After stepping on stage and receiving his first trophy of the day, Ichin paused for a moment. Facing the audience, he spoke fluent English:
"Hello everyone, I'm Ichin, the producer of Persona. Honestly, I'm a little surprised to have won this award. I've played all the other nominated games, and their soundtracks were all outstanding. I'm truly happy to receive this recognition. These past few days, I've met many game developers and had wonderful exchanges with them. I hope in the future, I'll have more chances to stand here again. Thank you."
The host beside him chuckled, "Oh, I think you definitely will—because the next trailer we're showing has something to do with you as well."
"So soon?"
Ichin blinked. He knew both of his company's new games had trailers scheduled to air at different points of the event, but he hadn't expected one to follow right after his award.
Nodding, he turned to the camera and said, "Then, please look forward to our upcoming new title."
After stepping down, he handed the trophy to Hazuki, letting everyone in their group take turns admiring it.
Meanwhile, the massive screen on stage lit up as the trailer began to play.
Players watching the livestream all over the world held their breath in anticipation as the logo appeared.
First came explosions—space battles unfolding outside a planet, futuristic warships exchanging heavy fire. Then, a hatch opened, dropping multiple pods that streaked down toward the planet's surface.
The scene shifted to the ground, where intense combat was already underway. As the pods landed, squads of soldiers in specialized helmets stormed out, weapons ready, immediately joining the fight.
A defending soldier, distracted by the sudden reinforcements, was blown away when a grenade shattered his cover. As he was thrown back, he glimpsed one of the newcomers rocket forward with a jetpack blazing, charging headlong at the enemy.
The camera followed this soldier—the "Pilot." A narrator's voice entered:
"On this battlefield, the Pilot is the deadliest force."
Wall-running, grappling, sliding, cloaking, close-quarters combat—one ability after another was showcased, gripping the audience's attention.
After single-handedly clearing an enemy outpost, the Pilot sprinted to the far side of a building—only for a massive shadow to descend from the sky.
"But what truly sets Pilots apart from infantry and machines alike… is their bond with Titans."
The dust cleared, revealing a towering humanoid mech. Gasps filled the venue as it caught the Pilot in one hand, opened its cockpit, and placed him inside. Pilot and Titan became one. The Titan raised its mechanical arm, projecting an energy shield that absorbed a hail of incoming fire.
From a side building, more enemies opened fire. Inside, the Pilot activated another ability, halting the stream of bullets midair before flinging them back in a devastating counterattack that leveled an entire structure.
The battle escalated—no longer just soldiers against soldiers, but Titans clashing in massive, earth-shaking combat.
Giant robots—no matter how many decades they've appeared in sci-fi—remained an irresistibly thrilling spectacle. Heavy steel armor, humanoid forms, overwhelming firepower; everything about them had the audience, both live and online, wide-eyed.
The narration was revealed to belong to a regular infantry soldier in the Frontier Defense War. The trailer concluded with a bare-knuckle Titan brawl against an enemy blade-wielding Titan.
At the end, the title appeared on screen:
Developed by YC Games (Shanghai Studio)
Release Date: 2024
When the trailer ended, the cameras cut straight to the audience, zooming in on Ichin's group.
Seeing himself on screen, Ichin stood and gave a polite bow to the hall.
After sitting back down, Hazuki whispered, "Looks like the first reveal was a success."
"A shooter with giant robots—it's almost guaranteed to make a splash," Ichin murmured back. "But the real test will be how people react once we show actual gameplay."
Turning to Kō Yagami beside Hazuki, he asked, "Kō, how's the online response?"
"On YouTube and Bilibili, the discussions are already blowing up. And after the trailer aired here, our company's channels will be uploading it separately. It should go live any minute now."
Of course, TGA was mainly about the awards—the trailers were just part of the show.
Following the Titanfall reveal, the next award was for Best Game Direction, which went to Alan Wake 2, a title that had sparked plenty of discussion after its release.
The gameplay was indeed impressive—players reliving loops, learning, and ultimately assassinating eight key targets in a single day. Ichin had tried it himself after launch and found it well made. The only downside? "That damn discount came way too fast," he thought. "Barely a month after release, and already on sale. What was the dev team thinking?"
More awards followed, along with a handful of new game trailers. The ones Ichin paid most attention to were the new entries in Battlefield and Call of Duty.
Not that he particularly liked either franchise, but he was curious—would they still flop as hard as before?
Especially Call of Duty. With Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, many believed the next CoD would mark the franchise's grand comeback. Ichin, however, was skeptical.
The trailer shown tonight? Just CGI. No gameplay. No title. Not even a release window.
"…Not exactly reassuring," he thought.
Of course, when it came to gameplay footage, Ichin knew he wasn't in much of a position to judge others.
A few more categories were announced—then Persona struck again. Twice.
Best Narrative.
Best Role-Playing Game.
Ichin almost suspected the organizers were messing with him. Each time he sat down, he barely had time to breathe before being called back on stage.
Still, there was no helping it—awards had to be accepted.
Handing the still-warm Best Narrative trophy to Utaha, Ichin adjusted his suit and, for the third time that night, rose from his seat and walked toward the stage.
*
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