The Final Countdown

"Just as I thought!" Yinzi stared at the notification on his phone, the four words Tears of the Kingdom crashing straight into his mind.

The game he had been waiting for so long was about to launch, yet he was nowhere near as happy as he had imagined he would be.

He only felt miserable inside.

The flash cartridge incident had happened so suddenly. Unlike the small number of people who were delighted that they could play all of Sprout's games for free, they could clearly see what this meant for the future of the gaming industry. After this, who would still make games seriously? Who would still make games with integrity?

Would the future leave nothing but pay-to-win?

He felt as though he had returned to that dark age from before. Old Thief had made plenty of games already, enough to keep him playing for many, many years, but if it all ended like this, it would be far too regrettable.

"This is actually Zelda!" He slapped the desk, making it thump loudly.

Even the camera feed trembled in bursts.

Along with Sprout's announcement came a promotional image for the game.

The backdrop was a blue-green sky, with sky islands floating above the clouds. Among the islands fading into the cloud cover, one could vaguely make out ruined palaces. Far away amid the clouds, there were hidden labyrinths and shrines.

The introduction said that exploration this time would no longer be limited to Hyrule. There would also be the skies and the underground. Though it was the same map, it would connect the previous story and expand upon the previous world and narrative...

He did not even dare imagine how much thought Sprout had put into it.

Add in the new gameplay and new settings, and this card should