NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86
Let’s rewind the clock a little—two days before Ho-jin’s call to Tanaka.
In the conference room of the SignGames headquarters located in Udagawachō, Shibuya, Tokyo, an unusual sense of tension was palpable.
Seated on opposite sides of the table, glaring at each other, were a man and a woman.
The man was Takahashi Yuichi, the executive director of SignGames, and the woman was Ishikawa Yui, the main producer of the Chronicle Connect team.
“Did I hear you wrong? You’re talking about canceling the project?”
“You heard correctly.”
Yuichi’s calm reply only made Yui grit her teeth as she asked in return.
“Why?”
“…”
“Director, you yourself told me just a few months ago not to worry and keep going, right? The executives also gave positive feedback, didn’t they?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t need to apologize. Please just explain so I can understand. If I at least know why, I can go back to the team and explain to my members why the project was scrapped!”
Still, no matter how agitated Yui’s voice was, Yuichi’s expression didn’t change.
He let out a small sigh and looked at Yui.
“It couldn’t be helped.”
“So, why—”
“Apparently, those who were optimistic about the project months ago have suddenly turned against it.”
“Why…?”
“Why? Because they realized a sword was hanging over their necks.”
Yuichi summarized the current situation, starting with criticisms of the executives.
The story Yuichi told was realistic yet dirty and ugly.
“So…because the executives don’t want to take responsibility for the drop in sales due to Enson GT, they’re shifting the blame to the development teams?”
“Of course. Otherwise, why would these individuals, who’ve only ever cared about numbers and never about field operations, suddenly be talking about improving development efficiency and cutting new projects that were running smoothly?”
“If that’s the case, why our project? It’s not even a new project.”
“Exactly, but your project is a remake.”
“Ah…”
“At a time when new projects are being canceled left and right, reviving a failed project like yours can’t possibly be justified for preservation.”
“…”
“I’m sorry. I tried my best to cover for your project…”
Listening to Yuichi’s apologetic tone, Yui suppressed her rising emotions and eventually nodded. It was clear that responsibility for this situation didn’t lie with Yuichi.
“Director, may I ask one favor?”
“Anything. If I can help, I will.”
“It’s not that big of a deal. Can you ensure that my team doesn’t get scattered to undesirable departments?”
“…That shouldn’t be too hard, but what about you?”
At Yuichi’s question, Yui shook her head and smiled wryly.
“You know how much this project means to me, Director.”
“That means…”
“Anyway, since the company doesn’t seem to care about my project, I intend to do my utmost to save it on my own terms.”
“What if no other developer takes you?”
To that question, Yui chuckled and replied.
“If that happens, I’ll leave this hellish industry without regrets.”
***
After setting up another meeting with Tanaka, the reality of the situation began to hit me hard.
Attempting to salvage the canceled project was far from straightforward.
Certainly, I wasn’t giving up, but the biggest obstacle now was the issue of the IP rights.
The Chronicle Connect: ReLink project I wanted to take over was a remake.
Meaning, the IP rights for the original Chronicle Connect were still owned by SignGames.
Since there has been no mention of giving up those IP rights despite canceling the project, it appears the only way forward is to negotiate a transfer of those rights from SignGames.
I only hoped the executives at SignGames were as stubborn and rigid as possible.
This way, there would at least be a chance to purchase the IP at a cheaper price.
***
A week passed, and the day of the appointment arrived.
After arriving in Japan and reaching the café near Shibuya where we were to meet, a unfamiliar woman was waiting for me.
She was about 160 cm tall when seated, with large, round glasses and her hair tied in a ponytail—an iconic image of a career woman.
However, the sharpness in her eyes behind the glasses somewhat undermined that image.
She was obviously someone with a strong personality.
After sizing her up, I approached and greeted her.
“Hello.”
She looked me up and down, seemingly surprised, and then bowed slightly to return my greeting.
“Are you Department Head Jihojin?”
“Yes.”
