Chapter 75 - #75: Bloodborne Pre-Orders!

Chapter 75: Chapter #75: Bloodborne Pre-Orders!

"Ethan, what do you think of their lineup?" Ivan and Carter sat on either side of Ethan, leaning in to whisper over the roaring crowd.

The Sony executive had just concluded his keynote speech.

Their lead producer had taken the stage, and the massive multimedia screen behind him was broadcasting a stunning cinematic trailer for their latest exclusive.

In the high-definition footage, every single strand of hair was rendered with terrifying clarity. Sparks from clashing blades seemed to physically fly out of the screen.

Just from a purely visual standpoint, they weren’t losing to anyone in the industry.

"It’s excellent," Ethan nodded in genuine approval.

The reigning champion of the console market naturally had a few tricks up its sleeve.

Hearing Ethan’s evaluation, Ivan and Carter both looked a little grim.

If even the notoriously hyper-critical sadist was praising their work, didn’t that mean Sony’s lineup was an absolute juggernaut?

How were they supposed to compete with that?

A heavy, synchronized sigh escaped from both men sitting beside Ethan.

Ethan blinked, turning his head slightly. Why were these two suddenly sighing?

Sony’s presentation had been meticulously calculated. As each new cinematic trailer dropped, the audience erupted into deafening applause.

But their biggest reveal was a full, ground-up remake of a legendary title from a decade ago. The original graphics and clunky combat mechanics hadn’t aged well, leaving nostalgic fans constantly begging for a modern update.

Now, to perfectly coincide with the launch of their next-generation console, Sony was dropping the highly anticipated remake as a day-one exclusive.

Seeing this, Ivan felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach.

The sadist was an undisputed genius, but he was still just one man. There was only one Sprout Studio in the entire world.

Ivan secretly cast a sideways glance at Ethan.

’If only Ethan could undergo mitosis and clone himself to develop multiple games at once...’

Feeling the strange, intense stare boring into the side of his head, Ethan turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing!" Ivan quickly shook his head, looking away.

Ethan furrowed his brow.

Why was Ivan looking at him like he was a lab experiment?

He turned his attention back to the massive multimedia screen on the stage. Judging strictly by graphical fidelity, there wasn’t a massive gap between the capabilities of the two next-gen consoles.

But his game was going to be infinitely more challenging, wasn’t it?

The host didn’t return to the stage until Sony’s final applause died down. "Judging by the incredible energy in this room, it’s safe to say Sony’s upcoming lineup is hotly anticipated."

"I think what we’re all most excited about is the return of a few beloved classics. That was a truly spectacular surprise!"

"Shameless," Ivan muttered under his breath, though he knew he was just being petty.

In truth, Xbox had also strongly considered remastering a few of their own legacy titles to capitalize on the nostalgia wave and boost early hardware adoption.

It was standard industry tactics.

Countless brilliant older titles had become unplayable due to outdated graphics and archaic control schemes.

When new hardware provided the technology to smooth out those rough edges, why wouldn’t a developer polish up a classic for a modern audience?

Remakes were basically a license to print money while fulfilling a community’s greatest wishes.

"We’re up. I’ll head out first," Ivan said, watching the Sony team clear the stage.

He patted Ethan on the shoulder and led the way toward the backstage curtain.

Since this was Xbox’s designated presentation block, Ivan had to go out first to handle the corporate hardware announcements.

Once the basic specs were out of the way, he would hand the stage over to Ethan for the main event.

"It is a genuine pleasure to see all of you here today," Ivan said, stepping into the spotlight with a relaxed, charismatic smile. "I know exactly what you’re all waiting for, so I won’t waste too much of your time."

The audience laughed, appreciating the executive’s self-awareness.

Ivan didn’t mind the laughter. He was more than happy to play the warm-up act for Ethan.

"Our next-generation Xbox hardware represents a massive leap forward, providing the performance, speed, and raw graphical power required for a new era of gaming."

"At launch, over thirty titles will be fully optimized for the new hardware. Every single game you play will receive exclusive, next-gen enhancements from the Xbox ecosystem."

"Of course, alongside our incredible in-house studios, we are partnering with the absolute best creative minds in the world. And that includes the highly anticipated projects developed by the developer you all very well know as Nova of Sprout Studio."

