The news that John had won the Best Game Developer of the Year award didn't create much of a stir among the general player community. After all, the award itself mainly carried weight within the industry. There was no live broadcast, no video coverage, just a quiet announcement, which significantly limited its reach. For most players, the award might as well not exist; many had never even heard of it.
Still, because of John and PixelPioneers Games, quite a number of players offered their congratulations. At the same time, several gaming media outlets pushed the story to their headlines and released press coverage, giving it at least some visibility within enthusiast circles.
After a brief stay, John and Martel took another walk around the capital before returning to Jiangshi. Back at the studio, John reviewed the development logs and the current build of Metal Gear: Phantom Pain. Judging by the pace and progress, the game was on track to be ready for release by the end of February.
Entering the office, John saw Luna seated at her workstation, fully focused on editing cutscenes for Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain.
On the screen, a brutal interrogation scene played out. After being silently captured by Soviet soldiers, the protagonist was forced underwater, struggling violently before suddenly regaining strength and fighting back.
The next sequence was even more visceral. A silent step forward… a precise strike beneath the soldier's guard… followed by a burst of blood. Then came a rapid succession of dagger attacks, sharp, efficient, and uncomfortably direct.
John stopped in his tracks. A blast of cold air from the air conditioner hit him, but it wasn't the temperature that made him shiver. His body stiffened, legs instinctively clamping together. Who could handle a scene like this?
"Back already? And… is that the trophy?" Noticing him, Luna paused her work, stood up, and walked over. Her eyes quickly landed on the crystal trophy he was holding behind his back.
"It actually looks pretty nice," she said, taking it from him and weighing it lightly in her hands while examining it from different angles.
"It's just a standard crystal trophy," John replied with a dismissive smile. "Honestly, the organizers are pretty stingy. At least put some gold plating on it or something; it wouldn't hurt."
He slumped into his office chair as he spoke, his gaze drifting back to the paused cutscene on the monitor. Almost unconsciously, his legs shifted again before he quickly minimized the window. Nope. Definitely not watching that again.
"Such poor taste," Luna snorted softly, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. She then carefully placed the trophy inside the display cabinet beside the desk.
"Once we wrap up what we're working on, we should head back early," John said. "No point staying here until it's right up against the Spring Festival."
Their wedding was set for the tenth day of the new year. By then, most necessary visits to relatives would already be done, making it the perfect time to settle into work afterward. They hadn't invited too many people, just close high school classmates, university roommates, a few industry friends, and family members.
As for the ceremony itself, while it would certainly be well-organized and meaningful, neither of them had any intention of turning it into some extravagant, over-the-top wedding of the century. That kind of spectacle felt more like a performance than something genuine.
"Everything's basically ready," Luna said, glancing at player discussions online with a thoughtful expression. "If we follow the original schedule, Metal Gear: Phantom Pain could actually launch before the end of the year."
At this point, development was nearly complete. What remained was bug fixing, polishing, and recording CG sequences for past story segments. And most importantly, all of this work was being personally overseen by John and Luna.
"It's fine," John said with a relaxed smile. "Players will understand. Besides, the DLC content about THE BOSS is already finished. Think of it as a small appetizer before the main course."
"And honestly, this timing also works in the players' favor financially," he added. "Even though pre-orders are open, a lot of people are still waiting. Once reviews are out, and right after the New Year, when players get bonuses or New Year's money, they'll have more than enough to buy games."
Luna stared at him. For a brief moment, she had the strange illusion that if he were a character in a game, he'd have a devil's tail, two sharp horns, and a pitchfork in hand. This man… was the very definition of a capitalist villain.
Meanwhile, players outside remained completely unaware of John's "considerate planning." After riding the wave of excitement brought by Resident Evil 2, fans and players were once again thrown into a new surge of anticipation. This time, it came from a DLC.
Technically, it was just an additional storyline released for Red Alert. But that hardly mattered. What mattered was the name attached to it: Metal Gear.
That alone was enough. Players were eager to see the story of THEBOSS, the legendary agent mentioned in Metal Gear Solid: Original Burst Point. What kind of life had shaped such a figure?
Of course, due to the limitations of the Red Alert platform, the gameplay remained rooted in RTS mechanics. That did discourage some players who weren't fans of the genre, but there was little that could be done. Creating a fully standalone THEBOSS title would essentially mean developing an entirely new game. An alternative would have been to build the DLC on top of Metal Gear: Phantom Pain, but that project itself hadn't been completed yet.
Within the Metal Gear universe, The Boss was an incredibly significant figure. In many ways, it was because of her that BIGBOSS came into existence, and without BIGBOSS, the entire chain of events that followed would never have happened.
However, the DLC in Red Alert focused primarily on THEBOSS's personal experiences, deliberately avoiding deeper connections to BIGBOSS. That story, the transformation of the original Snake into BIGBOSS, was reserved for a dedicated DLC within Metal Gear: Phantom Pain.
After releasing the DLC, John didn't slow down. While continuing the final polishing work on Metal Gear: Phantom Pain alongside Luna, he also began drafting a brand-new GDD. This idea had sparked suddenly during a previous conversation with Byrum.
It involved two separate projects. One was based on a concept from his dream memories, a project that had eventually evolved into anime and manga adaptations. The other was a game adapted from an existing comic.
Despite their differences, both shared a defining trait: massive, enduring success. They were the kind of IPs that could sustain an entire franchise for a lifetime, expanding from core products into vast ecosystems of spin-offs, collaborations, and multimedia adaptations. Especially the first one. That project… had once created nothing short of a miracle.