"For the Plants vs. Zombies project, Jonas, you're on point. We can't spare much help with the main project…"
"No worries, Mr. Harper," Jonas Young replied. "The main project's the priority. I'll get Garden Warfare done."
"As for you, Kenji," Gus Harper continued, "I'm shifting the main project to Steel Chain Fingers because it's leaning Japanese-style. You and Yuki need to keep a sharp eye on it."
"Got it, Mr. Harper," Kenji Sato nodded. "Steel Chain Fingers won't let you down."
"Alright, that's the meeting," Gus said. "Get to work, make announcements, prep what needs prepping."
"Hell yeah!" came the unified shout as everyone stood.
"Oh, hold up," Jake Rivers piped up, remembering something. "Gus, what's the main project called? Got a codename?"
Everyone paused, eyes on Gus.
The Plants vs. Zombies spinoff is locked in as Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, or just Garden Warfare.
But the main project's name? Still under wraps.
"Oh, right, almost forgot," Gus said, smacking his forehead. "It's called Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice."
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
The wolf is coming.
A groundbreaking action game is about to hit this world.
In Gus's old life, Sekiro wasn't a big-budget triple-A title.
But here?
With the MotionSync system, Gus is bringing it to the IndieVibe X2 somatosensory cabin, letting players feel every sword clash up close!
They'll face the hulking Red Ghost, the ferocious Yamato, the terrifying Fire Bull, and the cunning Broken Monk.
They'll leap from castle towers, wielding wind and lightning.
They'll weave through reeds, dueling sword masters in their prime!
War rages in Ashina, and a loyal wolf is waking up!
Will players die over and over, slaves to Gus's brutal designs? Or rise again and again, ninjas severing immortality?
All will be clear when the game drops!
What players don't know?
Even after breaking immortality, bigger challenges loom.
Because in far-off Lothric, the fire's fading, and the king's gone missing!
Three years!
Gus's master plan for a super blockbuster is finally taking shape!
Sekiro is step one.
WindyPeak's first true 3S-level masterpiece!
They'll head to Japan for a real showdown with Nebula Games!
The thought lit Gus up!
He glanced at Zoey Parker, her eyes blazing with excitement.
Just the two of them left in the conference room.
"This is our first 3S-level banger," Gus grinned. "You pumped?"
Seeing Zoey so fired up warmed Gus's heart.
From clueless gamer to this—Zoey's come a long way!
She's hyped for WindyPeak's global stage debut and a 3S masterpiece!
Progress!
Nice work, Comrade Zoey!
"Uh… haha, yeah, super pumped!" Zoey said, catching Gus's approving look and feeling a bit sheepish.
Sorry, Gus, our excitement's not quite the same.
Sure, WindyPeak's first 3S-level project is thrilling!
But Garden Warfare's loss potential? That's the real spark!
That wild project turning players into vegetables and dancing zombies.
Absurd setup, short-staffed team, low expectations.
A pure tool project.
Nobody's baby—a perfect recipe for a flop!
Zoey pulled up her mental dashboard:
Sub-project: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
Investment: $5.5 million USD
Settlement Time: 7 days (+0 days)
Rebate Rate: 15x (+0x)
Current Revenue: $0 USD
Estimated Rebate: $82.5 million USD
Remaining Settlement Time: Awaiting Launch
Total investment: $5.5 million!
Gus's original estimate was $5–5.5 million USD.
Zoey, always going big, picked the max.
If Gus wasn't worried about needing $20 million in revenue, she'd have pushed it to $7 million!
More investment, more loss.
Of course!
$5.5 million ain't cheap.
With a 15x rebate multiplier from the jump!
One-week settlement!
Max rebate: $82.5 million!
Sure, compared to A Way Out's 100x rebate, 15x feels light.
But think about it—a $5.5 million project losing just $95,000 nets a $1.4 million rebate!
$1.4 million!
Last time she saw that was Left 4 Dead!
Lose a bit more, and forget a yacht—she could buy the lifeboat on the yacht!
Slow and steady!
With WindyPeak's dual-core setup, game production's doubled.
Lifeboat today, engine tomorrow, deck the next day, then a private chopper.
Boom—a luxury yacht!
Zoey was stoked.
After work, she dragged Gus to the supermarket for ingredients and baked mini cakes at home.
Sunset.
Gus stood at the counter, prepping ingredients.
Beep! went the oven.
"Woo-hoo! Nailed it!" Zoey cheered.
Wearing heat-proof gloves, she pulled out a tray of steaming cakes.
Blowing on them, she popped out star-shaped mini cakes, fanning the heat, and picked one up.
