Thank You,
Knight Teir: "Luis Marrufo"
For Becoming A Member On My Pa'treon. The Emperor Protect.
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Listening to Armani's words in the office, John stared at him in silence. Why hadn't he noticed this side of Armani's talent when he first brought him into the company?
"How did you manage to win over Martel? I reached out to him, too, when we were collaborating on The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim." John's tone carried both curiosity and suspicion.
Armani had just revealed that he contacted Martel privately, and that Martel was now seriously considering leaving Gemtechs and Mercury Studio to align with PixelPioneers Games. This revelation caught John completely off guard.
Back when they had worked jointly on The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, John had already extended an offer to Martel, only to be flatly refused. For Martel to change his mind now seemed almost unthinkable. John couldn't help but wonder, what had Armani said, or done, to turn the situation around?
"We appealed to his ambition while giving him a fair reason to consider us. He has drive, but he also has conditions." Armani smiled with quiet confidence as he explained.
Martel's agreement was not just about joining PixelPioneers Games. What he sought was the chance to run a development studio under PixelPioneers' umbrella with autonomy in day-to-day operations.
"Of course, that's negotiable, but we still need to keep control where it matters," John replied with a nod, showing no resistance to the idea.
This request didn't surprise him. His only stipulation was clear: even if the studio operated independently, PixelPioneers Games must retain both ownership and final decision-making authority. Naturally, the majority of the funding would also come from their side.
"I'll handle the detailed discussions with him, and then I'll bring the terms back to you," Armani assured.
"One more thing, the comic division has wrapped up its first draft. You should take a look." Armani added.
After acquiring the small publishing house and rebranding it as PixelPioneers Comics Media, they had been forced to restructure its entire workflow. Their comics were no longer being made just for casual readers; the target audience now included gamers who followed PixelPioneers' titles.
"Forget it, I can't judge what's good or not. Let the editorial team evaluate it. As long as they don't ruin the integrity of the characters or disrupt the game's storyline, I'll be satisfied." John waved the matter off, then added with a thoughtful frown, "Besides, comics alone won't spread the IP widely enough. If we want real momentum, we'll need an animation."
He wasn't ignorant of the industry's trends. He knew that while comics could attract a niche following, it was animation that could break through to mainstream audiences. Many iconic series had only achieved mass recognition after their stories were adapted into animation.
"True, but we'll have to wait until Resident Evil Resistance develops further. Right now, the game's storyline still doesn't provide enough material for an animated adaptation." Armani explained patiently.
John nodded, conceding the point.
Their conversation then shifted toward broader IP strategies, and once Armani departed, John buried himself back in his own work. Whether it was branding, cross-media projects, or partnerships, the foundation always returned to one thing: the quality of the game itself.
As recruitment continued, John was already laying the groundwork for a new internal studio tasked with developing two upcoming titles: Red Alert and Auto Chess.
Meanwhile, online players had begun noticing a hidden update quietly introduced by PixelPioneers Games.
At first, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim appeared to have received only a routine patch. Players scanning the update logs or checking the PixelPioneers Games official website saw nothing remarkable.
But inside the game, sharp-eyed players soon discovered otherwise. Upon pressing ESC, they found a new option in the system menu: Online Mode. By registering or linking their official PixelPioneers account, players could enter this new dimension of gameplay.
Online mode offered additional storylines and co-op challenges. Teams could band together to hunt vampires in the Dawnguard DLC, or unite against roaming dragons across Skyrim's wilderness.
The expansion went further, extending multiplayer gameplay into familiar factions such as the Companions, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, Imperial Army, and Stormcloak Army. Players could even buy property and hire bodyguards to patrol the world alongside them.
Skyrim had always been known for freedom of choice, but now, layered with social systems and cooperative adventures, it felt even more alive.
Monster hunters could gather information from tavern bards about the locations of dragons, vampires, or demons, then form groups to confront them.
Assassination enthusiasts could take contracts from the Dark Brotherhood to eliminate high-profile NPCs, while defenders could accept Companion missions to protect those same targets.
To make things even more dynamic, John and his team had made a daring decision: global matchmaking. In practice, this meant players on opposite sides of a quest could clash directly. If an assassin targeted an NPC while another player had accepted a mission to protect the same character, the game would sync them into a mirrored battle instance.
The assassin's task was to remain hidden, strike, and escape, while the protector's goal was to foil the attempt and keep the target alive.
On top of that, numerous mini-games were integrated. Players could tame wild horses and enter races, or step into taverns to play a collectible card game inspired by a major 3A title from Dream Memory.
With race-specific cards, spell cards, and environment modifiers, the card game offered strategic depth while staying approachable. Of course, some players voiced criticism, particularly regarding the in-game purchase system. Transactions revolved around gold coins, the core multiplayer currency. Gold coins could unlock property, acquire horses, or purchase monster-tracking tips from NPCs.
While coins could be earned through normal gameplay, taking on contracts from the Companions or Dark Brotherhood, or completing monster bounties, players could also purchase them directly. Even trivial errands in the main city offered modest rewards.
In many ways, the system resembled DLC content. To fully experience everything, players either had to grind or pay. Yet compared to harsher models in the industry, PixelPioneers' approach felt relatively balanced. Players unwilling to spend money could still progress at a reasonable pace, while those who preferred convenience had the option to invest. Internal testing showed that dedicated players could unlock nearly all multiplayer features within 50 to 100 hours of playtime.
So while the online community buzzed with both praise and complaints, John's mind was elsewhere. In the PixelPioneers Games office, he wasn't celebrating the update's reception. If anything, he seemed uneasy, his brows knit with unspoken tension. This wasn't how it was supposed to unfold.