The café was packed.
Steam fogged the windows, coffee machines hissed behind the counter, and every seat faced a wall of wide screens stacked in neat rows.
Each display ran the same countdown: 00:00:10 … 00:00:09 … 00:00:08.
People shouted every number like it was New Year's Eve.
Maurice stood near the bar with a paper cup in hand, half smiling. The noise didn't bother him — it felt alive. The chatter mixed with the low rumble of gaming pods starting up behind the glass partition, a rhythm that buzzed in his chest.
A group at the nearest table argued about builds from prelaunch.
"Vanguard's are getting nerfed, watch. With how the top players have dominated. I wouldn't be surprised. "
"Nah, they're not touching Vanguard's Guaranteed. They will probably lik the asses of all the top players that make tierlists of the game. When they said that vanquards are lower S tier."
The timer hit zero.
The café lights dimmed. Every screen went black for half a second — then the ArenaX logo burst into color: white text, metallic trim, and a blue pulse rippling outward from the center.
> GLOBAL LAUNCH EVENT — LIVE
The crowd erupted.
Applause, whistles, phone cameras held high.
Maurice raised his cup slightly. "Here we go." While taking a sip of his coffee.
---
The broadcast cut to a sleek, modern set. Blue panels lit the walls, a holographic world map rotated behind them, and a transparent table stretched across the middle.
Collectors' shelves framed the background — rare game figures, old cartridges, nostalgia turned luxury.
Two people sat at the table.
The one on the left, sharp black suit, earpiece, and that perfectly confident grin — Tanaka Ren, the voice of nearly every fighting tournament since 2031. The man was practically a household name. Everyone in the café recognized him immediately.
Across from him sat a calm figure in an equally black suit, mic pinned to his lapel — Arakawa Kenji, lead developer and current project head of ArenaX. His posture was relaxed but steady. He made some adjustments to his seat before looking into the camera.
---
Tanaka: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the ArenaX Global Launch — the day we've all been waiting for. I'm Tanaka from GamePoint Live, and tonight, we have the man himself — the architect behind this heck of a game. Arakawa kenji. I hope you had a nice trip coming here, it is a honor to have you on this show."
Kenji smiling faintly: "It was. And honestly? I i am just as honored to be in the present of someone that has such a passion for games as i do. I can't wait to talk about the game."
Tanaka grinning from ear to ear: "You sound way too calm for someone that's about to break the internet. However i do appreciate your kind words."
Kenji: "I'm saving the panic for our network team. They're the real heroes tonight."
Laughter filled the café. Maurice smirked and took another sip.
Tanaka: "Let's get right into it. The rumors about you changing the game become louder and louder behind close doors and the fun part is. I could bet money that nobody of the fans really knew what you where up to."
Kenji leaned forward slightly, fingers interlaced. With a small look of surprise but that changed into a big smile really fast.
"The short answer? Everything." At same time handing over a hundred dollar bill, surprising Tanaka.
The room went quiet.
Kenji: "We didn't just tweak the numbers or patch some bugs. We threw the entire system out and replaced it with my own new Ai system called X core."
Tanaka: "Wait—" he blinked, laughing, "you what? You threw away the whole system?"
Kenji: "Pretty much."
He smiled, small and precise. "Because it wasn't the game we wanted players to experience. At least not the the limited variant. After seeing thousands of players playing the game with all the passion and creativity that they added while playing. I felt something about it. What if i could break them free from such limitations. Iknow that this wasn't the plan but pre-launch inspired me to take this risk."
The café crowd murmured. Someone near Maurice whispered, "No way they actually did that."
---
The screen behind them changed — the old ArenaX interface was shown on it, replaying some of the most interesting fights from pre launch. As kenji was breaking down where every limitations was shown. From character building to the idea of what the game could have been. While it may sound contradicting but when you build characters and create teams without any functional roles that fill up certain balancing in the game. It will create it's own limitation by having no room for genuine competition.
Kenji: "This… was functional. But my idea behind ArenaX was to create absolute freedom in fantasy fighting. While having certain directions for the role you wish to be, this could reflect the people playing it."
The interface shattered visually.
A new layout emerged — clean black and silver with pulsating light streams, icons floating smoothly like living code.
Kenji: "So we added my new build AI system that could answer this question :" what if your playstyle was the deciding factor for your role and not your class itself? Well X core is that system."
Tanaka: "That sounds like marketing talk. What does that actually mean?"
Kenji: "It means your actions define your build."
He paused as seven glowing emblems appeared on the stage hologram: Knight, Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Ranger, Monk, and Priest. Each hovered in a slow orbit, their colors blending like fragments of light.
