Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 841: On Sale

Once upon a time, it was Tanaka who had proposed the idea of industrialized game development to Ueto Hayakawa.

He had learned the concept from Takayuki's course and had come to deeply believe in the value of industrialized game production.

He had to admit—he wasn't particularly good at the kind of work that required bursts of creativity.

And yet, he still really wanted to make games. Whether or not he had a natural talent for game development, he hoped he could find some level of achievement in the field.

Sometimes, people are just like that—no matter their aptitude, they still chase after their dreams.

For someone like Tanaka, this dream might have always seemed distant, maybe even unattainable. But still, he wanted to give it a shot.

Industrialized game development was one way he could compensate for his lack of innate game design talent.

And recently, the development work he had been leading under this model had started showing real results.

...

...

The latest game announced by Surei Electronics was one that he was in charge of.

Originally, it was an unremarkable traditional adventure game that the company had already decided to abandon. The original producer had even resigned and left the project. But Tanaka stepped up and took over the mess, confidently promising Hayakawa that he could breathe new life into it using the industrial development approach.

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So, the once-generic adventure game transformed into something new—now featuring RPG elements, equipment customization, and even a touch of randomized dungeon exploration. In terms of genre, it had become quite similar to Diablo.

All the gameplay mechanics were based on methods that Takayuki had taught. Tanaka didn't add anything particularly innovative—he simply combined those systems into one package. And surprisingly, it worked really well.

Eventually, an additional $10 million investment was secured, and the game even managed to break even. This success shot Tanaka's reputation up within Surei's game division.

Now, he had begun to make a name for himself in the industry.

He used to be just an ordinary gamer—back in 1993. His father had also made a bold decision after video games became a thing: he switched careers to become a full-time game journalist and eventually became a freelance writer.

Maybe Tanaka inherited something from his father. As soon as he saw the world of video games, it was like something inside him had been awakened—he dove in headfirst.

Now, he was halfway to success.

All he needed was to produce a true top-tier industrialized sandbox game—if he could do that, it would prove that his approach worked. And then, all of his efforts would finally be rewarded.

Who would've thought that someone who started out just as a passionate fan would grow into a respected game developer?

And so, there was no reason to decline the chance to reconnect with old childhood friends.

Aiko and the others happily agreed, deciding to attend one of the salon gatherings in a few days.

Elsewhere in the line, small groups were forming—clusters of hardcore fans or people in the industry. Some sat on the ground together, playing games. Usually, they only interacted online, so now that they had the chance to meet in person, they cherished it. All of them were patiently waiting for the official release of the new Switch, eager to be among the first to get their hands on the latest games.

"IT'S TIME! LET'S GO!"

At exactly 8:00 AM, when the store's doors opened on schedule, someone in the crowd let out a shout. The people who had been deep in conversation or distracted by their games suddenly snapped to attention, quickly jumping up from the ground, eyes wide and necks craned toward the storefront.

The crowd was dense, but even in the packed space, everything remained orderly and safe.

Even without security staff on duty like in the old days, people had grown used to queuing patiently. It was no longer the chaotic scene from the early years of gaming.

Of course, the mad dash into the store the moment the doors opened? That part hadn't changed at all.

The doors slowly opened, ready to welcome their eager customers.

Yuka Adachi was a newly hired staff member at the official Gamestar Electronic Entertainment store.

But she hadn't taken the job because of a love for games—her reason was simple: the store was close to home, which made it easier to care for her children.

As times changed, Japan's traditionally rigid society had slowly started to open up.

In the past, most wives became full-time homemakers after marriage. If they did work, it was usually for modest wages at neighborhood shops—just enough to help with household expenses.

But this shift wasn't necessarily due to social progress—it was more out of necessity.

Now, Japan had entered its second lost decade.

The once-optimistic claims from business leaders about Japan's economy "returning to glory" had long since lost their credibility.

To help keep their families afloat, housewives had no choice but to join the workforce. Childcare was often entrusted to community facilities.

Yuka was the type of traditional Japanese woman who, even when working, preferred a more modest job like being a store clerk.

She had some basic understanding of video games but had never realized just how deeply people loved them.

Today marked one month since she started.

She'd thought the job would involve pushing products and persuading people to buy consoles. But to her surprise, she didn't need to do any of that. Her job was just like working at a regular supermarket—pack up purchases, issue receipts, and take payments.

And today, she finally witnessed the madness of gamers firsthand.

A flood of customers poured into the store.

It was a little overwhelming, honestly.

In their eyes, she saw something close to religious fervor.

Among the crowd, she even spotted people she used to think of as part of the upper crust—white-collar professionals, dressed neatly in suits, briefcases in hand, all here to grab a game console at launch.

Even people like that had no resistance to video games?

Then what about... her husband?

Wait—huh?!

Yuka Adachi's eyes widened.

She saw her husband in the crowd.

He wasn't particularly noticeable, but she recognized him right away.

But... was that really her husband?

Was that look in his eyes... serious?