E3 - Kirkland, ViZion - RP thread

[ViZion]

Co-Hosted By: ViZion | Valkea
OOC Thread

Experience E3 in Kirkland, ViZion. The 2018 E3 is set to be the biggest yet, with manufacturers and game producers hailing from nations across the globe showing off their newest and best products available to you! The modern-industrial looking Kirkland International Exposition Center glistened with blue-tinted glass over an exposed metal skeleton, and the weather forecast looked good - mostly sunny with mid-70's as a high and upper 50's as the low for the week.

The large city's main airport is the sprawling Kirkland International Airport (KIR).


Layout Keys
A spaces (blue) - for console makers and game developers (requires storefront)
B spaces (red) - for game developers (requires storefront)
C spaces (green and yellow) - for game developers (doesn't require storefront)

Speakers
Intro/Welcome Sunbeat CEO Thomas Hawthorn
Speaker Slot #1: Realzone Gaming Corporation CEO Sofia Koch
ViZionarian Speaker: NIN Technologies CEO Marianna Palægos
Speaker Slot #2: Headshot Games Marketing Executive Officer Cole Stone
Speaker Slot #3: Architect Entertainment Division CEO Aleksi Mäkelä
ViZionarian Speaker: Sundance Gaming Company CEO Sadie McDarnell
Speaker Slot #4: Dracul Publishing Head of Marketing Jane Komarov
Speaker Slot #5: Ilkoran Gaming Company CEO Billy Koran
Closing Speaker: Valkea Speaker

Booths
AA - Sundance Gaming Company
AB - Next Ingenious Notion
AC - Architect Entertainment Division
AD - Ilkoran Gaming Company
AE - Dracul Publishing
AF - Blast Gaming
AG - Realzone Gaming Corporation
CH - Wide Format Technology Systems
CJ - Insieme Electronics
CN - HellElk Game Studios
GC - Headshot Games

What You Can Post As
If you are not one of the companies represented here, you can still post! You are welcome to post as a attendee in the form of first-person experience, or as a member of the press providing press coverage in the form of a news coverage.

Before the speeches begin, all (companies or not) can RP their arrival, setup, what have you. Booths will open after speeches.

---

Beginning...
The opening speech will be posted Saturday 2/24 night, and will then be followed, in order, by the other speakers. After Speaker Slot 5 Ilkoran Gaming Company speaks, the booths will be opened. At the end, Valkea will be making his closing speech.

[ViZion]

(Blast Gaming Arrival)

The delegation of Blast Gaming employees and accompanying products bussed and trucked in after their arrival at Kirkland International Airport. The excitement could be felt through the group - finally, the company seemed to be gaining traction again domestically, and its first push globally had everyone excited.

Their new console, already announced and soon to be shipped, was to be shown off and talked about in detail - the Dragon Fire was a stylish, high-powered console ready to do battle with the titans of the industry and help reclaim the companies past glory as an elite gaming console manufacturer. The entourage arrived on a single flight from Port of New Alton - Diamond Airways Flight 116 in First Class. "What an incredible flight. I had trouble sleeping though, I am just so excited for this E3." Tom, one of the booth employees said to Samantha. "To not just attend the E3, but be part of it and represent our company and the new product, I can't be happier!"

As the hired bus arrived, the employees began to off-load and enter the large industrial-looking glass-over-metal building. Soon, the truck would arrive with the booth setup and products. What a day to be a Blast Gaming employee.

[Platerdam]

Headshot Games arrives to Kirkland.

There was a reason for getting nervous. This just started as a university project... now, it became an internationally recognised company. Michael Andrews, Robert Shaphiro and Cole Stone, the founders, were sitting in the Flight 67 of Diamond Airways, right side, 5C. More Headshot Games employees are sitting next or behind them. Stone is repeating endlessly his speech.

“Oh, c'mon, mate. Can you please stop whispering? I'm trying to rest.” -exclaimed Rich Mitchell, head programmer, who was sitting behind Stone.

“And I'm trying to make us look good in front of the millions of people that will come to the Expo.” -responded Stone, with a smug attitude.

“You making it sound like we aren't respected in the international gaming community.” -said Andrews, reading a newspaper.

“We are the new kids on the block, Mike, we need to win these people.” -Stone replied, it was the final word.

The Headshot crew stood in silence during the landing of the plane. They applauded the pilot for it's good work with the plane, and the took their luggage to board off.

With a deep breath, Stone looked at the beautiful city of Kirkland, and embraced himself for the upcoming speech. It was going to be a long, long, weekend.

[Midand]

Billy Koran was never this stressed before. Back at Midandia, even with almost a thousand employees he had under him, all the games, all the papers, he was strangely, less stressed. He struggled to review all his papers, his schedule, and his speech. The plane's turbulence wasn't helping at all. With one large bump, a lot of his papers he had just organized fell off into the aisle.
Linda Ceront, sitting on the other side of the aisle, looked at him worriedly. Billy grumbled and grabbed all the papers and put them back on his tray table. This was really going to be a long day.
The plane touched down on the runway with a heavy bump - and to Billy's annoyance, threw up another couple more papers - and made it's way across the tarmac to the terminal. Kirkland was quite a nice sight to see though. But then, more thoughts of the expo creeped into his head. What will people think of our new VR headset? Our new console? OUR SURPRISE?!
Billy walked off the plane and through the jetway looking more stressed than before, and all the people accompanying him looked at him worriedly, as if he was a bomb about to explode. They walked through the airport, full of bustling travelers, busy businessmen, and families.
Billy pushed open the doors outside and felt the sun shine in his face. It felt beautiful, but he couldn't enjoy it now. A convoy of cars was waiting outside on the road, where his entire team hopped in. The cars roared to life and they sped off.
Billy continued to try to practice his speech, while Linda, sitting beside him, looked at him with much worry. Even though the hall was pretty far from the airport, to Billy it felt like nothing. He stepped out of the car and saw the giant hall. Gamers, children, businessmen, and workers were all outside, chatting, playing, all that stuff. Billy had not realized how big this event actually was.
"Well...this is going to be one loooooong day", he thought.

[Zorcor]

Pete Nahasapeemapetilon walks in followed by Jane Komarov and several workers.
"AE is the second booth on the left. Alright people set up the table, logo, chairs, and play test area." commands Pete "Ms.Komarov get ready for the speech."
As the workers move to the booth area and start working Ms.Komarov responds "Yes boss, I'll get review the speech.", she then walks off.
With the booth done, Pete watched as the workers set upped the Dragonfire, Mana Prime, and the NIN Beast.
"I'm sure We will be a very popular booth." Says Pete. He looks at his watch and says "Five minutes until my staff shows up to man the booth, with today's surprise." with a smile.

[Valkea]

A R C H I T E C TA TE 3
Kirkland Exposition Center, ViZion — circa 2018

That felt like a shorter flight than expected. After all, cold and frosty Valkea was a long ways away from warm and sunny ViZion, and flight would usually take about half a day through the Astyrian skies. Then again, Aleksi was told that he had dozed off on the plane for hours while his fellow executives seemed to be ordering the Valkea Airlines specials behind his back. He felt a little annoyed by the fact that he seemed to miss everything on their flight and that their expenses were going to go up. Truly this wasn't worth the effort declining first-class in order to save money. But it doesn't matter now—they were about to finally land at Kirkland Airport.

And at least it was morning.

The flight attendant's voice was heard through the speakers as the plane began its descent. In a few minutes, the aircraft landed softly on the runway and taxied towards the terminal. Aleksi and the others retrieved their bags and disembarked the aircraft, heading into the airport to get their other luggage. Outside of the terminal, a hired shuttle was waiting for the Architect delegation, along with the warm ViZionarian heat that the Valkeans had yet to get used to. Aleksi noted that it looked pretty modern for a minibus, though one could probably chortle at the tacky "E3 2018" promotional ad on the side. Once everyone was on board and settled down in their seats, the minibus began to bring them to the downtown area.

