As console performance reached the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, resolution and frame rate began to draw serious attention from players.
30 FPS, 60 FPS, 1080p, and 4K resolution became some of the most commonly discussed technical specs among the new generation of gamers.
Later on, with the exception of Nintendo doing its own thing, both Microsoft and Sony went all in on pushing hardware performance — all in an effort to create the most visually stunning games and attract more players.
So when Takayuki began planning the next console, he set his sights much higher.
Previously, it was enough just to match current-gen performance and focus on expanding gameplay with innovations like motion control, controller vibration, and gyroscopic sensors — features that brought new and novel playstyles.
But this time, Takayuki aimed for a leap forward in visual performance.
By now, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had over 5,000 developers worldwide — not even counting outsourced teams, engine developers, or the professional CG/VFX studios.
With a team of that scale, Takayuki believed the company finally had the foundation needed to create a true AAA blockbuster — the kind of game he had always dreamed of.
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The buggy demo running on the prototype console at that moment was actually an early prototype of one of Takayuki's future plans.
A game that, in his previous life, had left a massive mark in gaming history — an undisputed titan of the industry: Grand Theft Auto, better known as GTA.
This series became the gold standard for open-world games. Developing something like it was both a testament to a studio's strength and a festival for gamers. Takayuki had long wanted to make it.
In fact, GTA didn't originally require a massive team. Takayuki could have started small — remaking the earliest titles like Vice City — building popularity and experience over time.
But now, with such a large team behind him, he felt it would be a waste of resources to start with outdated ideas. If he was going to do it, it had to be the best.
At minimum, he would start with GTA 3 — the title that truly established the franchise's reputation. Before that, GTA was more of a sandbox playground for chaos, lacking the narrative depth to elevate it beyond a "mess-around" game. When it launched, GTA had sparked public outcry — critics feared it would corrupt children, teaching them to mimic the criminal behavior depicted in the game.
But the reality? Takayuki, who grew up playing Vice City, never once stole a car or smashed up property in real life. A game is just a game — most people know where the line is. How could video games possibly alter someone's moral compass that easily?
In the GTA 3 era, the two DLCs that became legends in their own right were Vice City and San Andreas — absolute masterpieces. These were the titles Takayuki was most familiar with.
He didn't just plan to recreate them in this world — he wanted to improve them, adding better graphics, refined gameplay, and deeper content to make them even greater than the originals.
It was, in a way, his way of making up for a childhood regret.
He still remembered thinking, as a kid replaying Vice City and San Andreas:"If only the graphics were better, if only the characters moved more like GTA V… that would be incredible."
But that was just a pipe dream. No studio would ever remake the games exactly how he imagined.
But in this world, he had the chance to make it real.
And it was an opportunity he wasn't going to waste.
Of course, it was still too early. Even the console capable of running such a game hadn't been finalized yet.
The current prototype had many flaws and would need many rounds of refinement — that alone would take at least six months. There was no point in rushing it.
The console's CPU and GPU were being provided by a designated chip manufacturer.
This company had proactively approached Gamestar, hoping for a long-term partnership. They even offered to assign their top chip designers to help create a custom processor just for the new console. Takayuki reviewed their proposal and found the company shared many similarities with AMD from his previous world. Their technical capabilities were more than sufficient, and the architecture of the chip matched Takayuki's vision — easy to develop for, adaptable, and forward-compatible. Even future consoles would be able to run current games seamlessly.
Just in time, too — Takayuki also wanted to raise the secrecy level around the project. While it would be impossible to completely avoid the attention of rivals with deep connections, keeping them guessing even for a little while would be enough.
That alone would give Gamestar a massive advantage.
The next step? Expanding the U.S.-based development team.
Takayuki planned to assign them not just to develop more "guns, cars, and sports" games — but to dedicate at least 1,000 people to building this world's GTA series.
Meanwhile, back in the present, there were still several GS1 games awaiting release. He couldn't ignore them just because a new console was in the works. As a gamer at heart, Takayuki refused to let non-development distractions lower the quality of the games.
So the development teams continued following the original plan, progressing steadily.
And according to the roadmap, the next big release would be the one Takayuki had scheduled from the very beginning: Resident Evil.
This would be Gamestar's first attempt at a horror game.
Small studios had previously tried their hand at horror, but most didn't quite get it. They relied on cheap jump scares straight out of B-movie scripts, rarely integrating the fear into actual gameplay mechanics.
Still, even so, these horror titles managed to build small cult followings.
It wasn't that these players were masochists or weirdos who liked being scared. It was just human psychology at work.
Fear is a primal emotional response.When people face unknown dangers, they experience an overwhelming sense of unease. Ordinarily, that would be considered a negative experience. But when fear is served through a controlled setting — whether a jump scare or psychological tension — it can actually trigger immense pleasure.
That's why horror movies have always had their own place in entertainment.And video games were no different.