NOVEL NEXT Chapter 87
The conference room located at SignGames Headquarters.
There, waiting for us for the rights negotiation, were the executives of SignGames.
The number was a total of four.
Seeing that they were all of advanced age somewhat reassured me.
Since they were of advanced age, it meant they were executives far removed from the fieldwork, more into paperwork.
I could sense another emotion besides hostility in the intense gazes they sent my way.
‘These people look down on us.’
That emotion was disdain, mockery.
It was a feeling I had experienced to an extreme degree at ND Soft before the regression.
It was exactly the same gaze the executives would give me when I suggested making mobile games based on subcultures.
Honestly, I did feel some disdain, but I skillfully concealed my true feelings, sitting down with the male lawyers from our legal team.
To proceed as planned before entering the negotiation, I had to accommodate the other party as much as possible at the beginning.
“Nice to meet you. I thought we arrived earlier than the appointed time… My apologies.”
Although there was still over ten minutes left until the appointed time, I bowed my head first.
The SignGames executives seemed slightly mollified by my actions.
An executive with a stern look sitting in the middle shook his head and said,
“Not at all. Since you arrived within the scheduled time, there’s no need for an apology.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
After finishing that remark, I subtly started examining each of the SignGames executives one by one.
The stern-looking elder who had just spoken was Vice President Kato Nobuo.
The man in his mid-50s on the far left with a white beard was Senior Vice President Takahashi Yuichi, whom Yui had told me about earlier.
The other two were probably Vice President Kobayashi and Senior Vice President Kimura.
Given Yui’s story that there was no need to bother with Kobayashi and Kimura,
these two, Vice President Yuichi and Vice President Nobuo, were the ones to watch out for during today’s negotiation.
“Shall we start with a brief self-introduction?”
“Do let’s.”
With Nobuo’s consent, I nodded and spoke again,
“I assume everyone here already knows, but let me introduce myself again: I am Jihojin, the representative from Enson GT in this negotiation. And this person over here…”
After introducing everyone, including the legal team lawyers, and the brief introductions from the SignGames executives, the actual negotiation began.
“The intellectual property rights I wish to purchase are the complete rights to the Chronicle Connect IP. Specifically, all commercial rights including copyrights, trademarks, and patents.”
As I opened the negotiation, Vice President Nobuo asked with a serious expression,
“Ah, Director Jihojin? May I ask you one question before we proceed?”
“Please, feel free to ask anything.”
“You know as well as I do that Chronicle Connect has already been deemed a failure in the market. What exactly do you plan to do with the IP rights you want to acquire?”
“I happened to be a high-ranking player in Chronicle Connect. It was a fun game, and with this opportunity, I plan to try my hand at some media mix ventures.”
“Media mix ventures?”
“Yes. Though Chronicle Connect failed as a game, the characters and settings have been well-received by users, haven’t they?”
Of course, everything I mentioned was a lie, fabricated without hesitation.
Perhaps my response was unforeseen, as the executives at SignGames began whispering amongst themselves.
I waited patiently, feeling like a fisherman who had just cast his bait.
Eventually, it seemed their opinions were consolidated as Vice President Nobuo raised his head again and asked me,
“Even if the condition is media mix, isn’t it unnecessary to purchase the entire IP rights? Renting a license for a certain period would suffice, wouldn’t it?”
“True, Vice President Nobuo, if we limit it to the media mix ventures, what you say is correct. However, no one knows how things in this world will turn out, right? For instance…”
I intentionally paused my speech for a moment before continuing,
“…if the response to the media mix projects is overwhelmingly positive, there might come a time when we wish to develop the game again.”
At this, the other three executives, save for Senior Vice President Yuichi who Yui had mentioned earlier, burst out laughing.
“Are you overconfident because you’ve succeeded with a few games? You’re saying you’re going to develop a game that has already failed in the market?”
“I’m not overconfident. When I consider my abilities, it’s natural. Furthermore, there’s no rule that says a game that has failed once will necessarily fail again.”
The SignGames executives, excluding Yuichi, burst into laughter again at my words.
But this time, the laughter was closer to mockery.
“Young man, it seems you can’t control your youthful vigor, can you? Isn’t that the case?”
At Nobuo’s question, the surrounding executives agreed while adding their own remarks.
“Director Jihojin. Let me give you a word of caution: we executives should never speak rashly. Why? Because executives are expected to prove the words they utter.”
“Vice President Nobuo, you seem to think I won’t be able to prove it… am I right?”
