"This… am I screwed?"
Across the table, Felix Warren, chief planner at Radiant Games, eyed the chessboard and chuckled:
"Boss Kane's still the sharpest."
Felix's double entendre earned a thumbs-up from Dylan Kane.
Dylan waved it off, grinning:
"Gotta strike at the right moment to pull off a clutch win. That's why Radiant Games has stayed on top for years."
Felix nodded, genuinely impressed.
Working under Dylan for years, he admired the man's knack for spotting market gaps.
Dylan always knew which games were hot or about to blow up, predicting trends early.
Like now!
After Left 4 Dead 2 lit up the industry at the USEA's 10th VR Game Design Media Conference…
Dylan moved fast, calling Felix before the expo ended, demanding an urgent seminar for Fearless Sniper.
He caught the next flight back to San Francisco!
That night, Radiant Games held an emergency meeting with one goal:
Delay Fearless Sniper's release, add second-gen FPS features!
Dylan's opening line at the meeting:
"I know you've got gripes, but swallow 'em and grind. Once those bonuses hit, you'll forget you were mad."
It worked.
After two months of "emergency polish," Fearless Sniper grafted second-gen FPS elements onto its core.
They kept virtual crosshairs, UI, and first-gen FPS competitiveness, adding gun-holding aim actions.
Sure!
Dylan didn't expect WindyPeak to toss in moves like sliding and climbing post-launch.
But to him, small potatoes.
If they popped off, he'd patch them in later.
The priority? Launch Fearless Sniper right after Left 4 Dead 2's hype wave!
Ride that second-gen FPS buzz, like his chess move—rook takes pawn, seizing the market!
Yup!
Market, not WindyPeak!
To Dylan, WindyPeak was just another small fry, a creative tool, not worth sweating.
Plus.
With time, Dylan, backed by Apex Interactive, could blur the "second-gen FPS" origin story with slick PR.
Make Radiant Games the lone flag-bearer, the benchmark for second-gen FPS!
Bad money chases out good, cuckoo steals the nest.
That's Dylan and Radiant Games' game.
And yeah, he owns it, proud as heck.
After clearing the chessboard, Felix brewed tea, poured Dylan a steaming cup, then one for himself, saying:
"It's all set."
"Tomorrow's promo blitz is full-spectrum—big media, small media, game bloggers, you name it."
Sipping his tea, Felix continued:
"Also, I tipped off Twitch."
"Tomorrow's prime time, every big streamer across categories will play our game."
"And I… dropped a hint to Twitch."
"As for WindyPeak's Left 4 Dead 2… maybe dial it back a bit…"
Dylan nodded, pleased:
"Nice work. They should take a backseat. Doesn't look like they're pushing promo anyway, haha."
They clinked teacups, toasting early victory.
Felix paused, then added: "Oh, Mr. Kane, what's next for WindyPeak? Should we…"
He held up three fingers.
Outsiders wouldn't get it.
But Dylan, after years with Felix, knew exactly what he meant.
Now!
They figured WindyPeak's sales flop was a done deal.
Not their first time crushing small studios.
Time and again, they'd proven—
Once they nabbed a game's core and claimed it, no one could withstand Apex Interactive's cash-fueled PR onslaught.
Of course!
Dylan and Radiant Games weren't heartless.
When small studios got desperate, they'd lash out.
Those angry, powerless folks couldn't dent Radiant Games.
But pesky "flies" buzzing around got annoying.
That's when Dylan played his "kind" card—
Treat, behead, accept as a dog.
Treat: Sit down, chat, keep it civil, make it small.
But!
Some studios had spine.
When they wouldn't settle for a meal, demanding Radiant Games pull their game, pay up, and apologize—way beyond a small studio's reach—Dylan drew his next cards:
Behead.
For those who wouldn't bend, thinking they could shake a giant, Dylan had no patience.
Market suppression, platform bans, troll armies, or fake praise.
With Radiant Games' deep pockets, crushing a small studio was a breeze.
The last card: Accept as a dog.
You say we copied your game? Prove it. Sue us? We'll fund your lawyers.
Hah!
Good luck winning in court.
But here's the deal: We love your talent, your creativity.
Say the idea's yours? Fine.
Join Apex Interactive, Radiant Games. Work with us.
We'll admit the idea's yours, your baby.
Better yet!
We'll hand you all future dev work, let you own the IP!
We'll say it's "crafted by the original team with full passion"!
