The Seattle Convention Center's Hall 5 roared with applause and chatter.
"Gus Harper's that young?!"
"Same age as Zoey Parker!"
"Talk about a power duo."
"How do you make a niche game a global hit?"
"Comparing myself to him makes me want to quit."
"He's so chill on stage, like he owns it."
"Look, he's giving the media a thumbs-up!"
"His vibe's as wild as his games."
As devs buzzed, Gus Harper wrapped his intro, tossing a playful "yes" sign and thumbs-up to the cameras. "Alright, get your shots. Make me look good, yeah?" he quipped.
The crowd laughed, tension melting. Backstage, Victor Lang raised an eyebrow. Gus's ease felt too seasoned for a college kid with no industry cred. Weird. Victor chalked it up to natural charisma.
Gus's speech wrapped: "…Unyielding grit, honest passion, and relentless innovation—that's WindyPeak's core. We'll chase bigger markets, but our love for games and players stays true."
No script, pure heart. The room exploded in applause. Reporters swarmed, mics out like zombies. "Gus! Future plans?" "What's your take on the VR pod market?" "New Vampire Survivor updates?" "Big-budget games next?"
Gus raised a hand, grinning. "Opening's short, so quick answers now. We'll dive deeper at the exchange." He fielded questions: "No fixed genre for WindyPeak… I'm eyeing VR pods, maybe we'll dip in… Vampire Survivor updates will keep coming, all free, no DLC nonsense…"
His calm precision won cheers. Offstage, Zoey Parker was baffled. How's he this smooth? Gus's resume screamed "slacker student" at Seattle U—no dev experience, no clubs, just dorm-room vibes. Yet he owned the stage. Time traveler? Reborn game dev legend? She laughed off the absurdity.
The exchange kicked off, the crowd splitting. Devs mobbed Zoey on the left, reporters Gus on the right. Gus handled mics like a pro, cracking jokes. Zoey? Trapped in a social nightmare.
She'd never faced this. Devs peppered her with questions, and she scrambled. "Ms. Parker, how'd you pick Vampire Survivor's concept?"
"Uh… we saw a gap in unpopular genres. Thought it'd be… easier to stand out?"
"Genius!" a dev scribbled.
"VR pods—worth it?" another asked.
Zoey dodged. "What do you think?"
"We lost $400,000 on VR this year," the dev admitted. "Should we keep going?"
"Market's tough for small studios," Zoey hedged, sweating.
Then: "Horror games—any future there?"
Zoey's brain screamed. Horror? In this market? You're begging to flop! She knew squat about trends but knew horror was a graveyard. Why ask me this?
Then it hit her. Wait. Unpopular genres. VR pods. Horror games. These are money pits. Her eyes lit up. A bold plan. She could steer WindyPeak into these traps, tank the next project, and cash in her rebate.