Universe Studio headed into emergency mode for the Game Festival build, exactly one month away.
“As of today,” Taeyeon announced to the packed conference room, “we begin work on the festival build.”
The hall fell silent.
“Ten dedicated PCs will be installed. During the three-day show every member of the operations team will rotate in as guides. Program lead and planning lead, stay on standby for system support.”
Someone from the art team raised a hand.
“What about us?”
“Just enjoy yourselves. You have nothing special to do.”
“Yesss!”
“Awww…”
Smiles and groans mingled. Taeyeon grinned.
“We will run shifts. Call it a small reward, but I intend to give everyone the freedom to enjoy the event. So bear with the extra work, please.”
“Understood!”
“Until the festival ends, I am counting on all of you.”
A video conference followed with Nexple Plus leads and the Monster Eater Online development team. Taeyeon spoke in Japanese while scanning a list.
“Nexple will cover your travel costs, so please send us your final head count by the end of this week. We need to reserve flights and hotels.”
“Will do,” Takizawa Satoshi replied.
“For the event I would like a brief presentation on the upcoming global update. Director Takizawa, could you cover that? If you forward the materials, I will take care of everything else.”
Two hours later the call ended and an internal meeting began.
“When Crying Soft sends the artwork and video assets we will build domestic promos. AD, show us your magic; I will back you all the way.”
“I will do my best.”
“About the demo build: I was thinking of a beginner course and a veteran course. Regarding that…”
The discussion ran past lunch until three in the afternoon. Taeyeon then hurried back to Universe Studio and summoned his section heads.
“You all know the festival is in a month,” he began. “As stated in yesterday’s mail, the Pantheon team will participate.”
There would be no playable demo, of course, but they had to turn existing artwork and designs into a teaser video for the new-title showcase. Taeyeon fixed his eyes on Hong Min-seok.
“Show us what you can do, Nexple’s finest AD. I truly believe that even with the tiny amount we have, you can stitch together a trailer that will knock people out. Right?”
Hong answered with his usual calm face.
“I will just hand in my resignation, so please accept it.”
The room burst into laughter.
They really did not have much. One small test map, a single player character, and three monsters, all half-finished with missing animations.
“We cannot create new graphics in time,” Hong said. “We will have to touch up some of my old practice assets and drop them into the engine.”
His personal portfolio folder brimmed with dazzling work. Taeyeon’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow, we do not even need new models. We can just use these.”
“The quality is lacking and few of them match Pantheon’s concept,” Hong objected.
Before God of Battle, Hong had done plenty of stylised and casual pieces. Anything produced for other projects was off-limits, but the unused practice work was fair game. His wife Lee Young-ae’s private folder was also overflowing.
“Embarrassing,” she said. “Most of it was just old practice.”
Young-ae was not merely a concept artist; she studied modelling, animation, lighting and VFX, honing her skills through hands-on work. That was why Taeyeon had agonised over which of the couple should be AD.
Hong concluded, “Where the visuals fall short we can cheat with camera work.”
Asia’s largest Game Festival was an experience few developers ever get. Everyone in Universe Studio and Nexple Plus was visibly excited—everyone except management.
The higher the rank, the busier the day. Taeyeon never left capable people idle. He never ordered unnecessary overtime or weekend work, yet somehow squeezed the very best from each person.
During the chaos Taeyeon heard interesting news.
[CEO Kang-geon to attend the Game Festival with Chaos Ragnarok.]
Bless Studio was coming. This was not mere PR. Taeyeon understood at once.
He is chasing a publishing deal. The festival swarms with business representatives, and many contracts are born there. For a developer hoping to launch, it is a field of opportunity.
“I hope the whole thing crashes,” Taeyeon muttered, wishing for server failures and bugs that would publicly humiliate Kang-geon.
One week before the show, the Monster Eater Online demo build was finished. While Nexple Plus and Crying Soft tested it, Taeyeon visited the exhibition hall with the program lead.
As main sponsor Nexple had secured the largest booth. Monster Eater Online and several mobile titles occupied prime space. Ten PCs were prepared; after installing the new client and confirming operation, they finally looked around.
Other booths were still in a frenzy. Spokesmodels in costume received training, giant screens looped test footage.
Everyone is scrambling, Taeyeon thought, relaxed now that his tasks were done. He and the program lead strolled—and ran into CEO Kang-geon, busy in a small booth with familiar former colleagues.
“Shouldn’t we leave?” the program lead whispered. “Nothing good will come of meeting him.”
Taeyeon agreed and turned away. Avoiding trouble was wise. Just before leaving he glanced back. On the display he saw all too familiar graphics and characters. He stared for a moment, then walked on without hesitation.
“Doors are now open!”
The festival began, and the crowd sprinted straight to one place.
“Monster Eater Online!”
“Wow, the line is already this long!”
“Damn, I ran here as soon as they opened!”
Nexple’s booth, the Monster Eater demo zone, was mobbed. Latecomers learned they faced an hour’s wait yet queued anyway.
“Look at that line, it just keeps growing.”
Even veteran players were amazed. Finally a group of fans reached the PCs and froze.
“Wait, does this build have VR?”
“No way, they never announced that!”
It felt like a blow to the head, but in the best possible sense. Staff in matching uniforms approached with bright smiles.
“Hello, Hunter. Have you played Monster Eater Online?”
“Yes, on the Japanese server.”
“Great. Not sure where to start? Let me help!”
The operators had undergone two days of special training. Trying to hide their nerves, they guided the visitors, who were soon absorbed in play.
Taeyeon watched from the side, keeping the booth running smoothly. Next to him, disguised under a cap and sunglasses, stood Takizawa Satoshi.
“Many veterans came,” Takizawa said in Japanese, “but their faces look like they are playing a brand-new game.”
“Well, it is the first time they can hunt in Korean.”
“They really love the VR mode.”
“Experiencing a hunt in VR is pure joy for fans.”
“I was uncertain, but after seeing this reaction we should seriously consider full implementation.”
The VR patch had been Taeyeon’s idea, a demo-only feature. Monster Eater’s AAA graphics and combat were already top-tier. With modern VR tech, they became dazzling. Taeyeon had pushed hard for the special build, and here, at last, the public was seeing it.
Leave a Reply