The success of one game brought a fading star back to the peak of his career, which was something no one expected.
It wasn't just Joe. Aside from the motion capture actor for the protagonist Snake, there were also several villains and supporting actors whose motion capture performances became quite popular, though they didn't reach Snake's level of fame.
But they all shared the same outcome: they were originally unknown, but thanks to this game, their popularity skyrocketed.
Snake only had to finish the fan meeting that day to receive at least ten advertising deals, including a promotional campaign for a big brand.
At one point, Snake thought his scars would be his biggest obstacle. He even developed depressive feelings because of them, though he controlled himself well and didn't let his emotions collapse.
But now, he didn't have to worry about his scars being an obstacle anymore.
In fact, those scars had become the source of all his fame.
The players didn't mind his scars at all; in fact, they became even more excited after seeing them.
...
...
Because it made him look even more like Snake!
When the players learned about Joe's own experiences, they expressed a lot of sympathy for him.
They felt Joe didn't deserve to be treated that way. His acting was undeniable, especially in many recent film works he had participated in. Though his roles were small, every time Joe appeared, he would undoubtedly make an impact with his acting, as if it were second nature. It was really impressive.
Of course, more importantly, Joe was the protagonist of their beloved game.
He was Snake come to life.
Joe felt very content.
At least everything about him was being recognized.
Although in the future, he might become a fixed character recognized by players, unless he only takes on motion capture and voice roles instead of being the face model.
But that was enough for him.
Given his appearance, he couldn't aim for too much more.
As for his peers, many of them now expressed envy.
Some even called him to congratulate him and subtly ask if he had any plans for more gaming appearances, hoping he could bring them along too. They also wanted to join the gaming world.
Actors typically don't care much about which projects they are part of, whether it's a TV series or a game; as long as they get paid and it boosts their popularity, they're happy.
Now, Joe was a prime example of a star who had fallen and then risen again, a model they wanted to follow.
Joe was cautious when responding to these requests, saying he would check with Gamestar but wouldn't give a definite answer.
He felt extremely lucky to have landed the role of Snake, and he didn't want to do anything that could cause Gamestar to develop a negative impression of him.
In the time that followed, Joe and the other cast members started touring around the world, attending various fan meetings, and directly interacting with countless players.
Joe was pleased to find that players had a strong attachment to the characters.
When they liked a character, they showed an immense amount of enthusiasm, sometimes even excessively so.
This helped Joe gather a loyal fanbase, who were willing to watch many of his earlier works, even if some of them were of very poor quality. As a minor supporting character, Joe couldn't change the quality of the plot, but the fans would carefully clip and upload every scene Joe appeared in for others to enjoy.
As a result, Joe started accepting more acting projects. However, he knew his fame was entirely based on video games, so he didn't dare to forget where he came from. Whenever he signed a contract with any company, he would make an additional request.
That request was that if Gamestar ever needed him for game development, he would prioritize working with them, as long as it didn't interfere with his filming schedule.
Many film companies were not entirely pleased with this special request.
But now that Joe was on the rise again, they understood and reluctantly accepted it, as long as it brought them benefits.
...
In Japan, after a week-long break, Takayuki felt refreshed.
He had spent a wonderful time with Aya, completely disconnected from work.
Aya, who also loved video games, took an unprecedented vacation this time, with Takayuki's approval.
During the week, they didn't care about work at all. Any problems could be dealt with after a week, unless it was something that could affect the company's future direction.
It was a rare and much-needed break. The first two days were spent at home, playing numerous video games together.
They met through their shared love for video games and had kept that tradition, playing games together whenever they found the time.
Even in their thirties, both Takayuki and Aya were still full of energy.
On the third and fourth days, they casually visited some sightseeing spots in Japan.
The last three days were spent enjoying sweet moments together, which Takayuki decided to keep private.
After the break, Takayuki was in great spirits.
When he thought about all the game development ahead, his energy only grew.
On the first day back at the company, a lot of things were waiting for Takayuki on his desk.
These were issues related to games that had reached development bottlenecks, all waiting for Takayuki to address or resolve.
For simple game development problems, Takayuki planned to let the development teams solve them on their own. He couldn't handle everything; otherwise, he would be overwhelmed.
Before, he had taken on all tasks because the company needed expansion, and Takayuki had the most efficient way to improve things quickly. To save time and maximize his advantages, he had chosen this direct approach.
But now, the company's foundation was solid. Allowing his team members to take some time and think about how to carve their own paths was perfectly acceptable.
In reality, developing a good large-scale game takes a long time, often three to five years.
A large portion of that time—about 70%—is spent on trial and error.
Some particularly interesting game projects are born during this process, but many more are abandoned. This is a growing pain that every company goes through, even with the strength of Gamestar itself.