Speaking of making empty promises, John believed he was already quite adept at it. Especially when he had the vivid memories of his dreams to draw from, the specific gameplay ideas and overall content of the game were entirely different from anything currently on the market. Naturally, the players watching the broadcast became extremely excited.
However, John had overlooked one crucial detail, something he had actually considered before. That was how this promise was being made. Although it sounded incredibly tempting, under the current circumstances, it simply lacked enough persuasiveness.
Settings? None!
Plot? Not revealed!
Real demonstration? That didn't even exist!
The players' understanding of Metal Gear relied solely on John's verbal description. At first, as they listened to his detailed explanations of the gameplay, genuine excitement took hold. Such descriptions! This game had to be a masterpiece!
The atmosphere in the room was electric, and enthusiasm spread rapidly. But as time went on, something began to feel… off. Wait a second, wasn't this supposed to be a game press conference? Why was there only sound and text, with no actual images? Why was the big screen behind them replaying the same promotional video shown earlier? What kind of process was this!?
Countless players fell into confusion.
"In theory, this gameplay mode sounds extremely attractive… but where's the video?"
"No, wait, this video looks familiar!"
"Isn't this the promotional trailer for Red Alert: World War? Did they play the wrong one?"
"That shouldn't be possible. This is a rookie mistake!"
"I suddenly have a terrifying guess…"
"Me too. I think I know what's going on."
With no alternative, the staff could only loop the previous promotional video. At that moment, countless players felt an unexplainable sense of malice creeping in.
On stage, the reporter who had just recorded John's answers discreetly pulled out his phone and glanced around the room. Then he looked up at John, still passionately immersed in his "promise," and his expression grew increasingly strange.
In the background, Martel observed the scrolling comments from online viewers, then looked at John, who was still elaborating on the gameplay with fervor. He silently sighed. Mr. John… good luck.
"Alright, next question," John announced calmly, as if nothing unusual had happened.
In truth, after blending old and new ideas and integrating gameplay concepts from his dreams, he had developed a few subtle emotional fluctuations. Some quiet thoughts were forming in his mind.
The second reporter selected was from a well-known domestic gaming outlet. The man quickly stood and posed a pointed question: "Mr. John, many players are extremely eager to know, when will Metal Gear be officially released?"
John had anticipated this. He smiled and answered evenly: "We've addressed this before. Currently, Metal Gear's development is temporarily at a bottleneck. We've hit some difficulties. I realize that the content we've created so far doesn't meet my own expectations. That's one of the reasons I've decided to continue studying further."
"As for the release date, I can't give an exact timeline. Game development has never been entirely predictable." He paused briefly before continuing: "For example, during development, we might suddenly come up with a more exciting gameplay idea. When that happens, we'll overhaul previous designs and rebuild from scratch. Bugs, new concepts, and adjustments are all unstable factors. But if everything proceeds smoothly, I believe Metal Gear will meet everyone next year."
The key questions players cared about had been mostly addressed, and among the media present, there was an unspoken rule: if you couldn't secure exclusive news, you'd pass the opportunity to someone else.
As a result, the remaining outlets asked increasingly casual questions. Some even shamelessly inquired about John and Luna's private lives. John brushed off these questions effortlessly, responded perfunctorily, and quietly added the names of those reporters to his little notebook.
Finally, he pointed to a second-tier media outlet. "Last question for today's press conference."
The reporter called upon showed a mix of surprise and excitement. He quickly stood and asked a question he'd prepared in advance: "Mr. John, the Resident Auto Chess developed by PixelPioneers attracted enormous attention earlier. Many developers are following this model, and companies like Gemtechs and two others have announced plans for VR versions of auto chess. What's your opinion on this trend? Does PixelPioneers have any plans to bring related games to VR?"
Hearing this, John couldn't help but smile. "Auto chess is simply a gameplay mode. It's normal for others to learn from it. This includes the earlier Skyrim card game from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, as well as auto chess itself. Both drew inspiration from traditional board games. Healthy competition is what drives us to create better experiences for players."
"As for VR, we do have plans in that direction. But we need to evaluate how the next-generation VR hardware performs before making a final decision." He then added with a grin, "Actually, I already have an idea that combines VR and AR. Whether it's feasible depends on whether the new VR gear is suitable. All I can reveal for now is that it will be a card-based game."
With that, John casually made another promise, right in front of the stunned faces of every reporter present. And surprisingly, it didn't seem so bad.
Not long ago, Gemtechs announced that Sword and Magic would be developed for VR. Simultaneously, similar chess-like VR games were being planned by Moondustries, Essence, and Ansoft, who had recently risen to prominence thanks to Epic Continent. Now, PixelPioneers was stepping into the same arena. Was this about to become a head-on clash?
Although John never explicitly said so, the journalists happily filled in the blanks. After all, what are reporters best at? A picture starts the story; the rest depends on the editor.
Meanwhile, viewers watching from home were utterly dumbfounded, question marks practically floating above their heads. A new project?! But the biggest problem remained: neither Metal Gear nor Resident Evil 2 had shown even a hint of progress.
All the players eagerly awaiting those titles wore expressions of pure despair. We're begging you, President John! Please stop making moves! Finish Metal Gear and Resident Evil 2 first!