The screen gradually brightened with the music.
Cloud appeared first—cooler than ever, riding a sleek new motorcycle.
In the desert, he gazed into the distance, eyes filled with emotion. Rembrance? Prayer?
The visuals had taken another leap forward—this was top-tier 3D animation.
Then the music shifted.
The ominous the of the infamous villain—One-Winged Angel.
Sephiroth's motif.
Sephiroth, now a cult favorite, even had his own Japanese fan club—likely the first virtual character to ever achieve that.
The screen showed the epic clash between Cloud and Sephiroth.
Cloud stood serious, holding his Buster Sword, as Sephiroth descended from the heavens with his signature smirk.
The entire audience held its breath.
This was the power of the world's most iconic RPG.
Then the final logo appeared.
"Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children — Animated Film Coming Later This Year. Stay Tuned."
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