"This next segment is something truly special. Nova is going to come out here and show you exactly what our next-generation console is capable of."

Ivan finished his brief pitch and immediately jogged toward the side of the stage.

"It’s all yours," he said, looking earnestly into Ethan’s eyes as they crossed paths.

Ethan nodded. He adjusted his jacket and walked calmly toward the center of the stage.

The second he stepped into the light, the convention hall erupted into thunderous, deafening applause. Frantic screams echoed through the crowd, and the blinding strobes of camera flashes never stopped firing.

"I’m incredibly glad you’ve all been enjoying our games," Ethan began, his voice echoing clearly through the massive hall.

"Today, I’m here to show you the second official gameplay trailer for Bloodborne. I will also be sharing the official release date and the launch price."

He took a step back, and the massive screen behind him instantly faded to black.

As a digital night fell over the screen, a lone stranger wrapped in a heavy trench coat stalked through the cobblestone streets.

He gripped a vicious, serrated cleaver, hunting the frantic, mutated monstrosities tearing through the alleyways.

The camera panned over the Moonside Lake at the edge of the city, revealing a massive, shadowy Forbidden Woods isolated from the urban center.

The narrative unfolded through a series of rapid, visceral cuts. Scholars obsessed with eldritch research had discovered that a specific blood ministering technique possessed miraculous healing properties.

But the cure was a curse.

A patient under anesthesia was dragged onto a cold operating table, butchered and transformed like a rabid beast.

The Hunter wielding the saw cleaver moved with violent, frantic aggression, his attacks growing increasingly unhinged and dehumanized.

He looked perfectly lucid, yet fought with the exact same feral savagery as the beasts he was slaughtering.

The driving rhythm of the background music swelled with every violent spray of blood. A low, mournful saxophone intertwined with the deep tolling of an ancient bell.

A haunting choir of sopranos and altos chanted a somber, gothic hymn. Beneath the music, the agonizing shrieks and roars of the beasts pierced clearly through the audio mix.

The city of Yharnam felt like a living urban legend.

It was a terrifying tale of plagued citizens losing their minds and transforming into monsters beneath a pale moon.

In the darkest corners of the winding streets, terrified survivors whispered about beasts covered in matted hair.

But the audience quickly realized these weren’t just campfire ghost stories. The nightmare was actively tearing the city apart.

Just by watching the screen, the viewers could physically feel the suffocating panic and absolute despair of the citizens trapped in the beastly plague.

At the end of the visceral montage, the screen faded to black. Jagged, blood-stained white text slammed onto the screen.

[Bloodborne]

"The game will officially launch in exactly seven days, at 8:00 PM," Ethan announced into the microphone.

Everyone: "..." -...- "..."

He paused, letting the cheers wash over him before dropping the final bomb.

"But this time, I want to try something a little different. Starting right now, global pre-orders and pre-downloads are officially live."

Backstage, Ivan and Carter both clenched their fists, their knuckles turning white.

It was an incredibly bold, borderline reckless move.

Opening pre-orders right after a trailer meant the game’s initial sales figures would be nakedly exposed to the entire industry.

A live pre-order drop on an unreleased IP was something practically no one ever risked on an E3 stage.

Especially right after Sony had just showcased an absolute gauntlet of massive, highly-anticipated blockbuster hits.

If the pre-order numbers flopped, Sprout Studio would be turned into an industry laughingstock overnight.

After all, players only had so much money to spend, and there were dozens of incredible games competing for their wallets.

Sitting in his streaming room, Silver stared at the broadcast in shock. He immediately tabbed over to the Steam platform and refreshed the store page.

Sure enough, a massive new banner was dominating the front page.

[Bloodborne: Pre-Orders Now Live!]

[

Maelstrom443: PRE-ORDERS ARE UP?! MOMS CREDIT CARD INBOUND

goonermaxpro: The madlad actually did a live drop. He’s so confident.

VoidJester: I’m buying it right now! Take my money sadist!

Poppea937: Sony showed CGI trailers, Nova gave us an actual game drop. The difference is insane.

salkingjust: 7 DAYS LETS GOOOOO

]

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Got the tonsillitis cured! I tried the recos, and it worked out! I don’t know which ones worked, though, because I tried them all!! Now, I just gotta deal with the fever and headache, any recos for those!? Thanksssss~

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