Need cash? Got it. Need staff? Done. Need hype? We'll flood the zone.
If it profits—big profits—you're the game's godfather!
Heck, we'll make you a pillar of the U.S. gaming scene!
Three aces, three killer moves!
Undefeated, always winning!
Since Radiant Games started, Dylan and Felix faced countless small studios.
These three cards never failed!
And today!
Felix's three fingers meant just that!
Tomorrow, Fearless Sniper launches, and Left 4 Dead 2 gets squeezed out.
So, how to handle WindyPeak was their next puzzle.
"Hmm—"
Dylan, catching Felix's drift, mused:
"Tricky…"
Felix smacked his lips: "They're tight with IndieVibe Tech. No way they'll roll over and join us."
"Then…"
Felix made a slicing motion:
"Behead?"
But!
He stopped, shaking his head, realizing his mistake.
No way.
WindyPeak's boss is a Parker!
Sure, Boss Harper's the supernova stealing the spotlight at expos and media gigs, looking like he runs the show.
But Felix didn't forget—Zoey Parker, the mascot who seems useless, is the real boss!
Mr. Parker's daughter!
And Mr. Parker? He's on par with Apex Interactive's top dog!
Behead his kid's company? Asking for trouble.
Look at Star Games—their grave's grass is three feet tall.
Tough spot!
Felix frowned.
If only Boss Harper ran WindyPeak solo.
Beheading or dogging them would be easy—fish on a cutting board.
But now…
Felix smacked his lips, stumped, turning to Dylan:
"No dog, no behead. What then? Fair competition?"
He nearly laughed at his own words.
Saying "fair competition" felt absurd…
But!
As Felix floundered!
Dylan hummed:
"Actually—beheading's not off the table—"
"What?"
Felix gaped:
"But WindyPeak's got Parker Capital behind it…"
"So what?"
Dylan shot back:
"Parker Capital can't block us from hiring headhunters, poaching execs with fat checks, and gutting their team, right?"
"People chase better gigs. Even Parker Capital can't lock down job freedom, yeah?"
"Besides, they've got Parker Capital, we've got Apex Interactive. We're equals. It's just business strategy."
"Unreasonable?"
Hiss—!!!
Felix gasped at Dylan's plan.
Brilliant!
Yup.
Since WindyPeak's cozy with IndieVibe Tech, we can't take it all. And with Parker Capital, dirty tricks are risky.
So, poach their talent!
Turn their company into a husk, shred their team, and they're done!
Small studios can't survive that, let alone mid-sized ones!
Felix clapped:
"Boss Kane's a genius!"
"We'll hit WindyPeak with PR, use our size to steal market share, and crush their sales fair and square!"
"Meanwhile, we send headhunters to poach their crew with big offers!"
"This gut-punch will leave WindyPeak choking on bitter pills—"
…
The pain's too much to speak!!!
Next day.
Zoey Parker stared at her phone on speaker, hand on cheek, face twisted in agony.
Early morning!
Victor Lang called!
His first words nearly gave her a heart attack—
"Haha! Congrats, Ms. Parker!"
Screw that!
Zoey wanted to chuck the phone.
No need to guess!
For Victor Lang to call personally, this "good news" was huge!
Zoey could tell blindfolded—their game was a massive hit!
"Where's my joy…"
Zoey frowned, voice tense, a bit hopeless.
"First-day sales are in!"
Victor, oblivious to her mood, chirped:
"Wonder if you've seen the numbers, Ms. Parker."
"But when my assistant reported your game's sales this morning, I was floored!"
Zoey's chest tightened, fingers trembling: "Oh… really…"
"You bet!"
Victor's voice was giddy, almost disbelieving:
"24-hour sales: 32,772 copies, $2,780,040 total! Ms. Parker, your game's a lock for 100,000 copies this week!"
His words stabbed like knives, riddling Zoey.
Listen up!
For this investment, Zoey used her 100x Bonus Card!
One day in, she'd lost $200M in rebates?!
$200M, gone!
And!
Per Victor, Left 4 Dead 2 was on track to pass 100,000 copies this week?!
At $85/copy, that's $8.5M!
Converted to failed-investment rebates, that's over $800M!
Zoey's heart bled.
With the game's streams blowing up across platforms, she felt helpless.
Dang it! Is there no hero in the U.S. FPS scene to take down Boss Harper?!
But.
Her phone pinged with a text—
[A gameplay revolution! Redefining shooters! Fearless Sniper drops today! Try it now!!!]