Sending the post he had just finished, John glanced toward the computer where Luna sat laughing as she played with the mischievous dog. He had really quit. He truly wasn't smoking anymore.
The hidden cigarette had only been there because he'd absentmindedly tucked it away before realizing what he was doing. How had things escalated to this? Why did one tiny mistake have to turn into a full-blown household investigation?
John secretly shot the dog a resentful glare as it wagged its tail happily. Just wait until tonight. You're not getting any food.
While the unfairly accused John was sulking, a brand-new post suddenly appeared in the PixelPioneers community. The moment it went live, countless players who had been lurking instantly sprang to life. By now, John's forum account had already risen to the position of community moderator, replacing his old deputy moderator title.
Unlike many official gaming forums where moderators were simply appointed from above, John's account had earned its status through a community-wide player vote. He had spent years chatting with players, sharing news, joking around, and interacting with everyone, making him a familiar face long before becoming a moderator.
Simply put, John's account carried enormous credibility throughout the community.
"PixelPioneers Spotted Performing Motion Capture With a Film Crew, New Game in Development?" The thread quickly climbed to the top of the forum.
The author cautiously claimed that a friend had recently joined a film crew and unexpectedly discovered President John along with several PixelPioneers developers filming what appeared to be motion-capture scenes. Several blurry candid photos accompanied the post.
Aside from those pictures, however, there was almost no additional information. Normally, a post built on a handful of vague photos and speculation would have been dismissed as another case of "a picture plus imagination equals breaking news."
But everything changed depending on who was making the claim. John's moderator account had long earned legendary status among forum users. Time after time, its "inside information" had eventually proven accurate, giving it an almost mythical level of credibility.
As soon as the thread appeared, the entire community exploded into discussion.
"So it's true! PixelPioneers really never rests! Their productivity is insane! Another new game already!?"
"Assassin's Creed was outsourced to Martel's studio. So what is PixelPioneers developing this time?"
"There seem to be some magical-looking costume items in those photos! Could it be another fantasy game? Maybe a sequel to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim?"
"That's entirely possible! It's already been over a year since Skyrim launched! Resident Evil keeps getting sequels, and even Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain received massive story DLC that practically counts as a sequel. Skyrim won Game of the Year, so there's no way they'd abandon that universe."
"It definitely feels related. Skyrim's open world is incredible, but if you don't carefully follow the lore and side quests, it's easy to miss most of the story. Personally, I think its storytelling wasn't quite as strong as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Maybe John is filming motion capture this time to deliver a more cinematic narrative."
The discussion spread like wildfire. There wasn't much concrete information, perhaps thirty percent fact and seventy percent speculation, but that only fueled everyone's imagination even more.
Naturally, a few players also remembered the previous publicity stunt surrounding Assassin's Creed, making them wonder if this was another carefully orchestrated performance. Still, that theory was quickly overwhelmed by countless opposing opinions.
"Has anyone considered that this moderator account might actually belong to PixelPioneers? Maybe they're pulling another publicity trick as they did with Assassin's Creed."
The bold speculation barely lasted a few minutes before veteran forum users dismantled it.
"Bro... your account's about to disappear saying that about the moderator."
"No way. PixelPioneers isn't that bored! They're not some tiny indie studio anymore. They don't even need to buy advertisements. As long as another blockbuster isn't launching the same week, simply announcing a new project is enough to dominate every gaming headline."
"And besides, the moderator has been wrong before. Sometimes the leaks are completely off."
Longtime community members emerged one after another, offering calm, logical analyses. Looking at every angle, they all reached the same conclusion. There was absolutely no chance the moderator account belonged to PixelPioneers.
Would a company of PixelPioneers' size really save advertising money by pretending to leak information? Ridiculous, and everyone agreed.
Back at PixelPioneers, John was still passionately insisting that he had genuinely quit smoking. The hidden cigarette had been nothing more than an accident. After a lengthy explanation, Luna finally accepted his excuse, though only reluctantly.
Seeing that the crisis had passed, John pointed toward the trending discussion online with a smug grin that clearly read, experience always wins.
Luna rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Didn't you read what the players are saying? We're nothing like we were years ago. Back then, we couldn't afford expensive marketing, so little tricks made sense. But now? We could just post a couple of behind-the-scenes crew photos on our social account, and the internet would do the rest. There's no need to secretly push forum threads anymore."
John crossed his arms. "That's different. It feels completely different."
Meanwhile, as the rumors continued spreading across the internet, the comment section beneath John's social account became flooded. Players poured in by the thousands. After all, the blurry photographs might have been secretly taken, but they clearly showed John and several PixelPioneers staff members wearing motion-capture suits.
Was PixelPioneers' next title really connected to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? That single question had become the hottest topic among gamers everywhere.
Industry insiders were asking the same thing. People like Byrum had already heard whispers that John was indeed developing a brand-new project.
However, nobody knew what genre it belonged to. After all, John hadn't yet contacted any outside development studios or third-party partners. Everything remained strictly in-house.
In response to the flood of speculation, John quietly uploaded a single piece of concept art to his social account that very night. The artwork depicted an exquisite longsword, its blade encased in an ominous icy-blue glow. A warrior clad in jet-black armor gripped the weapon with both hands. Hidden within the surrounding darkness, only a pair of ghostly glowing eyes could be seen staring outward.
Beside the artwork was word.
"Frostmourne."
That was all.
No explanation.
No teaser trailer.
No release window.
Not even a single sentence describing the project.
Yet for players, that lone piece of concept art served as official confirmation that the mystery game was real. John himself had acknowledged its existence.
Within moments, excitement swept through the gaming community like an unstoppable tidal wave, with countless players eagerly dissecting every tiny detail of the artwork while theorizing about what PixelPioneers could possibly be creating next.