On the way there, Aleksi pulled out his tablet and began swiping through his notes. There was a lot more to go over, since this E3 was going to be announcement after announcement from Architect, but the middle-aged executive figured that he could get it memorized before he will speak in front of thousands. One of his companions, Markus Rosenlund, peered over his shoulder and stared at Aleksi. He could sense that he was feeling a little tense. "I think you should try to relax yourself, Alek," he spoke up in Valkean. "You'll do fine with your speech." Chuckling snarkily he added, "After all, you've been reciting your script so long that you've fallen asleep on the flight."

Aleksi turned his head and faced Markus. "That's coming from someone who's only going to speak a few lines in near-perfect English," he retorted.

"Hey, I'm only there to complement you at the conference." Markus shifted his leg a little. "I'm not the one that everyone wants to see at E3. After all, you're the man. That's gotta be a big honor for someone like you."

Aleksi chuckled nervously. "Okay, Markus. Are you trying to help me relax or making my anxiety worse?"

Markus laughed a little louder and smirked. "Oh, sorry. Anyways, just relax yourself and enjoy the ride, boss. You've got this. After all..." He gazed out the window. "We're going to be here in Kirkland for about a week, so we should have some fun for a change. Plus, you may need some R&R of your own."

"Maybe when we get to the hotel we'll have a dip in the pool or two," Aleksi smiled back at Markus. He did hear that the rooftop pool just opened at where they were staying.

"That's the spirit!" Markus grinned. Turning towards the back of the minibus he asked, "Anyone else care to join us?"

Everyone seemed to agree with him. Well, except for a certain woman sitting towards the back. Her head lifted up from her book. She had short brown hair and green eyes that were locked behind her thick-rimmed glasses. "I think I'll have to pass," the woman replied. "After all, I need to check if everything's ready at the show floor."

"Oh come on, Hulda," groaned Markus. "There's plenty of time for that. As far as we know, our booth should be nearly finished now. Alatalo just texted me that they had gotten the show floor prepared. All they're now waiting for are the Manas to arrive at the venue."

"I'm sorry, Markus," Hulda replied. "I'll have to respectfully decline. Once more, I have to be at the expo center as soon as possible to make sure that we are ready for this event, as Mr. Mäkelä hopes that it will be."

Aleksi turned around and interrupted, "Please, you don't have to call me Mr. Mäkelä. Aleksi is fine with me."

"Ah," she lowered her head in embarassment. "I'm sorry, um... Mr. Mäkelä. I-I mean, Mr. Aleksi."

Markus and Aleksi returned to face front. Markus then quipped, "Maybe I'll have to convince one more person to relax."

"Don't be so hard on her." Aleksi put down his tablet. "She's still new here. I think this is probably her first time being out of the country with us, so she can't help but be a little nervous."

"All the more reason she needs to relax, friend," smiled Markus.

[ViZion]

Kirkland International Exposition Center

The setup for the massive E3 event was coming along nicely, as the various vendors continued to arrive, the booths being setup. A pallet of Mana and Mana Prime in a crate were currently coming into the room, destined for their temporary home in the Architect booth. Ilkoran Gaming Company's Billy Koran could be seen studying his paperwork, some stress visible on his face - a big day for a relative new-comer to the international market.

Next Ingenious Notion was a bit more secretive - while they have already publicly unveiled and have begun shipment of their all-new Beast console, they had something else - a new-generation portable - to be unveiled here, and they were clearly excited about what they would be soon showing off for the first time. Meanwhile, Realzone's three founders seemed to have mixed emotions - a clearly nervous Cole Stone contrasted against the much calmer Rich Mitchell. The nerves were understandable for Stone - as the newest company to the international market, they needed to make a splash in the increasingly competitive industry.

And through all the craziness that was the rush to finish setup on the last day before E3 was set to launch, Sunbeat's Thomas Hawthorn - the opening speaker - looked out from the stage as the scene before him, taking a moment from studying his speech he would be making in a few short hours. The massive technology company wasn't directly represented here - they made no games, and they had no console - however, there were stakes in this none-the-less. As a chip-and-board manufacturer, he was looking to make deals for the next-generation of consoles these companies would be making.

Handing off the paperwork to his assistant, he began making his way off the stage and onto the floor to begin greeting the executives and speakers from the various companies represented here.

[Midand]

The employees marched their way across the expo hall's floors, in near perfect formation, almost like they were a military operation. Their hands were full of boxes, consoles, computers, and papers. They squeezed through the cracks of the bustling crowd, stepping over things on the floor and some even jumping. It must've been a sight to behold.
They made their way to booth AD and immediately started setting everything up, and Billy saw the giant banner of Ilkoran rise up into the air, swaying in the wind from the air conditioner. Tables and stands went up, their new VR headsets proudly displayed in a shiny case, their latest consoles on another table, standing tall and grand. Games went up, and a giant HDTV went up as well, displaying all the games Ilkoran had to offer.
Billy would've stopped and admired the booth for almost an hour, but he knew he couldn't. Sweat dripping from his face, he went through his papers with his speech one final time. The first speaker was on the stage, looking down at all the chaos below.
Billy breathed and calmed himself. This would be just alright...

(OOC: won't be able to RP this for a while [a man needs his sleep])

[ViZion]

5 AM Opening Day, Kirkland International Exposition Center

The sun had yet to rise, but the center was abuzz with excitement and activity. Employees from every company were already up, and making their final touches. Thousands waited outside the building, anxious for the doors to open so they could file in and fill the large building. The smell of freshly baked goods and other food wafting through the air inside and out as the concession stand prepared for the onslaught of visitors.

Dressed in an impeccable navy blue suit, contrasted nicely with a white dress shirt and brown leather belt and shoes, Thomas Hawthorn was just a couple hours from making the opening speech at E3. Public speaking was something he was comfortable doing - but this was a different crowd that he was used to. Often addressing business school students seeking their MBA's at top universities, or other business leaders, instead he would be addressing thousands in person, and millions via live stream of mostly gamers - many not even old enough to attend college, let alone running multinational organizations.

He continued looking through his notes, making minor changes as he saw fit, and going over them with his assistant. It was almost show-time, and he needed to make sure everything sounded right.

6:30 AM - Doors opening
Nearly everyone had their E-ticket ready on their phone or smart watch as the doors began to open, an enthusiastic cheer let out by the crown. Thousands had gathered for hours to try and get an early spot in line, yet even in the frenzied rush to get in, it remained surprisingly calm - limited pushing and shoving allowed for a fairly easy ingress of the crowd.

7:29 AM - One minute to speech
Waiting for his cue to go onto the stage, Thomas watched the screens backstage of the crowd - a range of age, professions, races, nationalities. Yet, with all the differences arose a common trait - they were all there, excited to see what was new and coming out in the gaming market. A buzzer went off, two flashing red lights alerted everyone to the time, 7:30. "This way," a middle aged woman with brunette hair said, gesturing to the side stage entrance.

Thomas nodded, setting his notes on the table and flipping on his lapel microphone before walking out to the stage.

"Hello, and welcome!" he said, raising his hands in the air as he walked to the center of the stage, a small podium stood with a bottle of water. "Who's ready for E3?" he shouted, a loud cheer answered back. "Well, folks, welcome to E3 in Kirkland! You've made it, and boy oh boy, do we lots of great new products to be shown off. My name is Thomas Hawthorn, Chief Executive Officer of Sunbeat Technologies.

We have Sofia Koch of Realzone Gaming Corporation speaking first, followed in order by Marianna Palægos of NIN Technologies, Cole Stone from Headshot Games, Aleksi Mäkelä from Architect Entertainment Division, Sundance Gaming Company's Sadie McDarnell, Jane Komarov from Dracul Publishing, and Ilkoran Gaming Company's Billy Koran. Every one of these companies has exciting new products you all have been waiting to see, and once Billy Koran is finished, the booths will be opened up."

This is the first time since 2009 that we have seen such a revival of this market - this year, there are a wide range of all-new or heavily-updated consoles, and a slew of new games coming out. Even in 2009, we did not have such a lineup of new products and games coming out at once. This is a great time for you as a gamer. Almost too good - so many new games, how will you play them all? I know you'll find a way, though. You always do!" he said, with a chuckle.

