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Chapter 246: Domineering CEO Zoey Parker
🕑 Added 2025-09-03 11:31:00 +0000 UTCKomina was a little freaked out.
To be honest, it was Keizo Kamijo and Kazuo Koizumi who were sweating bullets.
With a setup as massive as Komina, you can’t expect every dude to be on edge.
Check out the other two big shots from the Three Great Families, Takasugi and Jiro Nishikawa—they’re chill as heck.
Their studio’s game dropped way before "Sekiro," snagging all the promo juice and hype it needed.
One’s a slick racing game, the other’s a dope sports title—both rocking their own vibe.
Plus, the cash dumped into these isn’t peanuts, but it’s nowhere near 3A-level crazy.
So, game-wise, "Sekiro" ain’t their benchmark.
They’re just regular family cars cruising along—don’t expect them to ram a golden motorcycle.
That heavy lifting’s on Director Kazuo Koizumi, who’s all pumped up to lead the Three Great Families.
And yeah, that’s the deal.
Komina’s got a bunch of games on deck, but only "Torii," also 3A-level, can go toe-to-toe with "Sekiro."
Komina kicked things into gear quick.
Chiyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku...
Tojin, Osaka, Nagoya...
Giant "Torii: The Phantom of the Ghost" posters popped up all over downtown spots and CBD skyscrapers.
Folks walking by could glance up and catch a massive promo poster of "Torii"—all flashy talismans and mysterious leads.
Tokyo International Game Festival Games, Neon Gaming News, Media Asia Gaming Forum...
Half of Japan’s gaming media and forums were swamped with Komina buzz.
"'Torii' dropped 210 million bucks for a fresh FPS ride"
"Kazuo Koizumi, Summit Studio’s big boss, says 'Torii' will make history"
President Keizo Kamijo threw his weight behind "Torii," calling it Komina’s best FPS ever.
Reports, interviews, breakdowns, and hot takes kept rolling, keeping "Torii" trending and hyped.
Behind the scenes, Komina was also shady, messing with "Sekiro"’s rep, lowering player expectations on the down-low.
Three solid promo moves.
Tight, organized, and on point.
"...They’re coming in hot with bad vibes."
In the WindyPeak Games VP office.
Gus Harper was deep into "Sekiro" reviews and breakdowns, face all serious.
Luke Bennett across from him chuckled, stubbing out his cig in the ashtray: "Man, every time they bring the heat, they leave empty-handed."
"Uh-huh—"
Gus Harper grunted, no big reaction, and slid the tablet over:
“But this time’s a whole new ballgame.”
Luke Bennett froze, grabbed the tablet, and scrolled.
Multiple windows were up—Gus Harper’s pick of the juiciest gossip.
【Sensory + motion? I’m kinda sketched out, feels like it might flop...】
【Trailer’s hype, but gameplay’s a big ol’ question mark】
No clue if they hid gameplay on purpose, but that "Sekiro" trailer ain’t lighting my fire.
【Both 3A bangers, but "Torii"’s got way more atmosphere and suspense...】
Player chatter below:
"This 3A motion-sensing action game’s a first—nervous as heck for WindyPeak Games."
"WindyPeak’s keeping gameplay under wraps, feels half-baked."
"'Torii'’s trailer is fire, can’t wait!"
"Gives off a cool mystery vibe"
"Tone, atmosphere, gameplay—'Torii' nails it"
"Yep, 'Sekiro'’s trailer’s too movie-like, hides the real deal"
"+1, 'Sekiro'’s all about story, not action..."
Luke Bennett’s brows knitted tighter as he read.
Gus Harper, noticing, asked, "What’s the vibe?"
"Weird as hell,"
Luke Bennett smacked his lips:
"This ain’t Komina’s usual MO."
Counting it up, their beef with Komina’s been simmering for nearly a year.
They’ve clashed more times than they can count.
Luke Bennett remembers Komina’s style as “rich and ruthless”—either burying foes with promo floods or paying off media to trash-talk them as “junk games.”
Even the Garden War had personal jabs, rumors, and drama.
It’s all quick, loud, and done fast.
But this time, Komina’s switched it up.
Promo’s got public hype and insider leaks.
Their attacks ditched the trash talk for smart analysis, quietly downplaying "Sekiro" while hyping "Torii"’s polish.
The whole plan’s slick and layered.
It’s working like a charm.
In just three days, "Torii"’s buzz and topic heat spiked, stealing back the spotlight as the top 3A hit at this year’s Tokyo International Game Festival, neck-and-neck with "Sekiro."
"There’s a mastermind here,"
Luke Bennett nailed it. After a beat, he asked:
"Koizumi?"
That second-gen Yamamoto’s got skills.
But Gus Harper shook his head.
Not Kazuo Koizumi.
If it were him, the last "Fall from the Altar" jab at WindyPeak wouldn’t have been so sloppy and weird.
"Moritani Tetsuya."
Gus Harper dropped the name running this sneak attack.
"What?"
