"Zoey Parker's got some serious swagger," Gus Harper said, waving off Wes Mason's shock:
"WindyPeak Games cares about skills, not your resume."
"As a legit boss, Zoey's got one rule: heroes don't need a backstory."
"She doesn't give a dang what you did before."
"Good character, no rap sheet, and love for gaming? You're in."
"To WindyPeak, you're a go-getter with a fire for games, ready to shake up the industry."
"WindyPeak's on the rise."
"We're always down for partners who wanna build a golden era with us."
"So, don't freak out."
"In Zoey's eyes, you—"
"Are more than qualified!"
Hiss—!!!
Gus Harper's words hit like a Red Bull shot!
Wes Mason's heart raced, pumped up!
What a bold move! What an open mindset!
No wonder WindyPeak Games keeps dropping game-changers, flipping the market, and cranking out bangers!
"I get it!" Wes Mason nodded, dead serious.
Quitting his job was the right call!
His boring, average life? Done. A path packed with passion and creativity stretched out ahead!
"Also, I've got a small ask, boss," Wes Mason said, hesitating:
"My ID, Plain Wes, isn't just me—it's a crew, three to five buddies."
"Mostly old classmates. Like me, they're in random jobs but stan WindyPeak and taught themselves the skills."
"Can I…?"
Wes Mason wanted to bring his squad along.
"No problem," Gus Harper nodded:
"A tight crew gets stuff done twice as fast."
Gus was all in.
Sure, these "guerrilla" coders weren't as polished as CS grads.
But their grip on game content? Razor-sharp!
If memory served, their map MODs outshone some of WindyPeak's official ones!
For ops and maintenance, ops come first. Maintenance? Gus could loop in IndieVibe, their big partner, for training to level up Wes's team.
But ops—nailing player tastes, beefing up content, planning events, and handling partnerships—can't be taught in a crash course.
That takes raw talent and a nose for the market.
Plain Wes's crew beating official maps with their own? That's proof they've got the juice.
With WindyPeak's projects growing—more online multiplayer beyond PUBG—they'd need talent like this.
Maintenance pros? Easy to hire or outsource.
A crew like Wes's, with game-market instincts? Rare as hell.
Gus Harper was stoked to greenlight Wes Mason's pitch.
Deal sealed.
After sending Wes off, Gus filled Zoey Parker in.
Zoey nearly leaped out of her chair!
Hell yeah!
A squad of scrappy underdogs!
She thought an insurance salesman as ops manager was the wildest this hiring round would get!
But more curveballs came after she left!
One wildcard pulled in a whole crew of 'em!
If another PUBG-level hit drops, Zoey Parker's $71.4M loss-reward system (not tied to Parker Capital) is set!
Hahaha—!!!
"Nice work, Gus!" Zoey threw a thumbs-up:
"You nailed the interview…"
And so!
Days later, WindyPeak Games' Operations and Maintenance Department launched with seven members, led by Wes Mason, handling PUBG's ongoing ops.
Beyond basic management, Gus gave them free rein to update game content.
With Gus Harper's sign-off, Wes's team could tap the finance department for funds and work with outsourcing firms to beef up PUBG.
But while WindyPeak hummed along, the gaming world was brewing a storm.
Today!
IndieVibe dropped the list of co-developers for IndieVibe X2's flagship masterpiece on Twitch, YouTube Live, and Kick:
Fury Games, a veteran racing game studio, tight with IndieVibe.
NeoSpark, a legacy sports game developer from Japan.
WindyPeak Games, the rising star fresh off the Asian Games Summit gold crown, known for shooters.
The list hit like a grenade!
The gaming scene exploded.
From media to rivals to players, everyone was buzzing!
Posts flooded GameHub, Gamers' Hearth, and MiniPlay:
"IndieVibe names WindyPeak for flagship masterpiece!"
"Clash of titans! IndieVibe X2 drops early next year, head-to-head with Polar Bear 3!"
"Spread thin or all-in? Insiders break down the strategies of two motion-sensing cabin giants!"
Reports piled up, dissecting the drama—
With IndieVibe tapping WindyPeak for its next-gen FPS, the IndieVibe-Nebula Games showdown was crystal clear…
[One vs. three, WindyPeak, the lone FPS dev for IndieVibe X2, faces a beatdown from Nebula's three heavyweights…]
IndieVibe's play screamed Tian Ji's horse race…
Is WindyPeak getting cocky? Looks like it. Going toe-to-toe with Nebula's three shooter titans, WindyPeak's in for a rough ride…
Why's this former supernova now a pawn in the industry's game? Here's why…
Forums lit up.
"IndieVibe's screwing WindyPeak over. This is a setup!"*
"Yup, they're throwing WindyPeak under the bus, and Zoey and Gus are just eating it up?"
"Fresh off the Asian Games, they're feeling themselves too much."
"They forgot their own weight class."
"WindyPeak's stuck in the middle, smelling broke."
"Damn, one vs. three! Thought IndieVibe was ditching FPS for IndieVibe X2."
"Same. Nebula's three studios are monsters!"
"They could crush WindyPeak with budget alone."
Pessimism flooded the scene.
A flagship masterpiece needs industrial-grade polish to flex a new motion-sensing cabin's tech.
This wasn't just about gameplay.
Cash ruled this fight.
Nobody could picture a mid-sized studio like WindyPeak, barely past a $100M valuation, surviving this.
"Even with all their tricks, WindyPeak's toast…"
In Boston, in Nebula Games's meeting room.
The CEO of Nebula Games and his three studio heads—Radiant Studios, StarWolf Interactive, and Zenith Studios—chatted with smirks.
Dean Keller, Radiant Studios' director, lounging with hands behind his head, spoke first:
"A flagship masterpiece needs industrial scale and polish."
