Game Director from Hell

Chapter 98: Livestream- 1

Director’s live streaming communication was becoming quite common in the future. Various directors of popular online games communicated and announced their development directions internally in Korea.

Similarly, overseas, urgent announcements or any controversial updates regarding the game were addressed via the method of live streaming.

In simpleton terms, it was an act of public relations.

As the old saying goes,

‘You can’t spit on a smiling face’.

There were many cases where the director addressed the player base directly, leading to an overall positive reception. Even managing to do some temporary damage control.

Of course, it wasn’t always advantageous.

As in any social setting, one had to be careful.

‘The mouth is the root of all troubles’, a saying that is also well applicable in this regard.

In the world of live streaming, controversial statements cannot always be handled easily.

It could add fuel to the fire, potentially causing even more problems.

This had happened in the director’s previous company during a balance patch. The game’s inherent nature, coupled with an excessive monetization policy, made users sensitive to the value of existing items. The balance patch led to a significant drop in the value of a series of items worth tens of thousands of Won in real currency.

There was a guy back then who had been made the company’s scapegoat while trying to appease the public through live streaming,

All he could say afterwards was “Ah, I want to quit. Brother, I want to resign. Shall we resign together?”

Looking back, it seemed like quite an amusing experience. Anyway, that’s the context of the story.

“Gilsang, do we have any issues that could cause controversy now?”

“Not really, right? The games we’ve released so far have been quite successful.”

“No,much more than just quiet, right?”

“Externally…”

“Except for rumors about the boss.”

Hmm, a few ominous words pricked my spine. Cosplay, cross-dressing, BGM, etc…

“…Should we just skip it?”

“Let’s consider it on a studio level. Us.”

Yang Gilsang persisted. Every time this guy spoke, I felt he was genuinely serious about messing with me.

If complaining about painful matters had a basis, his words were quite convincing.

“Boss, don’t you have an image as a broad-minded person amongst the public? I know, and our company people know. But has it ever had a negative impact on the company so far? No, it hasn’t. What negative impact? With the meme-like popularity, have we forgotten what we have achieved? Hellic 2 entering the Japanese market, and the huge success, or rather the mega success, up to Hellic 3. How many times did the boss attract attention as a cross-dresser?”

He was firing words like a machine gun. It started to make sense.

“Didn’t like it? Well, there’s nothing much to say about that. I won’t cross-dress as a woman this time.”

“Hey, If you want to focus on the project presentation then doing so in a clean suit is much more fitting”

“…Is that so?”

“Just put on some light makeup for the camera. You know that, right? Nowadays, your face is also part of marketing. Online public opinion has a strong tendency towards idolization, more so than you would think.”

Yang Gilsang’s smile deepened.

“How about it? Isn’t it okay? Let’s think about the people working in the company. If the expectations are high, won’t their motivation rise as well?”

Yang Gilsang slapped my shoulder.

He was extendinging one fist forward.

“Deal?”

I didn’t realize when I shadowed his gesture from my end, unknowingly hitting his fist in agreement.

“Deal.”

Well, if not cross-dress, what else can be done?

—

Entering into the full-fledged preparations for the live streaming.

Some might question the need for elaborate preparations for just a single live broadcast, but considering that the purpose of this broadcast is for the announcement and promotion of the game, the necessity of thorough preparation cannot be emphasized enough.

In essence, it’s more of a presentation conducted publicly in front of customers than a mere live broadcast.

We need to explain what our product is, what advantages it has, and when it will be released.

There were minor preparations such as setting up the stage, writing the script, arranging staff for related tasks, and coordinating the timing. However, there was a much more significant task at hand.

“Provide an update on the development progress of Team 2.”

It was the confirmation of the development progress.

While organizing the presentation content for Identity was relatively easy since I was overseeing it, for Team 2’s Demons Relic, close collaboration with the two directors in charge of presentation content was necessary.

Due to recent changes in the direction of Identity, I hadn’t paid much attention to Team 2.

I decided to take a closer look this time, and when the report came in, I was quite surprised.

