CHAPTER 33 - SUBNAUTICA RELEASED

IGN is a globally renowned multimedia site and one of the most influential authorities in the gaming world.

Its comprehensive scoring system and professional reviews have earned it a reputation for credibility and expertise. For many gamers, an IGN score is a deciding factor before purchasing a game.

Usually, IGN releases its reviews a few days after a game's launch. But this time, things were... different.

Following the release of 'Silent Hill PT', IGN was silent. No review, no score, nothing.

This immediately caused a stir among some players, who flooded IGN's comment sections demanding an update.

To fans, receiving a high score from IGN isn't just praise, it's a badge of honor. With Silent Hill performing spectacularly and Subnautica gaining traction, Tony's newly established studio, New World, had already attracted a massive fanbase.

For these loyal fans, defending the studio's reputation was non negotiable.

Under mounting pressure from players, IGN couldn't afford to keep silent. Today, they finally published their long awaited review of Silent Hill, accompanied by a series of articles.

[To say this is a generational leap in horror gaming is no exaggeration. The visuals blur the line between reality and fantasy. From ghostly wives haunting the halls, to terrified girls hiding in bathroom stalls, to the heavy, suffocating atmosphere, this is horror steeped in the subtle brilliance of storytelling. The game's hidden clues are expertly woven into the experience, culminating in a shocking twist that's both unforgettable and brilliantly executed. It seamlessly blends entertainment with introspective narrative. In short, IGN Score: 10/10.]

Now, keep in mind, IGN is often subtly biased against games. Historically, dozens of titles worthy of 10/10 get 5/10, and they wanted to do that to Silent Hill, but it was just too good.

Even the most jaded reviewers couldn't bring themselves to deduct a single point. Anything less than a perfect score would've sparked outrage from New World's growing army of global fans.

IGN's credibility was on the line. So they stayed silent.

At this point, New World has tens of millions of fans across the world. It's not a fight IGN could afford to pick.

The moment the perfect score dropped, fans nodded in satisfaction and moved on.

---BREAK---

Back at home, Tony had no idea his fame was exploding globally.

He was busy putting the finishing touches on Subnautica, before uploading it to the Steam platform.

As announced, the game was priced at $499 dollars and set to upload at exactly 8:00 PM.

As the clock ticked closer to launch, Tony and Natalie stood in front of the screen, staring at the Steam backend with anticipation.

"Refresh it! Let's see how many copies we've sold!" Natalie was bouncing with excitement, clinging to Tony's shoulder.

"It's not time yet, it's 7:59. One more minute..." he replied calmly.

"Oooohhhhhh..."

The tension was thick as they watched the seconds pass.

"It's 8:01 now! Refresh it, quick!!" Natalie yelled.

"Alright, alright, I'm on it," Tony said with a sigh, though he was just as eager.

He hit refresh.

Sales: 0.

"WHAT?! Not a single copy?!" Natalie shrieked.

"Calm down, it's just the Steam backend lagging. Probably too many people online," Tony explained, though he was a bit puzzled too.

After all, this was the 6G era. Internet freezes weren't supposed to happen anymore... unless...

Ten long minutes passed before the page finally refreshed.

And then, Sales: 103,465 copies!

"HOLY-!!! HOW MANY DIGITS IS THAT?!" Natalie screamed, grabbing Tony's head and shaking it.

"Stop shaking! I can't even count like this!" Tony protested in a daze.

They were still laughing when Tony's phone started vibrating non stop.

Bank notifications.

[Your account ending in 4396 has received a deposit of $39,794,230 Dollars.]

Steam had already deducted its cut and transferred the revenue to Tony's account.

His eyes went wide.

He finally calmed down enough to check the numbers.

In just ten minutes, he had nearly 40 million dollars in his account.

"This... this is unreal." Tony stared at his phone, completely stunned.

He had clearly underestimated the game's popularity.

"Fourty million... good lord," Natalie murmured, frozen in place.

They looked around the room in disbelief. Nothing felt real anymore.

Meanwhile, across the world, players had been counting down the seconds to Subnautica's launch.

It was 8 PM GMT, but elsewhere it was the dead of night, early morning, didn't matter. Players had set alarms, woken up, and hovered over the purchase button, ready to click the instant the game went live.

The sheer volume of purchases caused Steam to lag and stutter.

Some cursed their frozen screens, others who got through screamed with joy as they began downloading.

At the same time, every major streaming platform lit up like fireworks.

For the first time ever, every streamer was live with the same game.

Even in the hottub streams, the most famous female streamers had all switched over to Subnautica.

Games like League of Legends and CS? Forgotten.

Everyone wanted to experience the otherworldly depths of Subnautica.

Big name streamers like Saya, BigJacky, and MissMathers all had eager expressions as they loaded up the game.

They slipped into their extra sensory suits and entered a breathtaking alien world.

A thrilling sky dive from 10,000 meters. A vast, mesmerizing ocean. A glimpse of the majestic auroras.

Then, Cortana the AI appeared.

Soon, some players faced their first real challenge, learning to swim.

"Damn, swimming is hard in this game!"

"Wife Cortana, please slow down, I don't get it!"

"This is exhausting... but I'll keep going for the adventure!"

"MOM! This is basically a swimming simulator!"

At that moment, over 1,400,000 players, streamers and casuals alike, were all flailing around, learning to swim under Cortana's guidance.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that New World had just jump started a worldwide movement... in swimming education.

---BREAK---

Back home, as Tony and Natalie watched the sales numbers rise and listened to the steady ping of bank notifications...

They both felt a little numb.

"We need to do something. Anything," Tony muttered. "If we just sit here, we'll be buried in money."

Natalie opened Twitch to kill time and see how the game was doing and was instantly stunned.

Every stream, across every category, was playing the same game.

"No way, I need to get in too! If I don't, everyone's gonna pass me up! All my fans will run off and watch someone else!"

She leapt up, abandoning her brother, and bolted back to her room.

"Heh... let's see if the story doesn't break you first," Tony chuckled softly, watching her go.

1104 Words.