"That's a money pit."
"WindyPeak's just a small fry."
"As they say, no rice, no meal."
"They've got, what, $200 million tops? They'd have to sell their souls for that," Dean chuckled, flashing two fingers:
"Two hundred mil, folks. What's that gonna do? Hahaha…"
Travis Wolfe, StarWolf Interactive's director, nodded:
"Dean's on point."
"With that budget, WindyPeak's gotta sacrifice either scale or polish."
"But a blockbuster needs both. They're screwed either way."
"Unless…" Travis trailed off.
"Unless what?" Nebula's VP pressed.
"Unless they cut their losses," Zachary Trent, Zenith Studios' director, grinned:
"Keep the game small but polish it to meet industry standards."
"Use cinematic storytelling to hook players, plus fresh gameplay."
"Get players to drop blockbuster cash on a smaller game."
Hiss—
The room froze.
Convincing players to pay AAA prices for a compact game?
That's not skill. That's witchcraft.
Silence, then laughter erupted.
"Forget it, no use overthinking…"
"Pass the coffee…"
"Who's got a light…"
The IndieVibe-Nebula clash sent ripples through the gaming world.
WindyPeak was the eye of the storm.
For a month, media, rivals, and players watched WindyPeak like hawks.
Would they drop a statement?
A concept poster?
Tease their IndieVibe X2 masterpiece on Twitch?
Under all those eyes—
The moment arrived!
Last day of the month!
After winning the PUBG Asia Championship, WindyPeak went radio silent for a month!
Finally, they posted on Twitch, YouTube Live, and Kick:
WindyPeak Games: Honored to guest at the Indie Game Fest hosted by @IndieVibe. Fest kicks off tomorrow at 8 PM. Our boss @LotusZoey and supernova @SamHarper will join the livestream, unveiling a new two-player co-op mini-game. Catch you there!
The post dropped.
The gaming world froze.
Media, rivals, players—all baffled.
Comments exploded—
"???"
"What the hell?"
"Huh?"
"Escort masterpiece turned mini-game?!"
"Y'all spent a month on a mini-game, not the blockbuster?"
"I'm done!"
*"This is wild. Feels like two armies gearing up, but WindyPeak's playing hopscotch."
"Did they miss the memo about being IndieVibe X2's flagship dev?"
"Gus: Yo, I'm busy, can't make it?"
"Hahahaha…"
"The emperor's chill, but the fans are freaking out."
"Shock! WindyPeak cares more about a mini-game than their big shot!"
"Title makes sense now."
"Joining the shock club tomorrow…"
Numb.
The gaming scene was numb.
They'd been hyped for a month, like kids waiting for a big reveal!
But WindyPeak wasn't cooking a blockbuster—they were prepping a mini-game for IndieVibe's Indie Game Fest?
This was so absurd, nobody knew if WindyPeak was playing it cool or just clueless.
But!
They didn't know—
This was Gus Harper's plan!
The mini-game was a ploy to rack up attention and emotional points from players!
Gus was scratching his head, wondering how to make this livestream pop.
Then IndieVibe's flagship dev list dropped, stirring up a storm!
With buzz growing, Gus was stoked.
Wave the bait!
Play the long game, like a pro keeping fans on the hook.
Drop the mini-game, spark curiosity, and cash in on the hype!
It worked.
Big time.
"Alright, let's tune the gear…"
"More fill light here…"
"Adjust the camera angle, it's off…"
In the IndieVibe livestream studio, Zoey Parker, on the guest couch, tugged Gus Harper's sleeve, whispering:
"Gus, you nervous?"
"Nervous?" Gus shrugged:
"Don't even know how to spell it."
A social pro, Gus cracked jokes at SkyDome Arena in front of thousands. A livestream? Child's play.
"But I'm kinda freaking out," Zoey admitted, glancing at the big screen behind the cameras.
The screen showed the barrage and live stats.
Not even started, and the IndieVibe Mini Games Online Unveiling Live Broadcast was at three million viewers.
Comments flew faster than bullets in PUBG.
"You're up soon," Zoey said, patting Gus:
"I need to warm up. Bet I'll chill once we play."
Damn.
Gus flinched.
He was fine till Zoey said that.
This livestream was for Overcooked, the "friendship deodorizer," to farm emotional points.
He'd sold Zoey on the game with flowery talk: cooking vibes, happy customers, bonding moments.
She bought it.
But Gus knew the truth!
Cooking vibes? More like hunting for the fire extinguisher!
Happy customers? Order timers blowing up your brain!
Bonding? More like blood pressure spiking and friendships snapping!
Gus shivered, remembering Zoey blasting him with a water gun in their last test run.
"…Act like a lady, it's live," Gus muttered, covering his bases.
"Huh?" Zoey blinked, confused:
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not ladylike enough today?"
She was puzzled. Outside her loss-reward system freakouts, she was chill, right?
Why the random jab?
Before she could press, the director's voice boomed:
"All teams, prep!"
"Three! Two! One!"
"Live!"
Snap snap snap—
Three camera lights flashed red!
The IndieVibe Mini Games Online Unveiling Live Broadcast hit millions, and the feed went live!
The host grinned: "Good evening, folks! Welcome to the IndieVibe Mini Games Online Unveiling Live Broadcast!"
"The annual Indie Game Fest is back, and y'all are hyped, I know it."
"I feel you."
"This year, IndieVibe brought in special guests to kick off the mini-game scene."
The host gestured, cameras panning:
"Meet our guests—"
"Zoey Parker, CEO of WindyPeak Games, and Gus Harper, our supernova designer!"
"Big welcome—!"
Wow—
The barrage exploded.
The livestream was on!