Gus Harper wiped his hands and nodded at Chloe Quinn. Perfect timing. He'd been itching to pitch his next move to Zoey Parker, especially after the IndieVibe exchange sparked his obsession with VR pods and horror games.
He'd dug deep, consulting Luke Bennett and Jake Rivers, then scouring X for answers. A decade ago, VR pods were luxury toys, but mass production made them mainstream. Horror games had a brief moment—studios like Apex Interactive and Comila Games dropped chilling VR titles that wowed players with immersive scares. Jumpscares were the hook: ghosts at every door, corner, ceiling. No design needed, just cheap thrills.
But players burned out. Endless zombies, masked killers, and skeletons bred boredom. By chasing jumpscares, devs killed the genre. VR horror tanked, outshined by shooters, racers, and sports. Even card games had more life. Gus sighed. A perfect combo, wasted. In his past life, horror thrived in VR. Here? Nothing. He saw an opening.
In Zoey's office, Gus knocked. "Come in," she called.
He stepped inside, spotting the framed $40 bill on her desk. "Cool decor," he teased.
Zoey's smile twitched. Thanks to you. She flipped the frame face-down. "Sit. Let's talk."
With Chloe and Gus seated, Zoey leaned in. "Gus, our profits are steady. What's next?"
Gus had a plan but hesitated. VR pods were a money pit—$400,000 burned by one studio in six months, pocket change to giants like Apex. WindyPeak's $1–2 million war chest couldn't handle that. No sane CEO would greenlight it. "I've got an idea, but it's raw," he said.
"Spill it," Zoey urged, eyes glinting.
"I'm thinking VR pods," Gus admitted.
Chloe gasped. What?! VR was a death trap for small studios. WindyPeak's three hits—Cat Leo, Who's the Daddy, Vampire Survivor—gave them clout, but a VR flop could bankrupt them. "Gus, isn't that premature?" she said, voice tight. She respected him now, a far cry from her early doubts, but this was reckless.
Zoey, though, grinned. "I love it."
Chloe blinked. Wait, what? A chill hit her. This feels familiar. Like when Zoey backed Vampire Survivor, chasing a "flop" that exploded. Déjà vu screamed disaster.