Players were somewhat disappointed that they didn't see the sequel to Final Fantasy.
Previously, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had officially announced that Final Fantasy 7 would form a standalone world-building series.
Then, in the future, multiple games set in the same world would be released, along with plans for movies and novels.
However, this conference did not reveal anything, not even news about Final Fantasy 8.
Of course, they also knew that it would take at least a year for a game to be truly released. The hype around Final Fantasy 7 had not died down yet, so the next game wouldn't be easy to make.
In the crowd, now in his early twenties, Ichiro Murakami stared blankly at the stage.
As each game video was announced during the conference, he also showed a melancholic expression.
He had once founded the website "Ichiro's Games."
And through the guidance of a mysterious online friend, he established a systematic game rating system.
This also gave him a certain position in the gaming industry.
Some game developers had become his friends.
However, when his father took control of his website, banning Ichiro Murakami from being impulsive for the sake of the family's well-being, the Ichiro's Games website went down a purely commercial path.
After that, he voluntarily left Ichiro's Games, cashed out his shares, and left his father.
As for the current situation of Ichiro's Games, he no longer cared.
But whenever he saw the booming gaming industry, he couldn't help but reminisce about the good times in junior high school.
He could experience the latest games firsthand, and he became an opinion leader, guiding every player interested in electronic games.
And now, he was just a college student with some money.
This time, coming to the Entertainment Consumer Expo was also a wish fulfilled for him.
Then he would probably return to campus to continue studying computer science.
And in the crowd, there was another person, Takayuki.
At this moment, he also noticed Ichiro Murakami.
Takayuki was quite surprised by Ichiro Murakami's appearance.
It wasn't until now that he remembered this potential stock that he had once supported.
He had given advice to Ichiro Murakami in secret through a virtual pseudonym, allowing his website, Ichiro's Games, to quickly become a holy place for gamers.
However, now Ichiro's Games had completely deteriorated.
After Ichiro Murakami announced his departure, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment severed all communication with Ichiro's Games, no longer providing any early access opportunities for the latest games.
Later, Takayuki really wanted to talk to Ichiro Murakami.
But at that time, there were always development plans, and he didn't have much time.
When he had time, he forgot about it.
It wasn't until now, seeing Ichiro Murakami, that he suddenly remembered this person.
Speaking of which, now that Ichiro's Games had severed communication with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, it gradually declined.
Now it seemed to have become a website that survived solely on a few junk game ads.
Because of its foundation, it wouldn't completely collapse, but its position as a leader in the gaming media field was fading away.
"Ichiro Murakami?"
Takayuki called out to Ichiro Murakami.
Ichiro Murakami turned his head, somewhat surprised that someone here knew him.
Then he saw a man wearing sunglasses and a mask standing not far away.
Vaguely, he felt a sense of familiarity.
He must have seen him somewhere.
"Hello, may I ask...?"
"It's me, Takayuki. I didn't expect to see you here."
Ichiro Murakami widened his eyes, opened his mouth, and couldn't help but want to exclaim.
But he was quickly silenced by Takayuki.
"Shh, I don't want to be exposed here. I just want to take a look around. How about finding a quieter place to talk?"
"Okay! Of course!"
Takayuki!
The God of Games!
He was his idol.
He didn't expect to meet him again in this place.
About five or six years ago, he still vividly remembered the excitement and complexity of going to the old headquarters of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment one morning.
Excited and complicated.
The first time he went, he was stopped by security guards who thought he was a fan of a game and refused to let him in.
Then the next day, he tried again. Although the security guard still didn't want to let him in, he handed over the information he had prepared to Takayuki.
Then, he saw his idol.
Later, he independently signed a cooperation contract with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment for early reviews. All future games from Gamestar Electronic Entertainment would be sent to Ichiro Murakami first. Ichiro Murakami only needed to truthfully describe the quality of the games, regardless of whether they were good or bad, he had to ensure neutrality and objectivity.
Later, Ichiro Murakami also hoped to meet Takayuki again, but Takayuki was the president of a large company and naturally didn't have much time to deal with him, a mere community manager.
However, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had always fulfilled the contract, consistently providing the games to him first, which made him enjoy many years of free games, and he was always among the first to experience every batch of games. This privilege was very rare.
Later, because of his disappointment with his father's forced intervention, he chose to leave Ichiro's Games. Unexpectedly, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment also severed ties with Ichiro's Games for the first time, which surprised him. At the same time, he also became more and more appreciative of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
Over the past year or so of college life, in addition to daily studies, he had continued to play various games from Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
After many years, some things had changed, but the excitement of being able to meet the God of Games again did not diminish at all.
The two walked out of the entertainment expo and found a nearby café to sit down.
"Would you gentlemen like to order something?"
A woman dressed in Tifa's cosplay costume walked over, warmly welcoming Takayuki and Ichiro Murakami.
Because the café was close to the entertainment expo, and the owner of this café was also a fan of electronic games, the staff members were wearing various cosplay costumes during the expo to serve customers. Unexpectedly, this led to an unexpected increase in turnover.
"How about a cup of Seventh Heaven exclusive coffee?" Takayuki joked.
"I want the same!" Ichiro Murakami quickly raised his hand.