Chapter 148: Sony is Doomed

Around 11 a.m., Ichin walked into the studio, yawning.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, Ichin-kun!" Aoba greeted him energetically and asked, "Did you stay up late streaming last night? How was the press conference?"

"Press conference, huh?" Ichin pulled out his chair, sat down, and thought for two seconds before saying, "Sony is doomed."

"Huh?"

Aoba froze, confused by Ichin's comment. "I didn't watch the live stream, but I did watch the replay after arriving at the studio. The content was a bit lacking, but it's not that bad, right?"

Rubbing his face with both hands and thanking Rin Toyama for the cup of coffee he handed over, Ichin replied, "Throughout the entire conference, Sony only showcased a few of their own games: The Last of Us Part 2, God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Zero Dawn 2, and Gran Turismo 7. Of these first-party titles, only The Last of Us Part 2 has a confirmed release date—early February next year. Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Zero Dawn 2 are also scheduled for next year, but no specific dates were given. As for Ragnarok, all they showed was a title card. There wasn't even a simple PV.

"The rest were minor titles or third-party games that had already been shown at other conferences. They couldn't carry the weight of the event."

Ichin's argument made sense. Sony's conference felt like a series of empty promises, as if they weren't concerned about external opinions or game sales. It felt hastily thrown together.

Taking a sip of coffee, Ichin continued, "All of these are sequels with established fan bases, but you've probably heard some of the stuff going on with Western studios—rumors about overworking staff, harassment, gender and racial discrimination. I'd be shocked if Sony's studios were free of those issues. Then there's office politics. I can guarantee that's happening. If they can just finish these games, that's already something. But odds are, there will be plenty of drama once they're released."

Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Zero Dawn 2 aside, The Last of Us Part 2 and Ragnarok were taking some bold directions—one with its "golf club" incident, the other adding a Black character to Norse mythology. Ichin couldn't understand how they dared.

"When The Last of Us Part 2 releases next year, it's going to be a spectacle," he added.

Ragnarok will take the stage later, but it won't be any less chaotic."

Ichin had bought the first installment of the new God of War on release day and even platinumed it. He loved it—a stellar game. But he didn't believe the development of the sequel had gone smoothly. "They could've just followed the formula, but no, they had to throw this stuff in. I really don't understand Western studios, nor do I want to."

Hearing Ichin's firm tone, everyone began to harbor doubts. Even Hazuki wasn't immune.

Pushing her glasses up, she looked at Ichin and asked, "So, do you think these games will flop?"

"There are many ways to flop," Ichin replied. "They could bomb with players but still win over critics. Anything's possible."

He left his answer somewhat ambiguous. "If you're planning to play these games, I recommend waiting until after they release. Watch some livestreams and reviews from regular players. Don't bother with media reviews—they're unreliable."

Hazuki nodded thoughtfully. "I've heard some inside stories from a friend. We were drinking, and he told me, vaguely, to avoid Western studios and stick to smaller ones. At the time, I thought he was just drunk, but now it seems he wasn't kidding."

It seemed that some industry insiders knew more than they let on but chose not to speak up—likely to avoid unnecessary trouble since it didn't directly concern them.

Ichin shook his head and addressed everyone. "Alright, back to work. Don't overthink it. Let's just focus on doing our own thing. We don't have time to worry about other studios. From a certain point of view, they're all our competitors. We'll just beat them with our games."

"Competitors?"

Umiko gestured with his thumb and forefinger. "Isn't the gap a bit too big? They wouldn't even consider us competition, right?"

"Not now, but that might change in the future." Ichin's confidence showed in his expression. "Don't overestimate those big studios. Think about how long it's been since they innovated—they've just been coasting on their past successes. Sure, we're small right now, but we'll catch up. Trust in me as your boss, and trust in your own abilities."

Ichin wasn't one to make grand speeches, but he didn't throw around empty words either. He genuinely believed in the studio's future.

Slay the Spire and Hollow Knight alone won't make us famous," he admitted. "I haven't decided what our next project will be, but whatever it is, I know it will establish us in the gaming industry. We won't just be a small, unknown studio anymore."

"The next game will make us famous?" Shinoda dropped the model lightsaber she was working on and asked excitedly, "Really?"

"Uh… probably?" Ichin thought for a moment. "To make a real impact, the game needs a distinct identity—whether it's the visuals, gameplay system, or story and world-building. These days, a lot of small indie games are coming out that are high-quality and polished. But large-scale, well-made games are still the ones that grab attention. Take the Monster Hunter series, for example. On handheld consoles, it always sold a few million copies, but when Monster Hunter: World came to major consoles with better graphics and a lower entry barrier, it became a huge success."

As for Monster Hunter: Rise? Ichin could only sigh. The Nintendo Switch was a double-edged sword. Capcom's optimization pushed the hardware to its limits, maintaining a steady 30 FPS, but it still fell short of World. Add to that the half-baked updates and segmented content releases—the game's ending was even released later just to keep the hype alive or because they rushed the release.

Ichin wasn't planning to buy any future expansions on day one, that was for sure.

Returning to the topic of their third game, he knew it needed to stand out. Their fantasy-style game would have to be shelved for now since the market was already flooded with similar titles.

But Dark Souls and Persona? Games with those styles weren't being made by anyone at the moment.

Ichin didn't elaborate further. Instead, he asked everyone to channel their curiosity into work and opened a blank document, typing away.

Dark Souls World Concept

Though he leaned more toward Persona's style, he still wanted to weigh both ideas a little more before making a decision.

...

❇❇❇

Support me on Patreon - Read Up to 50+ Advanced Chapters There!

patreon.com/RedX43

❇❇❇