Chapter Summaries

Shen Miaomiao learned that Hyper Front was designed to fail, while Vendi’s aggressive promotion and massive preorders made Gu Sheng watch its launch with eager anticipation. As the game went live, streamer XTT began playing it amid skeptical chat messages.

• Gu Sheng explained that Hyper Front’s flaws were so severe that promotion would only magnify its failure, leaving Shen Miaomiao devastated that Vendi had acquired the project.
• Kornik celebrated Hyper Front’s enormous publicity campaign, while SNG editor Simon refused Vendi’s payment and denounced the game after its closed beta.
• Simon noted that Hyper Front had sold nearly three million copies in preorders despite its $75 price and criticized its design and monetization.
• Gu Sheng prepared snacks and warm brown sugar water before inviting Shen Miaomiao to watch Hyper Front’s launch stream.
• Streamer XTT entered a VR pod to play Hyper Front as viewers questioned its quality, its preorder sales, and the lack of a positive review from SNG.

XTT’s first experience with Hyper Front descended into a string of infuriating pop-ups, matchmaking problems, and a disastrous match, while Gu Sheng explained that Yamamoto Tsuna had copied the deliberately terrible features from his proposal. As streamers and players worldwide condemned the game, a major public-relations disaster began closing in on Kornik and Vendi.

• XTT entered Hyper Front and was overwhelmed by its paywall pop-ups and notification-filled menus.
• Gu Sheng told Shen Miaomiao that Old Lu and Da Jiang had suggested the obnoxious interface elements, and Shen realized the project’s designer was Yamamoto Tsuna.
• XTT struggled with fixed team roles and long damage-player queues before losing a Dog Tag match after his teammate stole his collected tags and the reporting system dismissed his complaint.
• XTT erupted in anger on stream, while viewers speculated that Vendi had stolen Gu Sheng’s intentionally disastrous proposal.
• Streamers and players worldwide criticized Hyper Front’s mechanics, monetization, character designs, and matchmaking, sparking a public-relations crisis for Kornik and Vendi.

Yunwei’s Hyper Front collapsed under massive refunds and backlash, worsened by a price cut that angered players further. As Yunwei’s crisis opened a gap in the immersive pod market, Gu Sheng told Yan Sheng and Chen Guangde that Overwatch would launch on May 5.

• Hyper Front received overwhelmingly negative reviews and nearly two million refunds, prompting Kornik to demand that Yamamoto Tsuna stabilize sales.
• Gu Sheng explained to Shen Miaomiao why early discounts betrayed players, while Yunwei announced a 25% price cut for Hyper Front just fifteen days after release.
• Players turned against Yunwei, its other games, and its supportive media, while Yunwei’s immersive pod sales also suffered.
• Yan Sheng and Chen Guangde discussed the opportunity to seize market share from Yunwei and warned that Komeila might exploit the crisis too.
• Gu Sheng told Yan Sheng and Chen Guangde that Overwatch would release as scheduled on May 5.

Golden Wind released Overwatch’s ultimate trailer, confirmed its May 5 launch, and used concept art to convince players that Yunwei’s Hyper Front had copied Overwatch. Shen Miaomiao feared her rebate would fail, but the chapter ended with news that Overwatch had sold only 320,000 pre-orders in its first week.

• Golden Wind released Overwatch’s trailer, which showed Winston, Tracer, and other heroes fighting to protect the Doomfist gauntlet, and announced the May 5 release date.
• Gu Sheng posted Overwatch concept art showing that several Hyper Front hero designs had appeared as discarded Overwatch drafts, and players treated the plagiarism dispute as settled.
• Golden Wind opened Overwatch pre-orders with a mystery collector’s weapon pack, while Shen Miaomiao worried that the project’s $138 million investment would trigger a massive rebate.
• Shen Miaomiao received news that Overwatch had sold only 320,000 pre-order copies during its first week.

