From Idler to Tech Tycoon: Earth
Chapter 74: Migration

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Migration

The Rockstar team had gone completely silent. Patrick, Rockstar’s Lead Engineer, leaned forward, his eyes glued to the vast screen. His usual analytical gaze had been replaced by something akin to disbelief.

He’d seen the demos Richard had cycled through: the procedural generation of vast, realistic worlds in mere seconds, the AI-driven physics engines that simulated destruction with uncanny fidelity, the real-time rendering at frame rates that should have been impossible for such detail. He cleared his throat, a sound almost lost in the sudden quiet of the room.

"Wait," Patrick began, his voice rough with incredulity, "if Vector Core is capable of this... this level of graphical fidelity... then your game, World War 2 Frontlines, why isn’t it showcasing this? Why did it look... less polished?"

Jack, who’d been watching the Rockstar team’s faces with a mixture of apprehension and growing triumph, stepped in. His usual playful smirk flickered, then settled into a more confident, almost knowing smile.

"Excellent question, Patrick," Jack said, his voice easy, as if he’d been waiting for it.

"World War 2 Frontlines was built with intentions for future updates. Our primary concern from day one was performance and flexibility for lower-end devices. We designed Vector Core to be incredibly scalable. We prioritized core gameplay, AI realism, and stability over bleeding-edge graphics in that initial release, to ensure it ran smoothly on a massive user base."

Susan, Head of Production for Rockstar, tilted her head, her earlier assertiveness now softened by genuine curiosity. Brendan, their Business Development Lead, looked less like a negotiator and more like someone who’d just seen a ghost.

"We’re also actively scaling for even lower-end devices," Jack continued, gesturing vaguely as if outlining a grand design.

"Our philosophy is that a truly immersive experience shouldn’t be gated by a multi-thousand-dollar GPU. The engine automatically optimizes asset complexity, texture resolution, and shader complexity based on available hardware. So, a kid with an older phone or a budget PC can still get the core experience." He paused, letting that sink in.

"However, yes, in the very next major update for Frontlines, we are indeed considering adding a ’High-Quality Graphics’ option. The engine has always been capable of it, but our focus was on delivering the core experience universally first."

The air hung heavy with the implication. Rockstar had built their empire on pushing graphical boundaries for high-end systems. Jack had just casually flipped their entire business model on its head, revealing an engine that could do both, with an underlying philosophy of accessibility.

Brendan cleared his throat again, a nervous, almost imperceptible sound. The silence stretched, tense and expectant. "So, you’re saying... this isn’t just an internal tool? Do you plan to commercialize Vector Core as a full engine platform?"

Richard, who had remained impassive throughout Jack’s explanation, allowed a faint, almost imperceptible smile to touch his lips. He met Brendan’s gaze, then Susan’s, then Patrick’s.

"We will be ready soon," Richard said. He offered no further details, no specific timelines, just a quiet, confident finality. The three words hung in the air, weighted with the promise of disruption.

The Rockstar representatives looked at each other. Susan’s face was a mask of calculated thought, her eyes narrowed. Patrick looked stunned, his earlier skepticism completely gone, replaced by what looked suspiciously like awe. Brendan’s jaw was set, his usual polished demeanor fractured by the sheer scale of the revelation.

They began to whisper among themselves, the hushed tones barely audible in the quiet room.

"This changes everything," Susan murmured to Patrick, her voice low, urgent.

"We can’t just license an algorithm. This is a competitor. Or... a game-changer we must have. Their scaling for lower-end devices... that’s a massive market they’re targeting that we’ve ignored."

Patrick nodded, his gaze still fixed on the blank screen where Vector Core’s impossible demos had just played. "My engineers would kill for this. The auto-optimization alone... it solves so many of our internal headaches. This isn’t just an AI; it’s an entire paradigm shift in development."

Brendan leaned closer to Susan, his voice barely a breath. "We need board approval. This isn’t just a tech acquisition anymore; it’s a strategic alliance, or even a paradigm shift for Rockstar. We need to present this data immediately. This isn’t a small deal. This is... colossal."

Susan turned back to the Bytebull team, her expression a mix of awe and renewed, almost desperate, determination. She didn’t look at Ernesto; her eyes went straight to Jack and Richard, as if recognizing where the real power lay.

"Mr. Santamo, gentlemen," Susan said, her voice now firmer, more decisive. "This information is... immense. It fundamentally changes our perception of potential collaboration."

She glanced at Patrick and Brendan for confirmation, both nodding. "For this to be a truly productive relationship, and for us to move forward with the gravity this technology deserves, we must take this new information back to our board immediately. We need to re-evaluate our position, and finalize our decisions with their input."

Ernesto gave a slight nod, his voice still calm, as if he’d anticipated this exact moment, this exact response. "Understood. Strategic alignment requires thorough consideration. We are always open to discussions that benefit both parties and, more importantly, advance the industry."

The meeting concluded with a flurry of formal pleasantries, but the underlying tension had shifted entirely. Rockstar left the Bytebull compound, their demeanor far less confident than when they had arrived. Their black SUV pulled away, the automated gates sliding shut behind them, sealing away the secrets within.

Inside the stark meeting room, Jack and Richard exchanged a look of silent triumph as the door clicked shut.

"They were speechless," Jack said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Seriously speechless. Especially when you showed the graphics, Richard. I thought Patrick was going to cry."

Richard, a rare, genuine smile gracing his lips, nodded. "We just showed them the future. And they realized they were standing in the past. And they thought we were just some indie dev with decent AI."

