After Gus Harper tweaked the PacificTech stats dashboard, he hopped onto social platforms to confirm the Outlast Whistleblower DLC release schedule was locked in.
Zoey Parker was in a killer mood today. Sprawled cross-legged on the sofa, she hummed some random tune, sipping Coke.
"What's got you so chipper?" Gus asked, leaning on the sofa armrest, one leg propped up like a cool-as-hell action hero.
"My work week's done, your plan's wrapped, and tomorrow's a sweet Saturday-Sunday combo. Plus, we're about to cash in on players' screams. Life doesn't get better than this, right?"
Zoey's logic was airtight, her big eyes glued to the projection screen's data.
She was over the moon.
But it wasn't just the weekend vibe.
It was Outlast's sales!
Thanks to PacificTech's upgraded analytics, the dashboard now updated in real-time, refreshing every second.
Zoey could track Outlast's sales and watch the numbers climb live!
Smooth as butter!
Thank the stars!
They'd finally made a game that played by the market's rules!
And—
Three minutes to the seven-day settlement, Outlast's total sales hit 1.164 million copies. That was basically the final tally.
Losses locked in!
Seeing the numbers, Zoey's heart settled.
Even with IndieVibe's low commission rate, if all 1.164 million copies sold through their somatosensory cabin, the profit would hit around $16.76 million—still shy of the $18.15 million budget.
Plus, word was the "IndieTide Alliance" deal with Nebula Entertainment was killing it, even boosting Polar Bear 3's sales.
WindyPeak? Win!
IndieVibe? Win!
Nebula Entertainment? Win!
This collab smashed records as the biggest win-win in gaming history.
Lost in thought—
Tick-tock… tick-tock…
The clock hands crept across the dial.
Buzz—Buzz—
Zoey's alarm blared!
Outlast's first-week sales were in!
Global sales: 1.165 million copies! Total revenue: $20.97 million! A guaranteed loss!
Hell yeah!
If Gus wasn't there, Zoey would've leapt up and whooped!
Her excited hands nearly crushed the Coke can!
And then—
The system's settlement pinged in her head.
[Ding! Time's up! Investment round settled!]
[Sub-project: Outlast]
[Investment: $18.15 million]
[Settlement period: 7 days (+0 days)]
[Rebate rate: 100x (+0x)]
[Actual revenue: $18.204 million]
[Estimated rebate: 0]
[Remaining time: 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds]
What?
Zoey's grin froze.
Her heart skipped, like it stopped for a split second.
No way!
Hold up!
What's going on?
How'd the revenue top the budget by $54,000?
With 1.165 million copies, even if all sold through IndieVibe, the profit shouldn't cover the cost, right?
Why'd she break even? Again?
Zoey shot up from the sofa, eyes wide with shock and confusion. "This can't be right! No way!"
Gus jumped at her outburst, clueless. "What's not right?"
"Uh… my period…" Zoey blurted.
The sudden break-even threw her off, forgetting Gus—her system's overseer—was right there.
His question made her flinch, and she scrambled. "My period's late… that's not supposed to happen…"
Gus's heart skipped too, but he mentally kicked himself. Chill, dude.
"Maybe… too much iced Coke?" he said, pointing at her can.
"Yeah, probably. I dunno. You watch the streams, I got something to handle."
Zoey's mind wasn't on periods.
She had to grill the system about this rebate fiasco!
$182.07 million! That's $182.07 million!
Hoping for a system glitch that ate her payout, she bolted.
Thud!
Zoey leapt off the sofa, barefoot, sprinting to her room.
Gus called after her, "Shoes! You can't keep running barefoot, you'll wreck the place!"
Click!
Door slammed.
Zoey summoned the system in her head. "Get out here, you shady system! I'm coming for you…"
[I'm here.]
No one messes with Zoey Parker, and the system wasn't about to try.
"You got a damn glitch?!" Zoey's face flushed, eyes blazing. "Do the math! 1.165 million copies! How's that breaking even? Calculate it! I'm waiting!"
"If you don't fix this, we're both done!"
Zoey was fuming.
Stupid system!
Swallowing her cash? Bold move!
If it didn't cough up her $182.07 million, she'd tear it apart!
The system paused, then its calm electronic voice chimed—
[Reply to host: No errors. All data is accurate, based on real-world figures. No calculation mistakes or glitches.]
Still doubling down!
Zoey was livid.
She yanked open PacificTech's data portal on her phone, pulling up detailed sales.
Friday, 8 p.m. cutoff!
Nebula Entertainment's channel: 512,000 copies sold!
Zoey's math skills were razor-sharp, especially now.
Pointing at the screen, she snapped at the system, "Look! 512,000 copies! That's $9.216 million! After Nebula's 30% cut, it's $6.45 million!"