“It’s quite extensive, isn’t it?”

Considering it had only been six months since the start of development, a lot had already been accomplished.

Most surprisingly, the framework of the game was already completed, and the focus was on modeling and directing.

The employee from Team 2 who brought the report quickly explained the reason.

“Well, there haven’t been any major conflicts. If there were disagreements, we would fight and resolve them. It seems to work without any significant issues.”

“…Is that a solution?”

The employee from Team 2 sighed.

“…The two of them don’t get along well. It’s hard to wait for feedback when both are trying to undermine each other.”

“Ah.”

In the end, the damn sparring was proving to be more useful than I had thought.

There was a momentary confusion.

Perhaps, in our society, resolving conflicts through fistfights might be more effective than through dialogue.

The strength of Team 2’s development was perhaps not outdated policy but the sparring between the two directors.

Suppressing the rising astonishment, I continued to examine the report.

“Wait a moment.”

My voice trembled.

Not just my voice, even my fingertips were shaking.

No, it wasn’t just the body; every aspect of my mental faculties began to tremble.

It was because something incomprehensible and horrifying was embedded in this report.

“…Did you see this?”

The employee from Team 2 chuckled and said, “You noticed?”

I asked, “What in the world…?”

I looked again.

It was one of the heroine illustrations.

However, to call it a heroine would be an overstatement; it was that kind of illustration.

I clenched my fist and took a deep breath.

The illustration was on four legs. Not as a metaphor or a pose. The heroine was four-legged.

A four-legged animal.

“So there is a furry in the-“

I looked back at the team.

The employee from Team 2 had lost the spark of light he had in his eyes.

He spoke with a mocking yet sincere tone, as if facing an absolute truth.

“Rule 1 of the Duel Trial Law.”

“?”

“The winner’s words are justice.”

…What kind of nonsense is this?

The incident dates back two months.

It was a time when Yeonho was still contemplating strengthening the content of Identity and Team 2 was pondering the grand narrative and skill settings for Demons Relic.

“Yoshi (Good)! I think Paimon-chan should be a young girl!”

Nishimura personally participated in the art team meeting and decided on Paimon’s design as a young girl.

“Crimson hair, languid eyes, cat-like pupils! Oi oi! Doesn’t your heart already throb just thinking about it! The skill will be ‘Flames of the Immortal Soul – The one who brings destruction’! Bang bang bang!”

Every time Nishimura struck the table, his formidable chest muscles, biceps, and triceps on his functional suit flexed vigorously.

Currently weighing 81 kg, he was a cruiserweight in the field of infighters.

“Oi! Copsun! Any objections?”

Copsun (78Kg, light heavyweight boxer), who was leaning on his chin with both hands, said calmly, “None.”

Copsun averted his gaze, and Nishimura laughed disdainfully.

It couldn’t be helped.

With a recent record of 8 matches and 8 victories, Nishimura’s surging performance was overwhelming enough to render Copson’s restrictions useless.

Truly dominating the underworld.

The heroine and skill design of Demons Relic were taking shape exactly as Nishimura intended.

Copson tightened his fist, trembling with the taste of defeat.

‘Why?’

Why did his skill level start to decline like this?

He had started boxing first; why was he falling behind?

Copson was frustrated.

He knew the reason.

His eyes focused on Nishimura, carrying a sense of impending crisis.

‘Talent…!’

Nishimura was a naturally gifted martial artist.

His combat sense, reading the opponent’s moves, was unparalleled. His aggressive stance and tenacity compensated for the lack of reach, nullifying all the advantages of an outboxer.

Copson fell into self-loathing.

‘Why on Earth am I the only one who is so mundane and ordinary!’

He resented Nishimura, born with talent!

More than that, he despised himself for being just average!

In the midst of dreadful despair, as the days passed and he became more wretched, Paimon was gradually evolving into a Japanese maiden adorned in a kimono.

Copson wanted to shout.

‘Paimon is not a prostitute!’

Traditionally, according to oral recitations, Paimon has always been depicted as a beautiful man!

