In addition to being available on the video platform, the Final Fantasy VII movie would also be released in two physical formats: a DVD version and a GSL handheld-exclusive movie cartridge.
Both formats would allow users to watch the film, but it was clear that Takayuki's real focus was on promoting the cartridge version, especially for the GSL handheld.
If users bought the Final Fantasy VII movie cartridge for the GSL, they would also receive exclusive bonuses:
A limited edition user avatar
A playable demo version of Final Fantasy VII on the GSL
And a 30% discount on the GSL version of Final Fantasy VII once it's officially released—redeemable via the movie cartridge
The current GSL's performance was only about 20–30% behind the GS1 ho console, which ant Final Fantasy VII could run smoothly on the handheld. In fact, it could even receive a slight HD upgrade for the GSL version.
This essentially amounted to "reheating leftovers," but players' enthusiasm was through the roof.
Many gars online expressed interest in buying the cartridge version of the movie.
After all, they were getting a Final Fantasy VII sequel movie plus a discount on the handheld version of the ga—a win-win deal, in the eyes of most players.
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This left many competitors baffled. They hadn't realized marketing could be done this way. Gastar Electronic Entertainnt wasn't just good at making gas—their sales strategies were always refreshingly innovative and managed to get players to happily spend their money.
Many players had already played Final Fantasy VII multiple tis on the GS1. By all logic, there was no real reason to buy it again for handheld—let alone pay for it.
But sohow, Gastar still convinced them. It was impressive.
In addition to all this, the physical versions also included behind-the-scenes content: stories about the making of the movie and the developnt of Final Fantasy VII, offered as a little bonus.
The GSL cartridge version of the movie was priced at $39.90 USD (or ¥3000 JPY)
The GS1 DVD version was $29.90 USD (or ¥2000 JPY)
These prices were slightly higher than the average physical movie release, but not outrageous.
Many in the industry assud Gastar was testing the waters to see if they could profit from physical sales.
It also helped that the GS1's DVD system was based on a standard from one of Sory Electronics' rivals, which ant Gastar could ally with that competitor.
Sory's rival even offered technical support to help mass-produce the DVDs.
As for the cartridge version, it would be exclusively manufactured by the flash mory factory recently acquired by Gastar.
Exclusive production ant all the profits would stay in-house, with no one else taking a cut.
All of that was part of the movie's marketing push.
anwhile, there was another project Takayuki was equally focused on: the developnt of Monster Hunter.
He hadn't relaxed his supervision over the ga, but public attention had undeniably shifted toward Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children due to all the unexpected drama surrounding the film's release.
It couldn't be helped.
With so many outside parties getting involved in the movie dispute, the public's focus had naturally drifted away from Monster Hunter.
But that wasn't a huge issue.
In the original tiline, Monster Hunter also rose to fa gradually, as players got used to the difficulty and learned to appreciate its gaplay.
And the multiplayer feature was a major component of the experience. Monster Hunter with co-op was vastly different from solo play.
Even though Takayuki himself barely played online in his past life, the mainstream experience for Monster Hunter was undeniably multiplayer.
It was handheld multiplayer that truly helped the series explode in popularity.
That kind of success could only be achieved through careful nurturing. It wasn't sothing that could be rushed.
Takayuki had already ntally prepared himself for the possibility that the first installnt might not perform well, but he wasn't worried about a minor loss. What mattered most was claiming the throne of the co-op action genre. The rest could be built up over ti.
That said, with Takayuki's na attached as supervising producer, player expectations were already sky-high, far better than how things began in the original tiline.
Not to ntion, this version of Monster Hunter had far better gaplay balance and chanics—comparable to Monster Hunter 3—making it the best the current era could offer.
Takayuki had also laid out a long-term update plan for the ga.
He hoped to use frequent updates to encourage players to get used to GSL's online features.
At the very least, he wanted them using the handheld's online network to download the latest content.
All updates would be completely free, so missing out would be a real sha.
Takayuki's long-term vision was to make Monster Hunter a live-service title, building player engagent steadily over ti.
When overseeing developnt, Takayuki was extrely focused, entering another period of intense crunch mode. Only after a major developnt milestone was completed did he finally relax a little—the ga had officially entered late-stage production.
There were still about four months until release, and if all went according to plan, they would make the deadline.
Takayuki could finally breathe a little.
His developnt team, however, was exhausted.
Monster Hunter had proven to be far more difficult to develop in terms of code and balance compared to their past titles.
Even though Takayuki explicitly banned overti, the workload during regular hours was already ntally draining, and everyone was starting to show signs of fatigue.
Thankfully, it was now the perfect season for cherry blossom viewing.
So Takayuki gave the whole team a week-long break to clear their minds.
Ga developnt was taxing, especially ntally. Takayuki didn't want to burn out his staff.
He hoped they could eventually grow into self-driven creatives, reducing the need for his constant supervision. That would free him up to oversee more projects simultaneously and prepare for the future.
Takayuki understood that the gaming industry was growing at a rapid pace. If he ever slipped up, he could easily be overrun by competitors.
He had to prepare ahead of ti.
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