Based on bits of insider information he'd picked up from various sources, this American knew that Gamestar Electronic Entertainment seemed to be planning to build theme parks in multiple countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
This was definitely good news.
That would mean people could experience a video game theme park without even leaving their own country.
A theme park dedicated exclusively to video game players—its appeal was undeniable.
The American spent more than five full days playing to his heart's content, almost preserving some of the happiest moments of his entire life right there.
During that time, he even met a lovely girl who was also from the United States.
He had already started imagining going on proper dates with her once they returned home.
If possible, he didn't even want to leave the theme park at all.
Only after the five days were over did he remember that one of his original reasons for coming to Japan was to watch the Olympics.
At this point, there was less than a month left until the Olympics began.
The 2020 Olympics game developed by Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had also just been released.
So the American simply stayed in his hotel room and experienced the Olympics game on his own.
The biggest feature of this Olympics game was its all-star lineup.
This "all-star lineup" didn't refer to real-life celebrities, but to stars from the video game industry.
Aside from Micfo, nearly every popular video game character on the market appeared in this 2020 Tokyo Olympics game.
This alone made the game something of a milestone.
The game featured the Sun Knight character from Suri Electronics, as well as the main characters from Brown Entertainment's online game Dragon Treasure.
It even included some classic video games born in the primordial age of gaming.
Some of the developers of those old games might have already gone bankrupt, and no one knew exactly how Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had managed to obtain the licenses.
The most outrageous part was that the game even included characters from Tetris.
An L-shaped Tetris block appeared in the game in a fully anthropomorphized form—completely absurd.
Yet in the context of this Tokyo Olympics game, that absurdity didn't feel out of place at all.
Players were pleasantly surprised.
Even putting aside whether the game itself was fun, just the sheer lineup of characters felt like paying to watch a once-in-a-lifetime all-star blockbuster movie. Even if the plot were bad, it would still be worth it.
The American played this game in his hotel for another full week. He was the type who could really grind games—often playing for ten or more hours at a stretch.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics game was priced at $29.90, which he felt was more than worth the money.
After a week of playing, he decisively gave the game his highest possible rating.
At this moment, there were only two weeks left until the Tokyo Olympics.
…
"President, this is an invitation from the Japanese government. They hope you'll also participate in the Olympics opening ceremony. After all, both the opening and closing ceremonies are being led by us."
Inside the Gamestar Tower, Takayuki's trusted assistant handed him the invitation while he was working.
Takayuki didn't stop what he was doing. He simply glanced at the invitation, nodded, and said, "Alright, I understand. Leave it there."
The assistant placed the invitation down and was about to leave, but curiosity made her want to see whether Takayuki was developing a new game.
Takayuki seemed to sense her presence and looked up.
"Is there something else?"
"Ah—no, sorry, President. I'll head out right away."
She quickly apologized, feeling awkward, and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment. Your name is… Hiraga Reiko, right?"
"Y–yes, President. I'm your new executive assistant. I graduated from Stanford University with a degree in business administration, and I also hold a degree in computer science."
"Oh right, I remember. You mentioned in your application that you're a loyal gamer, and that's why you were willing to give it your all to assist me and help develop even better games?"
"Um…" Hiraga Reiko scratched her head shyly. She had only just graduated from university and was in her early twenties. Originally, she had planned to continue her studies.
But this year, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had suddenly begun recruiting at Stanford, and she had joined without hesitation.
Nowadays, countless people wanted to join Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, but only a rare few actually made it through the layers of selection to become part of the company.
"It's fine, don't be nervous. Since you're my new assistant, just do what you're supposed to do. When necessary, you can also offer me some suggestions."
Takayuki smiled warmly, giving off a friendly and approachable air that made people feel comfortable around him.
"President… I was actually just a bit curious about what you're working on right now. There should be some games about to be released soon, right?"
"Yes, that's true—but they'll have to wait until after the Olympics. Do you have any suggestions?"
"No, no, not at all. I'm still very much a newcomer in this industry—I definitely don't have any advice. I just… if possible, I'd like to try out the newest games."
Hiraga Reiko's eyes lit up.
One reason she had joined Gamestar Electronic Entertainment was that the company was famous, so the benefits were surely good. And it was also a company from her home country—working here meant she didn't have to settle in the U.S. and live far away from her family.
The second reason was that she might get an insider's advantage—seeing new or unreleased games before anyone else.
In fact, this second reason was probably the biggest reason she had joined.
She hadn't told anyone about that.
Takayuki laughed. "You're really similar to several of your predecessors. If you want to try the games, of course you can. In fact, internal playtesting of unreleased games has always been company policy. We let our own people experience the games first before letting players try them—that's something I've always done."
"So… you're saying I can try the newest games?"
"Of course. Just take your employee badge, sign a confidentiality agreement, and you can play any unreleased game you want."
Hiraga Reiko was overjoyed.
It seemed joining Gamestar Electronic Entertainment really had been the right decision.
If she had joined another company, there was no way the benefits would be this good.
As a devoted gamer, there was no way she would miss such an opportunity to play games ahead of everyone else.