Chapter 184: Promising Pre-Sale Performance

Gripping the steering wheel while playing the newly released _Forza Horizon 5_, Shinoda Hajime paused the game, leaned back in his chair, and sighed, "These last few days are so hard to endure... There are still three days until our game launches. Normally, at this time, we'd be pulling all-nighters fixing bugs."

Her words immediately triggered a response from Umiko, who instinctively rubbed his neck. "The final days of _Fairies Story 3_ were brutal. I barely got any sleep. Every night, I was downing multiple energy drinks just to stay awake. Those were some tough days."

The others all nodded in agreement.

Sipping on a cup of hot tea, Hazuki smiled and said, "Looking back now, joining Ichin's studio was the best decision ever. Development efficiency hasn't dropped, yet we don't have to suffer through extreme overtime. Even when we do work late, it's only occasionally, and it's nothing too exhausting. I can't even imagine what it would be like at other companies."

After all, even major game development companies treat overtime as the norm. This isn't just the case in Japan; it's the same in Western companies too.

Overtime limits? They don't exist. There's still so much left to do on the project—how could they possibly let you go home on time?

Thanks to the financial success of _Slay the Spire_, which Ichin developed independently, the studio had more than enough funding for its initial phase. Salaries weren't much lower than before, and perks like afternoon tea and snacks never stopped. Aoba had jokingly complained more than once that since joining the studio, she wasn't overworked—but she was starting to gain weight instead.

With a fully equipped kitchen in the office and Ichin's encouragement, they often cooked meals together. The homemade food was far better than eating out or ordering takeout.

Now that the weather was getting cooler, Ichin had even asked his mom for some soup recipes and planned to try them out soon.

Autumn was the perfect season for hearty meals and a little extra indulgence.

Beef, lamb, radish, lotus root, spinach—these were all excellent seasonal ingredients.

After some thought, Ichin decided to stop by the supermarket after work tomorrow to pick up some lamb. It had been ages since he last had lamb stew with radish, and just thinking about it was making him hungry.

After finishing a mission in _Super Robot Wars_, Ichin saved his game, took a screenshot, and then exited to open his browser. He logged into Bilibili, attached the screenshot, and posted an update:

> "The Day 1 patch is fully completed, and I can finally take a break and enjoy some new games. The giveaway results will be announced on Wednesday, so don't forget to check if you're lucky!"

After posting, he checked the giveaway stats—there were already 200,000 shares.

The studio's official account on Bilibili had now reached 300,000 followers, growing at an impressive pace. Some of this growth came from their videos making it to the platform's homepage several times, gaining significant exposure.

Additionally, Bilibili had reached out, hoping to collaborate for the game's launch night by having several popular gaming streamers host a live event to build hype.

Considering that _Hollow Knight_ had been showcased at Gamescom and had received high praise from players who tried the demo, the anticipation for its domestic release was sky-high.

Ichin had no reason to refuse. He immediately provided ten game activation codes, which Bilibili distributed to participating streamers for early-access live streams starting Thursday at 10 PM.

It was just a two-hour head start anyway. Plus, the Nintendo Switch's Japanese eShop would unlock the game at 11 PM China time, so the difference wasn't too significant.

After checking Bilibili, Ichin opened Steam's backend to review _Hollow Knight_'s pre-sale numbers. The results were looking great—over 20,000 pre-orders in China alone, and a global total exceeding 50,000.

The Nintendo Switch version was also performing well, with over 30,000 digital pre-orders. Meanwhile, physical pre-orders in Japan were in full swing, and the numbers were surprisingly good. It was likely that on release day, physical stores would see lines forming.

As the conversation turned to launch day, Aoba looked around and asked, "Should we go check out the stores in person on release day?"

Kō Yagami recalled the launch of _Fairies Story 3_ and thought for a moment before saying, "Hmm… we could go, but don't expect every store to be packed. If we're talking about that kind of hype, I think we have a better chance when _Persona_ releases."

After all, the studio wasn't yet famous enough to guarantee massive crowds. It still needed time to grow.

Shinoda Hajime excitedly raised his hand. "It doesn't matter if there are long lines or not. The main thing is getting to see our game on display in stores on launch day—that's what really counts! Plus, didn't Hazuki mention that some Nintendo-affiliated stores will have promotional posters and even TVs playing the game's trailer? That should attract some attention!"

Finally, everyone turned to Ichin.

As the boss, Ichin made the decision without hesitation. "Alright, let's head out Friday morning and check it out. To be honest, I'm looking forward to seeing it myself."

Later that night, at 11:30 PM, Ichin and Utaha returned home.

After taking a shower, the two of them, having already finished their schoolwork earlier, relaxed in bed with their tablets, each watching something of interest.

As she browsed for interesting videos, Utaha casually asked, "Ichin, if you're going to check out the launch in person on Friday, that means you'll have to take another day off, right?"

"Yeah, but it's fine. I already told Hiratsuka-sensei that I might take some time off during the final phase of game development," Ichin replied, nodding as he opened the latest chapter of _One Piece_. "What about you, Utaha? Want to come with me on Friday?"

"Of course I'm coming."

Utaha narrowed her eyes at Ichin and playfully poked his cheek. "No way am I letting you go out and have fun with a bunch of girls without me."

"Oh, so that's what you're worried about?"

"I'm not worried," she smirked. "But I know you, Ichin. There's no way you wouldn't be at least a little happy about being surrounded by a bunch of beautiful girls. Unless you're into guys, you'd definitely feel something."

She chuckled and continued, "Everyone's reaction earlier reminded me of when my first novel was released. I was so nervous before the launch, and afterward, I went to the bookstore to see how it was doing. That's when I ran into you."

"Oh yeah, I remember that."

Ichin recalled that day vividly. He had met Utaha outside as she was checking on her novel's release, and he had even bought the first volume of _Love Metronome_ and asked her to sign it.

"But honestly, I'm not too worried about the game's release," he added. "The digital pre-order numbers already speak for themselves, and sales will only keep growing after launch. _Slay the Spire_ has already surpassed 800,000 copies sold. If I do a discount promotion at the end of the year, it should get another boost. I definitely won't have to hold back on year-end bonuses."

Hitting a million copies was just a matter of time. The only question was whether _Slay the Spire_ would reach that milestone first—or if _Hollow Knight_ would overtake it in the end.

...

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