No matter what the reason was, in the end, YOO's racing game simply didn't live up to expectations.
Especially in a period where game output was at an all-time high, with every company desperately trying to come up with fun and innovative ideas — if your game didn't stand out in some way, it was easy to be ignored by players. A "passing grade" game wasn't nearly good enough to catch anyone's attention.
During this time, Takayuki casually released another indie game under the pseudonym Nintendo Is the Damn Overlord of the World.The game was called Loop Hero.
Its gameplay was extremely simple — basically an upgraded version of an idle game. Players couldn't directly control the protagonist. Instead, they could place various tiles, obstacles, and strategic points along the hero's journey. By setting up increasingly complex combinations of buildings, players could help the hero gradually acquire better resources and gear, all through perfectly timed interactions.
The graphics? Worse than Stardew Valley.
But the game's addictiveness was absolutely on par with Stardew Valley — maybe even more. Takayuki remembered how he once stayed up for over a week, obsessed with designing the perfect run.
And even though it was just an indie game, over 100,000 players were watching it on launch day.
Thanks to the popularity of Stardew Valley, this mysterious developer already had a solid fanbase — and naturally, they were excited for his second title.
That excitement was not misplaced. Despite the game's rough visuals, it once again sucked players in completely. This developer clearly understood player psychology to a frightening degree, and every one of his games knew exactly how to keep people hooked.
Loop Hero sold 400,000 copies in its first week, and the sales kept climbing.
...
...
Gamestar Electronic Entertainment rarely released official sales figures for their main games, but for indie games, they were more than happy to share the numbers. After all, it helped drive traffic to their BattleNet platform — proving to indie devs that this was a place where creativity could thrive and money could be made.
Even at just $10 per copy, Loop Hero's 300,000+ first-week sales were a hard slap in YOO's face.
YOO had spent nearly a year and an enormous budget developing their racing game… only for a one-man indie title to outperform it. That stung even more than being beaten in sales by Gamestar's AAA releases.
Meanwhile, Need for Speed continued selling like hotcakes. Players were loving the cinematic presentation, the semi-open world racing, and the intense cop chases.
This installment also put extra emphasis on drifting mechanics, making the cars feel cooler, slicker, and flashier than ever — pushing the style in an even more exciting direction.
And games like this? They were great at instantly grabbing casual players — the ones who might've only seen a glimpse of it in a trailer. The flashy graphics and stylish drifts were enough to pull them right in.
Players didn't hesitate for a second before diving into Need for Speed.
With the well-timed release of three major games, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had officially won over the European market.
Their dominance in the "guns, cars, and football" genres was now solidified — and unless a competitor could make something vastly superior, no one was taking that crown away.
With YOO's sales slipping, Wall Street investors once again voiced their dissatisfaction with Nagao.
They demanded that he tighten the development budget for future games.
Nagao's recent failure reminded them of what had happened in the film industry — where studios poured hundreds of millions into a project, only for it to completely flop. Games, it seemed, could suffer the same fate.
Fortunately for Nagao, he still had some value in their eyes, so the capitalists didn't completely abandon him.
But he was no longer given free rein. Funding for game development became far more conservative.
At this point, YOO could no longer pose a real threat to Gamestar.
Unless YOO miraculously produced multiple blockbuster hits and Nagao's confidence skyrocketed again… his days of challenging Gamestar were likely over.
And yet, he wouldn't get that chance.
Because back in Japan, Nagao was about to face a much bigger problem — a massive one.
"Shocking Exposé! Japan's internet giant YOO revealed to be backed by foreign multinational capital — and now aims to infiltrate Japan's traditional media industry, seeking to control TV and manipulate public thought!"
"Tonight's interview: Economics Professor Jiro Soeda exposes YOO's secret plan — a shameless enterprise trying to undermine the foundations of our nation!"
A few days later, Japan's top newspapers and TV stations all went after YOO in a coordinated media assault.Negative headlines came crashing down like a blizzard.
And this… was only the beginning.
The public was stunned.
They had no idea the man they once viewed as a role model for a new era was secretly backed by foreign capital.
Due to Japan's cultural attitudes — especially toward the U.S. — most Japanese citizens were already highly skeptical of foreign influence, particularly American.
Even under normal circumstances, just hearing that Americans were investing in Japan could trigger widespread resistance.
And now, to hear that foreign capital had silently entered the TV broadcasting industry?
And not just any foreign capital — American?
The public went ballistic.
What the hell, YOO?Why do you have foreign investors involved?You're supposed to be our Japanese success story — how did you suddenly become a puppet of foreign powers?
And you're planning to use foreign money to worm your way into TV media?Does that mean the shows we've been watching all this time might've been pushing foreign propaganda?
TV stations funded by YOO quickly became the target of intense public scrutiny.
Why were you infiltrated by foreign capital?
Say it!Were you planning to side with overseas interests all along?Were you going to brainwash the Japanese public?
"No? Not intentional?"Who believes that nonsense?! Check everything! Search every record! Leave no stone unturned!
The public outcry was overwhelming.It became the biggest social buzz across the country.
Everyone was talking about YOO — adults, kids, babies... even stray dogs on the street would bark angrily at YOO ads.
YOO had become a national punching bag.
Now, when it came to public opinion — sometimes it mattered, sometimes it didn't.If a company simply ignored the storm, didn't respond, and waited long enough… the public might eventually forget.
But the financial conglomerates weren't so forgiving.
These were the people with real power — the kind who could crush rising competitors without breaking a sweat.
A few days later, something happened that sent shockwaves through the business world.
At YOO's Tokyo headquarters, the entire Special Investigation Division arrived on-site.
They ignored the front desk staff's protests and forcibly entered the building.