9:30 a.m., Seattle.
Zack Young slumped over his desk, dozing through the professor's lecture on political theory. Last night's all-night gaming session had wrecked him. The droning lecture was like a lullaby, begging him to nod off.
He wasn't alone—his classmates in the back row were out cold, sprawled in every direction.
Then—
Rumble—Crack!
A thunderclap jolted Zack upright. Half the class snapped awake, blinking groggily out the window.
Thunder roared, and rain poured down like a beast unleashed, turning the sky white in seconds.
"Damn…" Will Yang, next to Zack, rubbed his eyes. "This storm came outta nowhere. Got an umbrella?"
"Nah," Zack shook his head. "Does it matter? We're soaked either way."
Will shrugged. "Fair point…"
The class stared out at the downpour. The professor, unfazed, kept lecturing, and the room settled into a weird harmony—students zoning out, professor droning on.
Then—
Buzz.
Zack's phone vibrated. He glanced at it and gasped, "No way…"
"What's up?" Will leaned over.
Zack handed him the phone. "WindyPeak's cooking something huge."
Will checked the screen—an X post from WindyPeak's official account:
WindyPeakGames: Billion-Dollar Club! Achieved!
Below was a long graphic, topped with a bold "$1B" headline. It chronicled WindyPeak's journey: Vampire Survivors (roguelike hit), Outlast (psychological horror), Plants vs. Zombies (casual champ), A Way Out (co-op storytelling), PUBG (battle royale king), Apex Legends (fast-paced shooter), and more. Milestones flashed: "Asian Games e-sports winner," "103% somatosensory cabin login share," "green in-app purchases," "$25M in charity," "700K copies sold in a week," "GDC award-winner."
For three years, we've climbed the peak.
Now, we've joined the billion-dollar club.
The future's here.
It's our time to shine.
"Holy…" Will whispered.
Billion-dollar club. Under a storm of rumors and shade, WindyPeak's first public move was to flex their new status as a mid-tier gaming powerhouse.
Then—
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Zack's phone went wild with notifications. As a hardcore gamer, he had every gaming app under the sun, and they were all blowing up:
Nebula Entertainment Forum:
Congrats @WindyPeakGames for hitting the billion-dollar club and becoming a mid-tier studio! The future's bright—here's to seeing you among the top dogs soon!
IndieVibe Platform:
Mid-tier achieved! Congrats @WindyPeakGames on surpassing $1B in net assets. We've ridden the highs and lows together—let's write the next chapter!
Xun Teng Game Hub:
The future's now, and the billion-dollar milestone is just the start. Congrats @WindyPeakGames on leveling up—here's to more wins, Zoey!
"Whoa!" Zack and Will locked eyes.
"This is…" Zack started.
"…bigger than this storm," Will finished.
A thunderbolt moment. WindyPeak's billion-dollar announcement swept the gaming world like lightning. Certified by Nebula Entertainment, backed by IndieVibe and Xun Teng—two major players—it was seismic.
This wasn't random. Just days ago, Gus Harper had dropped a cryptic X post, reuniting the Silent Hill P.T. dream team—Sato Yuki, Kamikawa Yuki, and Okura Kazu—at Steel Chain Finger Studio. Now, this billion-dollar flex screamed intent.
Forums, domestic and global, erupted:
"Who said WindyPeak was done? They're mid-tier now!"
"First the P.T. reunion, now this? Something big's brewing…"
"Can someone explain this power move?"
"A 3A game needs $100-150M. With Zoey's bold bets, WindyPeak's about to…"
"Their first 3A? It's gotta be!"
"That 'future's here' line? Classic Gus Harper weirdness. Love it."
"Nebula, IndieVibe, Xun Teng—all hyping it up. This feels like a coalition."
"Komina's 3A vs. WindyPeak's 3A? Clash of titans!"
"Blue planet hitting the moon vibes!"
The gaming world snapped its focus from the Tokyo International Game Festival to WindyPeak. Like thunder following dark clouds, Gus Harper's moves—P.T. reunion, billion-dollar status—signaled a storm.
