Chapter 154
“Exactly. That must be it p>
Now, all that was left was to let the data do the talking.
Julian shut down his computer, rubbing his tired eyes as he prepared to wash up and get some sleep. He hadn’t had a proper night’s rest in days, all thanks to the upcoming launch of their new game.
Meanwhile, across the city, Jayden Sterling was livestreaming from his studio.
Jayden was a popular gaming streamer. During his download of The Chandler Group’s much-hyped “Event Horizon,” his stream kept stuttering, prompting a flood of comments from his viewers urging him to try Apex’s new release instead.
Wearing his headset, Jayden sighed in exasperation. “Imperial Ascent? From Apex? Come on, what kind of decent game could Apex possibly make? Downloading their stuff is just a waste of bandwidth, isn’t it p>
[Haha, yeah, it’s a waste all right p>
[Even if it’s a waste, I kinda want to see it p>
[Same here! Remember when Apex faked that AAA trailer for clout? Jayden, go stream Imperial Ascent and show them up p>
With most of his viewers egging him on, Jayden moved his mouse to Apex’s official site. “Fine, fine, since all of you want to see it, I guess I’ll take one for the team. Not like I have anything better to do p>
What could he say? He was a sucker for his fans.
The Imperial Ascent installer downloaded almost instantly.
Most big games, with their heavy graphics and sprawling content, took at least ten minutes to install. Imperial Ascent? Done in under a minute.
What kind of quality could you expect from something that quick?
As he opened the game, Jayden muttered, “If it downloads this fast, you know it’s gonna be garbage. Honestly, if it weren’t for you guys, I wouldn’t touch this train wreck with a ten-foot pole p>
The game’s launch screen hit him with a dazzling, cinematic display: “Welcome to Imperial Ascent p>
The visuals were jaw-dropping, almost surreal in their realism.
At the bottom of the screen, a small credit appeared:
Game Designer: Miss Kensington.
Jayden paused, then smirked. “Okay, I’ll give them this-the opening looks like a legit AAA title. Too bad it’ll probably fall apart after this. Who cares about a flashy intro if the game itself sucks? And this Miss Kensington-she’s all style, no substance. She’s got nothing on Mr. Chandler p>
He registered an account and started following the in-game tutorial, his cynicism slowly giving way to surprise, then outright shock.
“Holy crap… Holy-wait a second! No way. Apex actually pulled off a AAA game p>
Imperial Ascent was an open-world survival shooter. Players could hunt wild animals, and there were tons of customizable features built into the game. The engine wasn’t static like every other title on the market-everything felt dynamic and alive. And the visuals? Nothing short of revolutionary. It was unlike anything he’d played before.
Jayden was hooked within minutes, completely forgetting he was live on stream, lost in the unfolding story. It wasn’t until his assistant nudged him that he snapped back to reality. “Sorry, guys! This game is insane! I owe Miss Kensington and Apex a huge apology for what I said earlier. From now on, Apex and Miss Kensington are my heroes p>
“Everybody, go download Imperial Ascent right now p>
[Whoa! Miss Kensington is the real deal p>
[I’m downloading it right now p>
[I can’t believe it! Remember when people abroad used to mock us for never making a proper AAA game? Not anymore! I’m from Eldermere and I’m proud!] [Miss Kensington rules p>
[Who is this Miss Kensington, anyway? She’s even more legendary than a dark horse breakout p>
[Can’t wait for The Celestial Awards! Maybe we’ll finally see what Miss Kensington looks like p>
In an instant, the tide turned.
Players who’d been anxiously waiting for Event Horizon abandoned ship, flooding Apex’s website to download Imperial Ascent.
In just over an hour, downloads for Imperial Ascent skyrocketed from a few hundred to over a million.
Positive reviews poured in.
Apex, Miss Kensington, and Imperial Ascent all shot up the trending charts on Twitter.
Meanwhile, over at The Chandler Group, Event Horizon’s downloads stagnated at their initial numbers. The game, once hyped to the heavens, now looked downright embarrassing next to Apex’s breakout hit. Disappointed fans tanked its rating from a perfect ten to a measly three.
The next morning.
Julian had barely gotten out of bed when Dalton burst into his room, breathless and excited. “Julian, Apex-Caitlin-they’re trending! They made it to the top of the charts p>
Trending?
Apex?
How could Apex be trending?
And Caitlin-that bumpkin? Even less likely!
There was only one possible explanation.
He, the once-in-a-decade dark horse, must have made it to the top alongside The Chandler Group. Dalton just hadn’t explained it clearly.
With that thought, Julian jumped up from the couch, eyes wide. “Is it us? Did our game make the trending list p>