I swore I had posted the chapter, I cheerfully went to read the comments only to find out I hadn't posted it, but only saved it.
(╥﹏╥)
...….
Pov 3rd person
...….
While Alex was celebrating, the universe had its first major impact from the Game Designer competition, and the reason was obviously the announcements shown in it, but mainly Alex's trailer.
When a competition ends, it's normal to have a big impact in the gaming circle, but this time things went far beyond. Alex's trailer reached various circles in the entertainment industry.
The idea of creating a completely fantastical and imaginative universe, full of all kinds of new and unique things, fascinates everyone who saw it. In less than 6 hours, millions of news articles and comments about it appeared.
Project Omega quickly became one of the top searches on search engines. Videos with explanations and reactions to the trailer started popping up by the millions. The most surprising thing was that many content creators about cinema and music were also quickly releasing videos and articles about the trailer.
[Project Omega, the most ambitious project in gaming history.]
[A new promise—can Alexandre Lockhart keep his word?]
[Project Omega's trailer is a masterclass in cinematic production.]
[You missed the biggest event of the last 100 years and didn't even know…]
[Albert Lenkov once again shows why he's the greatest living instrumentalist.]
[After much criticism, Albert Lenkov showcases the wonder of the Orchestra, creating a live show.]
[The desperation—William Freeman flees the stage after the winner's presentation.]
[Project Omega shows how trailer cinematography should be done.]
[A chilling voice, a new star? Meet Jadelyn West.]
[An impossible promise—here's why Project Omega won't work.]
[How can a song convey fear? See now in the trailer…]
Countless news outlets were talking about the same subject. People were discussing every second of the trailer, trying to grab as much attention as possible. Among them was Melina Castro, one of the most famous (and hated) film critics and a fan of DreamHeart's animated films.
She had been closely following Alex's career. So far, she hadn't been disappointed—whether his films, games, or animated series, all were fun with good stories. So, she watched the awards ceremony.
But what she didn't expect was Project Omega's presentation. Right after the awards ended, she rushed to make a video about it.
[Hey guys, this video won't have any editing—I just saw the Project Omega trailer and wanted to talk to you as fast as possible.
I think everyone who follows me knows DreamHeart's films and knows I was excited for the Game Designer competition's finale because we knew there'd be an announcement.
But this went beyond what I could've imagined. I'm excited, but also cautious. This trailer showed us many worlds, many galaxies, and so much to explore in those galaxies.
All of this is thrilling, but it makes me wonder how the narrative of a universe like this will work. How will so many narratives be integrated into the main story? So many questions come to mind.
I'm not saying it's impossible, but it'll take a lot of work, and I have my doubts if DreamHeart is big enough to sustain something like this.
I can't even imagine how many writers will be needed to make this functional.
I really trust the work Alexandre has done over the past few years, so despite all these doubts, I'm still extremely excited—especially after seeing that this universe will be divided into phases.
The Fallout trailer alone gave me chills. I can't wait to see what kind of story we'll get…]
Her video was only 4 minutes long but quickly surpassed 10 million views and was still rising.
"This game is gonna be amazing. Did you see that man fighting the dragon? Epic."
"That ship full of bizarre creatures gave me chills—so creepy. I really wanna explore it."
"The little cat in the camp was so cute."
"I think it'll take centuries for this to come out."
"I wanna know what that spiral planet is. I'll have nightmares about that image for the rest of my life."
People everywhere were buzzing with excitement. Streaming platforms were all talking about the same topic, and obviously, this subject was being widely discussed by all industry professionals.
Among them, in a galaxy north of the capital galaxy, on a large space cruiser, a man with white hair, blue eyes, and wrinkled skin—but with a perfectly upright posture—held a small coffee cup while staring at a newly discovered, unnamed planet.
Next to him, a young girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and bright blue eyes was excitedly watching the trailer on her holographic bracelet.
"Grandpa, this guy is really good. I think it'd be great to bring him into our company. We could invest in his project—with all our staff, we could make everything in this trailer in less than 100 years."
Erick Wallace looked at his excited granddaughter and sighed. Among all his descendants, she was definitely the most talented, interested, and passionate about design—but she still lacked the experience to see the bigger picture.
"Eliza, we—"
"If he brings his IPs to the company, we can make the sequels in no time…"
"Eliza…"
"We can pay him a good salary, let him lead the team, and start producing merchandise from his games and films. We could quickly recoup the entire investment in Project Omega and still make insane profits. He must have—"
"ELIZABETH!!!"
Σ(°△°|||)︴
"Sorry, Grandpa, I got carried away…"
Sigh.
"Don't approach that boy yet."
"Huh?! Why? Weren't you interested in him? Now, with this presentation, everyone's gonna make him offers. Shouldn't we get ahead?"