Komina's Japan HQ felt that storm's shadow.
At their emergency meeting, President Tadanori Kaminori's unease grew. He'd sensed WindyPeak's next move but didn't want to believe it. His execs, equally rattled, couldn't strategize a counter. The "WindyPeak" cloud loomed heavy.
Two days later, Tokyo International Game Festival, Japan.
Rain poured. Thunder rolled.
Tokyo's streets buzzed—umbrellas bobbing, briefcases swinging, vendors hawking eel rice and tempura. Malls hummed with shoppers, bags in hand.
Then, a woman's shopping bag hit the ground. She vanished, leaving only clothes. Buses rolled empty, stalls smoked without vendors, subways stood deserted.
Eerie music swelled. Under the black sky, a man in dark robes appeared amid neon flickers. A red spider lily wilted in his hand, morphing into ghostly figures in tattered white, drifting through the streets.
As his talisman burned, a ghost shrieked, lunging with sharp claws.
Slash!
Torii: Ghostly Mirage
Komina
Yoshi Reluto, a top Japanese gaming streamer, gasped, "Wow—S.G.I.!"
The Tokyo Game Show's final prep week had ended, and Komina had unveiled their flagship 3A title, Torii: Ghostly Mirage, a $212M juggernaut. Yoshi, a streaming star, dove into the trailer.
His chat lit up:
"Such a creepy vibe!"
"People vanishing? Chills."
"Another horror game? No FPS vibes, though."
"Trailer looks slick!"
"Kinda confusing, though. What's the deal?"
"Just sealing ghosts with talismans?"
"Looks better than Silent Hill, at least."
"Lmao, Silent Hill—Komina's forever scar."
Then, a bold red comment flashed:
"Check WindyPeak's promo! Silent Hill's not Komina's only L. Torii's about to get smoked!!!"
"Huh?" Yoshi froze, then gasped, "No way…"
WindyPeak's hype was inescapable. As a Gus Harper stan and WindyPeak fanboy, Yoshi had been glued to their moves—poaching Komina's P.T. crew, hitting the billion-dollar club. This felt like the big reveal.
He ditched the festival page, opened X, and found WindyPeak's post from two minutes ago:
WindyPeakGames: Sekiro, Part 1
A poster. On the right, "Sekiro" in elegant script. On the left, "SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice" in English. At the center, a shadowy warrior in Warring States-era garb, one hand gripping a katana, the other—a skeletal prosthetic—clutching the scabbard, poised to strike.
"Holy…" Yoshi muttered, eyes wide. Excitement blazed in his gaze, like a wildfire. He clutched his hair, freaking out.
"This is it! WindyPeak's 3A masterpiece!" he shouted. "A Warring States setting! They're diving into samurai and ninja vibes!"
Komina's cryptic Torii trailer paled next to Sekiro's poster. The chat exploded:
"So badass!"
"That gritty vibe!"
"Ink-painting style meets samurai swagger—obsessed!"
"This is a power move. Komina's shook."
"Not guns, cars, or sports—an action RPG!"
"We're playing ninjas? I'm in!"
"This hits every mark I love…"
Yoshi bounced in his seat. A game embracing his culture's style, crafted by WindyPeak's dream team, felt like a royal nod. Their first 3A after hitting mid-tier status? Massive.
Komina's HQ, Tokyo.
Bang!
Tadanori Kaminori slammed the reports down, chest heaving with rage.
"Look at this!" he roared.
Media headlines screamed:
Heavy Hitter Unleashed! WindyPeak's Sekiro drops concept poster, outshining Torii!
Who owns samurai style? Sekiro sparks global buzz!
Ditching guns, cars, sports—what's WindyPeak cooking?
Sekiro buries the 'decline' rumors—WindyPeak's storm is here!
Gus Harper reclaims the throne!
Yesterday, these outlets were trashing WindyPeak's "internal drama" and Gus's "fall." Now, one poster flipped the script.
Komina had poured everything into Torii's hype—teasers, suspense, the works. It topped the buzz charts… for an hour. Then Sekiro's poster stole the spotlight.
