The Seattle Convention Center's Hall 5 erupted in chatter.
"This is WindyPeak's CEO?!"
"She's so young!"
"Told you her casual vibe screamed big money!"
"Pfft, didn't you call her an intern earlier?"
"Ambition doesn't age."
"After her speech, I'm begging for a chat to learn her secrets."
The crowd was floored. The mastermind behind three chart-topping games, including Vampire Survivor's record-shattering 43,775 daily sales, was this college-aged girl?
Zoey Parker soaked it in from the stage, spotting every flavor of shock—stunned, regretful, jealous. No one could resist a good flex, and she was no exception. Her speech was polished, but inside, she was cackling. This is too good!
She glanced at Gus Harper, who met her eyes with a raised brow, as if saying, "Told you we'd shake 'em up." Zoey nearly lost it. Gus was a menace, a master at rattling cages. No wonder he made Cat Leo's infuriating chaos.
"…On behalf of WindyPeak, I thank IndieVibe for this platform," Zoey concluded. "We'll keep pushing boundaries, making bold games, and driving the indie scene forward with our peers."
Her words were sincere. "Pushing boundaries" meant chasing unpopular genres. "Bold games" meant bigger budgets to lose. "Driving the indie scene" meant stepping on every market landmine to clear the path. I'm a walking flop detector.
She bowed, exiting to thunderous applause. Victor Lang took the stage, gushing. "Zoey's words echo every dev here. WindyPeak's young, but their grit and vision will lift our industry!"
Zoey, offstage, wiped her brow, squirming. I'm no visionary, Victor. I'm a professional loser. His praise—three parts flattery, seven parts awe—stung like a guilty conscience.
"You good? You're sweating," Gus said, puzzled.
"Overwhelmed," Zoey muttered, throat tight.
"You'll get used to it," Gus shrugged, unfazed.
She scoffed. "What, you've done this a million times?"
Gus almost spilled his past—press events for Dark Souls, Sekiro, For Honor, Blue Sails—but caught himself. This wasn't his old life. He smirked, dodging. "Something like that."
Victor wrapped his speech. "This event's about connecting devs, so let's keep it short. Now, the final act of our opening—the main event!"
He opened his notes, voice booming. "Please welcome WindyPeak's Game Director, winner of this festival's Supernova Designer title, lead designer of Vampire Survivor, which smashed IndieVibe's sales records—Gus Harper!"
The room froze for a half-second, then detonated. The real boss! Gus's three hit games had the gaming world buzzing. Devs and media alike were here to glimpse the genius who carved a path through a stale market.
Cameras flashed like a storm. Devs jostled for a view. Meeting Gus was half the reason they came.
Gus strolled onto the red carpet stage, calm as ever, waving at the media. He adjusted the mic, waiting for the chaos to settle.
"Good morning, everyone," he said, voice steady. "I'm Gus Harper, Game Director at WindyPeak Games."
The crowd roared.
If anyone was thinking that the MC's named changed, then you are right. I changed it because the old name sounded weird.