"And so many new consoles, will you buy one of each, keep with the console manufacturer you've always used, or choose a new one?"

Behind Thomas, a massive 100' wide 16K screen manufactured specifically for this event by Sunbeat, showed off the various brands represented here, along with current and past products and titles.

"Every one of these companies," he said, gesturing towards the screen behind him, "Are going to show off the best they offer, and some of the greatest technologies and games to ever be made. This E3, I believe, will be a historic event, one that is about to shake this industry up, one that may reshape the industry as we know it. And every one of you have made it here, or watching it online, are about to witness this history being made, starting now.

"Now, without further ado... Are! You! Ready! Thank you! he yelled, waving his hand in the air before turning around and heading off stage. The crowd stood up, clapping and cheering - a little bit for Thomas, but more so for the event to truly begin.

[Kawaii Seals]

Giovanni Romano sighed in the Alitalia Boeing B777-200 he was extremely nervous to go to this years E3, yet he had always dreamed of leading Insieme Electronics at E3. He yawned and later thought. Would they like the Nexus? God I hope so. The Nexus was to be Insieme's first console and they were trying to get a steady entry in this ever changing market. The Nexus had top level specs that rivaled other Titan consoles like the Dragon Fire, NIN Beast and Mana Prime. They were hoping it revolutionized and shook up the new gaming industry as a whole.

A couple hours later the plane arrived to its destination, Kirkland Vizion. Giovanni and his team set up their booth and play test area as well but kept the Nexus hidden under a black cloth.

Giovanni smiled, he couldn't wait for the reveal.

[AstyriaCorporation]

OOC: Apologies for the stalling, seems next speaker is MIA, and I've been busy all week so haven't been able to post. We'll move along now...

---

After an extended half hour or so of waiting and no new speaker arriving, Thomas Hawthorn hurriedly stepped out onto the stage. Clearing his throat, he announces, "Sorry for the delay everyone, it seems the Realzone team is having difficulty with their setup. We will be moving along to the next speaker momentarily, Marianna Palægos of Next Ingenious Notion."

With that, he turned around and disappeared from stage.

Back Stage

Marianna Palægos and the NIN team were in a bit of a rush - they weren't expected to speak for another hour or so, but were suddenly being pushed to go on stage early and unexpectedly. "Marianna, are you set?" asked her young cohort Jim, who was handling the screen presentation. The 35 year old brunette flashed her brilliantly captivating smile, "Oh, of course I am Jim. A little rush doesn't fluster me. Relax." she said, in an excited-yet-calming tone.

With that, wearing her glitzy red high heals and form-fitting black dress, she stepped out onto stage. Waving at the crown as she made her way towards the podium, she began speaking. "Hello, everyone! Hello, glad to see you all here! Hope you're all having a good time so far - it's early, and we've already hit a delay. But it's all worth it."

By now, she was at the podium, smiling as the company logo was up on the large screen behind her. "So, you've already likely seen the new NIN Beast, our world-class high-end home gaming console and entertainment system."

As she began to speak about the Beast, the above appeared on the screen. "It has just hit stores this past week, and those of you who have preordered it should have received yours already - or will soon! This new machine is an incredible feat, packed with tons of amazing technology working in harmony with each other to provide you with thrilling, beautiful gaming in stunning 8K! Even at 8K, you can game at a full 144Hz rate viewing beautiful full HDR scenery, showing off over a billion shades of color with the Wide Color Gamut it allows. Pair that with our Next Ingenious Notion television sets - which allow for the 144Hz, HDR, wide color gamut, and 8K to all show - and you will be seeing the games as they were meant to be seen.

"And for those of you that want to know what's 'under the hood' of the Beast, here you are." she said, gesturing towards the screen as some of the information and specifications were pulled up.

Video Capability: Dual Screen; 8K; 3D
Player Capability: Eight wireless controller ports; Up to seven other NIN Next's when connected to the GAMEHUB
Game Software: Buy and download from NINnet, NIN Gaming mobile app, or NIN.com on your computer
Uses: Gaming, Internet, Videos, Music, Television, Apps.
Size: 7"x5"x1.9"
CPU: NIN superXcore8 4.9 GHz Processor
Graphics: 2x NIN GFXtreme Mammoth GDDR6x 24GB
Storage: 2tb 7200rpm Hard Drive + 512gb PCIe SSD
Expandable: Yes; Single Internal 3.5" + Two USB-C
HDMI 2.1: Two ARC, Three Total
NIN WiVi: Yes
USB-C: Two
Ethernet: Yes
Bluetooth: 4.1
Wifi: Yes
High Dynamic Range: Yes
Wide Color Gamut: Yes
4320p @ 144Hz: Yes
Included Accessories: One Game, wireless controller, wireless charging adapter, HDMI cable
Price: $699

"As you can see, this machine is absolutely stuffed full with todays best tech. But note under 'Included Accessories' and you'll notice one of the most impressive things about this unit - the wireless connectivity. Yes - included is the wall adaptor for wireless charging. So long as the Beast is within six feet of the wall adaptor, it will remain fully charged. As well, you'll see this includes something called WiVi, just under the HDMI 2.1 information. WiVi is a proprietary Next Ingenious Notion technology allowing the full video connectivity to be transmitted wirelessly to capable television sets within eight feet of each other - with just a 10 ms input response time. Your average television set, via HDMI, ranges from 25 to 80 ms input lag.

"However, should you not have a Next Ingenious Notion television with WiVi technology, we of course do have the HDMI cable included. Our televisions, with HDMI, come in with input response times under 10 ms."

"Now, though, we have our newest product to unveil right here, right now. The long-awaited successor to the miniNIN X4 portable console is here! Including the miniNIN X5!" she shouted gleefully, with the picture coming up on the screen.

"Now, before I get into all the technical goodies and performance of this handheld beauty, you'll notice two pictures - it gives you the ability to turn on and off a glow around the buttons, which can be adjusted on screen to a multitude of colors! So with or without a button glow, you can enjoy an extended game play on the go!

"Now, this beauty not only looks good - with its grippy controller-style handles to its pleasingly cold aluminum buttons, to its full glass face - but it performs amazing. Enjoy 4K HDR gaming via our OLED technology on screen for six hours with glow, or eight hours without it. Charge wirelessly within twelve feet of our wall adaptor, or pick up our NINplay Power Pack and add a days worth of extra charge on the go via USB-C!

"We do have a cellular version coming out as well, so if you'd prefer, for $150 more you can connect to your preferred wireless carrier - via 4G, LTE, and up-coming 5G! Of course, both versions sport full-speed WiFi and Bluetooth as well. and enjoy 2 TB of built-in storage via the two PCIe Solid State Drives, with an expansion port for a SD card. In addition, thanks to two USB-C ports, while plugged in and charging with the NINplay Power Pack, you can also plug in an external drive!

"We have also improved on our ContinuePlay system - where, rather you're playing on your Beast, and switch to your X5, or playing on your X5 and switch to your Beast, you will pick up right where you left off. Rather you're connected a WiFi network, the two connect via Bluetooth, they're connected to a GameHub, or your X5 is connected to a cellular network and the Beast is connected to the internet, the two will always be instantaneously updating to NINnet and each other so there is absolutely no lapse in continuity of play.

"And with both the Beast and X5, you will be able to use a 7.1 surround sound headset, such as our new NIN xTreme Surround 7.1 Gaming Headset via Bluetooth or wired via USB-C or the old standby 3.5 cord. These high-end headphones offer a refined, quality look to them that represent the high-quality sound, precision location ability, and incredible build quality. And the velvet ear cups are incredibly comfortable.

"And thanks to its open-back design, the sound is ultra-realistic and incredibly spacious - so you can tell that, not only is someone attempted to sneak up to you at your 8 o-clock, that they are six feet away from you."

By now, Marianna was visibly very gleeful and excited. Both pieces of equipment were stunning to look at, and possessed and impressive collection of technology. "The future has arrived today, and you're part of it. We have it here, and you will be able to play hands on with both systems - as well as the new headset - in the booth. Thank you so much for being here, and I look forward to letting you experience the future, now!"

