Game Director from Hell

Chapter 18: Promotion

The basic concept presentation was over.

Although the aspirations were confidently stated, there wasn't too much to immediately do.

Except for Han Seorim, who would be working on the artwork, the rest of the team members had to be put on standby, and there was a reason for that.

"Both of you wait until Seorim's design is confirmed. Ayoon, let's focus on your studies for now. Since the game's framework isn't even in place yet, it's not feasible to start making music right away."

Graphic design requires concept art and a design plan to start.

Sound directing can be done after modelling and testing are completed.

Before hiring, I had already listened to some music created by the young Jo Ayoon.

Except for the lack of basic skills on the emotional and critical parts, hes strength, the "rich sound," was something I wanted to manifest.

"I intentionally set a generous timeline. Even if we face challenges, we need to progress steadily."

"Rewind Studio" is now producing its second game as a small company.

With team members who lack extensive experience, it's necessary to handle tasks sequentially.

In the midst of this, Jo Ayoon asked.

"Uh, studying, you mean..."

"I'll have you study for both the college entrance exams and music. Especially for music, we'll carefully choose a teacher. Don't worry."

"Ah, okay!"

Jo Ayoon nodded eagerly.

Seeing that there was still some determination in her expression, I felt relieved.

Anyway, managing the team is done here.

"Yeonyo, Yeonyo, so what about lunch?"

"Sunbae, sunbae, let's have barbecue!"

"...Sure, let's go eat."

Let's go eat first.

After all, what's the point of doing all this if we don't eat and live?

That's how three days passed.

Today was the first day Ayoon was coming to work after the initial meeting.

Even though there wasn't much to do yet, there was one reason for coming to work.

"I'll be back!"

It was because of his private tutoring for the college entrance exams.

With his backpack on, he shouted as his mother's face was filled with admiration, blinking her eyes.

"Ayoon, study well and come back. Listen to the CEO!"

"Ugh, I know."

It's not like she's a little kid. How could she not know that?

With a huff, Ayoon left the house.

"Cheer up, our daughter!"

He could hear his mother's shout from behind.

Ayoon felt an uncomfortable twist in her guts.

It was because the cheerful voice stirred a hint of guilt within her.

Ayoon remembered how his mom used to consider her even when she was absorbed in her games in the corner of the room.

"Mom, I'll definitely pass the exams!"

Even if it's for her mom's sake, she needs to gather her strength!

Her determination surged.

And so, she started off.

Her steps were timid due to her hikikomori lifestyle, but Ayoon managed to navigate through the crowd and make it to the office.

It felt like she had overcome a major challenge.

"Hey, Ayoon's here. Hello."

Seorim, who had been tapping away at the computer, greeted her.

Ayoon replied, "Hello!" and glanced around.

Others, including Yeonho, weren't there.

Seorim must have noticed, as she explained the reason.

"Today is an off day for everyone. The boss is working on the lecture materials, and the others can't start working yet. Those people would just make a ruckus if they were here."

Ayoon deeply empathized with Seorim's words.

Suddenly, a chilling memory from the past surfaced.

"Uni Uni Ahh! Look, Unni!"

"Kyaha, what should we do? Her face is turning red!"

"Uni Uni, why is Yeonho blushing like that?"

"Gasp! Could this be...!"

"Ah, no! The boss is a grown-up...!"

"Ayoon..."

Even a single glance at Yeonho would make them both jittery, and if Seorim tried to scold them, Yeonho would intervene with a "Whoa! Don't be so harsh!" and shoo away the confrontation. Then, if Seorim finally clenched her fists, Yeonho would turn to Soerim side and rebuke them.

For Ayoon, who preferred a quiet environment, these two were an exhausting combination that could make her ears ring.

She didn't want to run into them together if she could help it.

Anyway, that's one thing.

"Um, so what about us today...?"

When Ayoon asked, Seorim nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just working while I'm out here for your tutoring session."

Is Yeonho not coming?

Though she was slightly disappointed, Ayoon quickly brushed off that feeling.

Whens he turned his head, she saw Seorim working on a drawing.

The style of the half-finished drawing on the monitor was very familiar.

Ayoon squinted.nove(l)bi(n.)com

'This art style is the same as the one the boss sent me.'

That's right. The scammer "King Yeonho" used Seorim's artwork!

A small feeling of betrayal welled up.

And then, that moment came.

"Well, shall we start studying now?"

"Yes, sure!"

Seorim, who had stood up, led Ayoon to the conference table.

Ayoon took a moment to compose herself and sat down.

'I have to do my best!'

Yeonho's helping, Seorim's helping, and even his mom's cheering him on!

She couldn't stay as a bum in her room forever!

Ayoon opened her bag and pulled out a pink panda pencil case.

"Well, I'll do my best!"

She took out a pencil from the case.

But, her enthusiasm didn't last long.

"Starting today, we'll learn these things."

Thud!

Ayoon's body tensed at the sound.

She questioned her ears.

She was putting a book on the table, but it didn't make a "tap" or a "thud," it made a "thud!" sound.

Her eyes, which had been blinking sleepily, examined the thickness of the book.

There were over five thick books piled up as if they could be used to hit someone.

Her pupils shook! Ayoon's gaze turned to Seorim.

