C12 - Early Release!

'Inner dialogue/thoughts'

"Normal dialogue"

"Online Comments/Twitch comments/Narrator"

[Reading description of games]

[System]

(Word Count: 968)

~ The following day at Electronic Arts HQ ~

The tension ran high within the HQ of Electronic Arts. Michael Young, a board member and the head of the development team of "Dragon Shooter" – an FPS game under development for EA, had called an emergency meeting. All the top executives were gathered in the conference room, eyes fixed on the projection screen displaying the game that had shaken the gaming industry overnight – "Battlefield".

Although the exact sales figures of the game were known only to Epic Games and the official game store, the massive buzz surrounding Battlefield was undeniable. Despite being one of the largest gaming developers globally, Electronic Arts had no access to the specific data of other developers. 

In gaming communities, video streaming platforms, and social media alike, discussions about the game had taken over. Both the game, and its developer, Epic Games, were trending topics in gaming news. The sheer popularity of Battlefield spoke volumes. The game's rise to prominence wasn't just a one-night stardom, it had genuinely captivated the gaming world.

"What's the story behind Epic Games?" Michael spoke, rubbing his temples as he looked at the other board members.

"Our research shows that Epic Games was registered two years ago, with a person named Alex Carter as the legal representative. However, there's barely any other information available." An executive revealed, causing the others to raise eyebrows at the implication. "What's even more peculiar is the company's approach. For a game of this scale, they had no pre-launch marketing or promotions."

"They don't even have an official website, but they've registered various trademarks and domains related to Battlefield. Additionally, industry contacts have revealed that a lot of the basic modelling in the game was outsourced and bought out. Most of the core content was ordered through the game production marketplace." Added another executive.

The board members exchanged confused glances. None of what was mentioned had aligned with the typical commercial behaviour established by the major gaming developers. Outsourcing can be costly. Especially compared to hiring in-house artists.

Generally, outsourcing is done by either small studios focusing on quality or large companies with deep pockets trying to meet deadlines. As the board members discussed amongst themselves, Michael weighed his options before finally making a decision, as Battlefield would be seen as the direct competitor to the new game currently being developed and spearheaded by himself.

"For now, we need to keep a close eye on the commercial performance of Battlefield and try to establish contact with Epic Games. Ideally, we want to acquire them." Michael started, receiving nods of approval from the others, "But if that's not possible, then we need to get a large enough stake in their company to gain voting rights." Michael revealed decisively.

This approach was the standard practice for Electronic Arts. Any indie studios that created a hit game would be quickly absorbed, becoming a subsidiary. If acquisition proved impossible, then securing a majority stake would suffice. This would allow EA to influence, and even reject the competitor's decisions, ultimately pushing them out of the market.

~ With Alex ~

Alex was unaware of the corporate machinations that were targeting him. But even if he knew, he would not be concerned. The giants of the gaming industry may be powerful, but they could not monopolize the entire industry. Moreover, Alex had the safety of the system protecting him. So, Alex was not afraid of them. Instead, he had big plans.

However, if any gaming developers met his criteria for collaborations, he would not refuse. Right now, his priority was to unlock and launch the full campaign and multiplayer mode of the game as soon as possible.

He had initially only released the Prologue Campaign because he was worried that there would be no way to gather enough funds to buy additional servers in the short term, thereby limiting the value of the Multiplayer mode, which may affect the game's overall performance.

But what he did not expect was that the campaign had exceeded his expectations, and the revenue from the pre-orders alone was enough to purchase additional servers. As such, there was no need to delay the full release any further.

~ With XQCade ~

"Damn it! This Epic Games is something else! They drop such an amazing Prologue, and now I have to wait so long for the full release?! This is unbelievable!" XQCade, another popular streamer on Twitch, expressed his frustration while replaying the Battlefield Prologue Campaign.

As an avid gamer, XQCade always tried out popular new games immediately and often played them for hours on end. He had been captivated by Battlefield after watching Aiden's stream and was even more impressed after trying it out himself.

But the wait for the full release was agonizing, and Epic Games remained a mystery. Despite reaching out to numerous industry contact, he had not managed to find any information about this new gaming developer.

Listening to his complaints, his chat was filled with similar sentiments. However, the sentiment shifted suddenly as a viewer noticed something important had happened just a moment ago.

"Hey, check the Battlefield page on the game store, Cade! The release date for Battlefield has been moved up!"

"No way?! They're actually releasing it earlier?!"

"Search for Epic Games on social media! This breaking news is trending at the number one spot in the gaming community right now!"

Throughout the flurry of comments, one thing was certain to XQCade – Battlefield was launching sooner than expected, and he couldn't wait to dive back in.

- End of Chapter 12 -