With that, the beautiful lady turned around and headed off stage.

[Chistanad]

NIN had just finished their speech and Marianna Palægos was leaving the stage. Sofia Koch was a bit late but finally arrived. She was pointed towards the stage. Sofia takes a deep breath and walks out onto the stage.

Sofia smiles and waves at the crowd. "Hello everyone! Hello. Sorry for the mix-up. We were supposed to be the first speech, but we had a slight problem with our display. Anyway, let's get started with this.

Let's start with console's prices decreasing starting with the Hyper line. The Hyper Three E drops $25 to $224.99. The Hyper Digital drops $50 to $299.99. The 'premium' console, Hawk, drops $50 to $349.99. And last but not least, the handheld console of the Tosma 2 drops $15 to $99.99.

And now on to the good stuff!" Sofia motions towards the screen which was showing the other consoles as she was listing them. The screen changes to the new version of the Tosma 2, the 2XL. "This is the next version of the Tosma 2, the 2XL. It's called that because it's 2 times larger than the base model and is about three times larger than the original Tosma. As you can see, the console has two modes. The first mode is touchscreen mode. If you don't want to play it in touchscreen mode, you can pull out the sides to play on normal controls. Every game will be optimized to use the touchscreen controls. The gaming library will be small at first as it'll take some time to optimize all of the games. There is a new feature that makes the 2XL able to play all original Tosma games. The Tosma 2XL will be launching in June 2018 with a launch price of $124.99.

Next up is a new IP that everyone at Realzone is proud about, Battlezone." The screen changes to a couple of screenshots showing soldiers in an open environment. "Battlezone is a unique twist on the FPS genre. It's going to have a massive open world with multiple ways to complete a mission. Almost all of the choices you make will affect everything from gameplay, to how the enemy reacts. Your choices will even affect the ending of the game. The trailer will be released during the Realzone Annual Meeting (RAM) in a couple of weeks in early March. Until then the majority of the information won't be known until the trailer is released.

And now for our last announcement." The screen changes to an image of a new handheld console. "This is the new 'premium' handheld console, the Zodiac. It's a spiritual successor to the Aureole, a handheld console ahead of its time. We've tried to capture that again with the Zodiac. With the Zodiac, you can play in stunning 4K for up to 6 hours on a full charge or 10 hours on 1080p. The Zodiac is able to stream Hyper and Hawk games with the service Zodiac Plays. The Zodiac is scheduled to release in November 2018 with a launch price of $249.99. Thank you, everyone, for your time and get excited for more games and consoles to come." Sofia waves at the crowd one last time and exits the stage.

[North Prarie]

Jamie Owens was half excited and half nervous. He, along with 4 other members of the team at Peoria Studios were sitting in Business Class on a nonstop ViZion Air flight to Kirkland. They were going to E3.

Peoria had been started by local businessman Sully James. The billionare wanted to have a electronics conpany to rule North Prarie, as only foreign electronics were major there. His hire for Chief of Staff was Jamie Owens, a 26 year-old employee at Pompeii Industries' electronics division.

Now, Peoria was going to E3 to scout out the competition. They were going to release their first ever product in a few weeks, and Jamie wanted to see the top execs at companies like Architect, NIN, and Sundance. Peoria Studios was getting their big break.

[Platerdam]

---

Cole Stone steps up on the platform. His hand is trembling, his legs are shaking. He's nervous. He takes a look at the audience, watches millions of faces. If he screws up, everybody in the room will know it.

Headshot Games is on his hands, he can't screw this up. Stone closes his eyes and takes a deep, deep, deeeep breath. Then, he opens his eyes and looks directly into the audience... He's ready.

Cole Stone: "Hello. My name is Cole Stone, I'm the co-founder, and marketing executive officer of Headshot Games. And I'll start my speech with a question. ARE YOU READY?"

The public applauds...

"Now... THAT'S the spirit! That's it right there! You wanna see some games? Well, we got games, we got amazing games.
Wanna see a quick sneak peek?"

The public applauds. A video shows up in the screen. A black screen is the first thing we see, followed by a voice narration.

Video Narrator: "Anyone can create something, most people can succeed with their creation. Only a few people can innovate. If you think Headshot Games is not an innovator... You haven't seen nothing yet."

The video starts showing various images and videos of Headshot's upcoming games. We see an astronaut in space, a guy fighting zombies and a war. Background epic music sounds, getting stronger and stronger as the video plays. Then, the music stops and the screen goes black again.
The Headshot Games' logo appears in the screen. The video ends. The public applauds and cheers.

Cole Stone: "We came to innovate. Let's start with announcing our partnership with Dracul Publishing. A few months ago, Dracul sent us a letter asking for a brand new game for them to publish.

Well, we are glad to announce the releasing of: Together We'll Rise, on the NIN Beast, the Master Game System and we're planning on releasing it on the Mana"

"That's not all. That's not all. We are happy to announce our partnership with Architect Enterntaiment Division to create more games on the Mana.

We announce the releasing of: Away, on the Mana and Mana Prime... and we're also porting a version for the new upcoming console of AED."

"Finally, in honor of the victims on the North Accitanian war, a war Platerdam participated and lost many young lives. We released a game.

We want to present: The Price of Freedom. It's still on development, so, we're searching for consoles to handle it, the spots are open if anybody wants this game on it's console."

"Compare what we do at Headshot Games as experiments... we experiment, we try, we keep fixing, overwriting, trying again until it's completed... I hope you appreciate the brand new games Headshot haves to offer... Away and Together We'll Rise will be up soon in the Headshot Games' Store.

Thanks for helping us grow in the International Gaming Community, and hereby, in behalf of everybody working at Headshot Games... I say: We will always keep innovating.

Thank you."

[Valkea]

A R C H I T E C TP R E S SC O N F E R E N C E
Kirkland Exposition Center, ViZion — circa 2018
PART 1

Unlike the other presenters, who seemed to prefer the stage at the expo venue itself, Architect set up their briefing at Arthur M. Lauder Theater, a nearby venue hall that they rented for the event. The theater was packed to the brim with thousands of journalists, analysts, executives, investors, and some of the world's most prominent figures throughout the gaming landscape, all of them anticipating with millions around the world for the things Architect were going to announce at E3. They had arrived at the premier gaming exposition’s third major stop. The organizers of this event had expected a large audience to come here, though it gave one peek out of the curtain to convince the relatively young Aleksi Mäkelä that he had overestimated the size of the crowd. Guess there were more people who wanted to see this in person instead of on the giant LED screen at the Expo Center's stage.

He breathed a loud sigh and slipped his hands in his pockets, feeling a little nervous. But he figured that if this many people had come to see what was Architect up to for this year, then he better not disappoint. He practiced his gesticulations and his tone once more, going over them so that he'd look presentable to the audience. Well, aside from looking presentable already in his casual black suit paired with a shirt underneath that had the words "Team Mana" in big bold letters.

2018 was shaping up to be the year where the next generation of gaming was stepping into the spotlight. Companies around the world were announcing new systems left and right, from the well-entrenched titans of the console business to newcomers who were looking to debut their new hardware to the masses. What was Architect’s offering going to be for it? With the Beast home console and the MiniNINX5, Tosma 2XL, and Zodiac handhelds on everyone's minds, as well as potential heavy hitter titles that were going to come to all of these new systems, they were wondering how exactly was this newcomer to the console race going to top that. There have been rumors floating around the Internet lately that they were going to reveal details about their next console right here at E3. To further stir up more hype, Headshot Games may have let it slip somewhere in their presentation. So far the company has kept silent on the matter—all the more reason for the gaming insiders to believe the "uncles who work at Mana". Whether or not these rumors held water, they were going to find out from the head of Mana himself in a few minutes.

