GAME DEVELOPER: BUILDING AN EMPIRE
"Upload Successful."
Those two words appeared on the screen, signaling a shift in the digital tides. The six-minute, pure gameplay video of Outlast had officially hit the Spark platform.
One second.
Two seconds.
The view count below the video jumped from 0 to 1. Then it was 13, then 258, then 1,999... the numbers began to skip and accelerate like a car with a brick on the accelerator.
After a brief, dead silence, the comment section exploded.
> "It's here! Singularity Studio's response!"
> "I want to see what kind of edited monstrosity this is. Probably all smoke and mirrors."
> "Grabbing a seat to watch the car crash. This is going to be embarrassing."
>
The first few dozen comments were filled with the doubt and ridicule planted by Zenith Global's bot farms. But six minutes later—when the video reached its chilling conclusion—the tide of the entire comment section reversed.
> "...Holy shit!"
> "This is what you call a gameplay demo! This is what you call a horror game!"
> "That shot of hiding in the wardrobe made me go numb. I didn't even dare to breathe. My mom asked me why I was watching my phone on my knees!"
> "Compared to that 'leaked version' next door, this is a pure insult to intelligence. Zenith's paid trolls can go screw themselves!"
> "This sense of pressure is insane. A shoddy knockoff can never imitate the true soul. I stand by Sophie's words!"
>
The morgue concept art Sophie had posted earlier was dug up by thousands of netizens, cross-referenced with the video content. The water that had been muddied by Leo's paid trolls became crystal clear.
Angry players rushed to every corner of the internet where Zenith Global had spread rumors. The crudely made "leak" video was mockingly tagged as "Best Comedy Short of the Year," and its comment section became a massive roast session. Every post smearing Singularity Studio was slapped in the face by players using high-definition screenshots from the real video.
> "Does your face hurt, Zenith?"
> "Still want to sue for infringement? Go ahead. Show the court this and see if the judge laughs you out of the room."
>
Zenith Global Headquarters — Vice President's Office
Inside Leo's office, there was a deathly silence. He stared unblinkingly at the view count on the screen and the one-sided mockery in the comments.
His plan was in total disarray. He had intended for the lawsuit to drain Grant's energy and the smear campaign to ruin his reputation. Instead, the opponent had used a single video to smash his carefully arranged trap into pieces. Leo had become the laughingstock of the industry.
"Director Leo..." The PR Manager stood to the side, trembling, sweat soaking his shirt. "Should we... withdraw the trolls? The backlash is getting out of hand."
"Withdraw?" Leo whipped his head around, his eyes shot through with red veins. "If we withdraw now, we're admitting we're guilty! If we stop, we're dead!"
"But Director, the fire is starting to burn us!"
"Burn?" Leo let out a cold, reckless laugh—one that carried a hint of madness. "Don't they want to see Survival? Don't they think Singularity is so amazing?"
He grabbed the phone and dialed the Project Director. "Notify the Spark Platform. Our game, Survival, is launching early! Right now! Immediately!"
The director on the other end was stunned. "Director Leo, the game still has massive compatibility issues. The bugs haven't been—"
"I don't care!" Leo roared. "Throw all our resources into it! I want everyone to know who the boss of this market is!"
He wanted to use the one thing Zenith was best at—raw capital. He would use money, ads, and channel dominance to crush Outlast in its cradle.
Two hours later...
[Domestic AAA Horror Masterpiece 'SURVIVAL' Shockingly Released Today!]
Millions of players, attracted by the drama, clicked the purchase button with a mix of curiosity and a desire to watch the spectacle. Zenith's marketing offensive was crude, but it worked. Within an hour, sales exceeded a hundred thousand copies.
A smug, cruel smile finally appeared on Leo's face. How can a small workshop compete with a giant?
However, the laughter didn't last long. On the Spark page for Survival, the rating began to plummet off a cliff.
9.1... 7.5... 4.3...
Negative reviews flooded in like an avalanche.
> "What kind of industrial trash is this? It crashes the second I open it. Even my top-tier PC can't run it!"
> "The optimization is a pile of shit! The frame rate is tanking. I'm dizzy and nauseous!"
> "Horror? Where's the horror? It's just a low-res ghost face jumping out with a scream. My grandma would laugh at this!"
> "This is blatant plagiarism. Hiding in cabinets, holding breath—it's a direct ripoff of the Outlast trailer, but the controls are stiff and the AI is brain-dead! Refund!"
>
Spark Platform Headquarters
Lin Yuxuan's assistant was reporting data at a rapid-fire pace. "Director Lin, Survival has been live for three hours. The negative review rate has exceeded 85%. Our customer service lines are being blown up by players demanding refunds."
Lin Yuxuan looked at the bright red downward curve of the ratings. She wasn't surprised. "Immediately open an unconditional special refund channel for Survival," she commanded. "No reason required. And post an announcement admitting to an 'oversight' in our review process."
This move wasn't just to appease the players; it was a public execution. By providing a special refund channel, Lin Yuxuan was using the platform's credibility to officially sentence Zenith's Survival to death.
The news broke, and the tide of refunds exploded. The first-day refund rate hit a staggering 60%. Survival set the record for the fastest failure in the history of the Spark Platform.
Singularity Studio
Inside the office, the atmosphere was a stark contrast. Arthur let out a long sigh of relief. "Serves them right! They brought this on themselves!"
Sophie also showed a rare hint of a smile. But Grant's brow remained tightly furrowed. He pointed at the user device distribution map on the screen.
"Don't celebrate yet," Grant's voice was heavy. "The failure of Survival is a warning to us. The user devices on Spark are too complex. Our game must run smoothly on at least 90% of mainstream devices, or we'll face the same backlash."
Arthur's expression turned solemn. To achieve the photorealistic atmosphere, they had used high-precision models and complex lighting. Making those run on low-end devices was like asking a supercar to drive through a swamp.
"I'll find a way," Arthur gritted his teeth, throwing himself back into his workstation. Sophie also sat down, silently beginning the painful process of simplifying the polygons of the environment to save performance.
Grant watched them, knowing hard work alone wouldn't bridge the gap. He opened the System interface.
> [Reputation Points: 12,500]
>
He searched the exchange mall until a golden option appeared:
> [Spark Platform Exclusive Optimization Template: Low-level optimization for mainstream devices. Significantly improves compatibility and frame rates. Cost: 10,000 Reputation Points]
>
This is it.
> [Ding! Reputation Points consumed. Obtained 'Spark Platform Exclusive Optimization Template'.]
>
A massive stream of data flooded Grant's mind. He immediately walked behind Arthur. "Arthur, try modifying the calling logic for these low-level interfaces... use this algorithm instead."
As Grant dictated the code, Arthur's eyes widened. He typed it in, and on the screen, the stuttering footage became visibly, impossibly smooth.
"Holy crap... Grant, you're a god!" Arthur turned back in shock.
Just as they were buried in the final sprint, Sophie let out a small gasp. "Look at this!"
On the Spark backend page, the pre-registration numbers for Outlast were jumping frantically. Within 48 hours of releasing the real gameplay video, the number had quietly surpassed 300,000.
They had officially broken into the Top 3 of the Spark Indie Game Pre-registration Chart.
The glow of the screen reflected on three tired but strikingly bright faces. The empire was no longer just a dream; it was a countdown
NEED SOME POWERSTONE TO CONTINUE THIS STORY 500 !!!