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[Game] Chapter 158: Pre-orders Begin
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 20:04:44 +0000 UTCHollow Knight had already been listed on the Nintendo Switch and Steam store pages, with a demo version available for download. However, pre-orders had not yet been opened, nor had the pricing been announced.
Now that the release date was set, Ichin logged into Steam and began updating the page, preparing to display both the price and launch date.
The game was priced at ¥68 RMB in the Chinese region—identical to the full release price of Slay the Spire.
For other low-price regions, the price was slightly lower than in China, but not by much. Meanwhile, Japan and Western regions had a slightly higher price tag, though nothing too excessive(~10 USD).
As for the Nintendo Switch version, the pricing followed a similar structure: the Hong Kong eShop had the lowest price, while other regions were slightly more expensive. Since the Switch release involved direct cooperation with Nintendo, Ichin also needed to inform their contacts at the company.
With the pricing finalized, it was time to lock in the release date.
Checking the calendar and accounting for the remaining debugging period, Ichin set the launch for November 19.
A quick glance at the November game release schedule showed that apart from Forza Horizon 5, which was set to release on November 9, there weren’t any other major blockbuster titles launching that month.
While Hollow Knight wasn’t a massive AAA game, Ichin was confident it could still make a splash in an otherwise quiet November.
A spot on Steam’s best-selling list? Shouldn’t be a problem.
After confirming the release date, Ichin submitted the changes and waited for Steam to officially open pre-orders.
Meanwhile, Nintendo followed a similar process. Hazuki immediately relayed the information to their Nintendo contact, who quickly responded, confirming that pre-orders would open within two days.
The Hollow Knight demo had already seen strong download numbers on the Switch eShop, and Nintendo was paying close attention. After all, outside of their in-house development teams, there weren’t many third-party studios producing high-quality exclusives for the platform.
Nintendo’s own games were selling well, but it was undeniable that the Pokémon franchise was seeing a steady decline in public perception—just like the new Pokémon Journeys anime.
With pricing and the launch date finalized, Ichin stretched and turned to face the eager group gathered around him.
"Alright! Now that we’ve set the release date, things might get a little hectic for everyone. We’ve got two and a half months left—let’s make sure we hit our deadline smoothly!"
Aoba, remembering the brutal all-nighters from her previous job at Eagle Jump, turned pale. "Wait… does this mean we’ll have to pull all-nighters as the launch date approaches?"
Kaiko thought for a moment before responding, "Compared to Fairy Stories 3, development for Hollow Knight has gone much smoother. I don’t think we’ll need all-nighters… but we will need to put in some overtime. Just in case, let’s stock up on energy drinks."
Seeing how experienced everyone was with crunch time, Ichin laughed and shook his head.
"I don’t think we’ll need all-nighters. Rin has done a great job structuring our development cycle, and we have plenty of time. As long as we maintain our current efficiency, we’ll definitely finish the game without rushing."
Yagami Kō nodded in agreement. "That’s right. We’re already in the final phase of development, but our project management has been excellent. We won’t have to panic and work overnight at the last minute. Last year, when we were working on Fairy Stories 3, things were different—the game was massive compared to the first two, so there was a ton of extra content to develop, optimize, and debug."
"Exactly. Project management is crucial in game development."
Leaning back in his chair, Ichin spoke calmly, without a trace of anxiety.
"Look at what happened with Cyberpunk 2077. That was a textbook example of poor project management. Their ambitions were too big, they built a huge open-world RPG from scratch, and they had a string of internal problems. The whole development team collapsed under the pressure.
That’s why, when we first started working on Hollow Knight, I worked with Rin to create a strict development roadmap—and so far, it’s been smooth sailing.
Of course, the scale of our game is nowhere near that of Cyberpunk, but playing it safe is always the best approach."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Sitting cross-legged on her chair, Shinodasighed nostalgically.
"Ah… Cyberpunk 2077… I was so excited for that game back then. I even bought it for both PC and Console"
Cyberpunk 2077 was truly a game full of wasted potential. It had great initial ideas—a highly immersive, expansive, and freedom-filled open-world Night City, along with innovative weapon combinations and creative gameplay mechanics.
Like many others, Ichin had been incredibly excited for it. After all, most open-world games tended to get repetitive at some point, but Cyberpunk 2077's marketing made it seem like CDPR was aiming for a truly engaging and dynamic experience.
Unfortunately, the repeated delays were an early warning sign. Players began to worry, and when the game finally launched, it was clear that it had been rushed out the door. The final product spoke for itself.
Cyberpunk 2077 wasn’t the only game that had suffered from poor project management, but Ichin didn’t bother listing more examples—one recent disaster was enough to illustrate the point.
—
After chatting for a while, there was still some time before dinner, so everyone got back to their work.
Ichin was about to check the team’s progress for the day when Eriri walked up and tugged at his sleeve.
"Hmm? What’s up, Eriri?"
Under Ichin’s gaze, Eriri’s eyes lit up with excitement.
"Ichin-kun, since the game is entering the final stages of development, you’ll probably be taking a lot more time off from school, right?"
Taking time off?
Ichin hadn’t really thought about it before. But as the workload increased, it was true that—as both the studio owner and one of the lead programmers—he’d need to spend more time at the office.
Still, the way Eriri asked that question…
Ichin narrowed his eyes at her. "Wait… don’t tell me—you’re thinking of taking time off too? So you can help out at the studio?"
"Hehe, well, you guys are short on staff, right? Wouldn’t having me around be a good thing?"
Eriri beamed proudly. "Think about it! My art skills are top-notch—everyone in the industry agrees on that. I also had a great time working part-time with you guys over the summer.
I used to think I’d either become a manga artist or join an animation studio after university, but now… I realized that making games is pretty awesome too!"
"…"
Ichin’s lips twitched slightly.
"So… are you saying you've finally decided to leave that industry?"
"Huh?"
Eriri froze, her face instantly turning bright red.
"Y-Y-Y-You—HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"
Their conversation didn’t go unnoticed.
Hazuki—who wasn’t exactly working hard to begin with—overheard everything and grinned mischievously.
"Ooooh~~~ I think I just heard something very interesting… something about quitting? Sounds like a juicy little secret, Eriri-chan~~"
Before Eriri could react, Hazuki suddenly grabbed her from behind, pulling her into a hug.
...
