Parallel World Game Developer

Chapter 37: Chapter #37: Another One

Carter stared at the latest regional sales metrics for Sprout Studio, a massive grin plastered across his face.

He was currently on a video call with his longtime industry contact, practically vibrating with excitement as he explained exactly why he had canceled his corporate transfer.

"Ivan, my regional metrics are completely through the roof!" he boasted.

"Carter, I can see the data. His games are performing incredibly well, and I’m definitely not denying the kid’s potential," Ivan replied, his voice laced with a heavy sigh. "But right now, his studio is still miles away from the scale I actually need, so I’m going to have to pass on your suggestion."

"Come on, Ivan. I already told him I’d introduce the two of you," Carter urged, looking earnestly into the webcam. "Who knows? Maybe he can actually solve the massive headache you’re dealing with right now."

"A solution?" Ivan let out a dry, helpless laugh. "Carter, you’ve been stationed out in that region for way too long. Do you know what my board would call it if I actually went to this ’Nova’ kid for help? It’s called grasping at straws. It’s a total Hail Mary."

He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "Look, I know he pulled your division out of the fire, but he can’t pull me out of mine. The infrastructural problems I’m facing right now aren’t simple enough for a two-man indie team to fix."

"Well, your division is basically a dead horse anyway," Carter muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Ivan asked, leaning closer to his mic.

"I said, just meet the guy. Do it as a favor to me," Carter pleaded, staring down his friend. "I already promised Ethan I’d set up the introduction."

"Alright, fine. I have a scheduled business trip out to your coast in about ten days anyway, so I’ll carve out some time to meet him," Ivan conceded, looking at his friend with exasperated fondness. "But let’s get one thing straight right now—it’s just a meet-and-greet. I am not agreeing to any of your other crazy requests."

The call disconnected a few moments later, leaving Carter to let out a long, heavy sigh.

Ethan’s current achievements were blindingly impressive in the indie space, but in the eyes of a true corporate titan like the CEO of Xbox, Sprout Studio was still just small potatoes.

Meanwhile, the cultural phenomenon of Overcooked continued to spread like wildfire. For most guys in the gaming community, having a girlfriend who was actively willing to play video games with them was a dream come true.

The sheer viral popularity of the cooking simulator had convinced countless women to download the game and drag their boyfriends into the digital kitchen.

During the initial launch window, players had constantly joked about using the chaotic game as an excuse to break up.

But as couples actually pushed through the grueling campaign, they found a strange sense of mutual understanding.

Exactly as Sprout Studio had stated during their infamous customer service stream, players were actively developing stronger emotional bonds through the digital crucible.

In any relationship, a little bit of noise is always better than dead, suffocating silence. The chaotic shouting matches and the frantic, high-stress conflicts engineered by the game provided the absolute perfect pressure valve to resolve real-world grievances.

"I’m so sorry. I was the one who put you on the spot during that live interview, and I’m just so incredibly glad it didn’t end up hurting your studio," Irina Jelavic said over the phone.

Ever since the live broadcast ended, Irina had been meaning to call Ethan to formally apologize.

Now that the staggering sales data and glowing community reviews for Overcooked were officially public, she finally had the courage to reach out.

The game’s unprecedented success didn’t erase her professional misstep.

"It’s really not an issue. If Sprout Studio wants to earn the absolute trust of the global player base, we have to survive these kinds of tests," Ethan replied, shaking his head.

No matter what genre of game he was developing, the players were his absolute foundation.

He wasn’t afraid of taking massive, seemingly impossible gambles with his design deadlines. What he was truly afraid of was losing his credibility.

He had publicly promised to release a massive AAA title by the middle of next year, and right now, most people in the industry were just politely smiling, not taking his claim seriously.

But what happens next year?

If he actually managed to deliver a sprawling masterpiece and launched his marketing campaign, the players wouldn’t just stare in confused disbelief.

AAA games on the modern market typically cost seventy or eighty dollars. Without a rock-solid foundation of trust and anticipation, why would any gamer blind-buy a premium title from a relatively new studio?

"Thank you. You really are an incredible designer," Irina said, her voice still laced with a trace of lingering guilt. "Is there... is there actually going to be a AAA game next year?" she asked quietly.

Realizing exactly how that sounded, she immediately panicked and backpedaled. "Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like that! I’m not doubting your abilities!"

"It’s just that your development pacing is so incredibly fast, and your production cycles are so short... literally no one in the history of the industry operates at this speed," Irina said anxiously, terrified that Ethan would misinterpret her genuine curiosity as an insult.

Ethan just smiled. He could perfectly picture the sharp, short-haired journalist frantically gripping her phone on the other end of the line. "I know exactly what you meant. I’ll send you an image in a minute. It’s some early concept art for our next project," he said, clicking through the encrypted files on his computer.

"Wait, really?" Irina gasped, caught completely off guard. "You already have assets ready? Are you actively developing it right now?"

"Yeah. Once we wrapped up the final bug-fixes for Overcooked, the studio went on another massive hiring spree. The new project is already in full production," Ethan said casually.

He had absolutely no idea how much psychological shock those words were inflicting on the journalist.

"Can you... can you tell me exactly how many people are currently working at Sprout Studio?" Irina asked, swallowing hard.

Her grip tightened around her phone. She knew Ethan was incredibly ambitious and always had a plan, but she hadn’t expected him to be moving this aggressively.

"We had about thirty people before the Valentine’s Day push. We just successfully onboarded another hundred," Ethan replied.

Irina went completely silent. The monthly payroll for a hundred and thirty top-tier developers was an astronomical figure.

She knew Ethan had made an absolute fortune off his first few games, but sustaining a massive workforce while simultaneously funding a new, high-budget game?

The studio was acting like a massive, bottomless furnace, burning through capital every single second.

Before Overcooked launched, a few dedicated fans had actually compiled a comprehensive timeline of Ethan’s career on Reddit, documenting the explosive growth of Sprout Studio.

Although the company was still relatively young, its trajectory was already an absolute legend in the gaming industry. His first game, Getting Over It, had been built on a budget of literally zero dollars, and he had poured every single penny of profit directly into Dead Cells.

And now, he had just hired a hundred new developers. When it came to game design, the man was a complete fanatic, willing to bet his entire net worth on a single hand without blinking.

Irina felt a wave of dizzying confusion.

Back when he had reinvested a couple hundred thousand dollars, the industry called it youthful arrogance and entrepreneurial passion.

But throwing tens of millions of dollars onto the table without batting an eye?

"Are you... are you considering taking on outside venture capital in the future? I know a few high-level angel investors who aren’t overly controlling. I could introduce you to them," Irina offered, genuinely worried that his cash flow was going to snap.

"Not right now," Ethan shook his head dismissively. "If the studio runs low on cash, we’ll just make another game. If the market for our older titles saturates, we’ll just release something new."

Even distorted through the phone’s audio receiver, Irina could hear the sheer, undeniable arrogance in his voice.

In that exact moment, she desperately wished she was standing right in front of him, listening to him talk about his wild ambitions and his absolute mastery over the medium.

"I sincerely hope your production goes smoothly, and that the studio continues to thrive!" Irina said, taking a deep, steadying breath.

It felt like all she could do was wish him luck from the sidelines.

"I appreciate it. I just sent the artwork to your inbox. Take a look."

"Am I allowed to share this with the public?" Irina asked.

"Go ahead," Ethan confirmed.

After hanging up the phone, Irina opened her email client, her heart pounding with nervous apprehension.

The sender was Ethan Vale.

Attached to the email was a single, high-resolution image.

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