Ernesto, watching them from behind his desk, allowed a look of quiet satisfaction to spread across his features. "The meeting wasn’t ’successful’ in the conventional sense of signing a deal." He picked up a pen, twirling it idly. "But it achieved its primary objective. They now understand their true position. And ours. The next conversation will be on our terms."

He looked from Jack to Richard, his eyes holding a calculated glint. "And the next conversation will be about much more than just an AI integration. It will be about which side of the future they want to be on."

------------

The overhead lights buzzed faintly as the Rockstar North boardroom filled. Phones were silenced. Coffee cups abandoned. One by one, the board members took their places—each seated at an equidistant space along the long, immaculate mahogany table.

At the head sat Arthur Vance, CEO, fingers steepled. His face was unreadable.

Susan stood by the mounted screen, a tablet in her hand. Brendan checked his notes, while Patrick paced quietly near the far wall, his mind clearly still on code.

"Alright, everyone," Arthur said finally, his voice calm but edged with something harder. "Thank you for making the time. This won’t be our usual quarterly. Susan, Patrick, Brendan—you have the floor."

Susan stepped forward. Her tone was even, but her eyes held something more urgent.

"Four days ago," she began, "we visited Bytebull’s facility. We expected to see a novel AI module for NPC behavior. What we found was something far more significant."

The screen lit up. The first slide read: Vector Core – AI-Native Game Engine.

"What we witnessed," Susan continued, "was not a single breakthrough, but a complete overhaul of how game development can be done."

She paused. Let that sink in.

Patrick stepped forward, tapping the tablet. The next slide showed side-by-side comparisons: current-gen graphics from RAGE on one side, Vector Core’s demo footage on the other. Real-time rendered destruction, fluid terrain deformation, city-scale procedural generation—all controlled by AI systems that anticipated user interaction.

"It’s not just prettier," Patrick said, his voice low and precise. "It’s smarter. Every asset generated procedurally. Every behavior driven by learned response, not scripts. Their AI doesn’t just respond—it adapts, remembers, and evolves. And the kicker? It scales. From high-end PCs down to budget Android devices."

He paused, glancing around. No one interrupted.

Brendan took over, his voice more businesslike.

"And they’re commercializing it," he said. "Vector Core is not just their in-house tool. It’s a platform. With a licensing model. A marketplace. They’ve hinted at developer APIs, plugin ecosystems, even educational editions. If they succeed in launching it globally, this isn’t just competition. This is infrastructure."

He paused for effect. "They won’t just take players. They’ll take developers."

Silence followed. Until Mr. Davies leaned forward, frowning.

"Procedural generation?" he said skeptically. "We’ve poured millions into handcrafted assets. Artistic curation. Is this just the latest tech hype? A toy that works in demos but buckles in production?"

Patrick didn’t flinch. "With respect, sir, I thought that too. Until I saw it build a biome-accurate jungle from scratch in under five minutes. With terrain logic, natural erosion modeling, and wildlife spawns that adjusted based on density thresholds. It’s not a toy. It’s a toolkit."

Ms. Albright cut in, sharp and clinical. "And what happens to our IP? Our engine? Our production pipeline? Are we suggesting we burn all that and jump into someone else’s ecosystem?"

Younger board member Sarah finally spoke, her voice quicker, a little impatient. "No. But if we don’t shift, we’re building a luxury cruise ship in a world that’s about to invent teleportation. Their approach isn’t just smarter—it’s faster. Cheaper. More accessible. We’ll lose developers to this, not just players."

"And the perception shift," Brendan added. "If Bytebull goes public with this? They become the vanguard. And we look like the legacy giant scrambling to catch up."

The room cracked open.

Some voices leaned toward panic.

"So... everything we’ve built in RAGE—what, obsolete?"

"No one’s saying scrap it—"

"Yes they are. That’s what I’m hearing."

"We are Rockstar. We define the standard. Not follow it."

"Do we? Still?"

Sarah’s voice again.

"If a teenager in a basement can build a functioning open-world shooter in a month using Vector Core... what happens to us?"

There was shouting. Mild, by board standards—but heated. Legacy versus future. Independence versus integration.

Arthur Vance sat still.

Then, just as the voices reached crescendo, he raised a hand.

"Enough."

Silence dropped like a curtain.

"We’ve heard the findings," Arthur said. "And the arguments. What Bytebull has built is real. It is powerful. And it will impact us. That’s not up for debate."

He stood, walking slowly around the table.

"This is not about pride. It’s about trajectory. RAGE has carried us far. But we are now facing a platform—not a product. One that can reshape how games are made."

He turned to Patrick. "Do you believe this engine can support the scale of Grand Theft Auto?"

Patrick didn’t blink. "Not just support it. Optimize it. Cut dev time, improve performance, and allow live content iteration at a scale we’ve never attempted."

Arthur nodded once. "Then here’s our path."

He returned to the head of the table.

"We proceed with a phased migration. Immediate priority: integrate Phoenix AI into GTA V using their API, as agreed. Parallel to that, all new major title development begins within Vector Core. We will seek a long-term licensing agreement, structured carefully."

He glanced at Chen. "We do not abandon RAGE. We maintain it. Invest in it. But for cutting-edge innovation, we align with Vector Core."

A pause. Then:

"Brendan—start drafting partnership terms. Susan—coordinate internal training schedules for select dev teams. Patrick—prepare a compatibility evaluation framework for existing IPs."

They nodded.

"And schedule a return meeting with Bytebull. One week. I will speak with their CEO directly."

Arthur looked around the room. Some still looked bitter. Others looked relieved.

"All of this," he said, "only works if they believe we are not just another legacy company trying to leech off their progress."

He paused.

"We need them. And they need to believe we’re the best possible partner in a world they’re about to change."

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