The crowd began to settle down as the lights began to dim around them, shrouding the hall in darkness. There was a brief moment of silence for a few seconds. A number appeared on the gigantic screen, counting down with every second. And then, there it was. The recognizable orange monogram appeared—the same one that had been revealed to the whole world six years ago. The logo grew in size and covered the entire screen with a bright orange. Music began to play in the background as the crowd was shown snippets of game footage from all sorts of current and upcoming titles, along with brief shots of people having a good time playing on Mana. The score began to build up as the cinematics and gameplay grew more intense until it finally faded as the Mana logo appeared once more, this time on the iconic cylinder of the console. A group of words manifested on the screen, and a disembodied female voice thundered throughout the room declaring, "This is the 2018 Mana E3 Briefing." The crowd applauded and cheered as the voice continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Head of Mana: Aleksi Mäkelä."

"Showtime," Aleksi muttered to himself. He took one more big breath and strode onto the stage to thunderous applause from the audience. He waved towards them and smiled, striding towards the center of the stage. This was the man they came to see, and he knew that. He felt a little intimidated by this fact, but he did his best not to let those feelings show. In fact, he couldn't help but smile as he felt the welcoming reception of everyone. It was time for him to once again show his confidence in the brand he and his team of hardware and software developers built from the ground up. All eyes were on him now.

"Thank you." His Valkean accent showed as he opened his mouth to speak. "Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. To those of you who are with us here in the Arthur M. Lauder Theater, and to the millions of those watching around the world, on behalf of everyone at Architect Entertainment Division, we welcome all of you to E3 2018." Another round of applause ensued. Aleksi added, "I should probably begin this briefing with a story. You like stories, don't you?"

"Yes," responded the audience in unison.

"Not too long ago," he began, "a ragtag team of creators, engineers, and gamers came together to create a system to push console gaming forward. They revealed to the world their first game console, the Mana—a system that introduced custom hardware upgrades, fully-functional virtual reality, and augmented reality to the gaming industry. Six years, millions of consoles sold, and millions more games sold later, the Mana has grown to become a thriving platform for gamers to play their games their way, and it ushered in an era of unprecedented innovation, transformation, and creativity that continue even today. The Mana family of systems—Mana and Mana Prime—were successful in their goals, and it outlined Architect's vision for the current generation of gaming.

"But we're not done. In fact," Aleksi then raised his index finger and smirked. "We're just getting started." He started to pace back and forth on the stage. "There are three principles that are at the center of our vision for gaming: fostering innovation and creativity, empowering developers, and delivering endless fun to gamers. Accordingly, we've been hard at work at developing a new platform that embodies these principles. This new platform is our next big step and our vision for the next generation of gaming—one that can deliver crisp 8K ultra-high definition resolution at the smoothest frame rates and allow for high-fidelity, truly comfortable, and truly immersive VR. You may be thinking to yourself, 'Well, these sound like the other new consoles that have been announced earlier.' " The audience laughed at his self-aware quip. He shrugged his arms and added, " 'What's so different about this one?' Well, after going to our friends and asking them what they want to see from us..." Aleksi then directed their attention to the screen behind him. "We have something to show you."

The hall dimmed once more, leaving only the screen for the audience to look at. The video featured a group of developers and Mana engineers sitting in front of a camera and expressing their views of what this mysterious new console was like. Many of them were singing the usual praises that came with new console reveals: how it is the future, how it can realize developers' visions for new games, how it can immerse players into those worlds, and how it was designed with the gamer in mind. But there was one particular phrase that stuck: 24 teraflops. Was Architect really that serious in including what may be the world's most powerful console GPU in their Mana successor? Everyone seemed astonished at this audacious declaration. With that much graphical power under the hood, it could theoretically power games at 8K resolution at a constant 60 frames per second with ease, and then some. No wonder the usually deadpan faces of the people in the video seemed to light up at the prospect of this "Project Wendigo". The video ended with what seemed to be the release date of the new system: Holiday 2019, a year away from now.

The audience erupted into applause once more as the lights shined on the stage. This time, a different person came up to speak: "The Head of Hardware Engineering for Mana, Markus Rosenlund.". Once more the crowd clapped to welcome this person in a blue sweater and beige pants. Markus clasped his hands together and stated, "What you have just witnessed is Project Wendigo, our gaming system for the next generation. This new platform has been the work of is the embodiment of what Mana has become, and the embodiment of what gaming will be in the future. When it ships next year, it will be the most capable and most powerful console on the market. And don't worry," he winked. "It'll still look great in your living room." Once more, the audience laughed. The small form factor of the cylindrical Mana was endearing as much as it was eccentric. It was a little bit amusing that Architect would go for another kind of small form to complement the big numbers that Wendigo was putting out there. With such lofty ambitions, wouldn't they have created a larger case for all the internal hardware to fit in? "With 24 teraflops of power," he boldly declared, "this is hardware built to lead the console industry forward to true 8K resolution and high-fidelity VR. This is Ultra HD without compromises, and truly immersive VR without sacrificing performance and comfort."

He then continued, "Our next-gen platform is also backwards compatible with all games and accessories on the Mana. Through 8K supersampling technology, your Mana games will look better and run better on Project Wendigo." Once more, the crowd clapped at the announcement. "This project is a momentous undertaking by Team Mana to bring the latest innovations in gaming to the next generation of gamers, and we are announcing Project Wendigo today so that developers and creators can jump on board now and take full advantage of its capabilities to realize their visions and make the best games, for you. Thank you very much." He waved to the audience as they applauded him. They seemed to be excited for the future of gaming that Project Wendigo was going to bring, but he knew that time will tell if the mainstream will be interested. "Now, I'd like to welcome my dear friend back onto the stage, Aleksi Mäkelä."

The Head of Team Mana took the spotlight, looking pleased that they took Project Wendigo's introduction well. As the applause died down, Aleksi then spoke, "While we look to the future of gaming, we also look to gaming now. While power, innovation, and immersion are important, we recognize that the most important thing that makes us all successful in this industry is the games. As a mentor of mine once said, 'He with the best games wins.' And we have taken that mantra to heart in delivering immersive and fun games through our in-house studios and with our third-party partners around the world to you, the players. What I have said before was just an introduction. For this year's briefing, it's time we do the thing we do best and showcase the things that make Mana what it is today: the games. That's what you all came here for, right?" The crowd applauded loudly in response.

Aleksi then briefly glanced at the screen before returning his gaze to the audience. "Let's start with this one." With a snap of his fingers, the lights turned off again, and he silently got off the stage. The game's Mature rating was briefly presented on the screen. You know, the usual stuff. The background began to light up with what appeared to be a haunting night sky, with a shattered moon filling much of the foreground. The logo of Sundance Gaming appeared on the moon before it faded out of the shot.

Out of nowhere, two gigantic monsters appeared out of a portal that ripped through the background, tearing each other apart in the air. One of them seemed to turn towards the audience and fly out of the screen, as if it was going to devour the crowd alive. Just as it gaped open its mouth, showing the monster's sharp rows of teeth, a sudden kick threw its head to the side. The kick was later revealed to be coming from the pointed heel of a mysterious and admittedly voluptuous figure of a female, draped in dark clothes and wielding an assortment of blades about her.

The camera panned and rotated around her in... interesting angles... as she then began spinning her blades and cutting up monster after monster into several pieces as they all fell out of the sky. Over-the-top fight sequences, giant glyphs filling the sky, explosions—there were so many things going on in the cinematic that very few in the audience could even fathom what the fuck was going on. The fight scenes seemed so well choreographed and the animation so lively, not to mention the visuals were nothing short of impressive. Once the woman landed on the ground, she was surrounded by a group of enemies. She moved her lips as the camera zoomed in on her face, letting out a tiny but confident smirk. "I didn't know I was so popular here. Well then boys, who'll offer me the first dance?"

Immediately the cinematics gave way for the gameplay, which looked just as beautiful. It showed the woman fighting against all sorts of enemies on seemingly every setpiece anyone could think of: bat-like demons on the sides of buildings, titanic worms past moving trains, dark secluded alleys filled with beastmen, and giant bosses that destroyed everything in their path. Her movements were smooth but quick and lethal, tossing her enemies around in the air like they were stuffed animals—a glimpse at the upcoming game's tight controls and frantic gameplay. More cinematics were shown in the video, showing tiny snippets of scenes throughout the story—including an incredible scene where she fights a person draped in a cloak while lightning flashed all around them. Still no one knew what the fuck was going on, but from the looks if it they were very interested in this new IP coming over to Architect's gaming machine. In the end, both of the combatants were airborne, about to clash in an epic battle, and the game's name was displayed for all to see in big stylized letters. Cutthroat. Coming Holiday 2019.

