Evan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Evan
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Microsoft / Xbox; later joins Sprout 39 322
Occupation/Role	Chief executive officer of Microsoft's Xbox console division; later Microsoft Vice President 39 319
First Appearance	Chapter 39: I Heard You Urgently Need a Game

Background / History

Evan was the chief executive of Xbox during a period when Microsoft was losing ground in the console market. Although Xbox maintained thirteen creative teams and its own publishing capacity, Evan faced declining user numbers after Sony poached flagship titles. Carter, his lifelong friend, urged him to meet the rising designer Ethan Vale, despite Evan's initial reluctance to gamble his career on a small studio. 37 39 40

At his first meeting with Ethan Vale, Evan rejected the idea of immediately committing to an exclusive partnership. Ethan Vale's confidence, Carter's endorsement, and the prospect of a future launch title eventually persuaded him to take the risk. He signed a contract giving Sprout Studio a ten-percent better share than other developers; the agreement was tied to Evan's own term in office. 40 41

Evan initially trusted Carter more than Ethan Vale, admitting that Carter's decision to bring Ethan Vale to him was what convinced him to sign. As their partnership developed, he became one of Ethan Vale's most committed supporters and came to believe in Ethan Vale's stated goal of “creating joy for players with heart.” 41 54

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xbox–Sprout Partnership

• Evan signs Sprout Studio as an Xbox partner and seeks information about Bloodborne and the planned next-generation launch title, eventually learning only the name Dark Souls. 41
• After watching A Dance of Fire and Ice, he stops questioning Ethan Vale's game-design decisions and publicly posts, “Creating joy with heart.” 54
• He helps arrange medical contacts for Xie Lingjiang after interpreting Celeste as Ethan Vale's effort to help her. 65
• Ethan Vale delivers Bloodborne to Evan ahead of schedule, allowing him to experience it before release. 67

Bloodborne Promotion and Board Challenge

• Evan uses his highest authority to place the Bloodborne trailer on Xbox's official website without authorization, accepting personal responsibility and offering to resign if the decision harms Microsoft. 68
• He returns to headquarters expecting opposition. When colleagues vote to remove him, he calmly presents Xbox's ten-percent sales growth during his tenure. 69
• The board's data shows that Xbox sales began trending upward after the Sprout contract and surged from three to ten percent after the Bloodborne trailer. Evan refuses to leave without taking Sprout Studio with him, citing both their individual contract and his refusal to let Ethan Vale be mistreated. 70

E3 and Xbox’s Recovery

• Evan invites Ethan Vale to represent Xbox at E3, offering Sprout most of Microsoft's presentation time and requesting material for Bloodborne and the next-generation launch title. 73
• At E3, he and Carter present Xbox's next-generation console before Evan gives the stage to Ethan Vale for the Bloodborne presentation. 75
• Xbox consoles sell out after the event; Evan and Carter openly celebrate Ethan Vale's success. 78
• Evan thanks Ethan Vale after Sony attempts to poach him and Ethan Vale refuses the offer in favor of his existing partners and friends. 79
• Sony later offers Evan favorable personal terms if he can bring Ethan Vale with him, but Evan refuses because he understands Microsoft's commitment to console development and promotion. 112

Handheld Console Project

• Evan and Ethan Vale collaborate on a handheld console project. Evan leaks cryptic descriptions of an exclusive game to build player interest, though Ethan Vale immediately contradicts his “Demon King Link” teaser with a different account of Link and Hyrule. 215 216
• As the project's lead, Evan personally meets Ethan Vale at the airport, presents the handheld prototype, and assures him that he supervised its performance. 236
• When Microsoft employees disturb Ethan Vale, Evan tries to protect their relationship by demanding apologies and threatening to fire the employees; Ethan Vale instead recruits them as player testers. 238
• Evan becomes concerned by the unusual behavior of the development team testing Zelda and Pokémon, while Ethan Vale remains confident in the games' direction. 240

Support for Sprout and Resignation

• When Sprout requests supplier and factory information for new technology, Evan orders Microsoft to provide everything and support Sprout at partnership pricing despite objections that doing so could damage Xbox's console market. 318
• Microsoft promotes him from head of Xbox to Vice President so that he can finalize a 500-billion investment for a five-percent stake in Sprout's new device. 319
• After seeing the game-pod prototype, Evan argues that Microsoft should offer a substantially higher price and even core shares to secure a lasting relationship with Ethan Vale. His boss refuses, insisting on the original 500-billion offer. 321
• Evan resigns from Microsoft rather than allow the company to exploit Ethan Vale's “friendship price.” Ethan Vale voids the partnership with Microsoft, asks Evan to join Sprout, and entrusts him with preparations for the game-pod launch event. 322

Personality

Evan is cautious in business but willing to take decisive risks once his trust is earned. His first partnership with Ethan Vale is not based on blind faith: he weighs the danger to his own career, negotiates terms, and makes the contract conditional on his tenure. 40 41

He is composed under pressure. When challenged over the unauthorized Bloodborne trailer, he silences the meeting, states that he will bear the consequences alone, and proceeds with the release. He remains equally calm when colleagues attempt to force him out of office. 68 69

Evan is deeply loyal to Carter and Ethan Vale. He credits Carter's judgment for his original decision to trust Sprout, rejects Sony's attempt to recruit him and Ethan Vale, and ultimately gives up a newly gained vice-presidential post over Microsoft's handling of the game-pod deal. 41 112 321 322

Professional Achievements

Achievement	Details
Sprout partnership	Secured Xbox's partnership with Sprout Studio, including enhanced revenue terms for Ethan Vale's studio. 40 41
Bloodborne campaign	Used executive authority to prominently promote the trailer, contributing to a sales surge that raised Xbox's growth from three percent to ten percent. 68 70
E3 presentation	Positioned Bloodborne, Sprout Studio, and Xbox's next-generation console as the centerpiece of Xbox's E3 showcase. 73 75
Handheld development	Served as project lead and personally supervised the handheld prototype's performance. 236
Microsoft promotion	Promoted to Vice President with authority to finalize Microsoft's 500-billion investment in Sprout's technology. 319
Game-pod launch	Leaves Microsoft and assists Ethan Vale in preparing the game pod's public launch. 322

Relationships

• Ethan Vale / Old Thief — Business partner turned close friend. Evan backs Ethan Vale's games, protects Sprout's interests within Microsoft, and resigns when Microsoft refuses to treat Ethan Vale's technology fairly. 54 70 318 322
• Carter — Lifelong friend. Carter introduces Evan to Ethan Vale; Evan explains that his trust in Carter was the foundation of his decision to sign with Sprout. 37 39 41
• Microsoft's Boss — Superior who promotes Evan to Vice President and authorizes the initial 500-billion investment, but refuses Evan's request to offer more for the game-pod partnership. 319 321
• Hirai Haruki — Sony representative who asks Evan to mediate licensing discussions with Ethan Vale. Evan agrees to ask Ethan Vale, remarking that Microsoft has few meaningful competitors left. 179
• Xie Lingjiang — Evan offers to contact doctors for her treatment after concluding that Ethan Vale created Celeste to help her. 65

Notable Quotes

“I didn't trust him. I trusted you.” — explaining to Carter why he accepted the Sprout partnership 41

“Using the highest authority means I'm willing to bear the consequences alone.” 68

“This time, I can leave, but I'm taking Sprout Studio with me.” 70

“Only with friendship is there a price. Without friendship, it is priceless.” — Ethan Vale's words prompt Evan to affirm that resigning from Microsoft was worthwhile. 322