Natalie stirred awake in a daze, her eyelids fluttering as warm sunlight streamed through the window, landing squarely on her face.
It took a moment for her sleepy brain to register where she was, and more importantly, what time it was.
"It's already morning?!" She sat up suddenly.
Her voice cracked from dryness, and she blinked as memories of last night rushed back.
She had only meant to rest for a short while after the intense livestream last night, but fatigue got the best of her, and she had ended up passing out.
As she glanced down, she realized her shoes had been taken off and the blanket neatly tucked over her.
It must've been him...
A warmth blossomed in her chest at the thought. Her brother, Tony, must've looked after her while she slept.
Stretching her arms above her head, she winced.
"Ugh... I'm still sore..." Her body complained with every move.
No wonder, she hadn't exercised this hard in ages, let alone inside a hyper realistic VR simulation like Subnautica. It wasn't just mentally exhausting, it was physically immersive too.
Shuffling out to the living room, she found Tony sitting on the couch, eating leisurely. A tray of toast and bacon with a bottle milk sat on the coffee table.
"You're up? Just in time," he said casually. "I went down to grab breakfast. Come eat."
Natalie flopped down across from him and grabbed a piece of toast, biting in with exaggerated drama.
But her eyes weren't on the food, they were fixed on him.
"...Why are you staring at me like that?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
She squinted at him, as if studying a great mystery.
"I'm just thinking," she said slowly, "how can someone who is so calm and nice... be so evil behind the scenes?"
Tony blinked. "...Excuse me?"
"I'm serious! You look like a nice guy, but in reality, you're a devil who toys with players emotions!"
He nearly choked on his milk. "What the hell! Don't make me sound so sinister!"
"Then explain the psychological warfare in your game," she said flatly. "The emotional traps! The panic inducing darkness! The cruel decisions!" She chewed furiously on her piece of toast, glaring like she was betrayed.
Tony just sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"It's a game! It's supposed to leave a deep impression! Don't you remember what you said in the livestream yesterday? You said it made you stronger, more courageous."
He leaned back smugly. "Growth comes from pain."
"Shut up!!" Natalie shouted dramatically, tossing a napkin at his face. "You don't get to use philosophical nonsense after traumatizing your own sister!"
Despite her outburst, the tension melted into laughter. Tony chuckled softly, letting her rant.
He could tell her there were even more intense storylines ahead... but maybe it was better to let her enjoy the peace while it lasted.
After a few more bites, Natalie remembered something important.
"Oh right! Tony, when exactly are you planning to release Subnautica to the public?" Her eyes lit up with curiosity.
Tony thought for a moment. "Tonight. 8 PM."
Natalie almost dropped her bun. "That soon?!"
He nodded. "I was originally going to wait a few more days, maybe build more buzz through your livestreams. But honestly... the internet is already on fire."
Last night's livestream, featuring her and the popular streamer PureWhite, had caused a frenzy.
Clips from the stream flooded social media platforms. People were obsessively discussing everything from the visual quality to bizarre in-game decisions like 'Saving the Woman in Pod No. 2', which had become a trending meme in itself.
Even YouTube was ablaze. The demo video had cracked the top ten trending list globally.
At this point, Tony realized something crucial. The game no longer needed streamers to promote it. The streamers needed the game.
"In that case, let's drop it tonight," he said decisively.
Natalie leaned forward excitedly. "What about the price?"
"Hmm..." Tony frowned. Truthfully, he hadn't settled on a number. But he had checked the general pricing of premium VR titles.
Most AAA-level VR games in this world sold for around $300 to $400 dollars.
After thinking it over, he said, "Let's go with a flat $499 dollars. One time purchase, no microtransactions."
Natalie nearly spit out her milk.
"Only $499?! That's too cheap!!"
Tony looked confused. "Too cheap?"
She nodded seriously. "Way too cheap! I mean, sure, $499 is on the higher end of AAA games, but your game isn't just AAA. It's a genre defining, emotionally immersive masterpiece!"
Tony scratched his head, a bit embarrassed by the praise.
"I still want it to be affordable," he said. "High price means fewer players. I'd rather have more people experience the world I built than rake in max profits."
"Anyways, now that we've handled the hype, it's time to go global," Tony said. "You should tweet the announcement too."
Natalie stared at him for a moment, then picked up her phone. "I'm posting it right now."
"Go ahead," he replied.
With a few taps, Natalie opened her twitter and when she glanced at the screen, her jaw dropped.
"Wait. Why do I already have over forty million followers?!"
"That's because I linked your Twitter as the official New World Studio account on our Steam page," Tony said, grinning. "The fans came to you."
"No wonder..." she murmured, stunned.New World Studio's name alone was enough to pull in tens of millions. "It's posted"
[BREAKING: According to insider info, Subnautica will officially launch tonight at 8 PM! Priced at $499 dollars. Pack your bags, divers, it's time to explore alien oceans! #Subnautica #NewWorldStudio]
Within minutes, her post exploded with reactions.
"Only $499?! I thought it'd be 2K minimum!"
"This is shockingly fair pricing. Take my money!"
"Bro I budgeted $1,000 for this, but $499?! Buying it TWICE!"
"Shut up and let me become an interstellar diver already!"
The comments flooded in, thousands in just a few minutes. There wasn't a single complaint about the price.
"Well, you're right," Natalie grinned. "At this rate, first day sales are going to be insane!"
Meanwhile, in a small house in a unkown location...
A teenage boy rushed up to his mother, who was locked in an intense conversation with his aunts.
"Mom! I want to learn how to swim!"
His mom didn't look up. "Hmm? Jake. You wanna swim? Sure, I'll enroll you in a class."
"No need!" the boy said quickly. "Just buy me a swimming simulator!"
She paused, turning to him suspiciously. "A what?"
"A VR swimming software! Super educational! Teaches you everything, strokes, breath control, safety drills, without leaving home!"
The boy's face remained dead serious. His heart didn't even skip a beat.
His mom narrowed her eyes. "This isn't some game, right?"
"Of course not! You can watch me while I train!"
She nodded slowly. "Hm. Not bad... cheaper than lessons." But something felt off. Her son wasn't the type to care about exercise.
Still suspicious, she called her husband.
"Our son says he wants to learn swimming through a simulator. Is that real or is he trying to game us again?"
The dad was silent for a beat, then instantly replied, "Definitely a trick! There's no such thing as a swimming simulator. He just wants to buy a game!"
The boy's shoulders slumped. Busted.
But then, the dad suddenly changed tone.
"Wait... did you say $499? Oh! Yes, yes! I remember now! I saw a video, that swimming simulator! It's real! Very educational!"
The dad doubled down. "Super realistic. Actually, I was thinking of buying it for myself. Why not buy it for both of us? We'll learn together!"
Hope reignited in the boy's chest. Dad, you legend.
"Alright... if both of you are so into it." Mom finally relented.
"YESSSS!" the boy shouted, hugging her before sprinting away to celebrate.
At the table, one of the aunts looked up and sighed.
"Kate, your son is so motivated! All mine does is scroll TikTok."
Just as she said it, her phone rang.
"Mom," her son's voice said solemnly, "I want to learn to swim."
Four mothers stared at each other in stunned silence.
What the hell was happening?!