Eric smiled faintly and took a sip of his coffee with a thoughtful expression.
"Alexandre Lockhart is… interesting. His games are unique, both in mechanics and stories. I'm really interested in talking to him and exchanging ideas."
Eric Wallace became the #1 designer for two reasons: a complete obsession with anything involving design and a work ethic bordering on madness. When the capital planet's redesign happened and he was called to handle all the design work, he disappeared for 43 years to craft every detail of the planet alone.
That was the kind of obsession the greatest of all had. When Eric saw Alex's games, his eyes sparkled—especially Journey and God of War. He really wanted to talk to him about the creation of those worlds. But now, with this new trailer, he changed his mind.
"Right now, Alexandre Lockhart has become a bomb, and no one knows if, when it explodes, it'll be fireworks or if it'll obliterate everyone around him.
I think I'll have to wait to meet him. It's a shame."
Elizabeth was confused. She thought that with the new trailer, this would be the moment Alexandre would be hunted by everyone. Seeing her confusion, Eric chuckled softly before explaining.
"As incredible as the trailer may be, it's just that—a big cinematic, without even gameplay. Basically, a huge promise to the audience.
Without certainty that he at least has a setup to start this project, not even a big company will go near him."
"You think he might be promising something he can't deliver?"
"Nothing's guaranteed. He's very young, and obviously, this project will take many years to materialize. But what will determine if he succeeds—and whether he'll have all the players on his side—is if he can perfectly complete this 'Phase One.' If he fails, everything he's done so far will be destroyed."
"I… didn't think about that…"
"It's okay. It's normal to get excited about something like this. But when you take my position, you'll need to see things with a broader perspective."
Elizabeth smiled sheepishly as she looked at her grandfather's profile. He was already old, showing clear signs of weakening—his memory failing. And though he tried not to show it, he was anxious to pass the company's leadership to her and enjoy his last years.
(I need to work hard. I want him to step down from the company's presidency without worries.)
......….
After the celebration, Alex returned to his hotel room. As soon as he entered, he sighed softly, took off his clothes, and went to the bathroom to relax in the hot water.
Almost an hour later, he came out wrapped in a robe and started searching the room.
(Dammit, there's not even a beer.)
As a minor, all alcoholic beverages had obviously been removed from the room. So, with a sigh, he poured himself a large glass of juice and went to sit on the balcony.
Checking the time, it was already 3:40 AM, but he didn't feel sleepy. He turned on his holographic bracelet and started browsing news about the competition. As he expected, there was an ocean of articles about the trailer.
Alex read through the news and countless comments, seeing people's reactions to everything. After almost an hour, he stopped and let out a long sigh.
He saw many criticisms—people talking trash or simply dismissing everything about the trailer—but that was an insignificant minority. What really weighed on him were the praises.
The overwhelming majority of people were talking about how excited the trailer made them. Everyone was saying how eager they were to see this happen.
All this praise was crushing. The small arrogance and pride growing in him were completely flattened by people's enthusiasm.
From the beginning, everything Alex had done in games so far could be called a gamble. He knew that in a universe like this, games closer to people's reality would be more acceptable—but he just wanted to make something fantastical.
And with the great reception, he got carried away, almost dazzled by it all. So, he decided he'd create a massive universe with multiple interconnected IPs.
That wasn't a huge problem—with how massive the universe is, having multiple games with gods and galactic empires isn't a big deal.
The real problem was that he didn't take the time to build all this slowly over the years. Instead, he just announced all his plans at once, creating terrifying expectations.
Sigh.
"It doesn't matter. What's done is done. There's no going back… But I'll have to work really hard not to mess everything up."
Without realizing it, Alex began to smile slightly. He stood up and leaned on the balcony railing, closing his eyes as he reflected on everything he'd done in this new life.
(This life has really been so much fun. I can even say I've already fulfilled my old dream of creating a successful gaming company.
But now, I'll be creating a universe with many of my original ideas. Just thinking about it gets me excited.)
Looking at his slightly trembling hands, Alex smiled even wider. His eyes were full of anticipation.
"Now, let's see how I can change the future."
......…..
Before anyone complains about the protagonist being nervous about the future, remember—he was a failed designer, and everything he's done so far was more for fun than anything else.
So, I think it's normal for him to rush and make mistakes. Even if he's mentally older, he's never done or experienced these things before. But don't worry, he won't ruin everything. (I think.) Haha.
This was the last chapter of this arc. Starting from the next one, I'll do time skips.
A small complaint—why do all Naruto fics have to have the protagonist be an Uchiha or have a system that gives them every possible eye power?
I'm one step away from writing my own story just to avoid Uchihas in it.
Or maybe one about Elden Ring. I even have an idea for that, but I think I'll leave it for later.