It did not last long, yet the ruthless field of acting gave him enough time to devote himself to his daily tasks—designing various video game manuals, mostly in black and white with touches of color, for upcoming titles. While shipping one game, he would write a book, later publishing it based solely on that idea. The drive to finish one project and immediately move on to the next series filled him with a deep sense of admiration.
He was working on two video games in his own way, each one a personal project shaped by his research and preferred genres. He had already created The Little Mage, and now he wanted to develop another third game centered on the sea: island exploration, treasure hunting, and discovery.
Time travel blended with soft, charming animations, in the spirit of Mario or Donkey Kong. With a pencil, he designed characters, pushing himself to create two entirely original series. It echoed Fate, but instead of narrating character lives through RPG mechanics, it sent them into the past, retaining that Fate-like structure, yet with a refined animated design.
Wars, space, and platforming elements all combined. Everything at hand was used: alternate universes, original stories, knights, astronauts, and magical wagers shaped like a chorus. Every concept fed into the whole.
The attempt would yield something.
-Eyeshield 21. —20 points.
-Naruto. —40 points.
-Pirates of the Caribbean. —30 points.
-Tony Hawk's. —25 points.
-Deus Ex. —30 points.
-Max Payne. —20 points.
-Shrek. —25 points.
-Monsters, Inc. —20 points.
-Robots. —15 points.
-Madagascar. —25 points.
-Finding Nemo. —20 points.
-Monster House. —23 points.
-The Incredibles. —30 points.
-Happy Feet. —20 points.
-The Robinson Family. —20 points.
-Cars. —30 points.
-Fullmetal Alchemist. —40 points.
-Death Note. —30 points.
-Lost. —35 points.
-Claymore. —35 points.
-Silo. —30 points.
-Underworld. —30 points.
-Pantheon. —15 points.
-Ratchet & Clank. —20 points.
-Prince of Persia. —20 points.
-Devil May Cry. —25 points.
-Monster Hunter. —30 points.
-Animal Crossing. —30 points.
-Minecraft. —30 points.
-BioShock. —20 points.
-Mass Effect. —20 points.
-God of War. —25 points.
-Portal. —20 points.
-Ōkami. —20 points.
-Mafia. —25 points.
-Hitman. —20 points.
-League of Legends. —40 points.
-The Matrix. —30 points.
-The Lord of the Rings. —30 points.
-The Hobbit. —30 points.
-The Silmarillion. —30 points.
-Conker. —30 points.
-Great games take time. —Billy whispered to himself.
The RPG platform already held eight titles under its belt. By 1999, three more would be released on that platform. The workload might seem light, but RPGs always carried a chaotic depth that left him uneasy.
Id Software series: video games.
Doom: Doom (1993), development began in 1990.
Wolfenstein 3D: first installment.
Pokémon: first installment.
Tomb Raider: in production — completed.
Resident Evil: completed.
Forza Horizon: completed.
Tony Hawk: sixth game in production.
Silent Hill: 1996.
Halo: 1997, with help from Paralex.
Outcast: 1997, with help from Epic Games and Paralex.
Resident Evil 2: 1999.
Far Cry.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.
Quake — introduced true multiplayer and fully 3D maps.
Unreal — direct competition with Epic, though partial collaboration exists within this universe.
Tactical Ops (1999) — realistic tactical shooter, precursor to SWAT-style squad games.
Warzone 1999 — FPS combined with real-time strategy.
CyberStrike (2000) — futuristic FPS with implants, hacking, and urban combat.
Sniper Elite Origins (2000) — focused on stealth and precision.
Future series:
-Grand Theft Auto: acquire Rockstar.
-FIFA.
Second team:
Crash (1994): in production, divided into parts—one with Crash, another with Professor Cortex.
Crash Bandicoot (1996): released in January.
2.5 Crash Bandicoot 2: in production.
2.6 Crash Underworld (1999): in production.
Crash Team Racing (2000).
Deus Ex: exclusive to the second team.
4.4 Crash Bash.
Tomb Raider 2 (2001).
Crash 3 (2001), alongside Paralex.
-Deus Ex: Invisible War.
-Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex.
-System Shock 2.
Crash Bandicoot: Time Rift (2003) with id Software Atlanta — time travel, each world with unique mechanics.
Crash vs. Cortex (2003) — dual campaigns: hero and villain.
