Aside from football gas, there were also racing and shooting gas.
As for racing, they had Need for Speed, which still had plenty of untapped potential.
What made Need for Speed particularly morable was its cinematic narrative with live-action performances, as well as the intense cat-and-mouse dynamic between police and racers—elents that breathed life into what would otherwise be a fairly plain racing genre.
This vitality lasted until open-world sandbox gas began to rise and gradually replaced the relatively linear gaplay of racing titles. As a result, racing gas started shifting toward more professional and realistic simulation experiences.
The Need for Speed entry that left the deepest impression on Takayuki was the ninth installnt. But if he launched the franchise's strongest card too early, it might burn through the series' potential too quickly—a short-term gain at the cost of long-term value.
So far, Need for Speed had reached its fourth installnt, and the upcoming fifth one—Porsche Unleashed—was a well-known entry. However, that ga only featured Porsche models, drastically reducing vehicle variety and, by extension, the fun factor. Otherwise, the fifth title's reviews could have climbed even higher.
Takayuki figured he could expand on the original concept by adding more car models and integrating a deeper tuning system, giving players more customization and control.
Of course, in this parallel world, Porsche didn't exist. To adapt, he'd use popular local car brands instead. But overall, the car designs and aesthetics weren't too different from his original world—it was mainly the brand nas that had changed.
...
Finally, for the shooting genre, the first ga that ca to Takayuki's mind was Counter-Strike.
In his original world, this was a competitive title that remained popular for over two decades—proof of how solid the core gaplay was.
It would be just as effective in this parallel world.
Plus, there was already a growing trend toward modern military-thed shooters. Many studios were starting to experint in that direction, and this was the perfect ti to step in and claim the top spot in the shooter genre.
A revamped FIFA, an improved Need for Speed, and Counter-Strike—three flagship titles, released together, would undoubtedly make a massive impact.
With that in mind, Takayuki picked up the phone and instructed Matsuhiro:"Matsuhiro, leave the ga developnt to . I'll arrange everything. We'll proceed with developing all three genres at once—shooter, racing, and sports. Though we'll be a bit short on manpower, the releases can be staggered."
Upon hearing Takayuki's promise, Matsuhiro bead with joy. As always, she could count on the president's creativity. In just a short conversation, he had already mapped out the developnt direction for three major titles. Amazing. With a leader like Takayuki at the helm, all she needed to do was focus on conquering new markets, confident that powerful support would always have her back.
Now that she had his commitnt, she was more motivated than ever to break into the European market.
"By the way," Takayuki added, "the shooter ga is straightforward, but there are a few things you'll need to handle for the racing and sports gas."
"Understood. Please go ahead, President."
"You're already familiar with the racing ga side. We'll need to negotiate with major car manufacturers to license their vehicle designs and brand nas. You can look into the pricing yourself. This ti, I plan to include a wider variety of cars and brands—let's aim to make all the major automakers our partners."
Matsuhiro imdiately pulled out her notebook, nodding while jotting down notes. "I'll take care of it. Most of the big auto companies are based in Europe, so this should be quite convenient."
"Good. As for the sports ga, we've never dealt with licensing before, but it's similar to our baseball ga in Japan. We'll need to talk to the league organizers for naming rights. It won't be cheap, but if we secure it, the benefits will be huge."
Matsuhiro quickly understood.
Authenticity was a core feature of shooter-racing-sports gas, which set them apart from fantasy RPGs.
Perhaps it was because Europe rose during the Industrial Age, making them more drawn to realism in entertainnt. Even fantasy works like The Lord of the Rings had that gritty, warrior-like feel—mages swinging swords in lee combat.
Though that was just Takayuki's guess. It might not be the exact reason, but one thing was certain—shooters, racers, and sports gas were destined to thrive in Europe.
So, while other competitors were still trying to figure out what Europeans actually liked, this was their chance to get a head start.
After assigning Matsuhiro her tasks, the two ended the call and returned to their respective duties.
Takayuki began contacting developnt teams in Japan and the U.S. to coordinate the upcoming projects.
This ti, he was launching several major titles across all key genres—essentially a test of the company's developnt capabilities. He wanted to see whether the teams could handle multiple top-tier projects simultaneously.
Even if they turned out to be understaffed, the process would give Takayuki a better sense of how to lead his teams in future large-scale operations.
anwhile, Matsuhiro set out right away. She would personally visit FIFA, the Premier League, UEFA, and Europe's major automakers to negotiate brand licensing deals.
The talks with the car companies went extrely smoothly—many of them were now very interested in the gaming industry.
They didn't really care about the licensing fees—though more money was always welco, of course. But that wasn't the focus.
What mattered was brand exposure.
A few years ago, so carmakers had partnered with Need for Speed, and their brand visibility skyrocketed. Even children could recognize licensed models from the ga at a glance.
The impact on brand recognition was massive. It might not be imdiately obvious, but over a span of ten or twenty years, the effect would compound. Kids who grew up playing Need for Speed would likely choose those familiar car brands when they grew up and bought their first vehicles.
In Europe, many automakers had histories spanning 50 to 60 years—and so even over a century. That was the legacy of an old industrial continent.
And these legacy brands placed heavy importance on long-term benefits, reputation, and consur perception.
To them, brand loyalty built through gaming could translate into sustained profits for decades to co.
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