Zoey Parker knew Phasmophobia's day-one sales: 2,085 copies, $93,800 revenue.
Weaker than her lowest predictions.
She'd ditched WindyPeak for a week, holed up in Portland, grinding her thesis, U.S. Currency Exchange Rates and Global Trade Impacts.
Even at 2,000 copies daily, weekly revenue would hit $630,000 max—$504,000 after IndieVibe's cut.
Miles from the $2,000,000 cost.
Zoey was thrilled, already picturing kissing the $50 bill on her desk tomorrow, welcoming its "red-jacketed siblings" in stacks.
Whirr—a money counter's symphony!
She dreamed of swimming in cash.
Then:
Ding! Time's up! Investment settlement complete!
Project: Phasmophobia
Investment: $2,000,000
Rebate: $0
Settlement Time: 0 (settled)
Ding! Host turned a profit! Hidden achievement unlocked - Comeback!
Reward: Super Guaranteed Card
Reward issued, use anytime!
Zoey froze, smile stuck, brain offline.
Earth Online, disconnected.
What?!
Over already?!
Two minutes of mental static.
She robotically logged into IndieVibe's enterprise backend.
Phasmophobia's stats glared back:
Real-time sales: 55,557 units
Total revenue: $2,500,065
Quick math: $2,000,052 profit after commission.
A measly $52 over the $2,000,000 investment.
SLAM!
Zoey snapped her laptop shut.
"SON OF A—!"
From 2,085 copies to 55,557 in a week?!
Matching mid-to-large VR games!
She was livid.
Losing money? Fine—she'd flopped before (Vampire Survivor: $199,995 revenue, $5 loss).
But this system mocking her with a "Comeback" achievement?!
$5 loss last time, $52 profit now—big comeback, huh?!
Chump change!
The real kicker: someone sabotaged her rebate ($13,700,000–$18,000,000).
Zoey wasn't dumb.
Day-one sales screamed flop, but 55,557 copies meant meddling.
She reopened her laptop, searched "Phasmophobia."
Headlines flooded:
"Terror Unleashed! Review Sites Shower Phasmophobia with 9.5+ Scores!"
"New Horror Genre! Phasmophobia Redefines Fear!"
"Inside Phasmophobia's Genius Design!"
Reviews?!
Zoey's head spun.
Gus Harper had mentioned reviews—killer promo, trusted by players.
But small fries like WindyPeak, with $500,000 budgets, didn't get GameRant or PixelPulse News love.
She scrolled:
"IndieVibe Drops Phasmophobia-Themed VibeX1 Interface!"
"Supernova Push! IndieVibe's Phasmophobia Event with VibeX1 Giveaways!"
Zoey stared, then cackled, pointing at "IndieVibe."
"You sneaky bastard, Victor Lang!"
Her $80,000 extra login fee—$150,000 total—made Victor think she wanted a marketing blitz.
Bro, I just wanted to pad costs for the rebate!
Why do you keep playing hero?!
But then, doubt crept in.
Gus had warned: reviews were a double-edged sword.
Great games soar; trash gets roasted.
Mainstream outlets like GameRant guarded their rep, immune to bribes.
Good was good, bad was bad.
Phasmophobia—no weapons, short gameplay, tiny maps, multiplayer—was anti-mainstream.
Why the universal praise?
Zoey clicked a top review:
GameRant: Phasmophobia: A Ghostly Ace Redefining Horror (9.8/10)
"Best VR horror game in five years, period."
"Pioneers 'online horror,' a new genre."
"Invents psychological horror: no weapons, constant panic."
"Ditches long intros, dives into fear."
"Tight spaces max tension."
"From Vampire Survivor to Phasmophobia, WindyPeak redefines gaming."
"Graphics, sound, atmosphere scream: ghosts are here, and you're helpless."
Zoey frowned.
No weapons, short gameplay, small maps…
My sabotage list?!
Player comments:
"Spot-on review! (Thumbs up)"
"No weapons = pure panic. (Angry)"
"Short gameplay cuts fluff, genius! (Love)"
"$45 for five minutes, kicked out, I'm a fool. (Yeah)"
"Blood pressure city! Space switches are terrifying. (Scared)"
"9.8's fair, WindyPeak's the real deal. (Sips BrewJoy)"
Zoey toggled between comments and review, soul-searching:
No weapons, short gameplay, small maps, multiplayer…
My failure recipe!
Mind blown.
Who am I? Why this? Did I pick the world, or it pick me? Universe finite? Time measurable? Past gone? Future capped?
Who killed my rebate?
Did I kill myself?!
At the review's end: "New Flagship of Horror Games."
Zoey wailed internally.
I screwed myself!
What a mess!
She gritted her teeth, tasting regret like overcooked kale.
But she rallied.
No more blind losses.
She'd analyze, strategize, lose smart.
Pen in hand, Zoey scribbled:
Gameplay Type: Cat Leo, Who's the Daddy, Vampire Survivor, Phasmophobia—all niche or abstract, "guaranteed" flops.
Wrong.
Uncontested genres monopolized markets.
Her finance degree screamed: monopolies = profit.
Dangerous.
Next game: mainstream—shooters, racing, sports.
Cutthroat competition, higher flop odds.
Scribble.
Promotion Attitude: Too anti-marketing.
Her "no promo" stance let IndieVibe misread her $80,000 as a hype order, triggering reviews, themes, lotteries.
If she kept silent, Gus Harper—despite his rookie resume—might sniff out her rebate scheme.
Next game: hire a promo agent.
Normalizes operations, signals Victor: Stop overthinking!
Scribble.
Investment Size: Simple—bigger budgets, slower cost recovery.
If only Mr. Parker would fund her!
She'd pump Parker Capital cash in, balloon costs, and score rebates that'd shake global markets.
Sigh.
Dreams aside, start small, lose steady.
Zoey tossed her pen, grinning at her notebook:
"Shooters, racers, sports… fierce competition…"
"Legit promo… dodge accidents…"
"Pump investment!"
Perfect.
After Vampire Survivor's sneaky $50 rebate, she'd flop openly.
Snap!
"System! Show me that Comeback card!"
Ding! "Comeback" Reward: Super Guaranteed Card
Effect: Next investment's rebate rate boosted (withdrawable), min. equal to base rate, max. 100x.
Zoey's eyes sparkled.
First a time-shortener, now a rate-booster.
"Activate!"
The rate spun, landing on a golden 100x!
"WOO!" Zoey leapt up.
"Jackpot! 100x!"
"This is my comeback!"