Jak and Daxter (with Paralex) — open-world adventure.
Cartoon Mayhem (2004) — Smash-style game with original characters.
Fantasy Tower (2005) — evolution of "Luxury": RPG + platforming.
Shadow Cortex (2006) — darker narrative focused on the villain's past.
Third team:
Led by John Carmack — expansion of Doom and Quake.
Doom II (1995).
Quake II (1996).
2.3 Coliseum (June 1996): a war-torn world where great warriors fight—similar to Mortal Kombat, but evolving into an exploration game where a gladiator earns freedom and ascends to godhood.
Resident Evil Origins (1998).
3.1 Doom 3 (1999).
Mafia (2001): multiple games exploring different crime syndicates—American, Italian, Yakuza, Russian, Irish—spanning 1920 to 2010.
Rage.
Half-Life.
Counter-Strike.
System Shock 2 — deep sci-fi horror.
Dark Genesis (2000) — open-world RPG exploring creation and divinity.
MindFall (2001) — psychological thriller, more cerebral than Silent Hill.
War of Gods (2001) — expansion of "Coliseum," now featuring gods after the fall of Cronos.
Neo Noir (2000) — inspired by Max Payne, dark narrative focus.
Fourth team:
Lux Party (1995).
-Super Smash Lux (1996), developed with Capcom.
-Lux Karts (1997), with Paralex.
-Luxury (1997): a fairy world where a character climbs a tower, completing missions across ten realms. Abilities include brief flight, rain spells, water orbs, wind slashes, and whirlwinds.
-Animal Crossing (1998).
-Stardew Valley (1999).
-Ni no Kuni (2000).
Fifth team:
-One Piece: East Blue Saga (1999).
-Strange Creatures: open-world fantasy city in 3D, similar to Mario 64.
-Knight of Honor: a knight builds his own kingdom.
-League of Legends: Runeterra.
-Divinity: Original Sin 2.
-Divinity: also developed by the fifth team.
-Dota 2.
Sixth team:
-Fatal Frame.
-Silent Hill.
-Dead Space.
Paralex:
-Spyro (January 1997).
-Jak and Daxter.
-Ratchet & Clank.
-Sly Cooper.
-Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage.
-Divinity: Original Sin 2.
-League of Legends.
Raven:
-Max Payne (1997).
-Max Payne 2.
-Alan Wake.
-Quantum Break.
-Control.
RPG Platforms:
-Pokémon Fire Red Deluxe (1994).
-Jeanne d'Arc (June 1995).
-Pokémon Gold and Silver (December 1995).
-Baldur's Gate (June 1996).
-Arturia: Empire (December 1996).
-Valkyria Strategy (June 1997).
-Pokémon Orange (1998): first use of regional variations.
-Triangle Strategy (January 1999).
-Pokémon Emerald (June 1999).
-Gilgamesh: Origins (December 1999).
Id Software Atlanta:
Treasure King (1999): a small king travels collecting treasures, inspired by Mario and Kirby.
Blows and Fury (1999): a survival hunting game, evading warriors across different terrains with strategic progression.
…
-Well, I'm not fortunate enough to be part of that deal. —Richard Boll replied, the so-called "non-friend" of the creators, concerned only with the company's interests.
-I like what you've built. —Billy said over the phone. He couldn't travel to Austin, but he would likely visit Atlanta soon, a city growing increasingly important. It held three major entities under its influence: Pixar, id Software, and Discovery, and that investment could not be neglected.
It was, perhaps, a matter of consolidation. For less obvious reasons, there was also talk of building a comic company—three focal points of creation. The talent in Atlanta alone guaranteed a strong foundation. But with large investments came the need to clean up certain areas—there were people, darker elements, who needed to be dealt with, individuals who did not belong.
-We have the capital to acquire two more companies. But following your vision, I decided to expand instead. We'll inject funds into Paralex Software and Raven Software, creating an internal division for game development and support, just as we've been doing. —Richard Boll said.
-Good. I want the satellite companies to produce one original game per year and contribute support to the main studio. —Billy replied, reviewing the data. They had a total of 45 games—a catalog already renowned, destined to grow endlessly.
-We're already working on that. —Richard Boll said.— For some time now, I've been considering expanding further—perhaps by drawing talent from other countries.
-It can be done. —Billy said.
...