“The sudden request must’ve caught you off guard, but I’m truly grateful for your time.”
“Not at all.”
“My introduction is late. I’m Ishikawa Yui, I recently resigned from SignGames.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jihojin, department head at Enson GT.”
After the introductions, Yui, in her haste, quickly steered the conversation toward the main topic.
“By accepting my invitation for the meeting, am I to take it that you’ve fully reviewed the project documentation?”
“Yes.”
“…How does it look?”
“The content of the project documentation was impressive. If this project had been proposed in my company, we would’ve immediately invested resources to develop it.”
“Ah…”
“However, internal evaluations suggested that touching this project again would present too much risk.”
“Risk?”
“Exactly. It’s not a problem with the project content itself. Simply, because it’s not a new project…”
“Because it’s a remake and the Chronicle Connect IP is tied to SignGames, right?”
Yui’s expression remained unchanged, as if she’d already anticipated the question I was about to ask.
She clearly expected the conversation to head this way.
“Director, I know what you’re worried about—whether SignGames will refuse to sell the IP rights or price them so absurdly high that the entire business collapses.”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t need to worry. The current situation inside SignGames is far from ideal.”
From there, Yui began calmly explaining the current state of affairs inside SignGames to me.
Considering her recent employment there, the information was impressively vivid and detailed.
“So…to summarize your explanation, most of the executives are so blinded by self-preservation that they’ve halted numerous projects in an attempt to cut losses?”
In response to my question, Yui nodded silently.
“Ah….”
After hearing Yui’s account, I finally understood why, before my reincarnation, no new games from SignGames had been released.
It was because executives who didn’t understand games, only cared about numbers and efficiency, were destroying the company’s future growth potential.
I had somewhat foreseen it, but hearing it directly from a former employee was truly shocking.
“Besides, most of the executives don’t know much about games. Moreover, since Chronicle Connect is already considered a defunct IP, they’ll likely just price it as you see fit and be open to negotiations.”
“Hmm…”
After hearing her story, I began to think it might be worth a try.
If SignGames executives were truly so short-sighted that they’d scrap the company’s future by canceling new projects for deficit reasons, then they’d likely be more than willing to sell off the IP rights of a game that had already failed.
“Let’s wait until we’ve acquired the IP rights before discussing detailed ideas for the project.”
“That makes sense.”
“One last thing, if we manage to acquire the IP rights and the project proceeds, would you be willing to move to Korea?”
To my question, Yui immediately nodded.
“Yes, I’m prepared for that much.”
“Understood. We’ll handle the copyright negotiations and update you afterward.”
Our first meeting ended there, and before leaving the café, Yui bowed deeply to me again.
“Chronicle Connect… It’s the game I’ve staked my entire career on. I implore you to take good care of it.”
***
After the meeting, upon returning to Korea and resuming work at my company, I immediately began preparing for the IP transfer negotiations with SignGames.
The most urgent task was securing Su-yeon’s approval for this negotiation.
No matter what with SignGames, without Su-yeon’s approval, nothing could progress.
So, I prepared several documents for persuading Su-yeon, but surprisingly, her approval was easier to obtain than anticipated.
When I framed the potential acquisition of Chronicle Connect’s IP as an opportunity to outshine SignGames, a long-time competitor since the Girls’ Memorial era, Su-yeon eagerly agreed and immediately stamped the document.
Though slightly worried about her swift decision, I brushed it aside. I already knew that Su-yeon’s seemingly careless attitude only appeared when she was around me.
Anyway, with the biggest hurdle easily crossed, everything else fell into place smoothly.
After evaluating the value of the Chronicle Connect IP and predicting the selling price SignGames might offer, we conducted all legal checks and risk assessments with the legal team. Before we knew it, two months had passed.
With all preparations completed, the negotiations over the Chronicle Connect IP rights between Enson GT and SignGames finally began.
At the conference room of the SignGames headquarters, the first impression I encountered were condescending glances from the aging executives of SignGames, looking at me as if I were an inexperienced youth.