Luke Bennett was thrown:
"Moriya... ain’t he your buddy?"
Luke couldn’t wrap his head around it.
This three-pronged assault and pinpoint promo plan feels like a kill shot!
If Tetsuya Moritani’s behind it, Luke’s half-sure the guy’s got split personalities.
If Moritani wanted them dead, he could’ve snitched to Komina the second Gus Harper spilled "Sekiro," tanking their expo plans or cutting them out.
But he didn’t.
Not a peep.
They pulled off a blitz launch and scored Tokyo International Game Festival tickets smooth as butter.
So why’s he swinging now?
Dude’s a walking contradiction?
…
"Not a contradiction. It’s predictable."
As dusk hit, Zoey Parker said coolly, tidying the table, no shock on her face.
Gus Harper just filled her in on the morning chat with Luke Bennett.
On Tetsuya Moritani’s move, Zoey called it standard.
"Keeping quiet was his ‘loyalty’ to you; hitting us hard is his ‘duty’ to the company."
Zoey loaded the dishwasher, started it, and washed her hands:
"Hard to get, right?"
"But if you see him as a guy chained by honor... it tracks, yeah?"
Wiping her hands, she grabbed two Cokes from the fridge, strolled to the sofa, and tossed one to Gus Harper.
Pop.
The can cracked open with a crisp snap.
Gus Harper chugged two gulps and sighed:
"So, per CEO Zoey, how do we handle this hit?"
Zoey paused, almost shaking her head.
Handle? Psh! She’d love for them to keep coming!
But then it hit her—
"Sekiro" ain’t "Garden Warfare."
This is their main gig, no loss-making needed.
Nope, this game’s about raking in cash!
Only way to spin off projects and snag big odds.
She pulled up the project doc in her head—
【Main Project: Sekiro (Unlocked)】
【Project Investment: $151 million】
【Settlement Time: 28 days (+0 days)】
【Rebate Rate: 10x (+0x)】
【Current Revenue: $0 million】
【Estimated Rebate: $1.51 billion】
【Remaining Time: Awaiting launch】
【PS: Investment and settlement auto-generate post-lock】
Almost slipped her mind.
Zoey bumped 【Settlement Time】 to 【28 days (+90 days)】.
The 【Rebate Multiplier】 jumped to 【10x + (90x)】.
This project’s a money-maker, no doubt.
Settlement’s 28 days. With $151 million invested, minus taxes, they need $188 million to break even.
"Sekiro"’s priced at $65 a copy.
So, $188 million ÷ $65 = 3 million copies in four weeks to break even.
Back in the day, Zoey’d crunch numbers and figure it’s a loss.
But now?
She’s got game market savvy.
Plus, she’s learned from every flop—wisdom’s stacked up.
Quick math says 750,000 copies a week is doable for "Sekiro."
"Garden Warfare" sold 700,000 in a week despite the mess.
"So this doc’s just an odds booster, no losing here."
Zoey smirked inwardly, locking it down.
Adjustments done fast.
Since it’s profit time, she’s all in!
More cash, more dividends!
Even if the dividends are pocket change next to the rebate...
Every bit counts!
Tsk.
Zoey felt a little wild.
Fresh off a $10 million rebate, she’s flexing a bit, almost ready to strut.
"Ahem,"
Clearing her throat, Zoey crossed her legs, feet swinging:
"Like they say, enemy comes, we block; flood hits, we build a dam. Moriya’s doing his job, trying to take us down—fair play."
"So, we hit back with promo and outshine them!"
Switching gears on "Sekiro" let Zoey lay out her counter-plan easy.
Gus Harper inhaled sharp!
Hiss—!!!
Promo?
Whoa!!
Publicity? Launch?
Gus’s eyes bugged out like room-temp superconductivity just dropped, staring at Zoey.
"How’s that coming from you?"
Three years! Full three years!
Gus’s eyes teared up.
Outsiders wouldn’t get it, but for three years, WindyPeak’s games—
Zero real promo.
Just player word-of-mouth!
Or partner lifelines!
Or platform hype!
No legit marketing.
Ever!
Gus figured he’d never see promo in his career.
But today! Right now! His first 3A masterpiece! WindyPeak’s mid-tier debut!
Double win—the iron tree blooms!
CEO Zoey’s finally going all out!!!
Gus leapt up, eyes sparkling:
"Real deal? You mean it?"
Hmph!
Catching Gus’s hype, Zoey grinned smugly!
Then she sat up, pounced like a cat, pinned Gus to the sofa back, and struck a boss pose:
"What’s up, dude? Digging it?"
Originally, Zoey just felt a random urge to mess with Gus.
But frozen mid-move, she realized she’d gone overboard with the “joke”—
She’s straddling Gus’s lap, her sleek legs peeking from his loose white shirt.
The neckline’s slipped, showing off her collarbone and soft shoulders.
Her face is flushed, like a lily in the breeze, lips parted like a rain-kissed rose.
Dead silence.
Just nervous breaths, rippling yet blazing...
