Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 801: A Sudden Revelation

During the farewell ceremony, Hayakawa and Takayuki ended up having a long conversation.

Even Hayakawa himself didn't expect to talk with Takayuki for so long.

They mostly talked about video games. Hayakawa brought up a suggestion from one of his subordinates: expanding the development team to try creating more standardized, industrialized games.

He had been hesitant. Even after playing Assassin's Creed and being impressed by its polish and short development time, he wasn't sure if the development model really worked.

Takayuki was the perfect person to ask.

Takayuki didn't hold anything back. He explained the traits of industrialized game development clearly. The key was scale.

One person couldn't do it alone.

In his previous world, even the biggest game companies needed over 10,000 employees to support industrialized game development.

You needed a lot of people.

Takayuki could tell Hayakawa was struggling. Big companies don't usually expand quickly, and hiring large numbers of staff wasn't easy. Most were cutting back. Surrey Electronics was likely in that situation too.

But suddenly, Takayuki had an idea.

"Hayakawa, if you're having trouble hiring, there's a workaround. Just acquire existing studios. They already have experienced teams. Buy enough and you'll have the numbers."

"Acquiring studios? That could work... but good studios are rare. Even if we find them, they'll be spread across the world."

"Do you need them all in one place?" Takayuki asked.

"Of course. You think we can make games with people scattered around the world?"

"Why not?" Takayuki replied.

Hayakawa was stunned.

"Games are just 1s and 0s. They're digital. Unlike physical products, you don't need to worry about shipping or logistics. So why can't teams work together from anywhere in the world?"

It felt like a whole new door had opened.

No one had really done this yet. Even Takayuki's company mostly worked in one place.

But it wasn't necessary.

Takayuki hadn't bought many studios yet either. Most of his hiring was still in Japan and the U.S. But he knew this kind of global collaboration was the future.

Hayakawa was limited by his company's board. He couldn't expand freely, but acquisitions were easier to approve.

"Takayuki, can a game like Assassin's Creed really be made by multiple studios around the world?"

"Not can—it absolutely can. The game itself isn't even that hard to make."

Hayakawa wasn't sure he believed that. Maybe it wasn't hard for Takayuki, but others? Definitely not so easy.

Still, this kind of development model would make it easier for others to create games like it.

Hayakawa took a deep breath.

"Takayuki, thank you. Without your advice, I'd probably waste a lot more time."

"Don't mention it. We're kind of allies now anyway. We have a common enemy, right?"

"Common enemy?"

Hayakawa thought for a moment, then nodded.

Yes. Myron Case was trying to undermine gaming with other forms of entertainment.

Fine. They would show him the power of top-tier games.

Myron used mass-produced smart devices to expand. They'd use industrialized games to fight back.

After the funeral, Surrey Electronics quickly became active again.

Hayakawa started reaching out to small but reputable studios worldwide, negotiating acquisitions and investments.

At first, the board opposed it.

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But they changed their minds once Hayakawa showed them how Assassin's Creed had performed.

It was the perfect template for an industrialized game. With enough people, Surrey could make similar games—safe bets that wouldn't lose money and might even earn big.

With Hayakawa's promises, the plan passed quickly.

Everything was kept secret—for now, not from other game companies, but from Mycroft, to catch him off guard later.

Even the handheld console division, previously shut down, was quietly revived.

Meanwhile, Takayuki began planning his next moves.

Industrialized, formula-based games had proven their value. Dedicated teams of a thousand people would keep the Assassin's Creed series going yearly.

But Takayuki wasn't going to rest.

In his office, on the large planning whiteboard, two new goals were written.

First: push the development of the Switch, aiming for release before next year.

Second: a brand-new project.

In big, bold letters:

Cinematic Narrative Benchmark

Assassin's Creed had set the model for sandbox games. Once it trained enough talent, they could start making even more ambitious projects.

But before that, it was time to release a cinematic-style narrative game.

Takayuki had already experimented with this in games like Metal Gear Solid, even using real actors, but those weren't full cinematic experiences yet.

Now it was time to create the gold standard.

Under "Cinematic Narrative Benchmark," Takayuki wrote:

Uncharted.