Nobuo chuckled at my question, then immediately changed his expression, solemnly answering,
“Of course, thinking you can’t do it is only natural! There’s no rule that a game that has failed once will fail again, right? Are you starting to think this industry is a joke because you’ve succeeded with a few games?”
Despite Nobuo glaring daggers at me with an angry expression, I calmly shook my head and said,
“It’s not about thinking the industry is a joke. It’s about trusting my own abilities.”
“What, you’re still talking back…!”
“Moreover, if we follow Vice President’s reasoning, now isn’t this actually an opportunity for you, Vice President?”
“What? An opportunity?”
“Following Vice President’s logic, if the competitor is wasting time using an IP from a game that has failed in the market, wouldn’t it be an occasion to welcome with open arms as an executive of the competitor company?”
“Ah, ahh…!”
Seeing his words stifled by my rebuttal, Vice President Nobuo instead cleared his throat while avoiding my gaze instead of responding.
“So, esteemed executives, it’s up to you to make the decision. If you’re genuinely scared I might succeed with the project, we can call off the negotiation.”
After pausing briefly to glance around at the executives, I continued,
“If that’s not the case and you truly view this as youthful brashness, then selling us the rights will suffice.”
Tension began to rise in the conference room as the options were presented to the executives.
Surveying the tense faces of the executives, I inquired,
“What will you decide?”
***
As I stepped out of the SignGames headquarters and made a phone call, the familiar voice of a woman immediately responded.
[Did you succeed…?]
The urgent tone in Yui’s voice suggested she had been waiting anxiously for my call.
“Yes, it was a success.”
Upon hearing my confirmation, a sigh of relief could be heard through the phone.
“Let’s meet and talk. I have several things to discuss with you.”
[Okay, shall we meet at the café we went to last time?]
“That would be fine.”
[I’ll be there soon.]
After ending the call with Yui, I leisurely headed to the agreed-upon place.
Arriving approximately ten minutes before the scheduled meeting time, Yui was already there to greet me.
Seeing Yui’s face that looked as if it had been through much hardship, it was clear she had suffered greatly.
After all, if the negotiation had failed, the work she had poured her career into would have come to naught.
I handed over the copy of the contract I had brought from SignGames Headquarters and said,
“First of all, let me tell you that all the rights to Chronicle Connect have been transferred to our side.”
Nodding in understanding, Yui examined the contract.
“Honestly, I had almost given up, but you succeeded.”
“Good fortune played a part, and it did cost some money.”
At this, Yui stood up from her seat and bowed deeply to me.
“I’m truly, deeply grateful. I don’t know how I could ever repay this kindness…”
Caught off guard by her sudden action, I hastily tried to restrain her.
The eyes of other café patrons were starting to notice us.
“It’s fine, please stop and sit down.”
“…Okay.”
Upon my persuasion, Yui sat down again, realizing the attention we had drawn, her face slightly turning red.
The atmosphere at the table grew awkward in an instant.
It was only after the drinks we had ordered arrived that the tension was relieved.
After taking a sip of the Americano she had ordered, Yui returned to her usual tone and asked me,
“So, what’s the plan moving forward?”
“First, we will help you acquire the necessary visa as quickly as possible so you can work in Korea. If there’s anyone on your team from your SignGames days who wants to transfer with you…”
She shook her head and gave a bitter smile in response to my proposal.
“That’s alright. Even during my time at SignGames, my team was quite small, and there wasn’t anyone close enough to follow me to Korea.”
“Understood. Regarding the visa issue, we’ll proceed as planned… And there is one more thing I need to ask of you, Yui.”
“Ah, yes! Please let me know anything.”
“While reviewing the project documentation, I noticed there were many abstract elements in the background and regional settings. I would appreciate it if you could help refine these areas.”
“Eh, um… Could you give a few concrete examples? I think I need to understand the direction better.”
“Architectural styles found in each country, the appearance of cities where residents live, the outlook of the guild office that will serve as the main backdrop—these are the kinds of settings I’d like you to describe in greater detail.”
It seemed unclear to Yui and, puzzled, she asked,
“I’ll do the work as the director sees fit, but honestly, doesn’t a mobile game typically not need such a detailed setting?”
“Ordinarily, that is correct. Most mobile games come out with just a few lines of story settings, so there’s no need to invest resources into them.”
“Then why…?”
In response to Yui’s question, I shrugged and replied,
“Because the Chronicle Connect we plan to remake is intended to not fall into that ‘most’ category.”
Startled by this sudden bombshell, I continued addressing the confused Yui,
“We intend to develop the Chronicle Connect remake as an open-world ARPG genre.”
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