There was another person that came onto the stage, one that didn't look like he was affiliated with Architect Entertainment Division. Bringing in other speakers from third-party developers was a normal practice, but it appears they had never heard of this guy before, despite being affiliated with the Sundance Gaming Company. Regardless, the audience waited for him to tell them all about this new IP and how this was going to succeed at a pivotal time in the console gaming industry. "Please welcome the head developer of Cutthroat, Timothy Rines."

[ViZion]

Timothy Rines was back stage in the famous and theatre, Arthur M. Lauder Theater. The historic theatre was built in the early 1920’s, and hosted many broadway plays over its roughly century of existence. Today, however, it was hosting Architect’s E3 presentation.

The young man, with soft ebony skin that made even many young ladies jealous of him, was pacing back and forth with anxiety. It just a couple moments, he was going to be called out on stage, in front of millions in person and online. I didn’t become a game developer to do fucking public speaking! he thought to himself as he continued to look over his notes.

He had set down his tailored light blue suit jacket to cool off, but it wasn’t helping much. Sweating with nerves, his white button up shirt was a bit damp – thankfully, he’d be on stage, and he would have the jacket to hide that.

At least these blue suede shoes help me look good… he thought. Then he heard it.

"Please welcome the head developer of Cutthroat, Timothy Rines." Aleksi Mäkelä was announcing. ”Shit… fuck, here we go.” Timothy said under his breath. Taking a deep breath, putting his jacket on, and flashing his smile, he jogged out on stage, putting his right hand up and waving.

”Thank you, Aleksi! Wow, wow, what an EVENT we have, right?” Timothy shouted to clapping and some cheering. ”Really, Aleksi, great job you guys are doing, and I’m sure I speak for everyone in saying we’re excited for the 2019 holidays!

“So, that video, the game Cutthroat. Exclusive to the Mana family, this new franchise is changing the game. Play it in stunning 8K at a smooth 60 frames per second in gorgeous High Dynamic Range, you take the form of young Maria. Born into a land of despotism, she lost her family to the mythical King Vighaul and his villainous army, known simply as Death. Starting in the game, you are 23 and trying to put your life together, having met your fiancé two years prior.

“Then… something happens. I can’t tell you what – but that leads to you becoming known as Cutthroat. You must fight Death, lead by King Vighaul himself.”

On the screen, a hulking beast could barely be seen outlining a dark and stormy night, with thunder and lightning and flying monsters shrieking. The only other detail you could make out – the hulking monsters searing red eyes. Then a menacing, deep laugh bellowed.

”Maria – you must fight and save the world from Vighaul and Death. That is your mission – can you do it? We will find out next year – only on Mana. Thank you, Aleksi, and thank you everybody!”
With that, Timothy shook Aleksi’ hand, waved to the crowd that, by now, was standing and clapping and cheering, and headed off stage.

Phew… I hope that went well. Timothy thought, nervous and excited all at once.

[Valkea]

A R C H I T E C TP R E S SC O N F E R E N C E
Kirkland Exposition Center, ViZion — circa 2018
PART 2

The audience clapped and cheered as Timothy departed the stage. Aleksi was grateful that he showed up at the briefing to debut Cutthroat in person. The future of this new IP seemed to be promising, especially since the Mana needed more exclusive games to bolster its lineup as the end of the current generation is drawing near. However, there was some buzz that was beginning to generate out of the game's release date. If it's going to be released in Holiday 2019, could it possibly be a launch title for Architect's new console as well? Perhaps. After all, its style and gameplay would take advantage of Project Wendigo's capabilities very well—maybe it could even help the new system hit the ground running against an increasingly crowded console space, where the old guard and new blood alike compete for the attention of every single gamer's wallet out there.

The head of Mana may have to sit a few minutes more as a slew of titles were making their debuts at the Architect presentation. This one was a new entry into the long-neglected genre of 3D platformers. The crowd was introduced to a wombat with orange fur wearing violet pants, red and white shoes, and gloves. This goofy thing was running and jumping around a world full of coins, gems, treasures, avoiding all sorts of obstacles, and turning into multiple versions of himself that give him all sorts of crazy powers. Willy Wombat, as the game was going to be called from now on, was coming very very soon. The audience looked more apathetic, but to be fair, they honestly believed that the age of platformers had passed long ago.

Not wasting any much time, the screen then moved on to the next trailer. This time, it showed a cinematic of a familiar city lined with casinos and hotels along a bustling street of lights. The audience could tell that this was Headshot Games' ultimate edition for their latest hit, Vegas. The scenery was then followed by a montage of various scenes from the game, including secretive backroom meetings, gunfights across city streets, lots of goons with funny accents, and certain parts of the story that had never appeared before. However, it seemed that that wasn't the only game coming to Mana. Two more IPs, Together We'll Rise, a zombie survival shooter, and Away, a sci-fi survival role-playing game, were coming to the platform as well. Looks like the partnership between AED and Headshot Games was going to continue for years to come, especially with how many gamers loved Vegas.

The next trailer was up, but the aura of this new game felt a little different. The protagonist of this cinematic appeared to be a dark-skinned teenager playing around with a worn out soccer ball on a dirt field with his friends. More scenes follow, which all follow the story of this teenager on his journey to become a football star. Everyone in the room saw him train with his fellow players, play in the amateur and professional leagues, go out for some drinks with his buddies, fall in love, struggle with a career-ending injury, and ultimately the protagonist standing amidst a sea of fans cheering him on as he entered the grassy pitch, as if in triumph. Champion, a title fitting for such a story. The audience clapped as the trailer ended, having witnessed what appeared to be a single-player experience.

The rest of the presentation featured all new DLC announcements for Mana's popular titles. Avanti 2 was going to feature three new car packs as well as a few new tracks to race in, Victory Day adds in more weapons, equipment, and maps to the mix, and a definitive edition of Ilkor: Our Hour or Honour was announced, which featured all additional content that came with the Mana port of the game. In addition, Blight was getting a virtual-reality version, immersing the player into the hit horror title like never before. As if everything in the game wasn't scary enough.

Aleksi was happy that the presentation had went without any major problems. With this enormous lineup of games coming to their platform left and right, he was confident that this might probably be Architect's best E3 yet. He walked back onto the stage to close the presentation. Clasping his hands together and grinning he said, "Thank you very much for your time, everybody. The games that we just showed you today will be available for you to try out at the showfloor. I hope you all have a nice day." He paused, and a few people in the crowd stood up and began to walk out of their seats. "But before you go," he smirked, stopping them in their tracks. "We would like to show you one more game that's coming for Mana. Here's a little peek." This was the last time that he would appear on that stage. As the trailer began to show, he made his exit.

The screen began showing a still render of what appears to be a generic bunch of men with guns pointing at other men with guns. The camera panned around the gunners, showing the incredibly detailed features of their armor, their guns, and even the turbulence in the air that trailed the path of the bullets. One of the men appeared to be firing off his rounds, while his teammates looked like they were charging towards the enemy. On the other side, one of them looked like he was shot, while another guy appeared to have fired off an explosive round, sending his targets flying. Whatever this was, the audience looked confused. Some of them even looked a little cynical at this reveal. Oh no, not another multiplayer online shooter.

But as soon as the tip of the bullet filled the entire screen in pitch black, it was soon replaced with a fast-paced space battle that featured starfighters flying past asteroids, battleships, and space debris scattered all about. Gameplay was shown featuring a decent amount of classes with varying strengths and weaknesses, a wide selection of weapons from plasma swords to giant lasers, vehicles that players can drive and shoot from, and game modes that offered diverse experiences for the interested—as well as targets to point guns at, of course. Children of the Stars was coming to Mana, and the crowd breathed a gulp of fresh air. Architect Game Studios have been hit and miss with their first-party titles so far, but this was shaping up to be another hit.

