Takayuki was a bit dumbfounded.
Good grief.
A live request to be flad?
Was that guy seriously into that kind of thing?
Clearly, this world wasn't short of so very strange individuals.
It imdiately reminded him of similar oddballs from the original world.
People who, after eting their idols, would beg them to insult them.
Umihane Shiratori liked to think of himself as a refined and professional ga developer.
But clearly, a lot of people didn't agree.
Many considered him just a rude, ill-tempered guy.
...
...
And yet, soone like that had fans who not only welcod the abuse but begged for it—how bizarre.
This, in turn, reminded Takayuki of another developnt director under his command:
Hide Ueyama.
That guy had a serious masochist streak.
It all started when he worked on Resident Evil.
That was the first ti Takayuki attempted to make a horror ga in this world, and it left Ueyama deeply shaken—psychologically.
Afterward, Ueyama beca the company's go-to expert for anything grim, punishing, or horror-thed.
And that player who had just asked to be flad? He kind of reminded Takayuki of Ueyama.
In fact, Ueyama, who was watching this unfold, felt deeply connected—like he'd just found a kindred spirit.
"If this guy's my fan, I swear I'd spoil him rotten!"
Back on stage, Umihane Shiratori was montarily stunned by the request too, but soon recovered. Noticing the crowd's curious stares, he tried to suppress his instincts and rationally persuade the fan to behave—it was a public event, after all.
"Umihane! Hurry up and roast ! Or just block online, I don't care!"
"You're out of your damn mind!"
Finally, Umihane couldn't hold back and shouted at the guy.
And just like that, the guy quieted down, looking incredibly satisfied.
Strangely enough, this whole episode helped Umihane shake off most of his nerves.
Looking at the fan's blissed-out expression, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Seriously... hahaha. You people are nuts."
Then, Umihane pulled out his phone, looked straight toward the fan, and said:
"Tell your na. I'm blocking you right now, you lunatic."
"Aweso! My na is ***!"
Two minutes later, that fan proudly earned a live block from the Trash-Talk King himself.
Around the venue, players pulled out phones and caras to capture the mont.
This was bound to beco a talk of the town for so ti.
Then, Umihane shouted again:
"Hey! I swear, if I see any of you post that crap on Facebook, I'll block every single one of you!"
Big mistake.
As soon as he said that, even more people started filming, and Umihane felt his scalp go numb.
"Do all these people have masochist genes or what?"
"Or is it just so kind of weird teenage rebellion?"
"Haven't you people grown out of that phase yet?"
The atmosphere beca hilariously chaotic.
Just then, a reminder pinged in Umihane's headset—he still hadn't announced the actual ga.
Finally snapping back, he cleared his throat and returned to business:
"Ahem. Alright, enough of this nonsense. You guys didn't co here just to get blocked by , right?"
"That's exactly why we ca!"
Soone in the crowd shouted again, and others quickly joined in:
"Yeah! We ca to get blocked!"
Mob ntality in action—this was the perfect example of the phrase "Three n make a tiger."
"You lunatics!"
Oddly enough, getting insulted only made the crowd laugh harder.
Umihane was speechless. What was wrong with this generation of gars?!
"President, should we cut the feed?"soone asked in the control room.
Takayuki, who had been watching the whole thing from the director's booth, shook his head:
"Nope. This kind of live chaos is pure gold. Video gas need more monts like this—raw, unscripted, and morable. The players are clearly enjoying it, so just let it run."
And honestly, Umihane Shiratori did show so restraint—he didn't throw out any serious profanity or get into actual argunts with the players. A few "you're nuts" here and there was just enough—not too much, not too little.
Takayuki noted that Umihane did know when to pull back.
Then a new thought struck him: maybe he should have Umihane work with the Arican team on the next GTA title.
Yes. That might actually be the perfect fit.
Just let him handle the ga with the U.S. team directly.
On stage, Umihane finally yanked the crowd's attention back:
"Now let's talk about the ga. No more nonsense. If anyone brings up blocking again, I'm done with you."
"Nooo, don't leave!"
"Let's talk about the ga! The ga!"
The crowd roared and cheered.
Among them, people like Ueto Hayakawa were just stunned.
"What the hell is this chaos?"
Why did Gastar always seem to have the weirdest people on stage?
And yet, despite the madness, these weirdos were undeniably talented. He had no idea how Takayuki kept finding them.
Still, even he had to admit that this kind of chaos created an unforgettable show—and it generated a ton of buzz for the ga.
All this free publicity was worth more than a paid ad campaign.
Finally, Umihane got serious:
"Alright, everyone. Today, I'm here to introduce a project we've been working on. The previous ga in this series sold over 20 million copies. That ans you—our players—already recognize and support this franchise."
"So after discussions with the president, we've decided to turn it into a long-term series, and continue delivering high-quality gas."
The crowd buzzed again.
"What kind of ga is Umihane Shiratori working on?"
"Probably a ga full of flaming and rage."
"Honestly, I'm kinda excited now."
Umihane couldn't hear the whispers from the crowd.
"Next, let's take a look at the ga."
He stepped aside, and the big screen behind him lit up.
A modern cityscape slowly appeared on screen.
Then, a distinctive musical rhythm began to play.
As soon as it started, so players imdiately recognized it.
"GTA!"
"It's GTA!"
"Whoa, I wasn't expecting GTA."
"Actually, it fits perfectly. GTA is all about chaos and smack talk!"
"A GTA ga from the Trash-Talk King? Count in!"
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