Launch Lineup Preparations (2)

Then, Takuya turned his gaze to another direction in the conference room.

Sitting over there are team members responsible for Pokémon -related merchandise projects, as well as core members of the arcade development team who don't currently have arcade porting tasks.

"About the Pokémon IP."

The moment Takuya spoke, the relaxed atmosphere in the meeting room froze again, and everyone's ears perked up immediately. After all, everyone in the company knew about the astonishingly hot sales of Pokémon merchandise and the huge profits that followed. Even the development team members, who were usually only concerned with the hardcore arcade experience, could not ignore the enormous commercial power behind this name.

He flashed his signature smile, and those who knew him well knew that this was likely another promising idea about to emerge.

"We need a game that can quickly attract a wider user base, especially capturing the hearts of female players and casual gamers."

Upon hearing this, the team members responsible for peripheral products immediately lit up and nodded repeatedly. However, the veterans of the arcade game development team remained expressionless, with one of them unconsciously touching his chin with a subtle expression. For them, the terms "casual players" and "female players" seemed to be separated from the hardcore arcade games they had developed in the past by an invisible wall.

"We should make full use of the Pokémon's naturally cute appearance, as well as their unique charm and skills."

Takuya snapped his fingers, the sound crisp and clear. "My concept is a new type of game featuring a host of adorable Pokémon as the main characters, cleverly blending simple and fun puzzle elements with low-to-medium difficulty action-platform gameplay." He paused, then added, "It needs to be easy to pick up, incredibly fun, but also deep enough to keep players wanting to try again and again—that's the essence of Sega."

"As for the game's setting..."

Takuya's lips curled into a slight smile as his gaze swept over the crowd, carrying a hint of mystery. "It's set in the whimsical 'Pokémon Land' that appeared in episode 17 of the anime, ' The Island of the Giant Pokémon' — Pokémon Land!"

The moment this suggestion was made, the developers present, especially the younger generation, were immediately intrigued.

"Pokémon Land! That island full of giant mechanical Pokémon?" a young planner exclaimed involuntarily, clearly a loyal viewer of the anime. "The set design there really has potential!"

The peculiar island in the anime, filled with giant mechanical Pokémon, is indeed a fantastic stage with immense imagination and development potential, both in terms of its visual impact and the space it offers to explore.

Players will control several classic Pokémon belonging to the main characters of the anime.

"They can form an adventure team, and players can switch between different Pokémon at any time in different scenes and levels as needed."

"Utilizing their unique characteristics and skills, for example, Pikachu's Dengeki can activate certain mechanisms or temporarily paralyze mechanical enemies; Bulbasaur whip can temporarily build a bridge or pull a switch in the distance; Squirtle's water gun can extinguish flames in its path or clear some sticky obstacles; Onix can dig open burrows, and so on."

"This will allow us to overcome various traps and obstacles encountered on our adventure, and ultimately defeat those giant mechanical Pokémon guardians."

"To further enhance the game's fun and deepen its connection with the anime's storyline."

A mysterious light flickered in Takuya's eyes. He paused deliberately, and the conference room fell silent. Everyone held their breath, sensing that the real bombshell was about to be dropped.

"We also need to design a hidden final boss in the game."

He enunciated the next name clearly, word by word. "The Gym Leader of Viridian Gym, that mysterious and powerful Mr. Giovanni, whose iconic team in the anime consists of Machamp, Rhydon, and Kingler!"

"Wow!" An arcade developer couldn't help but whistle, his face beaming with excitement. This twist was completely unexpected. Giovanni! He was the main villain in the early episodes of the anime! The moment that name was mentioned, the game's tone instantly shifted from "easy and casual" to "hidden challenge."

"After defeating them," Takuya's smile deepened, "We can also let the unfathomably powerful Armored Mewtwo make a brief appearance, as a surprise Easter egg for the players."

"Armored Mewtwo?!" Yuji Naka couldn't help but push up his glasses, his eyes gleaming behind the lenses. Although he wasn't part of the Pokémon project team, he had heard a lot of inside information about Pokémon, but this "Armored Mewtwo" was the first time he had ever heard of it.

"In this way," Takuya concluded, "It cleverly connects to the classic storyline of the Viridian Gym the anime, and also serves as a small but highly topical warm-up for our Sega theatrical anime film, ' Mewtwo Strikes Back,' which we'll be investing in and producing."

A murmur of barely suppressed admiration and quiet discussion filled the meeting room. The way they cleverly linked a game seemingly geared towards younger, casual players with the core fanbase's beloved storyline and characters through hidden elements, and then planted a seed for a crossover theatrical release, was truly a stroke of genius.

Takuya watched the reactions of the crowd with satisfaction. He knew that this Pokémon, had successfully ignited the team's passion. This was not just a game, but also an important step for Sega to demonstrate its IP management capabilities and determination to create diverse content on its new console.

"This brand new game will be officially titled <Pokémon Adventure - Pokémon Land>."

Takuya made the final announcement.

"The game will be developed jointly by an arcade development team that currently has no arcade porting projects to complete, and an experienced home console development team. Let's call them Team Four and Team Five. One of you excels in action combat, and the other in casual puzzle games—a perfect match. To ensure that the game's core selling points stay true to its cute, fun, lightly challenging, and IP-driven direction, I myself will personally serve as the game's producer, overseeing the entire process to ensure the project's overall direction and final quality."

The group leaders all nodded in approval. The group leaders of Groups 4 and 5, who had received the task, were overjoyed, while the others who had not yet received the task were even more eager to try.

Seeing this, Takuya raised his hand and gestured for everyone to be quiet before continuing, "Next, we'll be developing a new type of game that features vibrant visuals and rich sound effects, as well as complex game mechanics."

After saying that, Takuya took out a business plan from his briefcase.