Kenji: "These are the base classes. The foundation is different now. Each class or subclasses classes give you certain abilities depending on the actions you do in the game. While analyzing your gameplay,
Roles will be assigned and skills will be given based on those roles regardless of which class you choose. But we will come back to that it a bit.
The biggest change we made is the fact that you can now merge classes to get your own unique twist around class building."
Tanaka: "So, for example, I could take a Rogue and a Mage, and what—create some kind of arcane assassin?"
Kenji: "Exactly. That's the new foundation we call The Class Merger System. You can pick any two classes or subclasses, and the AI will generate a hybrid unique to your playstyle. And just to take your example from that Arcane assassin, did you know that it can even heal or support?"
The café lit up with noise again. People were already theorizing aloud.
"Rogue-Monk, that's gonna be insane."
"Bro, Priest-Warrior? That's gotta be Paladin right?"
"Wait, wait — you can merge subclasses too?"
---
Tanaka tilted his head.
"Even subclasses?"
Kenji smiled, the kind you only get when someone finally asks the right question.
"Pretty much. Let me show you."
He gestured toward the screen behind them. The café lights dimmed just a little as a gameplay feed flickered on — pre-release footage, developer overlays still visible along the edges.
"One of our testers," Kenji said, leaning aside so Tanaka could see better. "He went with Old Guard. It used to be called Vanguard, but we changed the naming because we wanted to use that name for something else. It's a Knight subclass that is great at, crowd control, holding space with enough offense and defense to stay flexible."
The footage shifted.
"Then he merged it with War Priest. That's a Priest subclass, but not the passive kind. Offensive support. Pressure through presence."
On-screen, a massive armored warrior waded into a pack of enemies. Holy light flared across his shield as he slammed it into the ground. The impact rippled outward — enemies staggered, allies were hit with a pulse of healing energy at the same time.
Kenji nodded toward the display.
"This is where the system really starts to matter."
He turned back to Tanaka.
"The first thing that happens after you finish creating your class is the Tutorial. It's not there to teach you how to play. it's there to understand how you play. Absorbing and understanding your playstyle. "
The footage slowed. Small indicators appeared around the character.
"The AI tracks combat tendencies in real time. Where you position yourself. How quickly you react. Whether you rush in or wait. How often you protect others instead of chasing damage."
Kenji spread his hands slightly.
"It takes all of that, cross-checks it with your class and subclass synergy, and assigns something we call a Core Value."
He paused.
"It's basically your permanent growth role. Wherever the AI places you, that's where your skill growth naturally leans."
The Paladin example came up next.
"This player made a Paladin. During the Tutorial, the AI identified consistent frontline behavior by body-blocking, managing aggro, smart defensive timing. So it locked him into a Vanguard Core Value."
Three icons appeared.
"That's why his first unlocked skills were Shield of Light, Abdominal Spirit, and Healing Array. Same class, different behavior, and the outcome would've changed. A Duelist-leaning Paladin or a Strategist Paladin would've unlocked something completely different."
Tanaka frowned slightly.
"So the system decides all of that? What's the point of freedom if you don't even get a choice in something that fundamental?"
Kenji didn't rush the answer.
"Because at least here," he said, "your actions mean something."
He leaned back.
"I won't pretend it's total freedom. That's impossible. If everything were left to manual choice, balancing would collapse and competitive play wouldn't survive. This was the closest thing we could find to freedom without breaking the game."
There was a brief silence.
Tanaka leaned back, half laughing, half impressed.
"Okay… that's insane. So every character ends up different? And the most interesting part of what you just said, was that it doesn't matter what class you make it to be. Your core value will develop the skills in the area of your expertise...so in otherwords we can have Samurais that heal?"
"Exactly," Kenji said. "Once your Core Value is determined, right after the Tutorial, it will be a permanent role.
"Based on that behavior, the system determines your Core Value. That becomes the foundation of how your character evolves. It doesn't matter what class you picked at the start. If you act like a Vanguard, the system builds you into one."
Tanaka nodded slowly.
"Ah… so that's what you meant when you said actions define you."
Kenji raised a finger.
"One last thing. After the Tutorial ends and your build is set, the game asks you to confirm. You get one reroll. Just one."
He let that sink in.
"And to avoid future mistakes that people can make with rerolling. When you don't like the Core Value and making that your sole reason to reroll. The odds of getting a different one are slim. If you don't change how you play, the system won't change its answer. So only reserve it if your class doesn't fit you. But in my humble opinion with this system, any class can be strong just know how to use it. Everyone will be unique in their own way."
Tanaka glanced at the timer in the corner of the monitor. His eyes narrowed.
