Hey there! I'm Yoshinori Ono, CEO at Lasengle.
Welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping by!
I want to start by saying a huge thank you to all the many Masters who attended the Fate/Grand Order Winter Party 2022-2023!
I visited the Osaka venue on the final day of the event, and I was impressed not only by how many people were there, but by the amount that stayed right until the very end.
Thank you for all your support!
So, a few blogs back, I talked about our regular offsite meetings at Lasengle. It's when I head out to a different location with some of the key decision makers. It's an important part of our planning process and something we like to do once a quarter.
At Lasengle, we use a hybrid work setup, with team members having the option to work remotely or in the office. While we love this setup, we also get that some things just don't communicate well online - especially when it comes to the things we're really passionate about.
That's why we hold in-person meetings, training sessions, offsites and a whole host of other initiatives to make sure we're all getting that face-to-face time as a team. These opportunities are not just for managers, we make sure that each job section has a chance to come together and convey their passions.
More recently, we hosted an in-person event at Tokyo Big Sight, as part of the Sony booth, for new university graduates. We're accepting applicants to start in April 2024, and this event was in addition to the online Sony Career Forum I mentioned in my previous blog.
Our session was titled "Who is Lasengle?" and it was great to see so many Masters come and support us here, and bring their cool vibe to the Sony booth!
If you're graduating university in 2024, then check out our dedicated website and consider sending in your application.
Next up, my featured game for blog #28, Coffee Talk.
Coffee Talk is an adventure game set in a coffee shop.
You play the owner of a late-night coffee shop based in a corner of an alternative-Seattle.
In this fantasy-inspired world, elves and dwarves live alongside humans, each with their own story to tell.
The fact that it's open only at night, selling coffee instead of alcohol, means that it attracts a varied clientele from those looking for a bit of quiet to those who work at night. It's a cool idea and if there was somewhere like this in my neighborhood, I'd be a regular.
Coffee Talk is not a management game where you're competing to grow a coffee shop franchise, nor is it an action game focused on fine-tuning your barista skills.
It's a cozy game set in a coffee shop where NPC customers meet and interact. Your role is to serve coffee and chat with the customers, and play a small--sometimes big--part in directing their life stories.
The worldbuilding, characters, graphics and sound are all exceptional, but what really makes Coffee Talk stand out for me is the atmosphere that all these elements combine to make.
Imagine. A cozy low-lit interior with chill-out music playing in the background. Shadows of people hurry by while the cold rain falls unceasing on the window pane. Suddenly, the doorbell gives a cheerful ding-a-ling, announcing one of your regulars.
You welcome them and listen attentively to their small talk while skillfully preparing their order with practiced hands. The delicious sound of brewing coffee, the aroma rising with the steam. And then, the customer's face breaks into a smile with, "You always know how to make coffee just how I like it!"
Yep, it's as perfect as it gets. Of course, there's no literal steam or aroma coming off the screen (that would be worrying!) but the game is so well designed that you really feel like you are there in this wonderful, cozy coffee shop.
Barista is one of those jobs that you often see in entertainment like anime and manga, usually portrayed as coolly intelligent, mature and understanding. I think it's a job that many of us have often fantasized about having - I know I have.
Not just that, but coffee shops also appear in stories as key locations. Everything from being the headquarters for a secret organization to the place of work for the protagonist, or the home of the protagonist's love interest. It's a familiar location that we're all drawn to for different reasons.
With Coffee Talk you get to experience what it's like to play the cool barista, and work in a location where something interesting is always happening.
There are talks of a sequel in production for Coffee Talk. Which makes the news of the passing of its creator, Mohammad Fahmi, on March 28, 2022, at the age of 32, even more devastating to me as a player, and to everyone who has played and loved this game.
Mohammad Fahmi's great works will remain, and will continue to touch the hearts of many game players. May he rest in peace.
Yoshinori X（Twitter）