"A card game?" The moment players heard that PixelPioneers Games' next title would be a card game, countless people froze in disbelief. Confusion quickly turned into concern, and concern into heated debate.
For many players, card games carried a certain reputation. Microtransactions. Mobile-game monetization. Pay-to-win systems. Over the years, there had simply been too many examples. Not every card game followed that path, of course, but enough had done so that players instinctively associated the genre with aggressive monetization.
Imagine this feeling: A studio famous for producing premium-quality games, a company known for chasing excellence and even Game of the Year-level achievements, spends months building anticipation after delivering one classic after another, only to suddenly announce that their next project is a card game. Or worse, a mobile game.
For many players, that emotional whiplash hit hard. Although almost nothing had been revealed yet, impatient fans were already flooding discussion forums with their opinions.
"A card game? Seriously? I thought we were getting another AAA. Is PixelPioneers running out of money?"
"Honestly, companies need profit to survive, so I get it. But after waiting this long, I expected a new blockbuster project. At least give us DLC for Metal Gear: Phantom Pain."
"Card game? Hah. The dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon."
"Too early to judge... but I'm not optimistic."
"Why are people acting like haters already? PixelPioneers hasn't disappointed us before. We barely know anything about the game."
"Just because most card games rely on monetization doesn't mean every game has to. Why can't PixelPioneers make something different? Besides, look at their history. Resident Evil, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Metal Gear: Phantom Pain were all massive successes."
The louder critics represented only a small fraction of players, while most people remained surprisingly rational. Part of that came from the trust PixelPioneers Games had built over the years.
The other reason was simple: Nobody actually knew what the game looked like yet. They had a title and a genre, but nothing more. Still... One question lingered in everyone's mind. Could card games still evolve?
The gaming industry itself reacted with equal surprise.
"A card game?"
"What exactly are they trying to do?"
Modern mainstream card games followed familiar formulas. IP appeal. Collection systems. Progression tied to card value. A carefully controlled balance cycle that allowed free players to remain engaged while giving paying players enough advantages to justify spending. That was the standard model.
So what could PixelPioneers possibly do differently? Push stages. Collect cards. Build decks. Repeat. The genre had existed for years, so were there really any new tricks left?
Only one person showed a completely different reaction after hearing that PixelPioneers Games' new project, Yu-Gi-Oh!, was a card game. Duncan from Gemtechs.
Duncan had not personally led a major project for several years, partly because of PixelPioneers Games' explosive rise and partly because of Ansoft's aggressive expansion this year.
Gemtechs needed something powerful. Something capable of stabilizing morale internally while proving they could still compete at the highest level.
So Duncan had returned. Now, hearing rumors circulating among upper circles of the gaming industry, and remembering an old conversation with John years ago, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"If it's really that..." Duncan murmured. "Then his courage is unbelievable. And the most important question… How does he monetize it?"
Duncan narrowed his eyes. If he were making a card game... How would he approach it?
Outside the company, speculation and doubt continued to spread.
Inside PixelPioneers Games? Development moved forward without interruption as the team remained fully focused.
Inside a specially constructed VR testing room, John and Luna were currently running another round of internal playtesting.
John adjusted his headset. Unlike ordinary consumer VR hardware, his equipment used advanced infrared motion-sensing technology. Combined with custom controllers, the full setup costs a lot. Of course, mainstream hardware was far cheaper. For average players, the standard equipment already provides a solid experience.
Controllers worked fine, and standard VR setups worked fine, but John wanted something more. Much more. Originally, he had imagined something straight out of anime. A physical duel disk with real cards on a fully immersive battlefield.
After discussing feasibility with Warwick and conducting technical evaluations, however, John reluctantly abandoned the idea. Not because it was impossible.
Warwick had clearly stated: Technically? It could absolutely be done. Connect the dual disk online, install cameras, add processors, and embed anti-counterfeit QR codes and barcode systems into physical cards. Players could place cards directly into dedicated insertion slots and have everything instantly recognized.
The technology existed, but the problem was cost. Industrial mold design. Prototype manufacturing. Testing expenses. Hardware optimization. Quality verification. Inventory logistics. Mass production. Etc.
By the time everything was calculated, development costs rivaled building an entire mid-sized game, so John decisively gave up. But abandoning dual disks didn't mean abandoning physical cards; players could still collect real cards, trade them, play offline, and build decks without requiring VR equipment. That experience could still survive.
"Activate Monster Reborn!" Luna's excited voice echoed through the VR testing room. "Resurrect Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the graveyard! Rise! Tremble before me! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
A massive silver dragon erupted from the virtual graveyard, and its enormous wings spread across the battlefield as a thunderous roar shook the arena.
John stared silently. Across from him, Luna looked entirely too pleased with herself. Without hesitation, she activated another card. "Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Brilliant white energy gathered within Blue-Eyes White Dragon's mouth, and a blinding sphere of light exploded outward. Smoke effects filled the VR battlefield, sound systems roared, and special effects flashed.
John watched helplessly as his creature vanished into the graveyard. A few seconds later, he quietly pressed the surrender button. How was he supposed to fight this? Perfect counterplay? Miracle topdeck? Trust in destiny? How do you even play against this nonsense?
John removed his headset slowly. Across from him, Luna was laughing hard enough to nearly collapse. Standing silently in place, John felt indescribably bitter. Not because he lost but because somehow, somehow, there really existed people with luck this absurd.
"What kind of monster are you...?" His heart hurt. Very badly.