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As time went on, Guardians of the Galaxy grew increasingly popular, achieving tremendous success with its humorous and quirky style, standing out in the sci-fi genre to claim the top position.
Even more remarkably, its total player count was twice that of the second-place content, "Starship Empire." Many industry analysts carefully examined the player demographics of Guardians of the Galaxy and easily reached a conclusion.
The content had an incredibly wide audience, with a style that appealed to all ages and genders, which was why it boasted such overwhelming statistics.
Soon, projects revolving around Guardians of the Galaxy comics, animations, and films were quickly launched.
Peripheral derivative products also successively hit the market, bringing Stormwind Entertainment profits that even far surpassed the game itself, truly making industry peers envious.
StreamHub, with the financial backing of Stormwind, developed rapidly and quickly rose to prominence through its gaming culture, Danny's idol group, original animation content, and the works contributed by countless young content creators.
Unbeknownst to many, it had swiftly grown into a burgeoning platform capable of rivaling top video streaming services, and it had also become a gathering place for young people's cultural exchange and interaction. Currently, StreamHub had achieved profitability and was considering an independent IPO.
It was the tail end of another year, and Seattle in December saw its first snowfall of the winter. It was past eight in the evening, and the Stormwind Entertainment building was still brightly lit, with most employees working overtime.
Many conference rooms were also illuminated, with members of various project teams holding meetings. The entire company presented a busy scene.
Alex, in fact, no longer directly participated in the specific work of most projects, but he'd been closely following and overseeing the Legend of Sword and Fairy project. As Stormwind Entertainment's first truly Chinese-culturally-themed game, Alex attached great importance to it.
On one hand, it was to prove they weren't only capable of making Western-style games that catered to the global market.
On the other hand, he genuinely hoped to create a work that could showcase Chinese culture —a game that could withstand scrutiny and refinement, that was engaging and moving, and that could perfectly present the essence of Xianxia storytelling and Chinese cultural aesthetics.
In the conference room, the core members of the Legend of Sword and Fairy project team were still discussing some details of the concept art design, and Alex was listening in, occasionally offering personal opinions.
In fact, Legend of Sword and Fairy had been in full development for quite some time, and its progress had been very smooth so far.
Moreover, for this game, Alex made two preparations: on one hand, content developed based on the Infinite Realms engine.
On the other hand, he also developed an independent game based on his company's proprietary engine, so that even if Legend of Sword and Fairy couldn't be presented to more players through Infinite Realms in the future, Alex would find a way to release it globally as a standalone game.
"Are they still in a meeting? Mr. Morrison is there too!"
"Yes, Mr. Morrison basically attends all important meetings about Legend of Sword and Fairy!"
"Mr. Morrison is really invested in this project. I feel like he genuinely wants to prove something to everyone!"
In the break area, several female employees working on the Legend of Sword and Fairy project chatted while drinking coffee.
"The investment in this Legend of Sword and Fairy is massive. It might be difficult to recoup costs!"
"Mm-hmm, Mr. Morrison must know that, but he used to make games for profit, and now it's for a dream. He's not just considering commercial value anymore!"
"To be honest, this ending is really somewhat tragic, which is what I'm very worried about. It might affect reception. Nowadays, players all prefer happy endings. The success of Guardians of the Galaxy is the best example. Although Groot died, there's still a chance for resurrection, so it's easily accepted by everyone!"
"Yes, I heard that some people previously suggested making it a multi-ending game, allowing players to change the regrettable ending, but Mr. Morrison refused!"
"Mr. Morrison might just want to explore tragic storytelling this time!"
"Guardians of the Galaxy earned plenty of laughs. Is Mr. Morrison trying to earn plenty of tears this time?"
"Probably. Mr. Morrison loves trying various different styles. But honestly, the story of this series is genuinely touching, and it profoundly interprets what it means to be a true hero. Anyway, from a narrative perspective, this is already the best Xianxia game, bar none!"
"Hey, Sarah, it's Christmas Eve tonight. Aren't you going home to be with your boyfriend? Still working overtime here!"
"He's also on a business trip. There's no point being alone at home. It's much better at work—with food, drinks, and late-night snacks. How about you, Jennifer? Is your husband not home either?"
"I wish he wasn't home, haha. Christmas Eve is a holiday for young people. We old married couples are too lazy to even celebrate our wedding anniversary!"
"Jen, why don't we go out together tonight? There's no point going home!"
"Mm, alright!"
Christmas Eve Plans
The discussion meeting for Legend of Sword and Fairy lasted until around 8:30 PM before concluding. Alex tidied up briefly and then asked his driver to take him to Danny's company.
They'd planned to drink and grab food together tonight, but Seattle on Christmas Eve was truly congested. Alex hadn't even reached Danny's company when he received a call from Isabella—calling from France.
Alex remembered that today was Christmas Eve. Calculating the time difference, it was already the afternoon of the 24th in France, approaching their most important holiday of the year, similar to Christmas Day in America.
This was a time for family reunions, and also the happiest and liveliest period.
"Isabella, Merry Christmas!" Alex said with a smile after answering the phone.
"Merry Christmas, Alex. I hope I didn't interrupt your work?"
"No, I've left the office now and am going to meet your brother to hang out!"
"Oh, that's great!" Isabella's voice sounded somewhat subdued.
Alex's heart sank, thinking of Isabella alone abroad, especially at a time when everyone else was enjoying family gatherings. She must feel quite lonely being by herself: "Are you homesick?"
"Mm, yes. I really miss home right now. I miss when I was in Seattle, every holiday you and Danny and Tyler would go out together. It was so much fun..."
"That's easy to fix! Tomorrow, I'll call Danny and Tyler, and we'll fly to France to celebrate Christmas with you!" Alex said with a smile. He had nothing planned for tomorrow, and a plane ticket would get them there in several hours, just in time for Christmas Day.
"Really?" Isabella sounded overjoyed.
"Of course. I don't have much going on these next few days, so it'll be a good opportunity to travel for a bit and relax!" Alex said with a smile.
After ending the call with Isabella, Alex arrived at Danny's company, picked him up, and they went directly to the restaurant where Tyler was already waiting.
"Do you guys have anything planned for tomorrow?" Alex asked after arriving at the restaurant.
"Nothing. Tonight, we're drinking until we drop!" Danny picked up a bottle of beer, ready to fill Alex's and Tyler's glasses.
Tyler also nodded in agreement.
"Then how about we all fly to France tomorrow to visit Isabella? She's probably quite lonely celebrating Christmas alone over there. She just called me, and I feel like she's homesick and missing us!" Alex said, taking a sip of beer.
As soon as he spoke, Tyler and Danny exchanged a meaningful glance, and then Danny coughed a few times and said, "Oh, I just remembered—I have a very important business partner to meet tomorrow afternoon!