Even if, according to Demons Relic’s setting, Paimon took on a female form, it should be an adult woman representing an overwhelming and peculiar beauty!

Late at night, lying in a rented room in a foreign city, he looked at the lit monitor with vacant eyes. He let out a groan of frustration that almost sounded metallic.

Dark circles had deepened under his eyes.

“I…?”

Why…?

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

What was lacking that he couldn’t beat Nishimura? The jealousy that tormented Copson had now become a demonic entity, haunting him.

He wanted to create a good game.

He wanted to target mainstream codes, provide enjoyment through thorough realism, and create immersive experiences.

But it seemed impossible.

In moments of deepening despair,

[Roar!]

The NewTube video transitioned to the next one.

A documentary on the savannah, where a male lion roared courageously.

Thunk!

Copson’s body jolted.

His eyes widened as if they were about to tear.

His pounding heart woke him.

“Ah…!”

Was it the depth of the demonic influence, or did profound despair contaminate his inner self?

At that moment, he awakened.

‘Got it.’

He was lacking.

‘Willpower…!’

Copson tightened his fist.

Understanding why Nishimura possessed such extraordinary talent, why he on the other hand was so ordinary.

He staggered to his feet.

‘I wasn’t earnest enough…!’

He wasn’t as passionate about the characters as Nishimura.

‘I wasn’t honest…!’

He wasn’t as straightforward about his desires as Nishimura.

That’s right.

He had set his own limits based on shame and embarrassment and-

“…Respect!”

Nishimura Keisuke was a boxer who followed his own will regardless of what others said.

He was a martial artist who allowed his authority to roar for him and took what he desired!

However!

‘What have I been holding back!’

With a profound realization, a gleam appeared in his eyes.

No, he…

‘I also have something I like. I…!’

Thump!

‘I like animals…!’

Magic energy surged.

Jelen Copson, the righteous leader.

Only now did he realize that he was a hidden demon wearing the mantle of a hero.

Accepting himself and letting desire guide him, the overwhelming power soon colored his inner self with magic, reaching the pinnacle of extreme demonic power.

He envisioned the most ideal appearance of Paimon.

‘Paimon is a lion.’

The true master who even the legions of hell would kneel before.

Irresistible wildness despite an overwhelming appearance.

He called it the aura of a male lion.

‘Flaming fangs!’

Fangs of a king, unattainable in a woman’s body, now ablaze!

‘Noble physique!’

A majestic gait on all fours, kneeling everything in its path!

“No longer will I yield.”

The next day, Copson declared his challenge.

“Nishimuraa! A duel is at hand!”

“Yareyare (oh dear), must I demonstrate the difference in skill again.”

The resulting sparring match was extraordinary.

Copson drained Nishimura’s stamina with a fearsome restraint technique.

As the rounds passed, Nishimura visibly tired, and at that moment, Copson’s reserved attack forced him to kneel.

Copson drained the opponent’s strength, turning it into his own, a martial art, the progress of the Absorption Grand Law.

“So-na (it can’t be)!”

With a wicked smile, Copson whispered to the kneeling Nishimura.

“Paimon is a lion with fangs.”

“Chikushoooo (damn it)!”

Thus, the advent of the demon’s dominion.

* * *

When I asked the employees about the recent state of Teams 1 and 2, there was no consensus at all.

“Amazing! Copson was relentless!”

“Is the boss also interested in sparring? These days, Copson is doing well.”

“Oh, Nishimura is no joke either. Since that defeat, he’s been training seriously. You can look forward to the next duel. Wait, why is the boss’s expression like that?”

I don’t know if this is a game development company or WBA.

I feel like my back is tightening, maybe I should take my blood pressure medication.

At least Han Seorim understood my feelings and asked.

She also didn’t like sparring as much as I did.

“What are you going to do now?”

To that question, I answered.

“What can I do?”

I have to put a stop to it.

Otherwise, it might end up being game about dating animals.

‘I can’t let that happen….!”

…It was the time for the Imperial Authority.

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