Tanaka: "Alright, I'm getting yelled at in my earpiece. We're almost out of time, so let me squeeze a few more in.
Big one first, what should players actually know going in? Progression, roles, ranked… the important stuff."
Kenji picked up his water, took a slow sip, and set it back down.
Kenji: "Okay. Short version.
Level cap at launch is fifty. Every five levels, X-Core offers you a bundle of five skills."
He held up a hand, fingers spread.
Kenji: "Roughly three of those will lean into your Core Value — Vanguard, Duelist, or Strategist. The other two will come from the other roles.
So even if you're a Vanguard, you'll still see some damage tools and some utility or support options. You're not locked into being a walking brick."
The screen behind them showed a simple UI mock-up: five skills, three marked blue, two in red and yellow.
Kenji: " By the time you hit fifty, your skill set is basically a record of every decision you made."
Tanaka: "And in the match itself? Any kind of ultimate system?"
Kenji shook his head.
Kenji: "No fixed ult button. Every character uses EX energy, a shared resource.
You gain EX by playing your role properly.
Vanguards building pressure and protecting the team.
Duelists winning trades and finishing kills.
Strategists timing buffs, cleanses, debuffs, setups."
A short clip played behind them, a 6v6 fight where an Alchemist-type Strategist lobbed bottles, cleansed allies, and peeled for a Duelist. The EX bar climbed each time he did something useful.
Kenji: "Spend EX to power up any skill you use.
So your 'ultimate' is whatever you decide to invest EX into.
Tanaka: "So if you're playing well, you get to spend more energy on your abilities making you overall stronger overtime right? I mean the better you play the beter energy management you have the more stronger skills you can keep using but ofcourse this would testing phase if we think about it longterm.
Kenji nodded at his conclusion.
Tanaka laughed quietly at that, then glanced at the clock again.
Tanaka: "Alright. Modes and competitive side. We know there's 1v1, 3v3, 6v6. People want the full breakdown, but I'm guessing you're not about to read patch notes on stage."
Kenji smiled.
Kenji: "No. You'll have all the details in-game — tooltips, tutorials, notes.
At launch we've got ranked and casual 1v1, 3v3, and 6v6 on six different maps.
Each map has its own twists, each mode has its own win condition. You'll learn them faster by losing a few matches than listening to me list them now."
The café chuckled. A few people already sounded ready to argue about "Angel Rings" and "Tag" even without knowing what they were.
Tanaka tapped his pen once and set it down for good.
Tanaka: "Then let's talk about what everyone's thinking but not saying — esports. Is ArenaX just 'a cool game,' or are you really aiming to push the scene?"
Kenji didn't hesitate.
Kenji: "We're aiming big. Especially with 6v6."
The three role crests came back up — blue, red, yellow.
Kenji: "In 6v6 ranked, queues are locked to two Vanguards, two Duelists, two Strategists. No six DPS clown comps, no all-support stalls. Teams need a spine."
Tanaka nodded slowly.
Tanaka: "And because Core Value is permanent, those roles aren't something you just swap into on a bad day."
Kenji: "Right. Your account gets one character slots with one reroll.
Tanaka looked straight into the camera, half amused, half serious.
Tanaka: "You realize what that does to pro teams, right?
No more 'this guy flexes every role.' If you want a full 6v6 roster, you're going to need actual specialists — two rock-solid Vanguards, two real Duelists, two real Strategists."
Kenji: "That's the point.
If big teams want to stay relevant, they'll have to scout properly, invest in players who actually fit those roles, not just recycle the same names forever.
Trading deadlines will get more interesting too. 'We'll swap you our Duelist for your Vanguard and a rookie Strategist.' Stuff like that."
Tanaka: "Cruel, but kind of beautiful, from a viewer perspective."
Kenji: "It makes the scene alive. People aren't just characters — they're roles other teams need. Heh you can almost say this is becoming like football. But for a fighting game."
Tanaka: "And for the players watching this from cafés and bedrooms right now, wondering if they'll ever be on that stage?"
Kenji turned back to the camera.
Kenji: "Level cap fifty at launch.
In three months, we're running the first global Amateur Circuit. Region-based. 6v6.
No contracted pros. No invited teams. Just capped accounts and pure results."
The café went quiet, then surged with noise again — chairs scraping, people swearing, laughing, hyped.
Kenji: "If you want to be noticed, that's your first window.
Hit fifty. Learn your build. Understand your role.
If going pro is more than a daydream to you… I'll see you there."
Tanaka let out a low whistle.
Kenji: "Thanks for having me. And… good luck to everyone logging in."
The lights on stage softened. The ArenaX logo filled the screen one last time.