In the makeshift office, Takami Akai, who had been brought in to take the blame, received the first draft of the " Tokimeki Memorial " project proposal.
The moment he picked it up, he noticed the ESRB age rating symbol in the lower left corner of the cover.
This is a non-profit organization funded by GAMENOVA, whose purpose is to help parents and players determine the age appropriateness of games.
All of Gamenova's titles, including those from other companies now willing to side with Gamenova, must join this agreement.
Takami Akai wasn't surprised by this, but what truly astonished him was its rating system.
"ESRB - All Ages Rating?"
This almost completely contradicts the mainstream market answer.
To put it bluntly, what exactly are gamers looking for when they buy dating games these days?
It's definitely restricted content!
Without these exciting and stimulating CGs, no one would buy into a work that has virtually no gameplay.
These kinds of games are nothing more than reskinned video stores.
"Yes, it needs to be appealing to all ages; we want Volkswagen communication."
Lin Lixin nodded.
Speaking of the current market trend, it's actually quite inextricably linked to GAMENOVA.
Well, strictly speaking, it's inextricably linked to a host of major companies.
Because whether it's Gamenova, Sega, Nintendo, Konami ----
Everyone agrees that if you want to eat in peace, you have to at least keep your plate steady first.
Stabilize the market first, then everyone can try to divide the pie.
As a result, Gamenova implemented an ESRB age rating system, Nintendo directly imposed strict censorship and restricted production.
Even Sega's stance is very clear on the surface.
But the console gaming industry has censorship; how can you check it in the PC gaming industry?
The Volkswagen market is completely monopolized by giants, and newcomers have no chance to compete.
Any sign of trouble that even begins to emerge will be immediately crushed by Nintendo.
What if we make PC games, target niche markets, or create content that isn't subject to censorship?
What if we switch to the PC-E platform, to these completely open and free content creation platforms?
And just like that, a brand new, highly profitable industry was discovered by everyone.
The developers suddenly realized that we didn't need to do complex map design, high-end combat systems, deep and mysterious plots, or worry about numerical balance.
All that's needed is a few CG images.
In no time, grassroots developers across Japan flocked to this field, frantically raking in money.
In fact, many famous ACG companies and creators in later generations made their first fortune during this period by relying on the restricted market.
For example, Key, Elf, Type-Moon, Leaf, AliceSoft--
Although the market for restricted content is "dirty," it has indeed supported a large number of grassroots creators who entered the industry with dreams but struggled to make ends meet.
Without the commercial success of "Kanon," Key would not have been able to clean up its image and go public, and there would be no "CLANNAD" later on.
In a sense, Japan's PC R-rated game market is similar to North America's PC retail game market.
This is a true talent incubator.
Many creators who would later venture into the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) field solved their basic needs for survival during this period.
This rule does not apply to Tokimeki Memorial.
If we had to pinpoint the most important and crucial decision in the history of this project...
It's not actually its hybrid marketing strategy, nor the various mechanics within the game.
Ironically, it's this positioning issue that's most easily overlooked.
It is undoubtedly a work suitable for all ages.
We don't sell CG, we sell emotions.
There is actually a very important reason why we dare to do this.
Because the company that originally developed " Tokimeki Memorial " was called Konami.
Yes, this is actually a product of Konami behind this.
1994 was the year Konami was at its peak.
With its vast portfolio of arcade games, sports games, and action games, it has become a dominant force across the entire gaming industry.
But no matter how powerful they are, they are still ruthless under Nintendo and cannot escape Nintendo's platform review.
So that year, Konami made a bold decision.
Remove all restricted content.
Players work hard for three years in the storyline, constantly changing themselves to become better versions of themselves.
Ultimately, what you get isn't the thrilling H-key slapping interaction like in " Mahjong Academy," nor the exhilarating CG.
There was only one confession, made under the tree during the graduation ceremony.
Konami's gamble paid off.
That year, players fell irrevocably in love with a girl named Shiori Fujisaki.
That year, Konami proved to young people experiencing their first stirrings of love that emotions are the most precious thing.
That year, countless players of text-based adventure games finally realized the weight of love.
Of course, besides this relationship, Lin Lixin also had his own selfish motives.
Roppongi Agency is not Diamond Visual; he still hopes that his idols can become true idols instead of being forced into adult entertainment.
The dirty work is enough with Toru Muranishi leading the way.
This place is destined to become a star-making factory.
"President, this is Shiori Fujisaki's first draft. Please take a look."
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto handed a document to Lin Lixin.
Lin Lixin raised an eyebrow and picked up the document to look through it.
