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Many reporters from various news channels were taking pictures and videos of the Marketing Director of Platinum Bytes, the top gaming company in the world.
Platinum Bytes had Japanese origins but had become a global company.
Their games were top-notch, and no other studio or company could be compared to them.
The Marketing Director was leading an event where they were set to announce their next main project, along with a short trailer for the new title.
Most of the company's higher-ups were present at the event.
At the moment, small activities were taking place, such as quiz games and lucky draws for exclusive merchandise.
Soon, the Marketing Director stepped up to the podium to announce that the new trailer would be played.
The lights were switched off, and the trailer began playing on the big screen.
It was obvious to everyone that this game would be top notch, just like its predecessors.
The Marketing Director then returned to the podium for another announcement.
"As everyone knows, most players were only able to complete around 40 to 70 percent of the achievements in our previous title, The Iris Saga. Therefore, we've decided to launch an eroge set in a world similar to that of The Iris Saga.
There has been a strong demand for a standalone story focused on one of the original characters—Lucian Valemont. This new title will feature many additional mechanics and a complete revamp of the storyline. The character's personality will be entirely different from how it was portrayed in The Iris Saga.
The company has also decided not to include the option to lock inherited skills. Because of this, the game will be available for adults only.
The eroge trailer will be released on our official website in the coming days, so stay tuned for our upcoming title: The Incubus Saga."
The event area was filled with cheerful shouts and applause.
Platinum Bytes had a simple way of making money
They created high quality games and released eroge DLCs alongside them, allowing players from various audiences to enjoy their titles.
It was the same with The Iris Saga.
However, this stunt of releasing a standalone eroge was something new and completely unexpected.
Soon, the commotion settled down, and the Marketing Director spoke up once again.
"Today, we also have a special guest with us, the only player to have completed The Iris Saga with 100% achievement, Mr. Alex. We'd like to invite him to share his thoughts on our previous titles, as well as our upcoming one. Give him a big round of applause!"
Alex, a hardcore gamer who earned his living by creating game tutorials and taking on various extreme gaming challenges, had achieved what no one else had, 100% completion in The Iris Saga.
Alex was a well-known gamer in the gaming community.
He stood up and walked toward the podium.
"Greetings, my fellow gamers."
Alex began with a brief speech about The Iris Saga, its content, gameplay, and what he loved most about the title. But midway, his tone shifted, and he unexpectedly turned critical toward the new announcement.
"I'm saddened to witness the downfall of Platinum Bytes. Instead of working on a fresh, original project, they've chosen to create a spin-off series, an eroge centered around the first villain of the game. Even if everything is different from the original title, the fact remains that it's a poor choice. It would've been better if they had introduced his brother or something similar.
And to make things worse, the standard achievement of completing the game without inherited skills is being removed."
Suddenly, the microphone was cut off.
A few staff members quickly approached Alex and escorted him off the stage.
"It seems we'll have to end for tonight, as the time allotted to us has come to an end. We'll now distribute the rewards for the games we played and officially close the event."
The Marketing Director returned to the podium and announced the start of the prize distribution.
(Backstage)
"What were you thinking out there, Alex? You know you're in serious trouble now, right? Don't you have any common sense? Even if you were unhappy with our new title, you could've spoken to us in private, we might have considered making small changes to the game. Now don't blame me for whatever happens next."
It was a staff member, scolding Alex sharply.
This staff member was an acquaintance of Alex but nothing more than that.
"What did I do wrong?"
"Are you seriously that dumb? The stunt you just pulled isn't good for the company. It could even cause it to crash!"
Although the management had managed to wrap up the situation at the event, the consequences soon began to surface on social media.
Shortly after, the company announced that the game would also be available in a non-eroge version, and that the option to disable inherited skills would be added. But the backlash didn't stop there.
Online, people continued to voice their criticism. Comments like "This company only cares about money" and "They'll sell sex just to make a profit" flooded the platforms.
Rumors began to spread that the company was shifting its focus entirely toward adult content.
Previously, the eroge DLCs weren't even promoted on their official website yet now, they had suddenly announced a full-fledged eroge project.
The recently appointed Creative Director became the main target of the backlash. Online hate and pressure mounted rapidly, and soon, the shocking news broke
The Creative Director had taken his own life.
Only then did the uproar begin to settle.
Alex was not happy with how things had unfolded. He had only criticized the company's decision to go in that direction—nothing more.
He hadn't even known that the Creative Director was new to the team, or anything about them personally.
Later, he came to learn that the Creative Director was suffering from anxiety issues and was on medication.
It wasn't entirely the company's fault either. The demand for content related to Lucian Valemont's powers was high, and the company had managed to stay profitable largely because of their overpriced eroge DLCs.
But from Alex's point of view, the company should have been prepared to face criticism, especially for such a bold move.
Still, as time passed, Alex began to feel more and more guilty about what he had done at the event.
A few days later, while returning from a convenience store, Alex was hit by a speeding truck.
He was declared dead on the spot.
The apology letter he had written to the family of the Creative Director, saved in his drafts was never sent.