The next day at noon, inside the renovated Raiden Game Company building, in the president's office, Kobayashi and Taihei handed over materials related to the game their boss was currently most focused on.
Both of them voiced concerns about whether this type of game could break even, or whether it would ultimately fail in the player market.
The company Kobayashi worked for—Raiden Games—had been visibly on the rise since Raize took over. It had already carved out a solid reputation in the gaming industry.
When it came to action games, who didn't think of Raiden Games? Even children in arcades knew exactly which company made the games they were playing.
"President, the company is doing extremely well right now. God of War and Resident Evil—both have enormous market potential. Why aren't they the top-priority projects?"
Kobayashi wasn't the only one with doubts. Taihei, watching Raize carefully review the quality of Dies Irae at his desk, could not help but voice his own confusion.
The overall strength of God of War and Resident Evil—in every conceivable aspect—was something the two people Raize trusted most understood very clearly.
If released, those titles would undoubtedly further elevate Raiden Games' reputation and attract massive player traffic.
Both Taihei and Kobayashi had already risen to management positions. Although they still handled key tasks personally, their workload was far lighter than before.
As the company grew, Raize's cash flow allowed him to generously reward those with real talent.
Both of them hoped the company would continue to prosper. After all, they had developed genuine attachment to their work here. Raize's father, and now Raize himself, had both been outstanding superiors.
In Japan's high-pressure, heavily exploitative society, this was extremely rare.
"I suppose neither of you reads novels very much, right?"
In response to his subordinates' doubts, Raize smiled and paused his work. He reached into the drawer beneath his desk, took out physical copies of Divine Throne of All Phenomena and Warhammer, and handed them over.
He then opened a laptop on the other side of the desk and showed them several web pages.
"This is…"
Kobayashi and Taihei examined the two books, then looked at the novel statistics dominating the webpage. Their eyes widened in shock.
First was Divine Throne of All Phenomena, their main focus. This novel had already surpassed all competing light novels released in the same period, with overwhelming popularity.
The other novel, Warhammer, under Raize's intervention, had been translated into multiple languages and had become a top-tier science fiction novel, expanding beyond Japan into the global market. Its popularity was no longer limited to the island nation.
In Europe, America, and even large parts of Asia, Warhammer was immensely beloved. Once readers pushed past the opening, they could not stop reading.
After all, Raize had incorporated countless classic works into Warhammer. Its worldwide popularity was only natural.
Even the classic framework inspired by The Three Body Problem alone was enough to attract massive readership. Combined with Warhammer's inherent appeal, its success was inevitable.
"Dugo-sensei, please update Warhammer faster! I'm dying without new chapters!!"
"Dugo-sensei is serializing two novels at the same time, but Warhammer is clearly performing better."
"Damn it! Then put all your effort into Warhammer! Can't you tell which one is better!?"
"I'm a Warhammer fan, but I also love Dugo-sensei's Divine Throne of All Phenomena series."
"I heard Divine Throne of All Phenomena is being adapted into a game. Will we ever see something like that for Warhammer in our lifetime?"
"If possible, I'd love a Warhammer-related game too—but the quality and technical execution must fully represent the work's classic content."
"Agreed. My beloved Warhammer and Divine Throne of All Phenomena—either do them perfectly, or don't do them at all. Please don't let them be ruined by bad anime, games, or movies."
"I heard Raiden Games is adapting the fourth heaven of Divine Throne of All Phenomena. As a die-hard fan, if they mess it up, don't blame me for turning into a hater."
Seeing the intense online discussions surrounding the novels, Kobayashi and Taihei began to understand Raize's reasoning.
This kind of game clearly had potential—but it also carried significant risk.
Moreover, the popularity of the novels had also made the author "Dugo" famous. Suzuna and fans alike were eagerly anticipating signed physical copies and author meet-and-greet events.
In addition, Warhammer had a strong pull effect. Once readers fell in love with one novel, many would seek out the author's other works.
As a result, even though Divine Throne of All Phenomena slightly lagged behind Warhammer in readership, it steadily gained popularity and expanded internationally.
At the very least, readers in Asia loved this style. The Divine Throne of All Phenomena series was particularly popular in China.
Readers there were not resistant to this genre at all. They practically treated Divine Throne of All Phenomena as akin to their own xuanhuan or fantasy genres, so interest was abundant.
Thanks to the international success of these two novels, Suzuna had become extremely busy. Although she wanted to invite Raize to participate in author events, Raize himself had no interest.
He sought fame solely for the sake of making games. Everything else was secondary.
Besides, Suzuna was far too busy to slow down now—she was fully committed to developing these two phenomenon-level works.
As for Raiden Games, as long as Raize delivered a high-quality game, they would only become even busier.
Taihei and Kobayashi stared at the two wildly popular novels with a sense of awe.
Both of them were work-focused individuals who rarely read novels in their spare time.
Now they finally understood that Divine Throne of All Phenomena was also a high-profit project—albeit one fraught with risk.
If fans saw their beloved novel adapted into a poorly made game, their affection could easily turn into deep resentment.
In that case, the novel's reader base alone could tear the game apart online, severely damaging Raiden Games' reputation.
Therefore, the quality of the adaptation had to be flawless.
Both Kobayashi and Taihei were confident they could achieve this.
High risk also meant high reward. As long as quality was not an issue, the returns would be substantial.
Raize stood up and poured himself a glass of hot water. As he drank, he explained the key points.
"From a market perspective, if we execute this visual novel properly, it will attract a broader consumer base."
"The novel has already gained popularity outside Japan. That means a risky bridge has already been built for us. As long as we don't drop the ball and cross it steadily, the returns will be considerable."
"Our company's games and arcade titles have already opened doors to international markets. Now we need to attract more hardcore gamers and continuously strengthen our foundation. What we need to focus on is—"
Kobayashi and Taihei listened intently. This was essentially Raiden Games' future development strategy.
As the boss, Raize had a clear plan. The growth of the gaming industry was tied directly to his own strength and the interests of his companions, so he had to be extremely meticulous.
He could not remain confined to Japan forever. The world was vast, and his sights were set on much broader horizons.