Chapter 862: Game Production During Saturday Storms II
The wind howled like a disgruntled badger, tearing at the flimsy umbrellas of Genesis Game Studio employees as they battled their way to work that Saturday morning. Rain lashed down, transforming the streets into slippery surfaces. Game Designer Brenda, clutching a soggy pastry, internally lamented the loss of her meticulously crafted croissant. It had been a masterpiece, a flaky testament to her baking skills, now a soggy mess destined for the bin. She still planned to tell everyone it was "artistically deconstructed." Across the street, a programmer, Gary, a man whose social skills were as rudimentary as his coding skills were advanced, muttered about the inadequacy of his raincoat. He secretly hoped his unwavering dedication to reaching the office on time would impress Mr. Theo, the boss of the studio. Gary envisioned Mr. Theo beaming, awarding him a coveted promotion to Lead Programmer. Meanwhile, marketing whiz Santy, despite the deluge, maintained a perfectly coiffed bob. A small miracle considering the ferociousness of the wind. Internally, however, she was rehearsing her presentation for the crucial Saturday meeting. She’d spent the past week perfecting her PowerPoint, even color-coding the bullet points with a shade of silver she’d lovingly named "Theodore’s Hue" based on the silver color of Mr. Theodore’s hair and eyes. Each employee, drenched and battling the elements, harbored similar sentiments: a desperate desire to prove their worth. The impending meeting loomed large; it was the second large meeting since the game production started, so it was an extremely important meeting. The success or failure of this project rested on their collective shoulders, which currently bore the additional weight of soaking wet coats. They arrived, a soggy but determined band, faces plastered with the grim determination of dedicated game developers.
The meeting would only start at 9 am, and the employees arrived at 8 am, so they still have one hour to work on their assignments before the big meeting.
Theo also arrived at 8 am, but he drove his car there, so he didn’t have to face the storm outside.
As soon as he arrived, he headed to his office on the fifth and last floor of the game studio building, and during his walk there, he greeted everyone with a warm smile.
But inside, his thoughts were mainly on the upcoming meeting as they would discuss the last week’s production progress of the [Nier: Automata] game.
Even though it had been only two weeks since the production started, and they weren’t even close to finishing the First Phase of the Game Production, Theo found himself loving the whole process of game production.
It was so interesting creating a whole world from nothing!
That’s right! The Genesis Game Studio wasn’t even close to finishing the First Phase of Game Production.
Theo predicted that they would take at least one to two months to finish the First Phase, and that is with Theo’s insights about the game from his past life. Without this information, this process would take double the time.
He spent the last hour before the meeting reviewing some game production knowledge that he had been studying for the past two weeks.
The silver-haired man wanted to become an expert in game production, and for this, he knew he needed to study a lot. But with his high intellect, Theo devoured all the knowledge without any problems. And after two weeks of study, Theo could proudly say he wasn’t a complete noob about game production anymore. His objective was that at the end of this game production, he transformed himself into a game expert.
Just like that, the time passed, and the time of the meeting neared, so Theo picked up some documents and left his office.
He was looking forward to the meeting as they were building the ’Game Bible’ of the [Nier: Automata] game.
As the hands of the clock inched towards 9 am, the employees of Genesis Game Studio filed into the conference room, shedding their damp coats and exchanging weary glances. The week’s worth of work and worries hung heavy in the air.
Mr. Theo, their silver-haired leader, entered with a stack of documents in hand, his eyes bright with anticipation. "Let’s begin, shall we?" he said, his voice steady and warm. "I believe we’ve made remarkable progress in the last two weeks, and I’m eager to hear your updates."
Some people might not be aware of the game [Nier: Automata].
Nier: Automata is an action role-playing game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix in 2017 (Earth). It’s set in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth has been overrun by alien-created machines, forcing humanity to flee to the Moon.
The story follows three main android protagonists—2B, 9S, and A2—created by humans to reclaim the planet from the machines. At first, the conflict seems like a straightforward war between androids and machines, but as the narrative unfolds, it delves into deeper themes like the nature of consciousness, free will, the meaning of existence, and the cyclical nature of conflict.
The gameplay blends fast-paced hack-and-slash combat, open-world exploration, and bullet-hell shooter elements. One of its defining features is its multiple playthrough structure—each run reveals new perspectives and hidden truths, culminating in a powerful, unconventional ending.
The game is known for its emotional storytelling, philosophical undertones, seamless integration of gameplay and narrative, and its memorable soundtrack. It’s widely regarded as a masterpiece in blending gameplay mechanics with a thought-provoking narrative.
And Theo’s challenge was to produce a game as good or even better than the original.
When Theo started the game production, he had given them an overlook of the whole story, the game mechanics, the background setting, and a few other things. But he didn’t tell them everything he remembered about the game; Theo didn’t want to spoon-feed them. So, the ’Game Bible’ was only filled about 30% with Theo’s Past life information. And this 30% was the core of the whole game, and the other 70% was the game studio’s job to produce.
The employees nodded, their faces alight with a mixture of excitement and nerves. They loved the challenge of bringing this world to life and were eager to share their insights and contributions. Brenda, one of the game designers, spoke first, her passion for the project evident as she discussed the intricate details of the game’s mechanics and how they intertwined with the narrative. Gary, one of the programmers, added his expertise, delving into the technical aspects and offering innovative solutions to potential problems. Santy, the marketing whiz, presented her well-crafted strategies, her eyes shining with enthusiasm as she explained how they could reach and captivate their target audience.
The meeting buzzed with energy as each person shared their unique perspective, their voices blending with their collective desire to create something extraordinary. And at the heart of it all was Mr. Theo, guiding the discussion with a gentle hand, ensuring every idea was heard and considered. It was a collaborative effort, a symphony of creativity, and as the meeting drew to a close, they felt a sense of unity and purpose. They were building something special, and the ’Game Bible’ of *Nier: Automata* was taking shape, page by exciting page.