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When Ansoft promoted Interstellar, the massive red headline advertising the game wasn't the only thing dominating the homepage of Starry Sky Games. Another bold headline sat prominently beneath it: "We Visited PixelPioneers Games and Talked With John About Metal Gear."
This special feature belonged to Starry Sky Games's ongoing interview series, "Meet and Talk," a column dedicated to in-depth conversations with game developers. Besides introducing the internal workings of PixelPioneers Games, the article focused heavily on a discussion between Duncan and John regarding "Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain."
One topic in particular caught players' attention. John explained that the story of Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain wasn't a simple tale of justice defeating evil. It was a story about victory and defeat.
Whether it was BIG BOSS, who appeared to stand on the side of justice, Skull Face, who seemed to embody evil, or even the hidden forces manipulating events behind the scenes, everyone had their own convictions.
Miller's betrayal.
Eli's defection.
None of it was black and white. Everyone believed they were right.
Of course, while lore discussions excited dedicated fans, most players cared far more about something else John revealed during the interview. Future DLC plans.
According to John, Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain would receive two major DLC expansions.
The first would focus on Venom Snake after Eli escaped from Mother Base.
The second was the one countless players desperately wanted, the story between BIG BOSS and THE BOSS.
Why did BIG BOSS kill THE BOSS? How did a loyal patriot soldier eventually transform into someone determined to build a nation without borders? Those questions had haunted players for a long time.
But if those announcements excited players, the next revelation nearly exploded the entire gaming community. According to John's description, Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain also contained a hidden ending. An ending so difficult that it might even be impossible.
The moment players heard that statement, they froze. What did that mean? A hidden ending. But also impossible? Wasn't that contradictory? A hidden ending existed so players could discover it. If nobody could complete it, then what was the point?
Instantly, countless angry players flooded the website and the comment section erupted. People accused the editors of deliberately twisting John's words. John had clearly said the conditions were extremely difficult and demanding, yet somehow Starry Sky Games turned that into: "Possibly impossible."
Inside Starry Sky Games's office, Duncan watched the increasingly chaotic comment section. A familiar feeling washed over him. Wronged. Helpless. Frustrated.
"How is this my fault? Can they seriously blame me for this?"
Those were John's words. If PixelPioneers Games hadn't specifically requested edits to the interview footage, Duncan would have uploaded the raw recording immediately just to clear his own name. Unfortunately, he couldn't.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the industry, the major companies had already smelled opportunity, like sharks catching blood in the water. Borrow someone else's knife and strike someone else down. Use the overwhelming popularity of Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain to suppress Interstellar Storm.
Maybe it wouldn't damage long-term sales. But ruining its momentum? Preventing a perfect launch? That alone was valuable.
As for PixelPioneers benefiting from the situation, compared to Ansoft and UEGame's steady expansion plans, helping PixelPioneers grow slightly was the lesser evil. After all, Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain was already available on all three platform ecosystems. If the game kept succeeding, everyone made money. Everyone benefited. It was practically the ideal scenario.
Players soon noticed something strange. PixelPioneers Games itself remained unusually quiet, yet Gemtechs, Moondustries and Essence, all three companies seemed even more enthusiastic than the studio itself.
News channels flooded with coverage about Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain's future DLC. Speculation about the hidden ending exploded across forums. Discussion spread everywhere.
Inside PixelPioneers headquarters, John stared at the internet situation, then he turned toward Armani beside him.
Compared to John's confusion, Armani looked serious. "This isn't a good sign. The big three compete fiercely with each other. But the moment a newcomer grows large enough to threaten them... They unite."
On the surface, PixelPioneers looked like the biggest winner, but Armani thought further ahead. What if today's Ansoft became tomorrow's PixelPioneers? How would the major companies respond? Public competition? Private pressure? No one knew.
"Sir," Armani said seriously. "I think we should deliberately cool our momentum, at least until Ansoft gains enough traction."
If PixelPioneers only wanted short-term gains, then maximizing exposure made sense. But after hearing John's long-term VR ambitions, Armani already viewed the major companies as future rivals. John focused on making great games while Armani focused on ensuring PixelPioneers survived long enough to keep making them. John built the products while Armani managed strategy.
"What are you thinking?" John asked.
"Push even more information out now," Armani said calmly. "Create one final eruption of attention, then let the heat cool naturally and put Ansoft back in front to keep us out of direct sight."
He paused. "Also... I've already met with Warwick Technology regarding VR hardware support. As long as we prove we have the capability, Warwick is willing to provide funding assistance."
The VR industry had become increasingly competitive. New investors. Emerging brands. Established hardware companies. Everyone wanted market share. VR had already expanded beyond movies and entertainment. Now, gaming had become the battlefield. And no company intended to ignore the market.
John understood exactly why Warwick supported them. It wasn't charity. It wasn't goodwill. It was because PixelPioneers had proven itself.
Still, John couldn't help feeling surprised as Armani had changed. The Armani who first joined PixelPioneers wasn't the same person standing here now. He had grown. Improved. Evolved.
John smiled. "Leave the games to me. That much, I'm confident about."
Gameplay systems. Design philosophy. Dream memories. Those gave him advantages. But VR development, that was still an enormous challenge. Because this wasn't simple adaptation, he wanted to recreate experiences originally built for PC and handheld platforms and rebuild them entirely for VR. The difficulty was enormous.
Hearing John's confidence, Armani smiled too. "Good. Because I'm confident too."
PixelPioneers had earned enough credibility. Enough success. Enough results. That was why Warwick listened. That was why negotiations happened. And that was why opportunities existed.
Meanwhile, while John and Armani passionately planned PixelPioneers' future, players online were losing their minds. A hidden ending existed. Fine. But how did people unlock it? Nobody knew.
Countless players immediately logged back into the game. Then, they sat in front of their computers. Completely lost. No clues. No guidance. No direction. Only one cruel truth. There was a hidden ending and somehow, they had to find it.
How were they supposed to figure that out?