Shen Miaomiao worried that Overwatch’s preorder count was too low, but Gu Sheng expected a surge after launch because players would see the game’s quality and preorder rewards. As streamers revealed the game’s generous bonuses, classic modes, and flexible team compositions, a six-player Bastion-and-shield lineup dominated matches until a tire dropped into their formation.

• Shen Miaomiao calculated that Overwatch had received only 810,000 preorders in nineteen days, while Gu Sheng said players were hesitant because Hyper Front had left them wary.
• Gu Sheng bet Shen Miaomiao that livestream viewers would regret not preordering, then revealed that Overwatch’s bonuses included crossover items from Golden Wind’s earlier games.
• XTT opened Overwatch’s preorder rewards on stream, prompting viewers to envy the exclusive cosmetics and promise to preorder Golden Wind’s future games.
• Players discovered Overwatch’s payload and control-point modes, virtual crosshair aiming, generous store options, and lack of a fixed team-composition lock.
• Qiezi, Dong Gua, and Liu Di joined Xiao Bo, Xiao Hei, and Soldier 76 to overwhelm opponents with a payload-mounted Bastion formation.
• As the group neared another win, a tire fell from above and landed among all six players.

Players and streamers explored Overwatch’s wild hero combinations and showcased spectacular plays, from Teacher Ma’s overtime Reaper wipe to Octane’s improvised Reinhardt counter against Pharah. Octane ended with a team kill after launching Reinhardt through a bridge gap to crush Pharah and follow up with Zarya’s ultimate and his own hammer strike.

• Qiezi’s team tried bizarre six-hero compositions, while XTT used Soldier 76’s Tactical Visor and precise aim to rack up kills.
• Teacher Ma waited outside the point as Reaper, then emerged during overtime and wiped out the enemy team with Death Blossom to secure victory.
• Octane’s teammates struggled against an enemy Pharah, and one teammate told him to use Reinhardt to deal with her.
• Octane ran to a ruined bridge in Eichenwalde and launched Reinhardt through a gap, charging into the airborne Pharah and killing her against a wall.
• Octane called for Zarya’s ultimate, then used Earthshatter and his hammer to eliminate the remaining enemies and achieve a team kill.

As Overwatch became a global hit and Hyper Front continued to fail, Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao celebrated while Vendi’s Ubisoft leaders feared their studio would be sold. The chapter ended with several news reports about Ubisoft reaching Gu Sheng’s desk, leaving the studio’s fate unresolved.

• Players celebrated Overwatch’s wild gameplay as Hyper Front’s poor reputation and sales continued to damage Vendi.
• Shen Miaomiao massaged Gu Sheng after losing a bet, and the two joked while watching players’ antics in Overwatch.
• Kaldanis and Sean Connery concluded that Hyper Front could not be saved and worried that Vendi would sell Ubisoft.
• Charlie Betan summoned Kaldanis and Connery to discuss Vendi’s situation and Ubisoft’s future.
• The next evening, several reports about Ubisoft appeared on Gu Sheng’s desk as Overwatch dominated gaming news.

After Overwatch launched to huge success, Gu Sheng asked Shen Miaomiao to approve buying Ubsoft, his former employer, despite its terrible reputation. Learning that Ubsoft owned the Tom Clancy series and other valuable game rights, Gu Sheng arranged to travel with Shen Miaomiao to America and begin Golden Wind’s reverse acquisition of Yunwei’s assets.

• Overwatch drew massive sales, player numbers, and media attention while Yunwei put Ubsoft up for sale for $89.2 million.
• Gu Sheng explained Ubsoft’s poor condition and the acquisition risks to Shen Miaomiao, who eagerly decided Golden Wind should buy it.
• Gu Sheng asked Moriya to investigate Ubsoft’s sale and learned it included the Tom Clancy novel and game rights, plus shelved projects such as Watch Dogs and Assassin.
• Gu Sheng told Moriya to keep Golden Wind running with Lu and Da Jiang, then announced that he and Shen Miaomiao would fly to America to pursue the acquisition.

