Three games, each one Takayuki completed in less than a month, and all independently.
Takayuki's secondary account had thus become a benchmark in the indie game community, with many people trying to emulate Takayuki's development model to create their own indie games.
This success helped revitalize the indie game scene, with more and more creators joining the ranks of indie game development.
And for those interested in gaming but lacking programming experience, they considered another option: the modding (MOD) approach to game creation.
However, no matter what, many people still hoped that Takayuki's secondary account would continue to develop indie games.
It had been nearly a year since Takayuki last developed The Witch's House, and there hadn't been any updates or new developments.
This left the players who were eagerly waiting for Takayuki's next game restless.
...
...
Before, Takayuki had been producing games at quite a steady pace, but suddenly, it had quieted down. Some fans even started worrying if something had happened to him. A few went as far as to call the Japanese authorities, claiming that the mysterious internet user "Nintendo is truly the World Ruler" might have gone missing or been killed, asking the police to assist in finding this mysterious user.
The police were left bewildered, and their only response was: "You're crazy. How are we supposed to find an internet user based on just their username?"
Eventually, the police ignored such calls, understanding it was just the behavior of passionate fans.
Takayuki listened to the complaints on the phone. Lately, he had been bombarded with messages, to the point where it was affecting his own work. So, he hoped he could create another indie game to calm the players down. He also expressed that he was a loyal fan of Takayuki's indie game account and was really hoping Takayuki would continue creating simple but very enjoyable indie games.
Takayuki had always been open to requests from players who wanted to play his games.
This was a sign of recognition from the players, and that was something to cherish.
"Develop a new indie game? Hmm, I think I could do that."
"Really, boss? You're not lying to me, are you?" came the excited voice on the other end of the phone.
He had been waiting for Takayuki to create a new indie game for a while now, and the lack of updates had made him anxious. It was Takayuki who had introduced him to the world of indie games, and he really enjoyed the feeling of discovering hidden gems among indie games.
Takayuki replied, "Of course, but I plan to take a short break first. Give me a week, and then I'll seriously think about the development of the new indie game."
Speaking of the new indie game, Takayuki already had an idea.
But this time, he would likely need some help.
Relying solely on himself would likely slow down the development process.
The game he wanted to develop was called Dead Cells.
This game was the ultimate Metroidvania-style game, and Takayuki had once been obsessed with it. It was another benchmark in the world of indie games.
However, all of this would have to wait until he took a break.
After all, he couldn't just immerse himself in work all the time; he needed to relax.
Meanwhile, across the ocean in the U.S., Joe had just successfully completed his month-long filming work.
As soon as it was done, his former agent immediately approached him.
Since Joe's popularity had plummeted, his agent had stopped paying much attention to him.
Later, the agency reassigned the agent to another new actor, and Joe's attention dwindled even more.
This was understandable, and Joe could accept it.
As an actor with little fame, he didn't really have the right to expect much from the agency.
He thought about it, but still, it was a little disappointing.
However, everything changed again.
The source of this change was a game: Metal Gear.
Metal Gear was currently the hottest video game.
This wasn't just because of its innovative stealth mechanics but also because of its engaging story.
The game's story revolved around nuclear weapons, and it also provided insights into contemporary society's thoughts on war and even some remarkably prescient predictions.
For example, it predicted the success of the internet in the future, and how the unrestricted social interactions online could lead to people becoming virtual executioners, with online violence gradually taking shape.
These were things described in Metal Gear.
Before Metal Gear, no one had realized the state of the internet as it is today.
After Metal Gear was released, many players suddenly realized that it indeed felt very accurate.
As a result, the game gained a huge amount of praise.
Not only was the game fun and visually appealing, but it also touched on societal issues, which gave it an added sense of humanity.
This was very appealing to intellectuals, and they praised the game as well.
Metal Gear had thus successfully broken out of its gaming niche.
And Joe, as the main character, Snake, was one of the main beneficiaries of this success.
Although his salary might not be extraordinary, his popularity skyrocketed, which was an unexpected delight.
His agency immediately reached out to him again, and the agent was now much more eager.
This time, the agent coordinated with Gamestar to bring Joe to various fan meetings immediately after finishing his filming work.
After many years, Joe was almost forgetting the feeling of standing on stage.
Today was the first fan meeting, and it was held at a small theater.
Usually, this theater only had a few hundred visitors a day.
But today, just at this moment, the players who came were already over a thousand.
The small theater couldn't accommodate this many people, and this caught the organizers off guard.
The fan meeting was supposed to be in a relatively obscure area, and they thought not many people would show up.
But they had overlooked one obvious variable: Joe's appearance.
Once the announcement was made that Joe, the star of Metal Gear, would be attending, the players' enthusiasm surged, and the small theater couldn't fit everyone.
Changing venues at this point was difficult, so they had to make do.
"Joe, you look nervous. Relax," the agent kept reassuring Joe as he hustled around him backstage.
Seeing Joe's nervousness, the agent was genuinely concerned.
Joe sighed deeply, "Honestly, I'm a bit worried."
"Worried?"
"So many people are supporting me, but I'm afraid they'll be disappointed when they see me."
"Well... that's definitely possible."
Joe's scars were too obvious, which seriously affected his appearance.
Although the players said they didn't mind, Joe still felt self-conscious.
The agent thought for a moment and said, "Since everyone's already here, do you want me to cover up your scars with some foundation?"
Joe shook his head. "No, there's no point in doing that."
After thinking for a while, Joe decided to appear as he was. He wanted to show his true self and felt it was a way to respect his supporters.
Although he still worried that his appearance might scare some of the fans who supported him.
"But if you do scare your supporters, your hard-earned popularity could fall right back down," the agent suddenly became worried.
"Don't worry, Joe. Trust me, the players will love you just the way you are," a staff member came up to Joe, confidently smiling.
"Really..." Joe wasn't entirely sure.
"Well, it's too late to do anything now. Might as well meet the players honestly."
Ding!
The sound of the actors getting ready was heard.
Joe perked up. It was finally his turn to step on stage.
He cleared his mind, pushing his worries and nervousness aside, then took a deep breath.
The agent, however, became a bit more anxious.
He was afraid that Joe's future might slip away.
Joe slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze became sharper.
It seemed like, in that moment, he had fully become Snake.
He stepped onto the stage, and the spotlight immediately focused on him.
The atmosphere in the small theater, which had been a bit noisy before, suddenly became silent. Then, a wave of cheers erupted.
"Snake! It's Snake! The real Snake!"
"Snake, we love you!"
"Please, don't say those disgusting things! Snake, we like you!"