Bang!
"Damn it!" Tsuna Yamamoto roared, slamming two resignation letters and a sick leave certificate on his desk in Komina's Silent Hill director's office.
Resignations from Yuki Kamikawa and Muneki Sato. Sick leave from Kazu Okura. The entire P.T. core team—gone.
Yamamoto, a seasoned designer, knew a game's success hinged on planning, art, and programming leads, not just the director. He'd claimed swapping directors mid-project was fine, like an orchestra playing on with skilled musicians. But now? The whole band quit. Gus Harper, an outsider, built a 30-minute $3 million demo in two months and poached his team, leaving one on leave.
"Damn it!" Yamamoto fumed. A top Komina designer, he couldn't stomach underlings ditching his prestige for a small U.S. studio. He wanted to blast them on X, vow to outdo Gus's Silent Hill. But his boss ordered silence—delay the producer change announcement to protect the IP's hype. Yamamoto buried his rage in development, aiming to make a Silent Hill that'd shame the traitors.
"Now what?" his assistant asked.
"Project meeting—now!" Yamamoto barked. "Think I need that kid or those turncoats? I'll show them!"
Ding! [Project interrupted due to force majeure!]
Ding! [Settlement complete!]
Main Project: Silent Hill
Investment: $0
Revenue: $3M
Settlement Time: 21 days (+90 days)
Rebate Rate: 10x (+90x)
Expected Rebate: $0
Remaining Time: 0
In WindyPeak's Seattle office, a high-level meeting buzzed: promotions and raises.
Gus Harper, overseeing projects and operations, became Vice President and Chief Game Director. His salary jumped from $500,000 to $1.5 million, with bigger Parker Capital dividends. Zoey Parker, scoffing at Nebula Games' $1.2M poaching attempt, ensured Gus's loyalty.
Lucas "Luke" Sterling, chief programmer, and Jada Brook, art leader, became Deputy Directors, salaries soaring from $300,000 and $260,000 to $1.2M each. Jada, a recent grad, took chief planner at $900,000. Other staff doubled their pay. Yuki and Sato joined as deputy planners and artists.
The conference room erupted in cheers. Zoey's bold raises stunned everyone.
Ding! [Project profitability detected!]
Ding! [Derivative project investment opened!]
Zoey nearly gasped. Komina's betrayal didn't void the Silent Hill order. The system settled it, keeping a 100x rebate rate (10x base + 90x bonus). A derivative project could inherit and boost this multiplier.
A bold plan formed. Zoey clapped, calm. "This raise is just a start. The billion-dollar club's close. Let's make WindyPeak a global gaming titan!"
Applause roared. "Mr. Harper, stay," Zoey added.
Alone, Zoey's eyes gleamed. A 100x rebate meant $10,000 lost became $1M, $1M became $100M. With doubled salaries, costs were up—perfect for a loss-making project.
"What's next?" Zoey asked Gus, tossing him a lollipop.
"New project," Gus said, popping it in. "P.T. and Yakuza dominated the Tokyo festival. Let's ride P.T.'s heat."
"But Komina's got Silent Hill's copyright," Zoey pouted. "How do we proceed?"
"Not the original plan," Gus said. "That's Silent Hill—James and Mary's story. It stays Silent Hill. No name change."
Zoey exhaled, relieved. A renamed sequel risked success, wasting her rebate. "So, how do we use P.T.?"
"Easter egg," Gus said. "The text message at P.T.'s end. A separate story."
Zoey's eyes lit up. A new horror game, tied to P.T., qualified for the 100x rebate sub-project. Gus kept his "King of Terror" cred without stepping on Komina's IP.
"Perfect!" Zoey nodded. "Let's start it!"
"Now?" Gus raised an eyebrow. "We'll likely clash with Komina's Silent Hill. They're big, we're small. Sure about the risk?"
Gus was half-joking, confident in his work and Komina's weakness. But Zoey grinned. A head-on collision was her plan—lose big, win bigger with the rebate.
"Scared of Komina?" Zoey stood, hands on hips. "We'll crush them!"