Golden Wind’s Shen Miaomiao and Gu Sheng negotiated to acquire Ubisoft from US Cloud Might, exploiting the lack of other interested buyers to drive down the price. They reached an $81.29 million deal, completing the first step of Golden Wind’s reverse acquisition.

• Bétan learned that Ubisoft had drawn almost no interest and worried that US Cloud Might would have to sell its staff and intellectual property separately.
• Shen Miaomiao and Gu Sheng arrived at US Cloud Might, and Bétan discovered that Golden Wind was the prospective buyer.
• Shen Miaomiao insisted on inspecting the company and warned Bétan not to waste either side’s time, forcing him to accommodate them.
• Shen Miaomiao argued that Ubisoft’s weak prospects and lack of other buyers justified a lower price, and the two sides bargained over the acquisition.
• Golden Wind and US Cloud Might agreed on a purchase price of $81.29 million, and Gu Sheng said Golden Wind’s designated representative would handle the remaining matters.

After finalizing Golden Wind’s acquisition of Ubisoft, Shen Miaomiao watched the Overwatch exhibition match as the game approached its settlement target. Golden Experience won the opening fight of the deciding round with yjj’s six-player D.Va ultimate, leaving the finals still underway.

• Bettan completed negotiations with Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao, who celebrated their first step toward acquiring Cloudway Group with a photo outside its building.
• Shen Miaomiao checked Overwatch’s sales and saw that it needed only 180,000 more copies to reach the 3.06-million break-even target before settlement.
• Shen Miaomiao and Gu Sheng attended the international Overwatch streamer finals in Zhongjing, where Golden Experience faced Steel Chain Fingers in the deciding round on Ilios.
• XTT used Tuanzi’s damage boost to eliminate Steel Chain Fingers’ Pharah and Mercy at the start of the fight.
• Steel Chain Fingers wiped Golden Experience off the objective with Winston’s Primal Rage, but yjj’s D.Va ultimate then eliminated all six opponents and put Golden Experience ahead 1–0.

Golden Experience and Steel Chain Fingers fought a tense final round for the Overwatch Streaming Gold Cup and Golden Wind’s championship prize. Steel Chain Fingers seemed poised to win after wiping out most of Golden Experience, but Mercy’s arrival in overtime kept the match alive.

• Steel Chain Fingers won the second round with Eiki’s Graviton Surge and Ana’s Nano Boost enabling Octane’s Reinhardt to eliminate Golden Experience’s team.
• Before the final round, XTT reassured the shaken Tuanzi, and YJJ reminded her to observe the fight and choose her moment to use her ultimate.
• Both teams fought cautiously until their control progress reached 95%, trading attacks and ultimates without an early team wipe.
• Immortality Sever’s Genji forced the enemy monk to use his ultimate, but Ana put Genji to sleep and Steel Chain Fingers eliminated him.
• Eiki scattered Golden Experience with Primal Rage, and McCree’s High Noon wiped out most of the team as Steel Chain Fingers reached 99% control.
• Golden Experience’s Mercy appeared on the point during overtime and declared, “Hero Never Dies!”

Golden Experience won the Overwatch streamer exhibition final, and Gu Sheng announced that Golden Wind would establish an Overwatch professional league. As the tournament sent sales soaring, Shen Miaomiao watched her expected system rebate collapse by billions.

• Experience revived Golden Experience with her ultimate, and the team overwhelmed Steel Chain Fingers to win the final.
• Audiences across China, Japan, and the United States celebrated the match and rushed to buy Overwatch.
• Gu Sheng announced that Golden Wind would begin preparing an Overwatch professional league with Shark, Nicolive, and Twitch.
• Shen Miaomiao saw her estimated system return fall from $4.072 billion to $3.389 billion as the tournament's success drove sales higher.

