Rowen
“Artificial Intelligenceseven seven donkey chicken hot dog. AI seven seven donkey chicken hot dog.”
Rowen Gale cringed as he listened to the mind-numbing, quasi-robotic gobbledygook coming from his speakers. Instead of hearing the even voice of a high-tech, futuristic humanoid, his ears were on the brink of bleeding as he listened to what sounded like the death gasp of a cheaply made robocall.
“Donkey, chicken, hot dog? What the hell is that?” he bit out, hitting the mute on his keyboard before he had to endure another round of audio glitches.
He sat back and released a pained breath.
Now he could add audio tracks to the master list of video game problems to date.
He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. His programmers couldn’t even get the sound right!
The situation could not get any worse!
He rose to his feet, then ran his hands through his dark tangle of hair as he stared at the bank of monitors fixed to the exposed brick wall. It wasn’t just the jacked-up audio that had him on edge. The color scheme was off. The editing was shit, and the 3-D modeling could use a hell of a lot more than a few tweaks here and there. And the story—the narrative that wove the video game together—wasn’t hitting the mark.
He clenched his jaw as a knot formed in the pit of his stomach.
AI-77 could not be another bust.
He glanced at the monitor with the calendar display.
Sixty days.
They had sixty days to perfect this video game, or he was screwed.
“How many damn glitches will I uncover today!” he murmured as the anxiety weighing heavy in his belly gave way to grating frustration. His blood boiled as he paced the length of his office, trying to work the flood of powerful sensations out of his system.
This was not how he operated.
He’d never allowed his emotions to take over. He was better than that—stronger than that. He’d spent a lifetime perfecting his poker face. It kept him focused and disciplined. And the fruits of his labor had paid off. He was a tech genius, for Christ’s sake! He’d created a groundbreaking app and sold it for fifty million dollars ten years ago when he was barely twenty-three years old. And with that seed money, he’d built a tech empire. But he wasn’t some one-off billionaire app maker content to spend his days jetting off to his homes around the world or lounging like a lazy, loaded has-been on his super-yacht.
That wasn’t him. That would never be him.
He had plans—big plans. He’d founded Gale Tech, an app and software development company in California. Situated in Silicon Valley, he’d sat at the table with the tech bigwigs. But he’d wanted more. Gaming had always been his passion. No, not his passion. When he was a boy, it had been his salvation—his escape.
He hadn’t planned on starting Gale Gaming in Denver, but life had thrown him a curveball. He still ran Gale Tech, but now, thanks to a damned awful twist of fate, he was back in his hometown.
Still, it presented a unique opportunity. Denver’s tech infrastructure was strong, and the economy was thriving. He’d set up Gale Gaming in the Crystal Creek neighborhood’s business district three years ago. With his booming success in the app department, he figured, no matter what tech avenue he chose, the sky was the limit.
He was the best. Sharp and innovative, he didn’t rely on anyone. His vision wasthevision. He was at the top of his field—the crème de la crème.
Except, that wasn’t exactly true anymore.
While Gale Gaming’s first video game wowed the critics, he hadn’t delivered on the subsequent two releases. In the past eighteen months, it was a charitable observation to say Gale Gaming had hit a few bumps on the road to gaming greatness. A more accurate assessment would be that they’d tanked—hardcore.
Glitches and holes in the narrative had cursed the last two games. He had one more chance to get it right. Bones Gaming, their top competitor, had left them in the dust with their last single-shooter release. Reviews like “dump Gale and go all-in with Bones” peppered the gamer chat sites.
AI-77 had to deliver—and it should.
The concept was solid: a futuristic Camelot-esque quest with plenty of action.
In the game, a humanoid equipped with artificial intelligence named AI-77 is the realm’s last hope to save the world from peril. An evil sorcerer cursed the lands of the Five Kingdoms with a freezing spell, and there’s only a matter of time before a wicked frost destroys everything in its path.
AI-77’s mission is simple: He must successfully guide the enchanted Princess Amelia through perilous terrain and multiple challenges to the final battle at the Ruby Castle. Once the level is completed, the princess plays a magical harp to break the frost curse.
AI-77 had the makings of a great game—a game for the ages.
