Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 1010: Envy, Jealousy, and Hatred

The people in the film industry who were involved in this movie project were very happy.

With the recent economic downturn, it was hard to find someone willing to spend money on making movies.

Especially since Tokarev chose to cast mostly lesser-known actors this time.

Mainly to save money.

But those who weren't involved were feeling a little bitter.

This was especially true for the lesser-known screenwriters, directors, and actors.

There were also some who had always disliked video game adaptations.

All they could do now was throw out some sarcastic comments. After all, Uncharted and Metal Gear had large fanbases.

Both games had individual titles that sold over five million copies.

...

...

That meant at least over a million fans were passionate about each series.

As long as you weren't foolish, no one would dare openly criticize those games and provoke the fans.

So the third movie in development became their new target.

Through various rumors, they pieced together a rough idea of the story.

It seemed like a film built to gather the fame of multiple well-known game IPs, combining their popularity to get gamers to willingly buy tickets.

"Heh, how funny. Is this even a real movie?"

At a film media magazine, the editor-in-chief Jimmy laughed dismissively.

"A movie that's just a messy stew has no meaning or depth."

"That's right, Chief. We all feel the same way — you really spoke our minds."

Of course, there were people agreeing with him nearby.

"I think we need to do something. If we let a movie like this succeed, the film industry is done for."

As Jimmy spoke, there was a flash of anger and envy in his eyes.

The director of the movie hadn't been publicly revealed yet — apparently it had already been decided internally.

But the screenwriter had been selected through open applications.

Jimmy had volunteered to apply.

In the past, Jimmy was a relatively senior screenwriter.

His work quality had been inconsistent, but he still had a solid standing in the industry.

Later, he stepped back and became the editor-in-chief of a magazine. Now he made money just drinking tea and writing a bit here and there — a fairly easy life.

But ever since he took that editor role, more and more video game adaptation films started appearing, and several of his old peers had worked on them.

Many of them made quite a lot of money.

This made him extremely envious.

In short, he was bitter that his friends had made money from this trend while he hadn't.

So now, his feelings toward video games had turned into resentment.

He'd even sarcastically criticize the video games his own child liked, just to vent his frustration.

In the magazine office, there were a few people with different opinions, but they didn't dare speak up.

They actually liked video games, and some of them enjoyed game adaptations.

But in front of Jimmy, video games were always worthless garbage.

They were angry, but they didn't dare voice it — he was still the boss.

"Chief, so what do you plan to do?"

Jimmy smirked. "We'll make Gamestar Electronic Entertainment pay a little for this."

He turned to a few editors and said, "Write a few critical articles. Don't be too direct — support it with data. Point out the flaws of this third movie being planned."

"Uh..."

The editors looked uneasy.

It wasn't that they couldn't write it, but why did they have to write it?

After all, their names would be on the bylines. This kind of reputation-risking task was clearly not something the boss wanted to attach himself to.

"Of course, I'm not asking you to be too blunt. Just raise questions — like whether this kind of chaotic, mixed-IP movie is really worth such a big investment. Also question whether Tokarev's company might be trying to scam Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, promising too much just to get more IP licenses."

This kind of "IP mashup" or "Easter egg movie" had never really existed before.

Even based on his past industry experience, Jimmy believed this kind of movie had little chance of success.

He figured that by pointing out the flaws early, he might earn Gamestar's appreciation.

Then maybe in the future, they'd see him as someone who could give honest and sharp feedback, and he might have a chance to work with them.

And then, he'd finally be able to make big money too.

He was already feeling smug about it.

He left all the actual writing to his subordinates. All he had to do was wait for the payoff.

The editors exchanged glances but could only reluctantly go along with Jimmy's plan.

As for Jimmy, he was already dreaming of future collaborations with Gamestar as he headed off to a big industry party with other well-known professionals.

Soon after, those critical articles began appearing online and in the next issue of their film magazine.

But Tokarev never saw them — his mind was fully focused on movie production.

The production teams for Metal Gear and Uncharted were already assembled. As soon as the funding was released, the producers and directors began pre-production immediately.

The first step of that pre-production? Every member of the crew had to play both games.

Tokarev's requirement was clear: no story rewrites. First and foremost, please the gamers. If that happened, at least 3 to 5 million fans would show up to watch the film.

Each of the two films had a projected investment of about $100 million. Just from the initial wave of player support at the box office, they could expect to recoup most of the cost.

Then they could rely on word of mouth to expand.

After all, players rarely watched these movies alone — they'd often bring friends or family. That secondary box office revenue would also add up.

Recouping costs wouldn't be a problem.

If these two movies made money, it wouldn't even matter if later ones didn't — at least the partnership with Takayuki would be further solidified.

What surprised Tokarev a little was that the elderly director — the one in his seventies — was deeply interested in the third film.

He had even started his own journey into video games, beginning with Super Mario, gradually familiarizing himself with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's various titles.