"E-sports?" John leaned back in his chair and scratched his head as he listened to Armani's proposal in the office.
"Good balance and strong popularity. Yu-Gi-Oh! already satisfies one of the most important prerequisites for a successful e-sports title," Armani said seriously. "More importantly, an organized competitive scene would be an excellent way to keep the game's popularity alive for years."
He paused before continuing. "At the same time, Warwick has been actively promoting offline VR experience stores. They're also developing the limited-edition Duel Disk hardware you mentioned before. If everything goes according to plan, players will be able to enjoy a much more immersive dueling experience."
Armani adjusted his glasses and continued his analysis. "E-sports also has a positive impact on a game's community structure. If you look at the current market, most multiplayer games follow one of two major directions. The first focuses on social interaction and community building, while the second focuses on competition and skill-based gameplay. Resident Evil Resistance, for example, leans heavily toward the community-oriented side."
As he spoke, he pulled out a thick data report from the folder beside him. The document was more than twenty pages long and packed with charts, player statistics, and market research. Although Armani wasn't particularly skilled at playing games himself, he excelled at analyzing data.
In fact, most major game companies operated in a similar way. Games created through pure data analysis rarely became revolutionary masterpieces, but they were often considered highly enjoyable by players because they accurately targeted what the audience wanted.
This was one of the reasons so many formulaic games existed in the industry. Whether it was a mobile game, a large-scale online title, or even a so-called AAA blockbuster, many products followed similar patterns. These games often shared one obvious characteristic.
Everything from their progression systems to their gameplay loops seemed as if they had been produced from the same mold. The story, art style, and character models might differ, but the underlying mission structure and core mechanics changed very little. This was a textbook example of data-driven game design.
"So you're suggesting that we organize our own Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament?" John asked thoughtfully.
"We can start small," Armani replied. "An online league would be the safest approach. We can use it as a test run before investing heavily. The prize pool doesn't need to be huge either. Different prizes for the champion, second place, and third place would be enough. Hold it once every month and observe the results."
Even though he was the one proposing the idea, Armani remained extremely cautious. Online competitions required little more than server support, tournament staff, and prize money. For PixelPioneers Games, that much in expenses was insignificant. After all, the company spent a huge amount every month simply on salaries and daily operations.
Offline events, however, were a completely different matter. Venue rentals, stage construction, production teams, commentators, broadcasting equipment, security, logistics, promotion, and countless miscellaneous expenses would quickly drive costs upward.
More importantly, there was a reputational risk. If the tournament failed, the damage to the PixelPioneers Games brand would far outweigh the financial losses.
As the current CEO of PixelPioneers Games, Armani understood his responsibility. He viewed the company as a giant ship sailing across an unpredictable ocean. Every decision had to be made carefully. Every course adjustment required caution.
But John wasn't nearly as concerned. For one thing, he clearly remembered that in his dream memories, Yu-Gi-Oh! had successfully developed competitive scenes and tournaments in various forms.
More importantly, hearing Armani mention e-sports sparked another idea in his mind. Until now, after completing the remaining DLC for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Yu-Gi-Oh!, he hadn't fully decided what game PixelPioneers would develop next. Yet Armani's proposal suddenly gave him inspiration.
"To be honest, Yu-Gi-Oh! still contains a considerable amount of luck," John said after a moment of thought. "Of course, some people say luck is also a part of strength, but if we're talking about pure competition, I think there's another direction we could take."
Armani raised an eyebrow, and John smiled. "We could develop a game specifically designed for e-sports."
The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell silent. This time, it was Armani's turn to be stunned.
Martel, who had been quietly listening nearby, was equally shocked. Had he heard correctly? The original purpose of Armani's suggestion was simply to strengthen player engagement and extend the life cycle of Yu-Gi-Oh! through competitive events. E-sports was supposed to serve the game, not the other way around. Yet John was already talking about building an entirely new game centered around e-sports itself.
"Mr. John... I'm not sure that's the best idea," Martel finally said.
What was the most important factor behind a successful e-sports title? Balance? That mattered, certainly. But balance alone wasn't enough. The real foundation was player population. No matter how perfectly balanced a game was, if nobody played it, there would be no professional players.
Without players, there would be no audience.
Without an audience, there would be no sponsors.
Without sponsors, there would be no sustainable competitive ecosystem.
Popularity was the true cornerstone of e-sports.
Fortunately, PixelPioneers Games didn't have to worry too much about that problem as the company's reputation among players was already exceptional. Among core gaming communities, PixelPioneers Games often enjoyed even greater prestige than many of the industry's largest publishers.
The challenge lay elsewhere: player loyalty. The mainstream competitive genres, FPS games, fighting games, racing games, and other established categories, already had dominant titles so breaking into those markets would be incredibly difficult as latecomers faced enormous obstacles.
Yet John merely smiled.
"I already have a concept in mind," he said confidently. "And the genre is perfectly suited for competitive play."
Seeing John's expression, Armani knew that further persuasion would probably be pointless. Whenever John looked like that, it usually meant he had already made up his mind.
Instead of continuing the discussion, John turned toward Martel. "What about you? Any plans for your studio?"
Martel shook his head. "I have some ideas, but nothing mature yet."
After finishing Resident Evil 2, his team had spent nearly a year traveling throughout Europe. Meanwhile, the post-launch DLC content had largely been completed. As a result, the studio currently had very little work on its schedule.
"Right now, we're considering taking on contract development projects from other publishers."
It was a practical decision. Unlike John, Martel didn't possess countless game concepts from dream memories. Although his trip had given him plenty of inspiration, those ideas hadn't yet evolved into complete game designs.
At the same time, a studio couldn't survive by sitting idle. Employee salaries, office expenses, and operational costs all had to be paid. Accepting outsourced development work was one of the most common survival strategies in the gaming industry.
John nodded, then a smile slowly spread across his face. "In that case, would you be interested in developing a game for PixelPioneers Games?"
Martel blinked.
"A game set in Europe. One that shares the same world background as Red Alert. A linked-IP project." John's smile widened. "A game about the creed of assassins."
Martel stared at him. "Wait... you've already planned all of this, haven't you?"
The certainty in John's tone made it obvious. This wasn't a spontaneous idea; it was a fully developed concept.
John laughed. "I've been thinking about it ever since I was developing the Red Alert expansion." He paused dramatically, then he slowly announced the title.
"As for the name..." A confident smile appeared on his face. "Assassin's Creed."