Chapter 92: Hazuki's Friend's Proposal

Although the idea of Kō appearing on a livestream was floated, it was far from being finalized. At the very least, they would need Hollow Knight to have some presentable content before arranging any promotional activities.

Once the recruitment tasks were settled, Ichin returned to coding. After a while, Hazuki tugged on his sleeve.

"Ichin-kun, I have something to discuss with you."

"Hmm?" Ichin turned to Hazuki, curious. "What's up?"

"Here's the thing."

Hazuki showed him her phone with a chat log and explained, "A friend of mine asked how I've been doing recently, so I told her I joined a new game development studio. She works at Nintendo, and when she found out this studio was led by you—the developer of Slay the Spire—she asked if we had any plans to bring Slay the Spire or our new game to their platform."

Slay the Spire and Hollow Knight on the Nintendo Switch?

"We've discussed this before, haven't we? There's no rush."

"True, no rush," Hazuki agreed with a smile. "But don't forget, Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is happening in late September or early October. Nintendo will be hosting livestreams and showcases to promote upcoming games. If our timeline allows, we could prepare a trailer and have it featured during their indie games segment."

"A Nintendo Direct, huh?"

Ichin leaned back in his chair, contemplating. "That's definitely a great opportunity, but for an indie studio like ours to participate during TGS, there must be some requirements, right?"

"Of course, there are conditions," Hazuki replied, wagging her finger. "Just one, actually: aside from the PC release, we'd have to make our game exclusive to the Nintendo Switch for consoles."

"A console exclusivity agreement, is it?"

Ichin raised an eyebrow and looked at Hazuki. "Can your friend make that call? Keep in mind, aside from Slay the Spire, Hollow Knight is still in the early stages of development."

"Don't worry about that," Hazuki assured him with a confident thumbs-up. "My friend has enough pull in the company to get this moving. For now, she's just bringing it up as an idea. We can schedule a meeting to discuss it further. It's May now, and the TGS Nintendo Direct is set for late September, so we've got almost four months to prepare."

Four months, huh?

Ichin mulled it over. The thought of showcasing their game during a Nintendo Direct was undeniably appealing, given the Switch's massive user base.

As for the exclusivity agreement, Ichin wasn't particularly concerned. Xbox didn't have much of a presence in their local market, and most gamers who owned an Xbox usually had access to other consoles as well.

After thinking it through, Ichin turned to Hazuki and said, "We'll definitely release on the Switch, but whether we go exclusive will depend on how the meeting goes. Hazuki-san, let your friend know we'd like to get a development kit first and arrange an official meeting with them."

"Got it! Leave it to me!"

Hazuki gave an enthusiastic OK gesture and began messaging her friend to set things in motion.

This time, Umiko scooted over and quietly asked, "Are we developing for the Nintendo Switch platform simultaneously?"

"Yes, but there's no rush," Ichin replied with a smile. "The hardware requirements for Hollow Knight aren't demanding. Even with a port, the Switch's capabilities are more than sufficient. With proper optimization, we can easily achieve a smooth 60 FPS gameplay experience. For now, let's focus on the PC version. Everything else can be decided after discussions with Nintendo."

Umiko nodded. "Got it."

Others overheard the conversation but didn't dwell on it. Without even having the development kit yet, there wasn't much to plan. It was better to focus on current tasks and create a working demo—something that would give them leverage in any negotiation.

The team worked until 6 p.m. when Utaha Kasumigaoka received a call from her mother. She walked over to Ichin and said, "Ichin-kun, it's time for dinner!"

"It's that late already?" Ichin glanced at the time, then saved his work, shut down the computer, and stood up. "Everyone, I'm heading out now. Don't stay too late—wrap up and head home soon."

"Okay~~"

Amid the team's farewells, Ichin and Utaha left the studio and headed upstairs to the Kasumigaoka household.

At home, Mr. Kasumigaoka had also returned, greeting Ichin and Utaha warmly. After exchanging pleasantries, he smiled at Ichin, patted his shoulder, and said, "I knew it—you two have started dating. I always said it was only a matter of time."

Ichin could only smile in agreement, feeling slightly nervous in such a situation.

Soon, Mrs. Kasumigaoka brought dinner to the table, and the family began their meal.

Pouring himself a cup of sake, Mr. Kasumigaoka looked at Ichin and said, "Ichin, how about a drink with me? There's no law in China about not drinking under 20, right?"

"That's true; there isn't," Ichin replied with a laugh. "I'll have one cup, but I'm not a heavy drinker."

"Haha, that's fine—just one cup!"

Mr. Kasumigaoka laughed heartily, fetched a cup for Ichin, and poured him some sake.

Sitting beside Ichin, Utaha gently tugged his arm and whispered, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine with just this much."

Taking a sip, Ichin savored the taste and said, "Hmm, it's pretty good."

Back home during festivals, Ichin occasionally drank some red wine with his father. Compared to that, sake's alcohol content was mild, and a single cup didn't faze him.

Seeing Ichin remain composed after drinking, Utaha relaxed a bit and turned to her father. "Dad, just one cup for Ichin—no more, okay?"

"Hahaha, how quickly you're taking Ichin's side," Mr. Kasumigaoka remarked with a smile as he sipped his drink. "Don't worry, I know my limits!"

Not being a heavy drinker himself, Mr. Kasumigaoka didn't push Ichin for more. Instead, he casually chatted with him over dinner.

After the meal, Ichin stayed at the Kasumigaoka house for a while longer before bidding them goodnight and heading home.

Back in his room, after taking a shower, Ichin sat at his computer desk, contemplating. "Hmm, I'll pull some late nights after the midterm exams."

...

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