Chapter 166. Make FPS Great Again!
The Schicksal Game Expo was one of the world's largest and most famous tech-and-games shows.
Besides a ton of new game announcements from many companies, the different halls also showcased lots of new electronic devices.
Just yesterday, Ken Sugisaki had already met with many manufacturers.
Thanks to Pokémon, Anti-Entropy had taken a huge bite out of the AR glasses market in one go, so of course these manufacturers were all wondering if they could collaborate with Gensokyo Company.
Naturally, Ken Sugisaki turned all those invitations down.
Anti-Entropy's own devices already had them swamped—how could they have time to do other people's work? Dream on.
Because of the expo's popularity, today's foot traffic was nothing like the small, casual crowd at the St. Freya Mini-Game Festival.
Arriving at the venue, a fully geared-up Xander Masato was stunned by the sea of people gathered at the entrance.
It was clearly a site spanning dozens of hectares, yet even before the doors opened, it was ringed by layer after layer of people.
The line at the gate stretched all the way to the horizon.
"So many?"
A little tongue-tied, Xander quietly griped to Bronya beside him.
Bronya was also wearing a huge hat.
Her long, silver curls were tied up and tucked into a roomy hood.
"There should've been far fewer than this, but this time is special."
"Special?"
"You seem to have a mistaken estimate of your status among gamers."
Bronya looked at Xander with some puzzlement, wondering whether this guy truly didn't know or was just playing dumb.
"Don't tell me they're here because of me? But I never said I'd attend in person."
Pointing at himself, Xander was a bit lost.
"What else? Do you think Pokémon's popularity around the world is low? Love me, love my dog."
Raising a brow, Bronya spoke.
"I thought you'd roast me for being narcissistic."
Muttering that, Xander went on, "But aren't gamers supposed to focus on games? Why pay attention to a designer like me?"
"Is our Apex bad?"
Battle royale, Evo Shields, and each Legend's abilities—these were without question the hottest topics in gaming right now.
"...All right. You've successfully convinced me."
After checking in with the staff who had been waiting early, they carefully slipped in through a secluded side door.
The spacious floor was already set with all kinds of booths.
The area Xander arrived at was the games zone; the tech zone was in the connected building next door.
Directly opposite the entrance, at dead center, was Gensokyo Company's booth.
Faced with such a perfect spot, first-timer Xander couldn't help but sigh, "The floor plan already looked good, but I didn't expect it to be this obvious in person."
With a location this prime, the exposure would be the best of the best.
Schicksal was really giving them face.
Just as Xander was about to walk over for a look, a staffer grabbed his arm.
"?"
"Mr. Masato, I'd advise you not to stay here."
The staffer's eyes toward Xander brimmed with barely restrained admiration.
She lowered her voice and spoke gently.
"Why?"
"Because the doors open in a few minutes, and the incoming crowd will be huge."
Smiling a little helplessly, the staffer added, "If you remain on site, it'll be hard to maintain order."
"So I should wait until things stabilize before coming over?"
She nodded. "That's best. We've arranged a dedicated press area and a fan area for you. The event time is scheduled as well. We'll have a host do the warm-up, and your entrance will be a surprise gift for the players."
"These details should have been discussed with Gensokyo Company's manager yesterday. Did you not get the message?"
Hearing that, Xander vaguely recalled the messages Ken Sugisaki had sent him yesterday.
He'd been so busy then that he only skimmed the important parts and glanced over the rest.
"No, it's fine. Is there a backstage or something?"
"There is. Please follow me."
The staffer turned and led Xander toward the lounge.
Seeing this, Seele reflexively stepped to follow, but Bronya quickly tugged her so that her feet left the ground for a split second.
"Bronya-sis?"
"Xander is going to the lounge because there's a dedicated entrance segment coming up. What are you going to do there?"
Ruffling Seele's hair with some amusement, Bronya continued under the girl's dazed gaze, "What, is Seele also a big star in the game industry?"
"Eh? N-no..."
Quick-stepping to stand by her sister, Seele gently tugged Bronya's sleeve and said, a little shy, "Please don't tease Seele, Bronya-sis."
"You all go look around first. I'll find you after the event."
Seele's little reaction amused Xander.
He waved to the girls, then turned to leave with the staffer.
Borrowing a few internal badges from the staff at the Gensokyo booth and hanging them on their chests, Bronya soon led the group to strut around, using "partner visits" as an excuse to get early hands-on with the games she cared about.