After Overwatch’s success cost Shen Miaomiao her expected rebate, she cared for a drunken Gu Sheng and fell asleep beside him. Gu Sheng awoke from a nightmare of a lonely alternate life and resolved to make a game with Shen Miaomiao, beginning with It Takes Two.

• Overwatch sold 3.09 million copies in a week, and Shen Miaomiao accepted that she would have to keep fighting Gu Sheng’s successful projects.
• Shen Miaomiao brought the drunk Gu Sheng to their hotel room, cared for him, and fell asleep on the sofa.
• Gu Sheng dreamed he lived alone in another life, where Golden Wind did not exist and he could not reach his friends.
• Gu Sheng woke in terror, and Shen Miaomiao comforted him as he held her close.
• Gu Sheng decided he wanted to make a game of their own with Shen Miaomiao and named It Takes Two.

Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao returned to Binjiang after a playful morning together, while Golden Wind’s acquisition of Ubisoft sent Cloud Might’s stock price plunging. Sarah demanded an explanation from Kornik, who argued that the renamed Melancholy Blues could become a liability for Golden Wind and a chance for Cloud Might to strike back.

• Gu Sheng woke beside Shen Miaomiao after dreaming that he had returned to his original world, where she had never appeared in his life.
• Shen Miaomiao answered Shen Wanlin’s call while teasing Gu Sheng about his numb arm, then told him that Shen Wanlin wanted them to visit and eat his spicy braised pig trotters.
• Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao bought breakfast for Sen Gu’s group and traveled back to Binjiang, where Gu Sheng kept the details of his frightening dream secret.
• Golden Wind’s $80 million acquisition of Ubisoft and its renaming of the studio to Melancholy Blues sparked public outrage and sent Cloud Might’s stock price falling.
• Sarah confronted Kornik over the sale and the market losses, and Kornik defended the deal by claiming Ubisoft had been a burden and could become a weakness for Golden Wind.
• Sarah warned Kornik to stabilize Cloud Might’s stock price.

Gu Sheng assigned Melancholy Blues to develop It Takes Two, a 200-million-dollar co-op game for both motion pods and PC, and promised to join the team with Lu Bian and Xu Dajiang. The chapter ended with the studio rallying behind the project, while Shen Miaomiao privately wondered whether to confess her feelings to Gu Sheng.

• Gu Sheng chose Melancholy Blues to develop It Takes Two because the studio needed a chance to rebuild its reputation and his other teams were occupied or tied to secret projects.
• Shen Miaomiao enthusiastically approved the costly project, thrilled by the prospect of a co-op game she could play with Gu Sheng and its potential to lose money during the rebate period.
• Shen Miaomiao teased Gu Sheng about playing Escape Together with Lu Bian, then wondered whether to confess to him after the project made her a fortune.
• Gu Sheng explained that It Takes Two would support both motion pods and PC, requiring the team to coordinate first-person pod play with varied PC camera perspectives.
• Gu Sheng announced that he, Lu Bian, and Xu Dajiang would join Melancholy Blues, and the team stacked hands and shouted its pledge of victory.

Golden Wind’s games won three awards at the GDCA, while Peak Nation faced a close contest for Best Sports Game. The ceremony left its final result hanging as the presenter named Peak Nation alongside Steep Republic.

• Komeila regained some footing after Night Owl succeeded, and Nakamura Shoichi rose to lead a Peak Studio and sought the rights to a Silent Hill sequel.
• Takasugi Isao learned that Golden Wind was negotiating for a horror game for E3 and that Nakamura planned to challenge the company with Silent Hill.
• Golden Wind’s Peak Nation and Overwatch entered the GDCA awards, though viewers doubted either could win Game of the Year without a strong narrative.
• Gu Sheng won Best Game Direction, Peak Nation won Best Music and Score, and Overwatch won Best Multiplayer Online Competitive Game.
• The presenter announced Peak Nation and Steep Republic as the Best Sports Game nominees, but the chapter ended before revealing the winner.

