When John was developing the demo version of Metal Gear, Moondustries was far from idle. Although it was impossible to elevate Alien Crisis into a flagship announcement-level project, Moondustries was no longer the reckless company it once had been. After years of capital accumulation and public backlash, it had at least learned to care, somewhat, about reputation. After all, when you've gathered enough capital, the next logical step is to try polishing your image. Whitewashing, if not redemption.
Still, the development costs were not small. It was impossible to pour that much money into a project and pretend it didn't exist. Some level of publicity was inevitable. And so, amid a storm of player criticism, online debates surrounding Alien Crisis flared up once more. The official team responded quickly, releasing a brand-new trailer almost simultaneously with the rising controversy. Unlike Metal Gear's cinematic long-take promotional style, Alien Crisis opted for something far more direct. To put it bluntly, it was shamelessly obvious.
Watching the unfolding situation, John could only fall silent in disbelief. People like this, armed with capital and a trace of real ability, yet unwilling to show even a shred of restraint. It made them incredibly difficult to handle.
"Metal Armor? Why not just call it Metal Gear outright?"
"If you're going to copy, at least chant the name proudly!"
"Disgusting!"
"Is there really no shame left?"
Faced with the tidal wave of criticism from ordinary players, the Alien Crisis team adopted the classic "head-down turtle" strategy. Curse all you want, they would not respond. In fact, the harsher the criticism, the higher the traffic. And the higher the traffic, the happier they were.
As expected, that very afternoon, the account released a carefully prepared apology letter. The tone was sincere, almost humble. They claimed they were "learning from outstanding peers" and striving for improvement. Boiled down to a single sentence: Yes, we copied, but we did it reasonably.
That line erupted in the community, and players exploded in outrage.
"It's quite the strategy," John murmured as he watched the chaos unfold online. He sighed and gently shook his head.
The best countermeasure in situations like this was simple: ignore them. Starve them of attention. Let the artificially inflated heat collapse under its own weight.
Many players understood this. Unfortunately, many could not swallow the insult. Add in hired "supporters," professional trolls, and deliberate fire-stokers, and it became nearly impossible for ordinary players to stay calm.
"Isn't this just about grabbing popularity?" John snorted quietly. "Let's see how long you can hold onto it."
After all, compared to Moondustries' maneuvering, his own projects were progressing steadily. The demo version of Metal Gear was nearly complete. Meanwhile, the story mode for Resident Evil was already deep in production. On top of that, the game was advancing at a pace that far exceeded expectations, much faster than Metal Gear itself.
If necessary, John could even release the prologue of Metal Gear as a standalone experience. According to the current schedule, Resident Evil 2 would officially launch in January of the following year.
In truth, there were simply too many projects under PixelPioneers Games capable of generating buzz. Alien Crisis, lacking any heavyweight masterpieces of its own, could only cling desperately to others for attention. It was troublesome, but hardly worthy of serious concern.
The turning point came sooner than expected. The day after Alien Crisis's new trailer dropped, players suddenly discovered something explosive. On the account and website of PixelPioneers Games, John had posted a new announcement: The demo version of Metal Gear would launch at a price of 10 Dollars.
The timing was surgical. Not long after Alien Crisis attempted to dominate the conversation, PixelPioneers Games released this bombshell. Anyone with a brain could see the intent. And it worked.
The media, of course, wanted traffic. But when given a choice between two, people naturally preferred the better one. Alien Crisis was good for them, but it was stale, greasy, and faintly nauseating. You might eat it if you're starving, but you would feel uncomfortable afterward.
The media understood this perfectly. Promoting a controversial, derivative project risked alienating readers. Losing user trust for a fleeting spike in clicks was rarely worth it. But now they had a better option. They could simply ignore Alien Crisis and focus entirely on the far more appetizing Metal Gear demo.
Almost overnight, players noticed that coverage of Alien Crisis had halved. In its place rose wave after wave of headlines about the upcoming Metal Gear demo. Community discussions shifted rapidly. In major forums, anticipation for Metal Gear surged to remarkable heights. Meanwhile, Alien Crisis began to look increasingly powerless, its presence sustained only through Moondustries' own promotional channels.
As for new content reveals, John maintained his signature restraint. Updates were released like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube, just a little at a time. One day, a new character illustration. The next is a small crossover Easter Egg hidden within Command & Conquer: Red Alert.
Meanwhile, PixelPioneers Comics began serializing a Metal Gear side story. Like the Resident Evil series, Metal Gear was conceived as a vast narrative tapestry, multiple protagonists, intersecting destinies, and a sprawling worldview.
But there was a problem. In the current development plan, the protagonist was BIGBOSS. Yet in later entries of the series, another central figure, Solid Snake, born from the infamous "Witch Project", would emerge. According to the established storyline, Venom Snake would ultimately fall into Solid Snake's hands.
The plot could be altered, of course. But doing so would strip away the core spirit of Metal Gear. If left unchanged, however, would players accept such a tragic inevitability?
After long consideration, John made a compromise. The deeper future conflicts would be told through comics and later sequels, not the current game. The demo and mainline entry would focus squarely on BIGBOSS himself: from legendary patriot agent to the path of becoming a demon. A hero's descent.
After clearing channel reviews, securing the necessary version approvals, and confirming the demo's final development progress, John made no grand press conference. No bombastic media spectacle.
He simply posted a brief announcement on the official blog and website: "Metal Gear Solid" will launch in three days.