The next morning, Blake's alarm dragged him back to consciousness at 7:30 AM.
[Delta Force: Hazard Zone — Zero Dam DEMO production complete.]
[Delta Force: Hazard Zone — Longbow Valley has automatically begun production per host instructions.]
He got dressed and headed to a coffee shop. No particular reason — he just felt like discussing business over coffee was more professional. Set the right tone.
After ordering, Blake pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Ivy.
Blake: Hey Ivy, hope I'm not bothering you.
Blake: Quick update on Delta Force — my team and I are planning a small closed beta in three days. We'll be testing the Zero Dam demo, collecting player feedback for optimization.
Blake: Only problem is my studio space is pretty limited. Any chance we could borrow the company building? We'd need room for about 100 players testing simultaneously, plus decent network infrastructure.
Blake: Let me know if that works. Thanks!
He hit send, then picked up his coffee and gazed out the window.
Should be fine, he figured. Ivy's taste in games might be questionable — she'd seemed genuinely impressed by Desert Bus's "artistic vision" — but Delta Force's quality was undeniable. She'd agree. Who turns down money?
In Blake's estimation, once Delta Force launched, it would absolutely print cash in this world. Maybe not quite on the level of the original developers, who'd had massive corporate backing, but the profits would still be substantial.
Meanwhile, across town at Ivy's penthouse in the Lakeside Heights district, she was staring at Blake's message with her fingertips drumming against the table.
"Closed beta... Delta Force..."
The trailer flashed through her mind. Those graphics. That gunplay. The sheer polish of it all.
There was no way this game would flop. It was going to be a hit.
Her Infinite Loss System's current quest required Blake to create a "masterwork of garbage" that surpassed Desert Bus. The problem was, Desert Bus had actually done well — the gameplay was abstract nonsense, sure, but the music and visuals had carried it to unexpected success. The system had scored it at 73% "garbage completion," which squeaked past the 70% minimum for full rewards.
Generous grading, honestly. But Delta Force? That trailer made it extremely hard to imagine this game qualifying as garbage by any metric.
Ivy sighed.
The quest specifically required Blake to make the game. Too late to swap him out now.
And his so-called "Horizon Interactive" studio was terrifyingly efficient. They'd talked yesterday, and he already had a trailer and a playable demo ready?
She'd assumed she was catching him mid-development. Now she was starting to wonder if the game had been nearly finished before she even met him.
Whatever, she decided. Crane Interactive is basically a shell company anyway. Nothing but funds and a skeleton crew.
The second floor is empty. Lending it for a playtest costs me nothing.
And even if the game succeeds... there have to be other ways to lose money. The system can't only have main quests, right? Side quests? Daily challenges?
Besides — what if the test reveals critical bugs? What if player feedback is terrible? What if his masterpiece crashes and burns in front of a live audience?
That would complete the quest immediately.
And if it actually succeeds... well, a hit game means revenue. Revenue I can find creative ways to lose later.
After weighing the options, agreeing seemed like the smarter play.
She typed back:
Ivy: That works.
Ivy: Second floor is currently empty. Network and basic equipment should meet your needs.
Ivy: I'll have Ms. Ellis reach out to coordinate. Let her know what hardware and setup you need.
Blake saw the reply and smiled.
Done.
Blake: Really appreciate the support, Ms. Harper. I'll coordinate with Ms. Ellis on the details.
Calling her "Ivy" yesterday was fine — she'd asked him to. But when you're requesting favors, a little extra formality never hurts.
He set down his phone and moved to the next task: recruiting testers.
Logging into YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, and a handful of gaming forums, Blake started drafting the recruitment post. He aimed for that sweet spot between corporate professionalism and genuine enthusiasm:
HORIZON INTERACTIVE
Delta Force: Zero Dam — Closed Beta Recruitment
Hey everyone,
Thank you for all the incredible support and hype for Horizon Interactive and Delta Force. We've been blown away by the response to the trailer.
To help us polish the game and optimize the experience, we're launching our first small-scale closed technical test — and we want YOU to be part of it.
What We're Testing: Delta Force — Hazard Zone Mode: Zero Dam (Demo Version)
When: Three days from now (exact time TBA — watch this space)
Where: Crane Interactive Building, 2nd Floor, Bayview (Full address will be provided to selected testers)
How Many: 100 players only
Requirements:
Available for the full test session Willing to provide honest, detailed feedback Must sign NDA — no leaking test content
How to Apply: Drop a comment below. We'll randomly select 100 lucky players.
Notification: Winners announced one day before the test via DM. Check your inbox!
We can't wait to see you on the battlefield.
— Horizon Interactive
Blake proofread it once, then posted across every platform.
The comments started flooding in almost immediately.
"HOLY SHIT IT'S HAPPENING"
"Bayview? That's a six hour drive... when's the online test??"
"Zero Dam!! The one from the trailer!! PICK ME PICK ME"
"Horizon Interactive GOATED. Blake Weiss GOATED."
"I tested Desert Bus and can confirm Blake's games are S-tier. Please select me."
"Bro Desert Bus literally came out yesterday and never had a test. It only blew up because Vinny streamed See You Again."
"Shhh don't expose me I was trying to play the seniority card"
"Only 100 spots from MILLIONS of applicants?! (ಥ_ಥ) Please increase capacity!!"
"100 people for a game this hyped is CRIMINAL"
Blake watched the comments and shares multiply in real-time, nodding to himself. The hype train was still accelerating.
But he couldn't relax yet. He needed to coordinate with Ms. Ellis on the venue setup, and make sure the Constructs had the demo debugged to perfection.
Even system-generated workers weren't infallible. Better to double-check everything.
Three days...
"System, handle the lottery. Draw fifty winners today, fifty more tomorrow, then send out confirmation DMs the day after."
God, having a system was convenient. Delegate and forget.
[Acknowledged.]
[Drawing today's selections (displaying usernames):]
[Selected: JakeYardley, BigFishGaming66, Vinny, MatchKing_Undefeated, Upvote4Luck...]
PLZ THROW POWERSTONES.