Chen Holt's question was exactly what Marcus Chen wanted to hear.
"Well…" Marcus paused, chuckling. "It's all about what you say, mentor."
This call was no accident. As IndieVibe's marketing director, Chen held the keys to a game's visibility, tweaking homepage layouts to favor certain titles. In an era where good games needed loud megaphones, studios like Nebula Games bowed to him. Some flattered willingly; others, fearing lost exposure, joined the game. Bad money chased out good.
Marcus and Chen had played this game before, with Nebula slipping "tributes" for promo boosts. But today, Marcus hesitated.
"Look, Derek," Chen said, "Victor Lang's cracking down. He wants random game rotations, equal exposure, all transparent and fair."
His tone dripped with reluctance. "Nebula's games are solid, no question. You should get a push. But with Victor's orders, my hands are tied."
Old fox, Marcus thought, smirking. Chen wasn't bound by "orders." He'd bent rules for years. This was a shakedown for a bigger cut.
Marcus swallowed his irritation. "Haha, I get it, mentor! Victor's shaking things up, and we're all in for the team effort."
He shifted gears. "By the way, you liking that tea I sent last time? I got two rare Pu'er cakes—vintage stuff. When're you free? Let's taste 'em."
Chen grinned. Chen wasn't here for tea, and they both knew it. "I'm free this weekend. You pick the spot, and I'll try this 'king of Pu'er.'"
Marcus laughed. "Stop teasing, mentor!" The deal was set, unspoken.
…
A week later, the Indie Game Expo's first round ended. Zoey Parker was in a foul mood at WindyPeak's Seattle office. Vampire Survivor was a runaway hit—too much of one.
Since day one, players were hooked. Streamers like Jada and SlickRick played like possessed maniacs, restarting endlessly, screaming through nights of pixel chaos. Forums like GameBox and PlayTab were flooded—one in ten posts dissected Vampire Survivor. Fans shared superweapon recipes, ranked characters, and dropped thousand-word guides on optimal builds.
Zoey was floored. "Are you kidding me?" she muttered. Nearly 600 games, most with flashier graphics or bigger budgets, crushed WindyPeak's in polish. And she greenlit this "trash" to flop! Was she secretly a design genius?
"I just wanna be a slacker," she groaned, slumping in her chair. Today, the first-round voting results were due. Vampire Survivor was probably top-tier, ruining her rebate plan.
Knock knock.
"Sister Chloe, come in," Zoey sighed, not looking up.
Chloe Quinn, chief secretary, stepped in. "Ms. Parker, the expo voting results are out."
Zoey waved listlessly. "Go on, what's our rank? Top six? Top three? First?"
Chloe shook her head, her usual spark gone, replaced by a frown. Zoey's stomach dropped. "What's wrong?"
Chloe took a breath. "IndieVibe's first-round results are in… we're ranked 428th."