At the GDCA, Golden Wind won four awards, and Gu Sheng unveiled It Takes Two, a cooperative adventure about a couple turned into dolls. Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao demonstrated the game live, ending their chaotic gameplay with repeated failures on a high-speed animal-switch challenge.

• Gu Sheng accepted Peak Nation’s Best Sports Game award, thanked players, and announced the upcoming Peak Eight challenge.
• Gu Sheng revealed It Takes Two, a two-player cooperative role-playing game starring Cody and May, who had been turned into dolls and needed to repair their relationship.
• Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao began a live gameplay demonstration, where Gu Sheng launched Shen Miaomiao’s toy car off a desk and she retaliated by launching him repeatedly.
• Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao showed how they had to coordinate to cross floating dice and activate switches on their way to their daughter’s toy castle.
• Gu Sheng sped along a wire while Shen Miaomiao opened animal-shaped barriers, but their frantic miscommunication caused repeated crashes and respawns.

Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao completed the It Takes Two demo at the GDCA, winning the audience over with their teamwork and a tense crocodile-toy wager. Golden Wind left the showcase with four awards and a major spotlight, while the ceremony prepared to announce its final Choice of the Year Award.

• Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao worked together through the animal zip-line and classroom drawing, memory, and arithmetic trials.
• Shen Miaomiao proposed a bet on a request neither person could refuse, and Gu Sheng accepted before they took turns stomping the crocodile toy’s teeth.
• Shen Miaomiao safely pressed the second-to-last tooth, leaving Gu Sheng to trigger the crocodile and lose the wager.
• Gu Sheng announced that It Takes Two would release at the beginning of the next month, then closed the demo as the crocodile snapped shut.
• Gu Sheng and Shen Miaomiao emerged from the pods and bowed as Golden Wind celebrated four GDCA awards and attention for its new game.
• The audience discussed the Choice of the Year nominees as the host returned to the stage to reveal the final award.

At the thirteenth GDCA, Overwatch and White Scheme shared the Annual Choice Award, giving Golden Wind a historic five-award sweep. Gu Sheng celebrated Overwatch’s success, while Ivan Anoli credited Gu Sheng and Sekiro with inspiring White Scheme and reaffirmed his opposition to war.

• The host announced Overwatch as a nominee for the Annual Choice Award after it won Best Online Game of the Year.
• Altores announced that White Scheme and Overwatch had tied for the Annual Choice Award, stunning the audience and Gu Sheng.
• Gu Sheng and Ivan Anoli accepted the trophies together, and Gu Sheng thanked the GDCA committee and Overwatch players.
• Ivan Anoli said Gu Sheng’s work had inspired his studio during a crisis and that Sekiro’s narrative perspective influenced White Scheme.
• Ivan described White Scheme’s perspective on Nazi Germany as a way to show war’s cruelty and concluded by wishing for peace.

After Golden Wind’s GDCA success, Gu Sheng looked forward to a possible future collaboration with Arnoli while preparing for the launch of It Takes Two. Shen Miaomiao and Gu Sheng began an all-night playthrough, and the game opened with May and Cody transformed into dolls before a runaway fuse launched their adventure.

• Golden Wind celebrated its five GDCA awards, and Gu Sheng valued It Takes Two’s promotional boost and his new contact with Arnoli.
• Shen Miaomiao and Gu Sheng took the day off and prepared to play It Takes Two through the night on its release day.
• The opening showed May and Cody arguing about their marriage while their daughter Rose wished they would reconcile, and Rose’s tears transformed her parents into dolls.
• A Yin and Cousin began streaming the game as Cody and May, then followed Dr. Hagin’s instructions to seek their daughter and return to normal.
• A Yin and Cousin worked together to activate a generator, but two fuses collided and another grew legs and ran away.