"Metal Gear" is live?! All the players who saw the news were stunned for a moment, then instinctively glanced at the date and time. Today wasn't April Fools' Day, right?! No way. "Metal Gear" was really going online?
Players were instantly electrified. Didn't he say next year? Weren't other studios delaying their titles? Why was this one launching ahead of schedule? Was this some kind of surprise drop?
Although both John's account and the website of the Studio clearly stated that today's release, "Metal Gear", was merely a demo-scale experience with only a portion of the full content, that detail was collectively, conveniently ignored. At this moment, the only thing that countless players registered was one explosive fact: "Metal Gear" was online.
Major communities and forums instantly erupted into chaos.
"Holy hell! It's not April Fool's Day! I knew 'Metal Gear' was coming soon, but it's actually here?!"
"Someone pinch me! Tell me this isn't a dream! President John is insane!"
"You're not the President I know. Who replaced him?!"
"Stop talking, I'm buying it first. You guys fight over the rest!"
Posts flooded every corner of the internet as players vented their excitement and disbelief. Of course, among the tidal wave of hype, a few rational voices tried to break through.
"Wake up, brothers. This isn't the full 'Metal Gear.' It's just a trial version. A project of this scale selling that cheaply? The content can't be that long."
"Exactly. The main story might only last a few hours at best."
But logic had no chance against adrenaline; nobody wanted to listen. At this point, reason was optional. Hype was mandatory.
Inside the studio, John, who had finished fixing the remaining bugs for the game, scrolled through the online discussions and rubbed his chin awkwardly. A few hours of the main story? Sorry… you've overestimated it.
"It's fine to give players some benefits. The price isn't the issue," John muttered to himself. "But under normal circumstances, if they don't explore thoroughly, the story process is barely an hour… I feel like players might actually riot."
The more he read the speculation online, the more uneasy he felt. In his view, the quality of the game absolutely justified the price. But he also understood something clearly: Players don't just look at quality, they look at content volume.
And although there hadn't been any aggressive marketing campaign, the community's spontaneous enthusiasm had already pushed the game into a full-blown hype storm. If players discovered that the "trial" truly only contained a little over an hour of core storyline… It would feel less like a surprise and more like a betrayal.
Thinking about it, John glanced at Christy, who had already received countless metaphorical "blades" from impatient players. Sitting in his chair with a fan blowing gently beside him, John suddenly shivered for no apparent reason. He dared to imagine it, but he did not dare to experience it.
At the same time, the prequel comics tied to the game were scheduled to launch alongside the game. There would also be crossover content in "Red Alert." On top of that, all players who purchased this game would receive a 15% discount when the official full version was released.
Within minutes, John had already mapped out a full compensation-and-reward strategy in his mind. But he didn't announce it immediately. After all, no matter who you are, receiving additional benefits later always feels better than having everything laid out from the start. Surprise generosity creates warmth; upfront generosity becomes expectation.
Even without large-scale marketing, the launch of the Demo quickly dominated trending headlines. After the massive impact of "Resident Evil" and "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," they no longer held the same industry position they once did. Its reputation had transformed entirely.
With expanded distribution channels, the recruitment of Martel and others, and the formation of its own internal development team, they had grown rapidly. While it still wasn't quite on par with long-established second-tier giants like Ansoft, it was no longer trailing far behind.
And more importantly, "Metal Gear" was positioned as a full 3A-level project. Combined with the pedigree established by "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," it was impossible not to attract attention.
Adding to that, the current market window was unusually empty. Most major titles were clustered toward the end of the year, so this sudden release felt like a lightning strike across a clear sky.
Three days passed quickly. But for countless players eagerly awaiting "Metal Gear Solid," those three days dragged on like three years. What made them even more restless was this: Even after the official launch announcement, neither the distribution platforms nor their own storefront had opened pre-orders.
No pre-load. No purchase page. What if it got delayed at the last second? What? The release date was already publicly confirmed? As if that meant anything, the gaming industry had seen far worse betrayals.
On Friday, Ezekiel Wat had specifically taken a day off work. He sat in front of his computer, obsessively refreshing both the official site and the studio platform.
"Ten minutes to go… why isn't the purchase interface live yet? They're not going to delay it, right? Why not open pre-orders earlier? Don't tell me a 3A game the size of 'Metal Gear' won't even allow pre-download. If I have to wait until tomorrow to play, I'll lose it…" He kept muttering while hitting refresh again and again.
Finally, he manually typed: "Metal Gear."
Refresh.
When the page reloaded, Wat, who had been slouching moments ago, instantly shot upright. His eyes widened, and he subconsciously glanced at the clock.
"Holy, it's exactly midnight. Not a second early. Not a second late."
No more talking, he added the game to his cart without hesitation and sprinted through checkout. He grabbed his phone, opened the payment app, scanned the QR code displayed on the platform, and the payment was successful.
Looking at the newly added game in his library, he revealed a deeply satisfied smile. Perfect. He could go to sleep now. By morning, the download would be finished and ready to play. With that thought, he double-clicked the game to start downloading. Then, he stared at the download size and his expression slowly froze.
A row of question marks seemed to float above his head. Did he… buy the wrong game?