With the announcement released by John, players who had been following PixelPioneers Games for various reasons were instantly stirred into excitement. The news about the follow-up DLC for Red Alert was not what set their hearts racing. What truly electrified the audience were the other two revelations John unveiled.
A sequel to Resident Evil, and even more astonishing, a brand-new title said to rival The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim in scope? The moment the news hit the net, it spread like wildfire. Even Steven, the head of Power Storm, was drawn in across the ocean.
At that very moment, Power Storm was still deep in production on DLC for Epic Continent. Their team had tossed around ideas for a new project, but nothing had been officially announced yet.
"This developer is really unbelievable. How can they launch such massive projects in such a short span of time?" Steven muttered in disbelief, staring at the screen with a mix of shock and admiration.
Game development is never simple. Even a heavily systemized, assembly-line AAA title takes an enormous amount of time and resources. Yet here was PixelPioneers Games, casually rolling out titles on par with Skyrim, a game hailed as one of the year's finest. They had needed years, plus two hefty DLC expansions, Dawnguard, where players faced the looming threat of vampires, and content revealing the hidden lineage of the Dragonborn tied to the prophecy, to enrich the world of Tamriel.
This wasn't just an announcement. It was a statement of intent, a sign that PixelPioneers wanted nothing less than to craft an equally deep and expansive game universe. Shouldn't the logical path be to keep releasing expansions first?
"Their pace is much faster than we anticipated. Honestly, I suspect this so-called Metal Gear must have been in development for quite some time already," Steven said gravely, his tone carrying weight in Power Storm's office.
"But what exactly is Metal Gear supposed to be? If we compare it to our current project's progress, we may not even have the capacity to stand against them head-on." Steven frowned, disappointed, realizing his studio barely had enough manpower to move forward with their own ambitious plans.
His staff remained silent. A few smirked discreetly, but no one dared voice their thoughts. After all, in the competitive world of AAA games, studios usually prayed for quiet release windows, free of rivals. Who in their right mind would wish for an "awesome opponent" to steal attention during their launch?
Still, Steven's word was law at Power Storm, and no one openly challenged it.
With a final glance at the announcement about Metal Gear and the tweet John had sent out, Steven closed the screen.
And yet, deep down, even he couldn't suppress his curiosity. While many game studios were formidable, he recognized only a handful of creators who could shape the industry. And this year, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim had clearly left a lasting impression on him.
He had also played PixelPioneers Games' earlier hits, including Resident Evil, but in his judgment, the spin-off Resident Evil Resistance lacked the same world-building weight. By comparison, Skyrim towered over it with its grand narrative and mythos.
Still, the name PixelPioneers now carried undeniable prestige. Despite the controversies swirling around Red Alert, their momentum remained strong, and the brilliance of Skyrim lingered fresh in players' minds.
At this moment, PixelPioneers stood even higher in the eyes of gamers. The second John dropped the name Metal Gear, it shot up the charts on the search rankings.
Gaming media outlets like Game Starry Sky wasted no time dedicating entire pages to the new title. Within hours, industry insiders and fans alike were dissecting the news, speculating what kind of experience the studio was preparing.
Unlike Red Alert, which had been quietly released without much pre-launch hype, Metal Gear arrived with explosive fanfare. Where Red Alert disappointed some who expected more than a modest mobile game, Metal Gear carried the weight of John's direct promise: a title as ambitious in scale as Skyrim. That alone was enough to set the community ablaze.
"I knew it! PixelPioneers wouldn't sit idle. Red Alert was just a side project. Metal Gear is the real showpiece!"
"Oh, come on. You 'knew it'? That's not what you were saying a few days ago when you were flaming them online!"
"What does flaming have to do with loyal fans? Check my posts. Did I ever say anything like that?"
"You can't even tell the difference between haters and true fans anymore. What are we supposed to do?"
"What do we do?"
"What do we do!"
"Are you just echoing yourself like a repeater?"
"Forget that, what kind of game do you think it'll be? From the name, Metal Gear sounds futuristic. 'Alloy equipment' implies advanced technology. No way it's set in ancient times. It's either modern-day or the future."
"???? That's ridiculous! By your logic, I could just as easily say it's a fantasy blacksmith adventure, where the protagonist forges magical alloy gear on an epic journey!"
The forums and community threads were flooded with wild guesses, each theory more elaborate than the last.
Meanwhile, John sat at his desk, preparing to call Koch and the team for a meeting. They had to finalize details on the next Red Alert DLC while also planning how to reassign developers to Metal Gear. But as he glanced at the feverish excitement online, a wave of unease crept over him.
Had he promised too much? Calm down, everyone. Don't get carried away! The game had barely entered development. It wasn't as if Metal Gear could be released next month. All John had revealed was a name, nothing more. Yet fans were already building castles in the air, analyzing it like gospel truth.
Watching the flood of posts, John couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. If the players knew that right now all they had was a folder and a Word document, would they storm PixelPioneers' offices to knock some sense into him?
He exhaled, staring at the tidal wave of enthusiasm spreading across the net. Clearly, some form of reassurance was needed. Perhaps, he thought, the best way forward was to start unveiling the game's vision gradually, through comics, concept art, or even lore teasers, something to guide players gently into this "alternate history of modern warfare."