After all, the character design was changed, and this Shiori Fujisaki is completely different from the white moonlight in my memory.
However, it must be said that Yoshiyuki Sadamoto is indeed a master of character design.
The techniques I taught him just a few days ago have already been almost completely absorbed by him.
She had a slender, fair neck, a clean face with a small nose, and a head that was slightly larger than normal.
Even Yoshiyuki Sadamoto himself would sometimes be lost in thought for a moment whenever he saw this painting.
She was so beautiful, so beautiful, that she seemed like a perfect girl who only existed in fantasy, only in a virtual world.
It's hard to imagine the riots and frenzy that would erupt if otaku saw this original artwork.
Before this, he had never imagined that making animation look fake would have such a terrifying effect.
"Very good."
Lin Lixin nodded in satisfaction.
Although the recreation isn't very accurate, it still has its own unique charm.
Especially for fans who haven't yet witnessed distinctive character design, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's current level of enlightenment is absolutely top-notch and can easily surpass the industry average.
He put the original painting back on the table.
"I've got the script outline and series structure sorted out; now I need to find a screenwriter to fill in the details."
Lin Lixin also had to work on the game's system design and the idol agency's situation, so he couldn't take on all the work himself.
As long as the overall framework remains sound, and you personally oversee the final review, there shouldn't be any major problems with the scriptwriting.
It's hard to imagine what these creators from the Golden Age, whose tastes have been steeped in restricted content, would produce if left unchecked.
"Screenwriter—President Hayashi, what do you think of Hideaki Anno? He's currently directing and writing ' The Secret of Blue Water,' so his talent is absolutely guaranteed!"
Lin Lixin rubbed his temples and immediately refused, "No way!"
If that lunatic Hoodlum, really took over, he'd pour in a ton of personal biases and bizarre, psychologically disturbed anxieties, and it wouldn't be " Tokimeki Memorial " anymore.
It might turn into something like " Doki Doki Literature Club " or " White Album ".
Well, in some ways it's actually more suited to the United States market.
"What I want is a sweet romance—okay, I understand. I'll find a suitable candidate. You guys continue with the project."
After thinking for a moment, a good option popped into Lin Lixin's mind.
The company ELF was just established last year.
When it comes to storytelling, ELF is definitely a professional.
Unlike the vast majority of mass-produced R-rated CG works on the market, eIf's works focus on strong narratives and a strong style, making them a breath of fresh air.
Although eIf is still a fledgling small company, its core members are already complete.
Especially Hiroyuki Kanno and others who were key screenwriters.
Roppongi Agency.
After several days of planning, the entire GAMENOVA music team was finally assembled.
Even the music industry team that SuperNova and Hans Zimmer were building in North America were brought over.
"Sorry for the delay at GAINAX, thank you for waiting."
Lin Lixin pushed open the door and entered.
A middle-aged man, around forty years old but already bald, sat inside the house.
Yuzo Koshiro was not far from him, but he was clearly close to the other members of GAMENOVA.
"No, animation is something that can be endless once you get busy."
The other person stood up and greeted him, pausing briefly before continuing before the atmosphere could become awkward, "That kid Anno is probably working himself to the bone lately; the old man has given him some pretty demanding work."
"If I have the chance, I would be very happy to invite Mr. Miyazaki to my home."
Lin Lixin laughed heartily, shook hands with the other person, and gestured for them to sit down casually.
The visitor was none other than Joe Hisaishi, a top composer in the Japan animation industry and Hayao Miyazaki's go-to composer.
Speaking of these two master-level figures, their relationship with GAMENOVA and Ryo is actually quite complicated.
Leaving aside Yuzo Koshiro, who was nominally a disciple of Yuzo Koshiro, Hideaki Anno was also a disciple of Hayao Miyazaki.
Although he developed a completely unique stream-of-consciousness style of his own—
Regardless of the circumstances, in Japan, this tiny country, it's practically impossible to run into someone you know just by stepping outside.
If you randomly pick someone and have them climb a few laps up the hill, they might just turn out to be a bunch of big shots.
More importantly, behind GAINAX and Yuzo Koshiro stands GAMENOVA.
This is why Joe Hisaishi willing to acknowledge this relationship.
Joe Hisaishi glanced at Yuzo Koshiro, who was sitting not far from him.
Although he studied under me for several years when he was young, his current success is entirely due to his own efforts and those of GAMENOVA.
His unique musical style is completely different from his own.
Seated next to him was a Hollywood music industry maestro, a master who had recently been on a meteoric rise, winning a slew of awards.
Hans Zimmer.
This was a matter that he simply couldn't afford to take lightly.