Thank You,
Noble Tier: "IamUgoH"
For Becoming A Member On My Pa'treon. The Emperor Protect.
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In the bustling city, the entire floor housing PixelPioneers Games was alive with energy. Once-vacant offices now brimmed with new employees, filling the space with the hum of keyboards, quiet conversations, and the occasional burst of laughter.
In one corner, Koch, temporarily leading the development of the Red Alert project, was lazily scrolling through messages at his desk. Suddenly, his eyes went wide, and he let out a sharp exclamation. "No way!"
"What's wrong?" asked one of the company's veteran employees from the original batch, craning his neck toward Koch's screen.
"Check the group chat!" Koch said tersely, his voice carrying an edge of disbelief.
Within seconds, gasps and exclamations echoed across the office. "No way!"
The group chat contained just one photo and a single, startling sentence. The photo showed John and Luna standing hand in hand in front of a building, colorful paper fireworks fluttering through the air like confetti. At first glance, it seemed like a playful jab at the single employees, another serving of "dog food" to tease them. But the words beneath the photo made jaws drop:
"I just bought a building. 40 fully furnished three-bedroom apartments will be offered as internal company rental housing. Tenants only pay water, electricity, and a $100 management fee. HR will announce the application requirements soon. Eligible employees can move in directly."
???, A building? Employee housing benefits? Unbelievable. The announcement stunned every PixelPioneers employee reading it.
Meanwhile, Armani, away on a business trip negotiating the shareholding structure of a new company with Martel and reviewing PixelPioneers' acquisition of Social Tap and the new motion capture studio plans, nearly choked when the message appeared on his phone.
He was utterly dumbfounded. John had certainly earned a fortune for the company, but buying an entire building out of the blue? What was he thinking? With a weary sigh, Armani opened John's chat and sent him a message.
Moments later, Armani's phone buzzed. He glanced at John's reply and chuckled helplessly, "No big deal. End of the year, I'll gift you a suite."
Downstairs, John and Luna strolled hand in hand with the sales department staff, glancing at their screens. John's faint smile betrayed his amusement at the reactions flooding in.
Elsewhere, gamers and industry insiders scrolling through John's official blog were in shock.
"No way! He bought a building? For staff housing?!"
"I'm jealous!"
"I'd quit my job right now if it meant working at PixelPioneers!"
"Dream on. Their hiring standards aren't as rigid as the Big Three's, but good luck even getting past the resume screening."
"Spending a million on a building? Who was saying PixelPioneers was going bankrupt again?"
"Holy crap! They're loaded! Guess we won't be seeing paywalls anytime soon!"
"Yeah, right. Essence's new costumes for Ada and Claire just dropped, black silk stockings with glowing effects!"
"Don't remind me! I said that was my last purchase! Someone give me a $100 coupon!"
The internet buzzed with chatter, though most players were still more interested in upcoming content than corporate announcements.
Then, the PixelPioneers blog dropped another bombshell. The following day, both PixelPioneers' and Gemtech's blogs simultaneously unveiled major news. Martel, Malcolm, and other top designers from Mercury Studio had officially joined PixelPioneers, establishing a new independent division called Galaxy Game.
PixelPioneers had also acquired the prominent publisher Social Tap and Plotbound Media Comics, rebranding them as PixelPioneers Network and PixelPioneers Media. On top of that, they announced plans for a state-of-the-art motion capture studio under PixelPioneers Network.
The gaming world reeled. Gemtechs, Moondustries, Essence, and even second-tier companies like Ansoft were stunned. Industry analysts and insiders were equally blindsided.
"PixelPioneers acquired Social Tap? Are they trying to break into publishing?"
"That's ambitious. Publishing's no joke. It's easy for indie titles, but in the AAA and mid-tier markets, one mistake could cost tens or even hundreds of millions. PixelPioneers is thriving, sure, but they're still far from dominating that space."
"Maybe they just want to self-publish. PixelPioneers isn't a small studio anymore. After multiple blockbuster releases, they've built incredible player trust. They don't need the Big Three's backing, not when they can bankroll their own marketing."
"But Martel jumping ship? And acquiring a comic company? Looks like they're turning their games into multimedia IPs!"
While debates raged online, Gemtech's headquarters held an emergency meeting. Inside the sleek boardroom, Camron scanned the reports, a faint smile curling his lips.
"PixelPioneers is impressive, I'll give them that," he said calmly. "But game development and publishing are entirely different beasts. If they plan to enter publishing, what leverage do they have to convince other studios to sign on?"
He tapped his fingers on the table, his tone measured, "Their distribution platform is locked out of the other major publishers' networks, except their own store. No significant partners will touch them. Keep an eye on them. If they're serious about publishing, the PR team moves immediately."
Moondustries, Essence, and other giants echoed the same sentiment: watch closely, but don't overreact.
John, meanwhile, remained completely unfazed. Even if he knew about their internal discussions, he wouldn't have cared. He wasn't out to publish other people's games. He simply wanted a channel that guaranteed independence for his own titles.
As debates rippled across the industry, John quietly returned to PixelPioneers' office. In the development room for Red Alert, he gathered the new producers, ready to address key design challenges and map out the next phase of their ambitious projects.