Arthur looked at Dan Heng.
"From a technical standpoint, building this kind of economic system and probability model is a huge challenge, especially when it comes to anti-cheat and server load.
But it's also what determines whether the game can stay healthy long term. We need to treat it as a core part of the architecture from day one."
He turned to Kiana and Mei. "As for reputation and the whole 'locust swarm' issue, yeah, going free-to-play will bring in all kinds of players, including some bad actors.
But as long as our content is strong, the economy feels fair, and we actively manage the community, the players who really care about the game will stick around and shape a positive environment.
And for the troublemakers, we'll have account controls and reporting systems to handle them."
"And besides," Arthur continued, wrapping things up, "free-to-play, high-quality content, and a reasonably fair gacha system with sensible pity rates…
Once that formula works, the kind of player base and community energy it creates is something traditional models just can't compete with.
It sets the strongest possible foundation for everything that comes next: anime adaptations, merchandise, future titles."
"We're not selling a one-and-done game people finish and forget. We're building a world, something that keeps growing, something players invest their time and emotions into. 'Free-to-play' is just the door we open to let people in.
Whether they stay, whether spending feels worth it, that's on us."
The room fell quiet.
Kiana tried to process the model, equal parts complicated and clever.
Mei seemed to be weighing the risks against the potential upside. Bronya tapped lightly on the table, as if running simulations in her head.
Dan Heng had already turned back to his computer, opening a new document and jotting down technical notes as they came to him. Stelle and March 7th wore matching expressions that said they hadn't followed all of it, but it definitely sounded impressive.
After a long pause, Kiana let out a half-scoff, half-sigh. "Alright, I'll admit… it sounds kind of interesting.
But if I find out you rigged the gacha rates or buried the pity system so deep no one can reach it, I'll… I'll rip your servers apart!"
She punctuated the threat with a punch in the air, which earned a helpless smile from Mei.
Bronya spoke calmly. "The economic model will require detailed calculations and simulations to avoid inflation and resource devaluation."
"I'll need a more detailed breakdown for the system architecture document," Dan Heng added.
Mei asked softly, "So the trailer's focus is to communicate that this is a free, high-quality action game?"
"Exactly." Arthur nodded. "We use what we already have, character art, cut together with sharp editing and strong text: free to play on all platforms, for the sake of everything beautiful in the world.
That's enough. The goal is to build hype, grab attention, and buy us time to keep developing."
His eyes flicked to the comic's release page on his screen. The numbers had barely moved.
The first step was done. Now it was time to light the fuse.
"Alright." Arthur clapped his hands. "While we wait for the comic to pick up traction, we've got a new mission: plan and produce the first promotional trailer for Honkai Impact 3rd. Kiana, Mei, Bronya, you three are our core assets."
The new assignment snapped the team out of their restless lull.
Arthur, Dan Heng, and Bronya quickly formed the core working group. Dan Heng dug through the studio's archive, sorting through leftover assets from previous projects, looking for usable scene templates while setting up a video editing workspace for rapid assembly.
His fingers flew across the keyboard, brow slightly furrowed as he methodically pulled usable pieces from a chaotic pile of files.
Bronya was the busiest of all. Multiple programs were open across her screens. On one side, she followed Arthur's direction, quickly rigging basic skeletons for Kiana, Mei, and her own model to allow simple animation.
At the same time, she made sure everything stayed consistent with their established visual style. Her work was precise and fast; you could see progress happening in real time.
Stelle and March 7th became a two-person "materials and atmosphere" team. Under Arthur's guidance, they scoured the internet for standout game trailers, from big-budget blockbusters to stylish indie projects, sorting them by type and analyzing camera work, music, and key messaging.
They also handled the grunt work: cropping images, gathering audio assets, and anything else that needed doing, moving around cheerfully without complaint.
The steady rhythm of keyboards and mouse clicks, mixed with the occasional hushed discussion between the two of them, formed a tense, focused kind of harmony.
Kiana and Mei found themselves temporarily sidelined. They were the core visual focus, but most of the processing work fell to Bronya.
After watching for a while, Mei glanced at the sun climbing toward noon, then gently tugged on Kiana's sleeve.
"Kiana, everyone's really focused right now. I'll go make lunch. I picked up quite a bit today, so I can put together some soup and a few simple dishes. You can stay here and watch, or… take a break?"
Kiana gave a distracted hum, her attention elsewhere. Her gaze drifted across the room before settling on the comic page open on Stelle's monitor.
Seeing that she'd been acknowledged, Mei quietly stood, grabbed her bag, and headed to the small makeshift kitchen in the corner, moving with her usual calm rhythm.
Washing vegetables, slicing meat, laying out spices, everything she did carried a practiced ease. It stood in sharp contrast to the hectic energy on the other side of the room, yet somehow fit perfectly with it.
Kiana sat alone, idly tracing patterns on the table. She stared at the lonely comic page on her screen. The view count had just barely climbed past three hundred.
The comments and shares were sparse. A few short lines:
"Nice art style."
"Interesting concept."
"The main character's named Kiana? I know someone with that name."
A familiar mix of anxiety and stubborn frustration crept into her chest. She clicked the page and refreshed it a few times, watching the numbers tick upward at a pace that made her stomach tighten.
As if making up her mind, Kiana pulled out her phone and opened a social media app. Her finger hovered over a contact labeled "Sirin (Trouble)" before she finally tapped it.
Their chat history ended months ago. The last message was hers:
"Stop sending me those weird game clips! They're annoying!"
Sirin. Not her real sister, but someone their mom had taken in years ago for reasons Kiana never fully understood.
A little younger than her, a hardcore shut-in and streamer. Personality-wise… Kiana would describe her as a handful, always sarcastic, completely absorbed in her virtual world.
They'd never gotten along. Every time they met, it turned into an argument, and online wasn't much better.
And yet, in gaming circles, Sirin had plenty of followers.
She had a sharp eye for games, and when she criticized something, she knew exactly where to hit.
After a brief hesitation, Kiana started typing.
"Hey, you around? Got something to show you."
The message sent and disappeared into silence. Sirin kept strange hours. At this time, she was probably asleep or just going to bed.
Kiana waited a few minutes.
Nothing.
She pressed her lips together, then copied and pasted the link to the Honkai Impact 3rd comic.
"Our studio just released this today. Take a look and give me your 'professional' opinion. And don't share it with anyone."
After sending it, she flipped her phone face down on the desk, like she didn't want to deal with it anymore.
Out of sight, out of mind.
She looked up at the busy room again.
Arthur and Dan Heng were quietly discussing how to pull off a transition effect. On Bronya's screen, the basic skeletal animation was nearly complete, and the character was already going through test movements. Stelle and March 7th were huddled around a monitor, reacting dramatically to an explosion shot in a trailer they'd found.
From the kitchen, the smell of simmering soup drifted over, blending with the aroma of Mei's stir-fry.
Everything was moving forward.
Kiana took a slow breath and decided to stop obsessing over the numbers. She stood and walked over to Mei.
"Need a hand?"
"It's okay, I'm almost done." Mei turned and gave her a warm smile. "Why don't you check if the Captain needs anything? Or start thinking about your lines for the trailer. Didn't he say he wanted some strong combat lines earlier?"
Right, voice lines.
Kiana's eyes lit up. She spun around, jogged back to her seat, grabbed a pen and paper, and started brainstorming.
"Check out what I can do!"
"For everything beautiful in this world!"
"Mei! Bronya! Stay close!"
She kept writing, and before she realized it, she was slipping into character, a smile slowly spreading across her face.