Then, IndieVibe's data: 653,000 copies.
"653,000 copies! That's $11.754 million! After IndieVibe's 20% cut, it's $9.4 million!"
"6.45 plus 9.4! You messed up, or PacificTech's data is bunk?"
Ironclad evidence!
Zoey demanded answers.
A beat of silence.
Then the system's voice returned—
[Reply to host: No calculation errors. PacificTech's data is correct.]
Zoey nearly choked. "So you're saying I screwed up? On basic math? Or my method…"
Wait!
Zoey's number sense kicked in.
Her quick math—$6.45 million from Nebula, $11.754 million from IndieVibe before commission—added up to exactly $18.204 million.
No fluke.
Her head buzzed, a chill running down her spine, followed by a sharp pang in her chest.
This feeling… too familiar.
She grabbed her phone, dialed Victor Lang's number.
Beep—beep—
He picked up fast. "Hey, Zoey, good evening."
Victor sounded chill, probably smirking.
Smirk my ass!
His tone made her head throb.
Zoey bit back her rage, growling, "Victor, I checked our first-week sales. Something's off."
"Nebula's numbers are clean."
"But IndieVibe…"
She took a deep breath. "Did you skip the commission?"
"Hahaha!" Victor's laugh echoed.
"I was gonna wait till Monday to tell you, Zoey."
"You caught it quick."
"No worries, the numbers are solid. The board approved a commission-free deal."
"Wanted to surprise you, but you're too sharp!"
"Victor's impressed! Hahaha!"
Bingo!
IndieVibe's board greenlit a commission-free deal for Outlast!
WindyPeak was their tightest partner.
Since Vampire Survivors, their collabs were gold.
Titanfall's S-tier quality and buzz flipped IndieVibe X2's somatosensory cabin market share, overtaking Nebula's Polar Bear 3.
Thanks to the "WindyPeak equals quality" vibe, IndieVibe, as their default cabin platform, raked in huge sales boosts.
Now, with WindyPeak going global, snagging a GDC invite, they were set to dominate the world stage!
That'd supercharge IndieVibe X2's future sales.
But here's the kicker—
Nebula Entertainment swooped in, teaming up with WindyPeak on Outlast.
In one week, Polar Bear 3 moved nearly 100,000 units off that hype. Explosive!
IndieVibe couldn't sit still.
WindyPeak was their golden goose!
Back when WindyPeak was small, IndieVibe rolled out the red carpet.
Nebula? They slept on WindyPeak, threw shade, even sent their big dogs to take them out.
Now that WindyPeak's a beast, Nebula wants in?
They only pivot when they crash, chase stocks when they spike, switch pleas when sentenced, and wipe snot when it's dripping.
No way IndieVibe's letting Nebula steal their star!
This Outlast collab was just a temporary team-up against bigger rivals.
Nebula snagging half their cash cow? Not happening!
For business and pride, IndieVibe couldn't let Nebula cozy up to WindyPeak.
If they did, they'd lose their freshly claimed top spot in the somatosensory cabin market!
So, on Victor's pitch, IndieVibe's board fast-tracked a commission-free deal for Outlast.
Forget free—this was a power move.
If WindyPeak becomes a global gaming titan, IndieVibe might have to pay them to stay exclusive!
Victor didn't spell this out to Zoey, just played up IndieVibe's sincerity and commitment to their partnership.
"Our collabs are always smooth," Victor said.
"Heard you're hitting GDC. Consider this a small gift. Wishing WindyPeak a global takeover!"
Pfft—
Zoey nearly spat blood.
Argh! That familiar sting!
A backstab! Victor's dagger, again!
He screwed her on Vampire Survivors!
Now this?
She'd poured her soul into tanking Outlast—jacked up costs, reined in marketing, picked Komina as a rival, dodged Gus's traps.
Finally, she saw light!
Then Victor drops this "surprise"?
A small gift?
That gift cost her $182.07 million!
Worst part? Victor and IndieVibe were genuine.
They legit wanted to keep WindyPeak tight.
And, system aside, IndieVibe's move was straight-up baller!
Can't punch a smiling face!
Zoey couldn't even cuss, just swallowed her rage, forcing a smile uglier than a grimace. "We'll never forget your generosity, Victor, but…"
She collapsed onto her bed, drained.
Voice cracking, she said, "Next time you pull something like this, can you give me a heads-up? I need to brace myself…"
She was done.
Stabbed from all sides!
Gus today, players tomorrow, rivals the next, partners after that…
They were turning her into Swiss cheese!
All she wanted was early retirement and a yacht. Was that too much?
Phone hung up.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Zoey swore to herself—
Watch out, Victor!