As the audience began to depart the theater, a final goodbye was heard from the disembodied voice. "Thank you for attending Architect's E3 2018 Briefing. We hope that you have enjoyed the presentation. Please visit our E3 Showcase at the Kirkland International Exposition Center in order to play demos for some of the games revealed here, as well as participate in events and win prizes. We will also be hosting our Mana Playhouse livestream during the conference, available on all social media platforms, where you will be offered a closer look at our upcoming titles. We hope that you will have a nice day. Thank you, and happy E3 2018."

[ViZion]

OOC: Sorry for the late post, been a busy week!

---

Sadie McDarnell paced around back stage. The young lady was anxious - she was the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of one of the largest game companies across the world, and had large shoes to fill. Just twelve months back, she was an unknown, buried deep within the lower corporate ranks of ViZion World Corporation working as an accountant, not but two years removed from a college. Double majoring in business and accountant, she had long aspired to be a business leader. But this? The last year had been quite the whirlwind - and she still couldn't quite fathom how, today, she would be on stage as the top ranked official of Sundance Gaming Company at E3.

She wasn't used to all this - and public speaking was never her strong suit. That didn't mean she wasn't going to try to blow this away. Indeed, she was dressed to impress - a long, flowing glitzy red dress with open back fit her slender form beautifully - and her stunningly glowing skin, tanned olive, really helped set off the look. Her mid-length brunette hair was softly curled, with light reflecting off gold flakes in it.

At just 25 years of age, Sadie had obtained one of the most powerful positions in the entire gaming industry - and even she was still working out exactly how she got there. For the first time in ViZionarian history, there would be two female CEO's representing ViZionarian gaming companies on an E3 stage.

She continued to pace, reading over her notes. She knew it was about time, but she was shaking and her flight instinct was kicking in. "Ms. McDarnell, Sundance Gaming Company, you're up. Lets go." one of the stage crew said, rushing over to her. "Yyyyes." She said, a slight quiver detectable in her voice. She took a deep breath. And she walked out on stage as her mic was activated.

"Hello, everyone!" she said, waving as she strutted on stage, as if on a catwalk. For most of the world, this was their first introduction to the newly-minted CEO of the historic company. She looked more runway model, less stuffy executive or nerdy gaming employee. "How is everyone doing? We've had some amazing speakers, and incredible product announcements!" she said, to cheers and clapping. "Now, I know most of you watched or attended the Architect event over at the Arthur M. Lauder Theater, and wow. Who is excited to Cutthroat, exclusive only to the Mana family? That is an incredible game, and if you have a Mana, that is going to be a MUST HAVE when it comes out during the holidays next year!

"Now, speaking of exclusives, we've got two more to announce! For the Next Ingenious Notion Beast, I am excited to announce Devil's Death, a richly detailed, colorful game centered around a decaying world where heaven, hell, and life are colliding after God sent an army of angels to kill the Devil, throwing everything into chaos. This story-based RPG can be played in single, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer. You can select one of a few key characters classes, and customize them. Every customization and character class gives you unique benefits and drawbacks, and will alter the perspective of events, where you are in this collapsing multiverse, and even the story itself throughout the game. There is a near infinite number of choices you can make throughout the game, and every choice will alter the storyline. This will also be available utilizing the Beast's impressive Virtual Reality technology, so rather you want to play on the big screen in stunning 8K, or be in an immersive and beautiful VR world, you can do it!

And for the Blast Dragon Fire, I would like to introduce Lost Valor. This unique take on a war game centers around life in the ranks of a murderous army. Play in story mode as a single player, local multiplayer, or online multiplayer, as well as a range of online battle modes such as team - which can be plays from five on five to massive 100-person teams - to capture the flag, or even last man standing.

In story mode, you'll go on takes such as partaking in attacks upon civilian locations, working at death camps, going on stealth missions to assassinate people, and be involved in epically massive, cinematic battles. You have choices, ranging from trying to reclaim your valor and honor going against your command - even so much as trying to assassinate the Chancellor and other key leaders - to rising through the ranks and fully embracing your Lost Valor. This will take advantage of Blast's new VR engine as well, and will be capable of playing in VR if you play in first-person.

As for non-exclusives, we have a bunch of new games! Above II: Twenty Later, life seems to have normalized since you saved Earth from the hostile alien gods that arrived to harvest the planet. But after 20 years, peace would not remain. The hostiles have returned, and it is again up to you and your ragtag team to help lead humanity to victory once again!

Super Shift! returns with its third installment, Super Shift! Apex. The vaunted racing series builds off the success of Nitrous. Enjoy VR racing, the largest collection of cars in franchise history, enjoy incredible 8K and stunning HDR. Take advantage of newly unlocked abilities, and as always, buy build, race, and repeat. Watch out for your car being stolen, or losing it when racing for pinks rather in online or single player mode. Enjoy multiple modes, such as track racing, street racing, open world, and Street Life in single player mode.

First Shot also returns with its second installment, First Shot: Slave Wars takes you back to the Slave Wars that encompassed the world for a decade. Choose from any number of nations, and fight on either side of the war. Take command of the days most advanced weapons, and play in single and local multiplayer story mode, and online battle mode in massive 50 or 100 player battle scenes in a number of environments and nations.

The Third Dimension 3D gets its second installment, The Third Dimension: Alternate Life, in which you find that, after trying to change history and what seemed like success in saving humanity, it actually created yet another plane in the time-space continuum - and the two begin to collide, causing the two worlds to begin to crumble. As you jump time once again, something strange happens. Come by our Booth, and find out what happens!

Thank you for your time. Stop by our booth to experience our new games on various consoles!"

She finished up, waving, blowing a kiss, and then turned and began to strut off stage.

[Zorcor]

Jane Komarov was standing back stage waiting for the go ahead from her boss. She fiddled with her black suit jacket. She always hated suits, she preferred working at the office where she could wear comfortable clothes. She looked at her boss Pete Nahasapeemapetilon in his white suit. His black inner shirt and white tie stood out. His black sun glasses and snow white hair complemented it well. Knowing Pete was Ex-special forces Jane kept thinking he seemed like some kind of hit man so good he didn't need to hide. Laugh to herself at the thought of her boss, who couldn't even make a good cup of coffee, could do anything like that. Then she was hit with a paper ball. She quickly looked up and saw her boss had been motioning her to go out on to the stage. Taking a deep breath she pressed a button.
The Large Screen above the stage lite up showing two soldiers hiding in a building near a enemy compound. One had a AG-13 assault rife, the other a minigun on a tripod. The first pulled out a RPG and loaded it. It switches to the view of a scoop on a High ranking commander looking guy. A gun shot is heard as it zooms in a x-ray view of the bullet entering the man's skull. Then Boom the front gate is blown out as it switches back to the two soldiers hiding in the building. The minigun hums to life as a hell storm of bullets rain down on the compound. The guards ran up to try and take out the others as another guards head explodes. It switches to a guard protecting scientist looking guy who is wheeling what looks like a nuke. They make it to a helicopter as another Solider dressed like the sniper and other two soldiers holds them at gun point. "Do something!" yells the scientist. "You heard him do something." says the soldier who does a thumbs up emote. As it changes to the view of the soldier. The guard turns and kills the scientist. "I was really getting board let's get out of here." says the guard. They board the helicopter and take off only stopping to launch the missiles on the choppier into the base. It then switches back to the two soldiers in the building. They turn leaving the minigun and RPG behind, as the run downstairs. Outside the door their is a motorcycle with a sidecar and both jump in and drives off. It switches to the sniper watching them leave and he pulls out a detonator and presses it blowing up the building the other two were in. The sniper gets up and walks away and in the background you can see the Chopper flying away. Down the hill the sniper was on, is another bike and he drives away. The screen turns off as Jane walks on stage.
"Greetings everyone and you may think that was some trailer made with CGI but in reality." She says as the curtain was pulled back showing four guys on NIN Next's and one on a NIN Beast all hooked together with blue cables. "You were just watching these fine gentlemen playing on a Mission on Master mode, where the hood was turned off and players could only talk to each other in game if they were close together. As the demonstration shows each map is a big destructible environment and you can even replace a enemy to gain a advantage. Weapons can either be brought in or has to be taken from enemies. In single player each character can be controlled by a player or AI. You have to buy new weapons or just take them with you on the way out. You can hold as many weapons as your character can carry with realistic draw backs. As for multiplayer, which come on it what keeps people playing these games, play on a total of 17 different maps. Each weapons you own has it's own level that unlocks skins, attachments, and titles. You can customize your soldier's look to give them your personal style. We have several match types like Deathmatch, Sniper VS Sniper, Zombie Horde, Siege Mode, and many more. But why should you care, I mean with out the large destructible maps, the x-ray sniper shot, unique ways to trick the enemies, and team focus game play isn't this just a run of the mill shooter? Well in both single and multiplayer their are 5 skill trees, The Heavy, The Sniper, the Commander, The Tank, and The Trapper, that changes what abilities you have and how you play. Unlike most Skill trees that are divided into three different levels unlocked when a certain amount of lower perks are taken. Meaning you can never touch the sniper tree until you unlock level three of the trees and then you can take any sniper tier three perks. In other words if you have been playing a Tank and have most of the tree filled out, but want to get some Trapper abilities you can. Call of Honor will offer unique game-play and will scratch the 1st person shooter itch. It is available for the Beast, Next, and Gaming Box. It can also be played in 3D" Says Jane.

