During the release of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, MicFort suddenly went quiet.
They likely realized that competing with such a top-tier title wasn't worth the risk. Instead of trying to fight for market share during Crisis Core's peak popularity, it seed smarter to wait until the hype cooled off before launching their own attack.
But clearly, MicFort underestimated the situation.
Since Takayuki had already decided to directly challenge MicFort, the release of major titles would not slow down.
Players were already anticipating the next big hit.
At the end of 2008, several new gas were released, but none matched the impact of Crisis Core.
Then ca 2009.
Even in 2009, Crisis Core remained popular. It had broken into the mainstream. Even people who usually had no interest in video gas started paying attention.
However, most of them just wanted to learn the story. They didn't actually plan to play the ga.
One of them was Davidson.
He was soone who loved reading—especially emotional or intense stories.
When Crisis Core released, he imdiately watched a full playthrough online for free. After finishing it, he felt both satisfied and a little regretful, and then moved on.
Still, it made him more open to gas.
Recently, he had been spending more money on Candy Fun Match.
But even that spending was modest.
In the past, he'd spend just a few cents here and there to perfect a level—usually no more than $10–15 a week.
Now, he was willing to spend around $30 a week for perfect clears.
Even so, this amount was manageable for most Aricans. It was cheaper than drinking or playing cards with friends.
And he enjoyed showing off his high scores to people around him.
He consistently ranked near the top among his peers, and he took pride in that.
As he got more into gas, he started following gaming news.
He even bought a few stocks in ga companies. The returns were decent—enough to offset his ga spending, making it feel like he was gaming for free.
One morning, he drove to work at the warehouse like usual.
After completing his daily inventory and checks, he returned to his office and pulled out his phone.
He usually browsed social news, but now he had a new interest: gaming news.
He scrolled through the latest updates.
After playing Candy Fun Match for so long, he no longer felt satisfied with it. He began looking for sothing fresh.
He already had Angry Birds and Tetris on his phone. They were fun, but only for short bursts.
Then, one ga news headline caught his eye.
A new title, Assassin's Creed, personally overseen by Gastar Electronic Entertainnt's CEO Takayuki, was about to release. The ga would explore industrial-level production in gaming, allowing players to experience the brutal and rciless era of the Crusades. You would take justice into your own hands, hunting down those who committed atrocities and bringing peace to a violent world.
The Crusades?
Davidson was very familiar with the term.
As an avid reader, he had wide-ranging interests—religion, history, humanities, science—he'd read them all.
History was his favorite subject.
He may not have heard the Eastern saying "learn from history," but he believed in the idea. There was always sothing to learn from the past.
The Crusades were a well-docunted part of history.
But there weren't many cultural works about that period. It was considered a dark Chapter in Western history, and other ti periods usually offered more dramatic and appealing stories.
"Beco an assassin who fights for justice. Stand against the enemy Templars and crush all forms of injustice."
This line in the article imdiately caught Davidson's attention.
He saw that the ga was being led by the sa developer who made Crisis Core.
So when it ca to storytelling, he figured he didn't need to worry.
Curious, Davidson searched for more info on Assassin's Creed.
It wasn't hard to find. The ga was close to launch, so promotional material was everywhere.
He quickly found the official trailer online.
Before this, he had never truly engaged with console gas.
He had only watched Crisis Core online. He appreciated the graphics, but the fantasy setting felt too far from reality, so he didn't get deeply invested.
But when he watched the Assassin's Creed trailer, he felt disoriented for a mont.
"Wait... is this live-action?"
He wasn't sure.
The visuals were intentionally stylized, slightly grainy like old film footage.
This visual trick reduced the unnatural feeling CG can sotis have—it looked like a real person acting on screen.
Of course, experienced gars could easily tell CG from real footage. The difference was still there.
But for Davidson, he couldn't see the line.
Since this was based on real history, not fantasy, it was even harder to tell what was real and what wasn't.
In the trailer, a criminal was restrained on a guillotine in a wide-open square. A soldier in armor loudly read out his cris.
On top of a nearby clocktower, a white-cloaked figure stood silently, watching.
Then, as the bell began to toll, the figure vanished.
Next ca one of Assassin's Creed I's most iconic scenes.
The man in white moved swiftly through the crowd, dispatching guards with fluid precision. He reached the soldier who had been reading the charges, leapt into the air, and drove a hidden blade into the man's throat.
Then, just as quickly, he disappeared back into the crowd.
Everything was so smooth.
And everything—was unbelievably cool.
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