February 21.
From one premiere to the next, this time they went all in. The stunning Cameron Diaz appeared in a gorgeous green dress, reflecting the spirit of Princess Fiona, her character. She was joined by the rest of the voice cast and a few others, settling into place. Part of the Pixar entourage had invited Jeffrey Katzenberg as executive producer, who was offering his audiovisual vision while watching every productive system Pixar was running with a hawk-like eye, cutting-edge technology that seemed to be the price of success.
–There are way more media outlets here than when we were in New York,– commented Monica, looking around at the crowd. She waved to the flashing cameras and listened closely to the interviews people were giving. It was widely acknowledged that Billy had served as writer, producer, and voice actor, involved in three different stages of production. Unlike most writers, he had also contributed to the visual concepts, sketching storyboards and proposing many of the setting visuals and developments that were later incorporated. As he honed his skills, he consistently pushed for full creative oversight of the film.
–The cameras are hyped up because of my statemen, s—and I might be right. We're aiming for something subversive, which might ruffle a few feathers with the studios. For example, even if they won't admit it, Fox has its people watching, Disney, and Warner, too. I didn't screen the film for critics. I'm sticking strictly to the rating system—a sealed wall of mystery,– Billy remarked.
–So you're using that as a marketing campaign?– she asked.
–I'm not. I just want people to make their own choices. And once they do, that's when I make my move and break the rules again. With just one word from me, Disney's stock could crash. That makes me dangerous to them—they're a publicly traded company after all, and those are their assets,– Billy replied.
–It's so good.–
–Very good. It shouldn't even be mine, but I've taken a hard stance on the animated genre. When I see something I truly like, I claim it for myself and do what needs to be done,– said Billy.
–I love that… when you talk like everything's going to bend to your will. For a moment, the world feels like it revolves around you. And it makes me wonder about the things you're not saying. That's when things seem to twist—the silence, the shift in the air—and then you pull a card from your sleeve. Something that was always there, just waiting in your mind,– said Monica.
–I understand… and it's true, I've got a lot up my sleeve,– Billy replied. –Come on, let's go have some conversations. I need to get ahead as much as I can. There might be a corporate rumor Jim Gianopulos missed.–
–You just lead the way, darling… I'll chat with their wives,– Monica said with a wink.
***
Some time ago, ID Software ignited a revolution in car games with Forza Horizon, merging various brand designs—especially Ford, Chevrolet, Jeep, Dodge, and Cadillac—with German giants like BMW, Audi, and Lamborghini into one much-anticipated racing game project.
–Well, I think it's tough getting licenses from Japanese companies. They seem to want Japan to have its own racing game, and treat us like a side note,– said John Romero, one of the driving forces behind the project, who envisioned a racing game featuring modifiable cars with spikes, nitrous, and other banned upgrades, aiming to use every kind of car possible.
–We're four development teams and six companies pumping out four to six games a year. The details don't matter that much,– said Dave D. Taylor, a member of Group One and lead on the speed system design, working with Parallax Software. Now based in Chicago, they had a clear vision for the next generation of racing games: rich environments, diverse track types—dirt, sand, asphalt, urban—and chaotic race elements like traffic to dodge, all while keeping it fun and technically challenging.
–Billy sent a flood of game pitches into the distribution system. Our once-clear calendar is now packed with two years of nonstop work. These games all have different goals and formats, and we at least have to avoid misreading this overwhelming task,– said Alexa Rilley. She was overseeing the six new titles Billy had submitted. Group One was developing Halo 1, building on Billy's extensive design notes. Parallax expanded to 60 active staff tasked with world-building and scenario design, while the team worked on unique weapon systems. Unlike Doom, this featured a new playstyle—different weapons, movement, and alien species, each with its own armory. They were designing an authentic interstellar war.
What did Billy add? Alien races. He deepened the lore behind the Covenant, introducing multiple Unggoy subtypes—some lighter-skinned, some elite fighters, others infantry. He included female forms and introduced another enslaved species. He also expanded the all-out war mechanic, planning 20 exploratory races for Halo 1, 20 combat species for the sequel, and elite races in Halo 3, scaling the difficulty so that "easy" in Halo 3 would be equal to "hard" in Halo 1. All tied into refined mechanics and support systems.
He also proposed spin-offs like Halo: Reach and Halo: Unity. The latter introduced a new humanoid species with unique skin tones and advanced strength. They form an alliance with humanity in the face of extinction. By Halo 3, humans are stronger, wielding new weapons and tactics—traps, magnets, mines, shields, and high-precision rockets.
–But this series is different,– said John Carmack.
–It is. This one has electronic music,– Romero replied with a laugh.
–Damn, Billy must love this game to pour that kind of money into it,– Romero added.
The game cost $9 million just in third-party equipment and would take another year to polish. With 500 people over two years, top-tier music and graphics, it was set to push consoles to their limits. It was scheduled for release in 1998, alongside Billy's console, designed to break industry norms. For example, Billy requested a 720MB RAM chip from Apple, double the usual amount, a 20GB hard drive, and invested $2 million with Nvidia to develop GPUs and image processors with multiple frame layers.
With integrated audio and advanced connectivity features, the Xbox Monstrous series was shaping up to be a serious contender. Billy's total investment stood at $300 million—$50 million from his own companies for R&D, and $200 million from Microsoft. But they still had $250 million in outstanding accounts—$150 million owed by Billy himself, plus another $10 million owed to Nvidia, and an $8 million injection due by year's end.
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