A few minutes later, the expo opened.
Restless footsteps surged forward like an army on the march.
Though packed, the flow of people moved quickly as they poured in.
Sitting in the lounge, Xander could already hear the approaching clamor from afar.
The difference from the St. Freya event was truly massive.
He closed his eyes and calmed his breathing.
Before long, the staffer hurried in and opened the door. "Mr. Masato, it's time for your entrance."
"Mm."
With a small nod, Xander exhaled, rolled his shoulders and neck, quickly checked his appearance in the mirror, gave himself a slight smile, and strode out.
Reaching backstage, he hadn't even stood still for two seconds when the emcee's bright, passionate voice boomed from the speakers up on the booth stage.
"Let's welcome our mystery guest—Old Thief Masato!"
For a moment, the lively crowd seemed to fall silent—then an even louder wave of cheers almost lifted the entire hall's roof.
Looked like this host really knew how to hype a crowd.
After one last touch-up to his expression, Xander walked on with a smile from backstage.
Taking the mic passed to him by a staffer, he looked toward the sea of excited eyes below.
After a slight bow, he was about to speak—
The blonde, blue-eyed, big-waves host suddenly blocked him.
As he wore a slightly puzzled look, she winked at him, teasing in her manner.
What's this? That's not appropriate on stage.
He was a serious person.
"Before you greet the players, Mr. Masato, can I ask a question everyone really wants to know?"
Seeing Xander not reacting, the host had to start herself.
"That's no problem. But didn't you just call me Old Thief? Why the change now?"
He tossed out a joke, drawing a round of laughter from below.
"Ahem, ahem. Calling you 'teacher' is for work; calling you 'Old Thief' is in my private life. Why, Mr. Masato, are you looking to intrude on my private life?"
Though Xander's words had stumped her for a beat, her professional chops let her pick the ball right back up—she even lobbed it back with a hint of flirtation.
"Let's not."
Catching sight of Seele and Elysia having followed the sound to the edge of the crowd, Xander immediately straightened his expression into one of ascetic detachment.
"What a pity~"
With the banter over, the host returned to her proper, poised smile.
Aiming at the mic, she asked curiously, "After our discussion, we're all very curious: why did you choose to make Apex, Mr. Masato? It's a completely new direction you haven't touched before. You know, the calls for a Pokémon spin-off are really loud. Did you never consider it?"
"That's two questions. Remember to pay the extra fee."
Another little gag and another burst of laughter.
Xander then sobered slightly, thinking as he answered slowly, "Let's start with a Pokémon spin-off. Since Pokémon is in cooperation with Anti-Entropy HQ and is still being updated continuously, there will be a Pokémon spin-off, but not in the near term."
He glanced at the audience and added teasingly, "Also, of the hundred Legendaries from the first event, you've only caught half so far. And you already want a sequel? Finish catching those Legendaries first."
'It's not that we don't want to—it's that we can't!!!'
'Old Thief Masato, can't you leak some insider info for us!!'
"No can do. Pokémon runs on Anti-Entropy HQ's supercomputer. I don't have the authority to open back doors."
That Rayquaza was the one he'd kept on himself since development.
'Really? I don't buy it.'
"Believe it or don't."
Snapping back at the loudmouth with a laugh, Xander shook his head and continued, "Let's get back to Apex. Today is its stage—we shouldn't steal the spotlight, right?"
He paused, then raised the mic. "As for why the first major title is an FPS? Probably just because I like it."
"When I was a kid, I was easily captivated by the single-player Counter-Strike of the time. That game brought me endless joy."
"Compared to now, the graphics back then were rough, the controls nowhere as smooth, the models were bad, and the recoil felt like it was tuned at random. But none of that stopped me from having a blast."
"Against bots or real players, I could play all day without getting tired."
"That's where the reminiscing ends. Now, FPS has better models, gun feel that's practically real, and those sound effects that are just so satisfying to hear. They've given us a better experience."
"But..."
He paused, voice even. "In the end, the modes are still the same."
"Buy guns. Plant the bomb. PvP or shoot some monsters. That's it."
"FPS is still hot, but you don't see the dominance it used to have."
"So, you want to innovate for FPS?"
The host asked.
"Mm. I want to use my ability to inject new blood into this genre. I want to..."
Facing the audience, Xander suddenly raised his hand. "Make FPS Great Again!"
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Paid member can read 150+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts