Chloe Quinn was floored when she heard the game's name.
So that's what the weird "dad" banter outside Gus Shepard's office was about—they were brainstorming the title.
Who's the Daddy.
Chloe's brow furrowed. Talk about an odd choice.
She glanced at her notes from Gus's pitch, then raised a hand. "Gus, any wiggle room on the price?"
Five bucks felt way too low. Sure, the game might be a mess, but the budget was ten times Cat Leo's. A $100,000 project priced at $5? They'd need to sell 20,000 copies just to break even.
Gus shrugged, looking helpless. He glanced at Zoey Parker. "The price…"
"I set it," Zoey cut in, nodding at Chloe. "I've got faith in Gus's work."
Bullshit, Zoey thought, barely containing her glee. Did she want to price it so low? Nope. Her Investment Rebate System was tying her hands.
After Cat Leo's surprise profit, Zoey had done some soul-searching. Why did it sell? Her mistake was not tanking it hard enough. This time, she'd attack the root: pricing.
Her first plan? Slap a $10,000 price tag on the game. No one's dumb enough to drop that much on a quirky indie title. Problem solved.
But the system wasn't having it. It flagged her scheme as cheating, insisting the price stay "reasonable." For Who's the Daddy, it suggested around $25.
Zoey was pissed but stuck. So, she flipped the script: if she couldn't price it sky-high, she'd go dirt-cheap. At $5, even if some suckers bought it, recouping $100,000 would take forever.
"I'm good with the price," Zoey said, waving a hand. "I trust Gus's vision won't let us down."
She gestured for Gus to start the demo.
Gus nodded, exchanging a glance with Luke Bennett. They were running the show today.
The conference room went quiet. Zoey leaned forward, eyes glued to the projector screen. Chloe held her breath, curious about what a $100,000 game looked like.
The screen lit up with upbeat music. A blue background rolled with baby cribs, bikes, beers, sodas, and—yep—rat poison.
At the top, in scribbled handwriting, the title: Who's the Daddy?
Below it, a character in an orange shirt and blue jeans. A… weirdo?
Chloe hesitated to call it human. The modeling was a disaster. An oval blob of hair sat on a round head, with googly eyes that screamed idiocy. The limbs? No joints, just floppy noodles stuck to a torso.
Then there was the baby character at its feet. Barely knee-high, with a head like a boiled egg and sketchy, uneven features. The diaper twisted like it was part of the body, glitching through the model as the baby crawled.
This cost a hundred grand?
Chloe's blood boiled. Anger didn't cut it—she was shocked, confused, betrayed.
It was like running a convenience store, getting three counterfeit bills, then finding out these three clowns drew them with crayons.
Call the cops! These guys were scamming the company!
Sure, $100,000 wasn't much for a polished game, but this? It was a crime scene.
Chloe had thought $5 was too cheap. Now? She'd bet players would demand refunds for emotional distress.
This was just the start screen. What horrors waited in the actual game?
"...Huh?" Chloe managed, mouth agape, unable to form a coherent critique.
She shot Zoey a look, hoping to signal, Arrest these frauds! But Zoey? She was entranced, eyes sparkling like she'd struck gold.
Jackpot! Zoey's mind raced. This game was a masterpiece of trash. The models, the graphics, the sheer chaos—perfect.
She wanted to ask the trio: If this was $1, would you buy it? No way she would. Not unless she wanted to lose her last shred of dignity.
"Amazing!" Zoey said, her voice dripping with fake enthusiasm. She'd mastered the art of lying through her teeth. "This art style is… one of a kind!"
"No one else in the industry would dare try this," she went on, nodding furiously. "Gus, your bold vision is something to admire!"
The trio exchanged confused looks. Luke nudged Gus, whispering, "Yo, is Zoey roasting us?"
"No clue," Gus muttered back. "But she's not the type to shade us indirectly…"
"So… she's actually praising this?" Jake whispered, stunned. "Is our boss okay in the head?"
Gus cleared his throat. "Uh, Ms. Parker, want to see the demo?"
"No need!" Zoey waved it off, beaming. The start screen was enough. Players would see this, scream fraud, and demand refunds.
This game wouldn't even make it past the title screen.
And Zoey? She'd be swimming in rebate cash.
"I'm sold!" she declared, clapping her hands. "Approved! Goes live tomorrow at 8 p.m.!"
Ding!
A system notification chimed in her head.
Investment Rebate System
Project: Who's the Daddy
Current Investment: $100,000
Estimated Rebate: $1,000,000
Settlement Time: 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds (pending activation)