Dark Souls!

Even as he put pen to paper and signed the contract, Evan still felt that the whole experience had been dreamlike.

"From the moment you sign this contract, aside from releasing your games on PC, you'll only be able to release them through our store." Evan looked at Ethan Vale.

At present, even if Ethan Vale's games were listed on the XGP game store, they would not do much to boost console sales.

"If possible, I'd like to learn more about Bloodborne. After all, I'm still counting on it to turn things around later." Evan spread his hands. He was quite interested in that game.

That image had possessed an enormous appeal.

Ethan Vale tilted his head at Evan, a trace of confusion in his eyes.

"Huh? Turn things around with it? Why?" Even Carter could not help asking in confusion.

"???" Evan stared wide-eyed at his friend. "Weren't you supposed to provide a launch title? How am I supposed to support it if I don't even understand it?"

"No one said Bloodborne would be the launch title."

"Yeah, no one said that." Carter nodded along.

Veins bulged one after another on Evan's forehead as he clenched both hands into fists. "Then what game are we using? There's only a year and a half left before the next-generation console releases. Other than Bloodborne, tell me, what else is there?"

Game consoles were not like mobile phones, products that changed with every passing year. They were updated only about once every four years.

Before a console went on sale, the company would build up plenty of hype: next-generation upgrades, some breathtaking blockbuster game, major breakthroughs in pricing...

Without an outstanding launch title to attract players into buying the console, the hardware itself held barely any appeal.

"I already have an answer to that question. If you insist on asking, I can only give you a name for now." Ethan Vale was not annoyed. Evan could now be considered a partner, so it was perfectly normal for him to want more details.

"Dark Souls."

Evan did not even know how he had left. He pressed a hand to his stomach, the bloated ache feeling like dull blades sawing through flesh.

As Ethan Vale had described Dark Souls to him, he had unknowingly eaten a little too much.

The moment he rose from his chair, his whole body swayed slightly.

"Carter, I finally understand how you got brainwashed." Evan leaned on his friend, stopping to rest from time to time.

"That stuff is amazing, isn't it?" Carter smiled at his friend. Whenever he listened to Ethan Vale talk about games, he could not help becoming engrossed.

His mind held too many astonishing things. Sometimes, the rich torrent of information Carter heard from him would clog up his ability to think.

Yet whenever Carter raised a question, Ethan Vale could sort it all out clearly and explain everything point by point.

"But why did you agree to him before he even told you all that?" Carter could not help asking. From what he knew of Evan, he was not someone rash or reckless.

Otherwise, he would never have risen to the position of CEO.

"I didn't trust him. I trusted you.

"Carter, we've known each other for twenty years, ever since school. Just as you understand me, I understand you.

"When he said he wanted a chance at providing a launch title, and you didn't object, I had already agreed in my heart." Evan patted his friend on the back.

How could a friendship last?

By keeping in step and maintaining the drive to move forward.

Sincerity, commitment, trust. True friendship showed itself in hardship.

"The fact that you brought him before me meant you acknowledged his ability. It also meant that, in your eyes, he could meet my requirements." Evan walked side by side with Carter. Sure enough, walking a little after eating too much made him feel much better.

"The reason I gave him a hard time afterward was because that trust was for you, not him." Evan glanced at the crescent moon overhead.

Before they met, the sun had been setting.

Now, the bright moon hung high in the sky.

"That contract was the greatest concession I could make during my term. If I fail anyway, then the contract will be useless." Evan spread his hands. "I have no way out anymore."

Early the next morning, Xbox and Sprout Studio jointly released an announcement.

[Xbox and Sprout Studio have reached a partnership agreement today.]

[Starting today, games produced by Sprout Studio will be released on the XGP store. In the future, Mr. Black Star will also lead the next-generation Xbox console as its launch title provider.]

The moment the news came out, it was like a massive boulder crashing into the stagnant waters of the gaming world, stirring up enormous waves!

Did I miss some news?

Did someone edit my memories? Why don't I know what happened in between?

Sprout Studio has made way too huge a leap!

That old thief is incredible.

Don't tell me Xbox got drawn in by Bloodborne? Come on, what can you even see from one picture?

Who would dare buy their console after this?

As expected, the announcement drew skepticism from countless players.

Consoles had a broad audience, with players from all over the world. Now, they expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision in all kinds of languages.

"Evan! Don't screw around. I don't want to clean up your mess!" Evan had already shut down his external contact lines. He knew what would happen, so he had turned off his phone and cut himself off from the internet.

Even so, he still received an internal company call.

"Lambert, this is my term. I'm the current CEO." Evan prepared himself lunch while speaking to Lambert.

If a company were developing well, there would naturally be no need to frequently replace its management.

But it was precisely because it was not doing well that management had to change, in the hope that the next person's decisions could lead the company to prosperity.

And Lambert was Evan's successor.

"You're making it worse and worse. What am I supposed to do afterward?" Lambert kept roaring. He did not think he would be able to turn things around, but he certainly did not want to inherit an even worse situation.

"Maybe things will keep getting better under me. Then I'll stay here for a long, long time, and it won't be your turn." Evan lay back on the sofa and browsed gaming news.

He was reading about Dead Cells. If nothing unexpected happened, it would win Best Indie Game of the Year at the end of the year.

"Bullshit! I'll report this to headquarters. Just wait and see! I'll stop you!" Lambert roared furiously before hanging up.

Listening to the busy tone from the receiver, Evan picked up his phone and curled his lip. "Do whatever you want."

But just as he set down his phone, it rang again.

Looking at the caller information on the screen, Evan felt a headache coming on. That call came fast.

This time, there was real pressure.

On the phone screen, the incoming call notification from "Company Headquarters" kept flashing...