"One poster. Four words," Kaminori fumed, hands shaking. "They crushed us with a single image!"
He didn't say it, but the truth stung: We got played. Komina's months of sniping Garden Warfare—its "trash quality," "no creativity"—meant nothing. WindyPeak had been quietly building Sekiro, their first 3A, for the Tokyo Game Show.
From silence to poaching P.T.'s crew, hitting the billion-dollar club, and now dropping Sekiro—it was all for this. A direct shot at Komina on their home turf.
Kaminori remembered the Silent Hill P.T. lines at the last festival, outshining their Yakuza Rush. That was just a niche horror game. Now, Sekiro—a rare action RPG for somatosensory cabins—threatened worse.
He waved his secretary over. "Contact the festival organizers. Keep WindyPeak out. Their theme's too… intense for a global expo in Japan."
Kaminori clung to a shred of hope, but deep down, he knew Gus Harper wouldn't fumble at 90%. WindyPeak's style was clear: stay quiet, then strike hard.
Ding.
The festival's site updated:
Confirmed: WindyPeak joins this year's Tokyo International Game Festival exhibitor list. Exhibits added to the database, available for preview…
The tide had turned.
Rumors of WindyPeak's "decline" vanished. Sekiro dominated the buzz—WindyPeak's first 3A, first global expo, first head-to-head with Komina, a groundbreaking somatosensory action game with over $150M invested.
Media, rivals, players—all eyes locked on Sekiro.
Seattle, Tech Tower, later.
Red leaves fell into a clear pool, rippling the surface.
Splash!
Staggering footsteps broke the calm. A bloodied guard in rattan armor stumbled from a maple forest, panting like a broken bellows.
Even Ashina's deep forests burn with war…
Clang!
Swords clashed in the distance, smoke rising. The guard's eyes reflected a blood-red battlefield—arrows piercing necks, blades slashing throats, maple leaves stained crimson.
A hulking daimyo in a ghost mask swung a massive sickle. A golden-helmeted warrior—swift as lightning—parried, lunged, and stabbed under the daimyo's arm. Blood sprayed. The daimyo collapsed, dust rising.
The warrior roared, "Enemy General Tamura—slain!"
This is Sword Saint Ashina Isshin's "Blood Battle to Steal the Nation"…
The screen faded. Fans screamed online:
"So epic!"
"Gorgeous chaos—you can trust WindyPeak's style."
"We're playing the Sword Saint?"
"Nah, doesn't match the poster's vibe. Probably a boss."
"Fighting him? Good luck!"
The screen lit up. A gray-haired ronin, adorned with owl feathers, approached a child on the battlefield.
"A stray dog?" The ronin's blade grazed the child's face. Unfazed, the child grabbed it.
"Hm?" The ronin nodded, impressed. "Come with me, hungry wolf…"
The wolf, forged in battle, became a ninja.
You are second only to your parents. Protect your master with your life. Save them if they're taken.
Understood, Wolf?
A ninja—Wolf—lurked in shadows, peering through a door's crack. Light hit his face, revealing steely eyes.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
WindyPeak Games
Gus Harper chose the game's opening cinematic over a gameplay trailer for the first reveal, setting the tone and story. Combat and mechanics would drop at the festival, a calculated escalation for a world without Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Action RPGs in somatosensory cabins were uncharted territory.
It worked. Yoshi, watching, exhaled like he'd been underwater. "Incredible…"
The cinematic's war-torn beauty, reed-battle intensity, and Wolf's ninja creed—rooted in Warring States grit—hit hard. From costumes to ethos, it was vivid, almost too perfect for a Seattle-based studio with Japanese talent.
Chat agreed:
"This quality's unreal."
"A samurai epic not made in Japan? Wild."
"One trailer, and I'm sold on WindyPeak's vision."
"The best Warring States game I've ever dreamed of."
"Action, 3A, samurai vibes—it's everything I want."
Yoshi sighed, bittersweet. Japan's players felt awe, envy, and a pang of loss—WindyPeak had outdone them at their own aesthetic.
Komina was in deep trouble.