The screen lights up again showing Willy Wombat battling weird monster as he traverses a evil looking castle. "Architect has already talked about Willy, however they failed to mention that their are multiple pathways to the end of every level something not done in 3D platformers. It also unlike every other platformer has a reward for completing the game with every single collectible and no it isn't some kind of cheap new ending cut-sense. No cause here at Dracul Publishing we true value you. So for all of you completionists that collect everything will get 5 brand new levels only you will get to play. Of course their is a reward for just finishing the game too. You then unlock a debug mode. It may not sound like much but in 2D platformers you can have a blast with it so you'll get a entire extra D of fun."says Jane. The footage that had been playing showed willy getting to a crossroad of two paths and the screen dividing to follow both paths.

The next trailer began to play as a cyborg is punched into the moon shattering it by a fighter with golden hair. The letters KO appears as the cyborg falls back down on Fire. "Fighter's Rage is a Fighting game where 2D fighters fight on 3D intractable stages. 24 of them in fact. You can choose to fight one on one or in a team of three. 20 unique fighters, combos, supers, color variants, costumes, the standard stuff we all come to expect right? What makes this any different? How about if I told you, you can fight yourself? With our New learning mode you choose a character and engage in a tournament mode. The computer then studies your moves over and over again until it learns how to be you. Then you can fight it in any mode you want anytime. How can it get anymore intractable then the computer learning your moves. Plus their is the added mode that lets the computer use all that data it's gained on you fighting to predict and counter your moves. It's a great way to find a strange player on short notice." Says Jane.

"This concludes the show. Have a good night everyone." Says Jane as she leaves.

[Midand]

Billy Koran was sweating a storm backstage, while Jane was saying her speech. He fumbled around with his tablet with his speech on it, as if doing that would buy him some time. The sweat was starting to ruin his collar a bit, and he was wondering why he was so nervous. He had gone in front similar crowds before! The stage crew member at the end was holding up one finger to symbolize for him to stay, and he was kind of hoping he would never switch signals.
However, of course that didn't happen. Jane finished her speech to a lot of applause, and it was finally time to go. She walked backstage, and the crew member's finger finally changed and pointed to the stage. Billy breathed a bit, and slowly walked up to the stage and to the podium.
"This is going to be a nightmare", he thought. He put his tablet on the stand and looked out at the crowd. They were all waiting.
He finally began to spoke, and he was surprised by how smooth he was.
"Good day ladies and gentlemen, I am Billy Koran, CEO of the Ilkoran Gaming Company!" he said. A decent amount of applause came from the audience.
"Most of you know us for our Ilkor and the Unkarians games, and may I hear how many fans we have?"
A huge eruption of cheering erupts from the back, near the Ilkoran booth. A lot of them are dressed in full Unkarian attire, and Billy found that amusing.
"Yeah, that's what I like to see. Good job!"
There is some laughter.
"Anyway, today I am standing in front of you at this grand and amazing expo - it has been a great time - to talk to you about...video games. You see, video games, some people might find them to be mindless drivel on that damn TV screen, while others find them to be a grand experience. And personally, I hate the first type."
More laughter. This was going well.
"Video games can be a very fun experience, but they can also be...art. Video games can be like art. The endless amounts of work that is poured into them, all the beauty and graphics, some may think it's just shooting a bunch of idiots on screen-"
More laughs.
"-but we here at Ilkoran think it's wonderful art. But, enough with my boring drivel. Let's get on to the good stuff.
And now...introducing our newest game lineup here it is...!"
The screen flashes in a flurry of graphics, and ends on a stylized montage of moments from the Ilkor franchise.
Ilkor, Onkar, and Ansor are running toward the human facility. The One, storming like a ball of fire, glows and floats toward them, angrily trying to blast them. Human soldiers run toward them, their blasters trying to blast them, barely missing the Unkarians. They keep running amidst all the chaos, until they look up...and see the MotherShip.
"Our latest game, Ilkor: Fight to the End !
With their leadership and mentors gone, Ilkor and his gang face a new storm of troubles. Human forces converge on all Unkarian places of refuge,
while The One storms against Ilkor, vowing to kill him and sending him to a new realm of torture.
Enemies are everywhere, and it seems it is over for the Unkarians. However, Ilkor and his gang are not ready to give up all hope yet.
It is time for them to fight to the end."
A trailer featuring some breathtaking moments shows up on the screen.
There is a massive amount of cheering from the audience, while all the Ilkor fans jump up for joy.
"Yeah, I know what you like! Now, another original game from Ilkoran: Nations VR: Make a Nation!
Now people won't grumble to us about not making anymore original games."
Lots of laughter.
"With Ilkoran's new and innovative Virtual Reality technology, Nations VR promises a true NationStates like experience, with the perfect NS feel, functioning multiplayer to interact with other players, and much more, as you take the place of a stressed leader with an entire nation to lead..."
A POV of a leader in a suit wakes up in his bed and rubs his eyes. A stack of papers is on his desk while a crowd is protesting a new law outside. He gets up and walks toward the window. This was going to be a long day.
"And now another game that I'm sure will change your entire perspective on FPS games: Into the Field."
A soldier wakes up in his tent to see the whole thing missing. Startled he falls of his bed and sees explosions and smoke erupting from the distance. The Bigtopians have arrived. He grabs his gun and runs out, and sees a whole new definition of war...
"A new game about our Midandian military. Delve into it's many missions and see what it's truly like to serve your country..."
A lot of cheers from the audience.
"Fighters IV!"
Fighters fans in full armor cheer.
"Yes, we finally get another one!
The long-awaited finale to the Fighters series, this game will bring you straight into the heart of Denkar's mythology, and as the Destructors gain even more ground in Denkar, threatening the very existence of all the innocent citizens and Fighters. As you and some old friends try to retake Denkar, the spark shows signs of finally dying out...
The Fighters are then shown, running into a seemingly empty field, the dead Spark in a large case in the center. Suddenly, as they're running, a horde of Destructors emerge over the hill, and they run towards each other...
"And...I would like to announce more games in development!
Games coming soon are:
FIGHTERS. In collaboration with Sundance, this prequel to the entire Days of the Fighters series delves into Denkar's roots and origins, and the long mystery of the Spark's history...
Ilkor: Collision. Also with help from Sundance, this new Ilkor game will be the final but filled installment in the Ilkor reboot series. Witness the final battle between the Unkarians, The One, and the human forces...
Heist. In another collaboration with Sundance, this game takes you through the huge world of cons and heists, complete with crisp graphics and amazing chase scenes. "
Billy stands up on the platform and thrusts his arms up.
"Thank you all. Let all of you have a great expo!"
He walks off the stage to thunderous applause, not noticing he didn't sweat once during his speech