Here is another free chapter for you to enjoy.
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Looking at the reporter, who was clearly caught in an awkward and slightly forced state, John understood the reality of the situation: there was no way to slow everyone down. Why was the Q&A session in the middle of Resident Evil 2 canceled, only for the conference to jump directly into the promotional announcement of Metal Gear?
The reason was simple: to deliberately create a sense of tension, forcing everyone to momentarily forget what had just happened. In fact, aside from briefly revealing a fragment of the background setting, Metal Gear did not even disclose the true identity of its protagonist. So John decisively pushed the topic forward, shifting straight into the next segment most reporters had been eagerly awaiting, Question Time!
As for why he didn't introduce the core gameplay of Metal Gear? There was nothing in the demo video. How was he supposed to introduce something that didn't exist yet? Was he supposed to fool everyone with empty words?
At least Resident Evil 2 still had its previous installment as a reference, along with a promotional video that allowed players to fill in the gaps with their imagination. But Metal Gear? There was nothing to rely on. The few fragments shown in the only promotional video were directly borrowed from Red Alert: World War.
Initially, John had planned to reveal some story details to the audience, but that idea was quickly shut down. Absolutely not. For Metal Gear, knowing the plot in advance would strip away much of the enjoyment.
Moreover, this was an enormous series in its own right. According to John's vision, not every installment would be completed solely through games; the overarching story would also be expanded via DLCs and comics. If a game like this revealed too much early on, players would lose much of the fun.
After careful consideration, John abandoned the idea altogether. Revealing that the world of Metal Gear was connected to Red Alert: World War was more than enough.
Meanwhile, while most players had yet to fully react, industry insiders, including representatives from other companies and producers, would have been anything but pleased. From their perspective, John's decision was baffling. A game producer studying filmmaking? Everyone was curious about what impact that might have on game development. At most, wouldn't it just lead to more elaborate camera work and cutscenes?
As for serious directing studies, was that overkill? If he truly wanted a director, couldn't he simply hire a second or third-tier one for the project? Did a game producer really believe that learning directing would suddenly make him world-class? That was completely unrealistic.
What they didn't know was that John was never fighting alone. If he was going to learn something, he would learn it at the highest level, nothing less. More importantly, he already knew exactly how to apply it and why it would make a difference. Priceless knowledge from another world was stored deep within his mind.
Whether they understood it or not, industry insiders watching this conference remained confused. Everyone was waiting to see what kind of bomb he would drop next, especially regarding Metal Gear.
But what was that trailer? A hazy, almost confessional monologue, followed by footage clearly edited from Red Alert: World War, capped off with a single mech at the end. That was it. What exactly did any of it have to do with Metal Gear, aside from the language and the final robot?
Unlike those closely following the PixelPioneers Studio game conference from afar, the journalists present at the venue initially watched the Metal Gear promotional video with puzzled expressions. However, the moment the Q&A session began, their energy surged, and hands shot into the air.
Even if the trailer had disappointed them slightly, it didn't matter. As long as John was willing to reveal something during the Q&A, it would be worth it.
Differing from the earlier Red Alert: World War questions, John ignored the expectant gazes of second- and third-tier media outlets and directly selected a reporter from Game Starry Sky to ask the first question.
The reporter stood up immediately after being called, took the microphone handed over by the staff, and asked: "Mr. John, you mentioned online before that you conducted professional training in directing knowledge for the development of Metal Gear. May I ask, does this mean Metal Gear is a movie-style game?"
Movie-style games were no longer rare. These games were structured like films, with players influencing the story through in-game choices, similar to visual novels or galgames. The difference was that the latter relied mainly on illustrations and text, while the former unfolded like a full-length movie.
Most games of this type were built for VR platforms and were extremely expensive. Ordinary players usually experienced them in specialized VR venues rather than at home. Of course, PC versions existed, but their immersion was nowhere near comparable.
Hearing the question, a smile appeared on John's face. This one was easy. If the reporter had asked about development progress or release timing, he would have had to choose his words carefully. But this kind of question? He was very familiar with that.
"No, this will be a pure action-adventure game," John replied calmly. "Players will have a very high degree of freedom, but it won't be like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, where you can go anywhere and do anything." He paused slightly before continuing.
"That's not the style of Metal Gear. In some aspects, it is a linear game. You will have missions to complete. These missions might be straightforward or even brutal, destroy something, kill someone, arrest someone, or rescue someone."
"However, during the execution of these missions, the player has full control. You can choose your methods, routes, and timing. There will be story content woven into these missions, but actions unrelated to the mission will be restricted because we clearly tell you there's a task that must be completed."
"In this sense, Metal Gear and The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim are fundamentally different. You can't simply do whatever you want; you must complete the mission. But within that framework, we'll give players enough freedom and fun."
"You might even create a zoo halfway through," John said with a smile. "But in the end, you still need to complete the task to move forward. Before each mission, you'll know your time limit, for example, three full in-game days. How you use that time is entirely up to you. Of course, if the time runs out and the task isn't completed, failure awaits."