"Here, try it!" she said, blowing on it.
Gus opened his mouth, taking the bite. The tiny, fluffy cake was sweet, bursting with milky flavor.
"How's it?" Zoey asked, pinching her earlobe, cheeks rosy from the oven's heat, eyes wide with hope.
"Mmm," Gus smacked his lips. "Can't tell. One more."
Zoey, oblivious, handed him another.
"Nah, not enough flavor. Another," Gus said.
"Interesting… one more'd be nice…"
By the seventh cake, Zoey caught on!
"You're eating my cakes like a pig!" she huffed, realizing the trick.
Furious, she jumped on Gus's back, shaking him. "Gimme my cakes back!"
"Haha, they're tasty! Just wanted a few more bites," Gus laughed, swaying side to side. "Get down, I'm cooking."
"Nope! Cook like this! Good workout!" Zoey clung on, arms around his neck, legs locked around his waist, pink feet hooked in front, koala-style. "You stole my cakes, so you're my shaker now! Sing!"
A faint peach scent filled the air. Gus chuckled, washing veggies while jiggling Zoey. "Chicken in the left hand, duck in the right, fat baby on my back…"
Before he finished, Zoey pinched his nose. "Change the song! I'm not fat!"
Sunset.
Golden-red light poured through the kitchen's big glass windows, lighting up their laughing faces…
…
Soon, word of a Plants vs. Zombies spinoff spread.
"Confirmed rumors" said WindyPeak was banking on PVZ's global clout, with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare as a key project, co-developed by Gold Experience and Steel Chain Fingers.
News dropped!
Debate erupted.
Some saw FPS and Plants vs. Zombies as a killer combo for WindyPeak.
WindyPeak's shooting games—from Left 4 Dead to APEX—built myths and broke ground.
Add Plants vs. Zombies, a monster IP with seven million copies sold worldwide in a week.
A match made in heaven! With enough budget and time, it could rival Titanfall!
But others thought WindyPeak was slipping.
Why? The name: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.
Polite term: derivative work.
Harsh term: cashing in on past glory.
For other studios, fine.
But WindyPeak? Leaning on a prior IP for a major project? Worrying.
WindyPeak's rep is "can't count to two"!
Vampire Survivor blew up? Created a genre!
No sequel.
Left 4 Dead crushed it? Kicked off next-gen FPS!
No sequel.
Titanfall slayed? Epic shooter!
No sequel.
To many, WindyPeak's a flowing river, Gus its endless spring of ideas.
So many wild concepts, he's got no time for sequels!
Even APEX, the closest to a sequel, was just Titanfall's multiplayer mode!
So, Garden Warfare—a spinoff milking PVZ's name—is WindyPeak's first true derivative.
And it's a main project!
What's it mean?
"Is the supernova burning out?"
"Is WindyPeak out of fresh ideas?"
"Or is this rising U.S. star about to fade into the crowd?"
"Haha, what a load of crap…"
At IndieVibe Tech's CEO office, Noah Stone scrolled through pessimistic articles on WindyPeak, laughed, and tossed his phone aside.
He sipped his coffee.
Across from him, VP Oliver Zane reported the buzz.
Zane caught the negative vibe around WindyPeak and rushed to brief Noah.
But Noah? Cool as ice.
Zane blinked. "Mr. Stone, WindyPeak's our top partner, but the public's turning on them."
"Hey, Zane, 'under our thumb'? Nah," Noah waved it off, offering coffee. "WindyPeak's a partner, not a subsidiary like Nexlify's studios."
He paused. "Sure, WindyPeak's rise ties to IndieVibe, but at this rate, I'll be the one kissing up to Zoey and buying Gus dinner soon."
Hiss—
Zane froze, then asked, "You're saying we trust WindyPeak's PVZ-FPS combo to pull through?"
Noah chuckled. "Killer combo? Come on! It's a small-budget game, somatosensory cabin only. What's it gonna blow up?"
"Huh?" Zane frowned, confused.
"Not their main project?" he asked.
"Nope," Noah said, sliding his coffee mug to Zane. "If it was, why no budget details? Why's it just rumors? Why no promo from WindyPeak?"
Zane went quiet.
True.
WindyPeak's pattern: once a project's greenlit, even without fanfare, Gus's X account or WindyPeak's official page drops a hint.
But Garden Warfare? Just public gossip.
No official word.
"So…" Zane's eyes lit up. "It's not their main project?"
"Haha," Noah grinned, cryptic and all-knowing. "Zane, tidy up our projects. Get ready."
"If things pan out," he added, "next quarter's opening bell means a big fight."