Chapter 37: I Was Still Too Naive!

You Were Told to Lose Money By Making Games, and You Actually Did It? 

Chapter 37: I Was Still Too Naive!

February 4

Carrying 20% curiosity, 30% nervousness, and 50% anticipation, Yang Chen walked into Morning Star Games with a packaged box in his hands.

What surprised him was that the employees at this game company looked completely different from those at the game companies he had visited before.

At the other companies, most employees had very little hair left.

Dark circles hung under their eyes, they looked exhausted, rarely smiled, and the office atmosphere was incredibly depressing.

But the Morning Star Games were completely different.

Although many people here were just as bald, they looked healthy and full of energy.

Whenever they talked to each other, they wore smiles on their faces, making the entire workplace seem cheerful.

Although he found it a little curious, Yang Chen didn't dwell on it.

After all, he was only here today to present a product sample for Chen Xu's approval.

If he could secure this large order, his factory would survive its current crisis and finally have a chance to turn things around.

"Hello, President Chen!"

Entering the office, Yang Chen hurried forward and shook Chen Xu's hand.

"Mr. Yang, is everything inside the box?" Chen Xu skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

After all, the man had personally brought the samples over just to see whether they met his standards.

There was no need for unnecessary small talk.

And if they failed to meet his requirements, it would save him time so he could look for another manufacturer.

"Yes. We've already packaged everything, and the cost breakdown is inside as well."

Yang Chen quickly placed the box on the desk.

"A wooden box?"

Chen Xu was somewhat surprised. He had assumed it would be made of cardboard.

Only after picking it up did he realize it was actually made of wood.

"The cost of a premium cardboard gift box isn't much lower than a wooden one. Besides, for a collector's edition, a wooden box looks much better."

Chen Xu didn't reply immediately, only nodding.

A wooden box is fine too. It'll push the production cost even higher.

After opening the box, Chen Xu saw the merchandise neatly arranged inside.

The interior had been specially designed.

Kusabimaru and the Mortal Blade were placed on opposite sides, separated by wooden dividers.

In the center lay a thick art concept book.

The printing quality was excellent, and the paper felt premium.

The Healing Gourd and Prayer Beads were also beautifully crafted, each bearing the Sekiro logo.

However, what interested Chen Xu the most were the two weapons—Kusabimaru and the Mortal Blade.

Their scabbards had been specially carved and weathered to give them an aged appearance, while the blades themselves were made entirely of steel.

Although they weren't built at a full 1:1 scale like in the game—instead measuring roughly the length of an 84-key keyboard—they still felt satisfyingly heavy in the hand.

"President Chen, you can absolutely trust the quality of these swords. Our heat treatment process is among the best in the country—I swear I'm not exaggerating!"

"Once sharpened, these blades could chop directly into steel rebar without the edge rolling."

As soon as the conversation turned to his products, Yang Chen became visibly more confident.

"The quality really is excellent, and the craftsmanship faithfully recreates the originals."

Chen Xu nodded in satisfaction.

"But when mass production begins, you'll need to guarantee the same quality as these samples."

"Don't worry, President Chen! Every single one will be exactly like what you're seeing today!" Yang Chen immediately promised.

Chen Xu nodded. 

"Good. Then let's proceed. Prepare the contract, and our finance department will transfer the first deposit."

. . .

When Yang Chen had arrived, he was carrying the box with a face full of anxiety.

When he left, the box was gone—and he was overflowing with excitement.

Leaving the office building, he turned to look once more at the floor where the Morning Star Games was located before clenching his fist.

He had already made up his mind.

As long as this order didn't lose money and could cover his workers' wages, that would be enough.

It had been so hard to find a company willing to spend money on genuinely high-quality materials.

He would make President Chen's order the benchmark product for his factory—proof of their manufacturing capabilities, allowing them to attract new business in the future.

. . .

February 12

Chen Xu had been busy with quite a few things over the past week.

The first was the game's merchandise business.

He rented a warehouse and partnered with logistics companies.

Instead of using the cheaper courier services, he went directly with SF Express and JD Logistics.

Not only were the shipping costs higher, but the service quality was much better as well.

It was a win-win.

Meanwhile, the QA testing team had reported quite a number of bugs during this period.

For example, Gyoubu Oniwa would sometimes ride off a cliff because of an aggro issue, and certain versions of the Genichiro Ashina boss fight could become stuck in a corner against a wall.

Once these bugs were reported, they were fixed immediately.

As for Xiao Dao, Xiu Fu, Gong Qi, Ying Gao, and the others, they still seemed to be hard at work on optimization.

They were incredibly motivated.

Chen Xu didn't bother interfering anymore.

If they want to keep optimizing, then let them.

Aside from fixing the bugs reported during testing, there really wasn't much left to do.

After all, the development of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was already complete.

All that remained was to finish the testing phase and officially release the game.

As for optimization...

Once they ran headfirst into a brick wall and realized there wasn't much left to improve, they'd naturally stop.

"That said... I was still too inexperienced."

Leaning back in his chair and reflecting on the entire development process of Sekiro, Chen Xu felt he could only give himself a passing score of 60 out of 100.

Thanks to the system, he had a perfect memory of every aspect of Sekiro.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, he had been able to recreate the game successfully.

Not only had he preserved its quality, but by sparing no expense, he had even improved certain aspects compared to the original version.

Even so...

He was still too green.

Looking back now, Chen Xu realized that throughout development, there had been many opportunities where he could have spent even more money.

The first was motion capture.

Why had he let Hyakukin Studio handle all of it?

He could have hired well-known actors to perform motion capture for the game's characters.

Of course, because of the system's restrictions, it wasn't as if he could spend tens of millions of yuan hiring an A-list celebrity idol like a blockbuster movie production.

But spending a few million to hire a genuinely talented actor?

That should have been completely feasible.

After all, performances are an important part of a game's overall quality.

Although, perhaps because of nostalgia and familiarity, Chen Xu still felt that the original portrayals of Sekiro, Isshin Ashina, Genichiro Ashina, and Emma from his previous life were the best.

But the game also had plenty of generic enemies and mini-bosses.

Characters like the Ashina Seven Spears, Yamauchi Shikibu Toshikatsu, and the Lone Shadows would all have been excellent candidates for professional motion capture performances.

Then there was the music.

Why hadn't he hired a world-class orchestra?

Why had he simply outsourced it to a studio with a decent industry reputation?

Thinking about it, Final Fantasy had even invited internationally renowned performers for its music.

Couldn't Sekiro have hired a top-tier symphony orchestra?

After all, it all would have gone toward improving the game's quality.

Music and character performances were both crucial parts of a game's presentation.

He really was still too inexperienced.

There was still so much for him to learn.

If Xiao Dao and Xiu Fu hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't even have thought about producing game merchandise.

That had been a serious oversight.

But that was alright.

Reviewing the past was the best way to learn for the future.

Next time, he'd have the experience to do even better.

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