Seorim, wearing her signature flashy and pretty smile, said,

"It's not a big deal, right? You'll be able to memorize them quickly. We're covering the basics: Korean, English, Math, and science, five subjects in total. For science, I chose the easiest two, so don't worry too much."

It seemed like a big deal, and she didn't think she could memorize it.

And it felt burdensome.

"Don't worry, I'll try it first and then explain to you. But it's been a while since you've studied, so I brought some reference books I used in elementary school... Is this too easy?"

No. Absolutely not.

But it seems like my unni used these kinds of books when she was in elementary school.

Should I clap or something?

Should I shed tears realizing that looking at this book is acknowledging my own reality?

Ayoon couldn't figure it out.

"There's nothing to worry about in exams. It's even less for a high school equivalency exam. If you just cram everything into your head, that's enough. Basically, studying is a game where the one who memorizes more wins."

This was a moment.

The moment you intuitively think, 'Oh, I'm screwed.'

"Don't worry. I'll make you score in the top rank."

Ayoon thought,

'Should I just go home?'

Of course, it was just a thought.

Ayoon wasn't brave enough to challenge Seorim, who seemed the most imposing in the office.

"Well, shall we start with this?"

Seorim mercilessly began the lesson without a shred of mercy.

Ayoon shivered, trying to listen to Seorim's voice.

And it went on for about ten minutes.

"Huh? You don't know this? Or this? ...You don't know this either?"

It took a while for Seorim to gauge Ayoon's level.

"How could you not know this? Is that even possible...?"

Seorim was amazed, and Ayoon slouched.

It was an unavoidable situation.

If this were in a game, it would be like that.

"Um, Ayoon, did you study up to middle school?"

Seorim, who had an innate intelligence of 100 and had taken the elite route of high-level dungeons, couldn't understand Ayoon, who had an innate intelligence of 30 and hadn't even looked at leveling!

"W-well..."

"Well?"

"U-umm..."

The conclusion was like that.

"Oh, I see...?"

The road ahead was long and treacherous.

***

Tap, tap.

Home, in my room.

I was lost in thought as I played a game absentmindedly.

It was about planning.

"Let's be meticulous."

Since I had set a generous deadline, I wanted to be thorough from the planning stage.

It was natural that there were more things to be concerned about than before.

There was a priority among the many concerns.

"I need to build the IP properly."

The reason I named the new game "Hell of Alice" as "Hellic 2" was exactly that.

The power of intellectual property (IP) is strong.

The consistent perception that comes from a unified title, along with the loyalty and selling power of the customer base stemming from it, is something that game companies cannot ignore.

Rewind Studio is a production company that I'll have to lead for a lifetime.

And it's a production company I've created to challenge beyond indie and enter the realm of AAA.

To properly lay the foundation, I needed to start thinking about IP from this point on.

And I came to a conclusion.

"We need uniqueness."

The name of the production company, Rewind, should evoke certain images in the minds of customers, and the image of the game associated with the IP "Hellic" should also exist.

In other words, users should have a consistent perception of the game and the production company.

This is an important issue.

Only then can we create a loyal customer base for Hellic.

There was a prominent example.

The game "Biohazard," which was benchmarked this time and also served as a benchmark in the production of "Cancer Giant" in Hellic 1, shares the characteristics of "Survival Horror Action" and "Enemies Triggering Biological Mutations" within the series.

Another example is the "Legend of Zelda" series, which adopts the same protagonists and heroines within the JRPG category to create a consistent narrative within the series.

However, this is where Hellic faces a problem.

This was a problem that would persistently arise in the games I would create.

"It's difficult to tie it together as IP. The backgrounds are different for each game. The genres are different, and even the protagonists are different."

As the Hellions I extracted all follow their own distinct rules, the games created from them would inevitably encompass different genres.

The absence of consistency.

So, what can be done?

What kind of consistency should be embedded in the game to tie it together as IP?

This had been a dilemma I had been facing even before creating Hellic 2, and today, I could finally decide on an answer with certainty.

[YOU DIED]

The game screen I was playing turned gray.

As the protagonist character died, red letters appeared on the screen.

The name of the game was "Demon’s Soul."

I drew inspiration from this.

'Like.'

There are instances where a unique system and the game's name itself transform into a new genre.

Derived from several rules taken from the classic game "Rogue," it led to the genre "Roguelike."

And the unique cruelty led to the new genre defined by this game, "Soullike" from FromSoftware.

A distinct system-based uniqueness alone can become a genre in itself.

Just as the path to tie the ever-changing Hellic into an IP can also be formed by genre definitions like these, it was the most ideal.

"It doesn't need to be extraordinary."

There's no need to be consumed by the need for innovation.

In other words, it doesn't need to be a novelty that hasn't existed before.

It's about twisting and reshaping what's already present.

Even that alone offers endless variations within the genre.

But there's one crucial aspect.

"Intensity."

There's no need to explicitly state it to the player; if the characteristics are conveyed intensely enough for the player to naturally feel them, that's enough.

Furthermore, if players perceive that they can experience this distinctiveness most vividly in "Hellic," then that's sufficient.

There aren't any significant problems.

It's a case of seizing the moment.

Applying this approach to a suitable pre-existing system.

"At the time, it was a system we had to adopt due to volume constraints, but..."

With the right packaging, mistakes can turn into intentions.