Chapter 68 - Everlife Release

Inside the Lürssen mega-yacht, Elon, Vince, and Sera talked at the top deck.

"Vince, this yacht is fantastic! I'll be more than willing to take care of it for you while you're away from LA if you buy it." Elon stated.

"That's right, Vince. Look at all your friends having fun in the jacuzzi. You could even do some scuba diving after we hire master divers for instruction." Leah commented while drinking french red wine.

"Okay, okay. I'll think about it. How much is this yacht, anyway?" Vince asked.

"Paulos mentioned it costs $600 million, including ten-year maintenance," Sera replied.

[I could buy two Boeing Dreamliners with that much money.] Vince pondered.

"Let's finish our drinks and wrap up here. We can't be late for our E3 presentation." Vince said.

An hour later, the people on the yacht boarded a Stingray parked on the helipad and flew towards the Los Angeles Convention Center.

They landed on a predetermined area at the event's private parking space, and Vince immediately headed towards their exhibit section.

"Alexis, Heidi, how's our demonstration booth looking?" Vince asked.

"We have two hundred personnel, one for each demo booth, and all of the equipment is ready for use. We've already set up the stage for the meet and greet after our presentation. Most of the audience is already waiting at the convention hall, plus the special guests backstage." Alexis replied.

"Marco, have Patel meet us at the hall. I'll meet our guests before the event starts." Vince instructed.

His lead bodyguard then opened a comlink channel to contact Patel's security detail, following his orders.

Their entourage made it to the backstage area without issue, considering the many operators escorting them through the convention center.

"Look over there; It's Vince Dalton for sure. We should head to the hall before we miss the presentation." a random person said to his friend in the crowd.

While the performers were busy setting up backstage, Vince and his friends met with the three leading stars of the Everlife single-player story.

While Robert Downey Jr., Dwayne Johnson, and Jennifer Lawrence talked in the guest room, Vince and his entourage entered through the back door.

"My name is Vince; nice to meet you all. I'm glad the three of you were available to make an appearance for Everlife." Vince stated

"I don't do acting for video games much, but Future Studios' production process was phenomenal. And the final product is even better. Thank you for sending me a demo, by the way." The Rock exclaimed.

"You'll be able to play the game soon, I assure you. Future Studios and Epic Games have been pioneering VFX and more advanced film techniques recently; I appreciate your feedback." Vince replied.

A young woman in her late teens walked into the backstage room, presumably coming from the restroom.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend with me. Hailee practically begged me to come after mentioning my involvement with Future Studios and its new video game." Jennifer Lawrence said courteously.

"I don't mind at all, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Hailee. My friends and I love True Grit, especially Rick. He thinks just because he's from Austin; he could be a Texas Ranger too." Vince joked as he introduced himself.

"Thank you for having me. My brother and I have played War Online so much this past year. Even the cast of Ender's Game has been holding mini-tournaments during our movie shoot offtime." Hailee stated honestly.

"I'm delighted to hear your continued enjoyment of War Online. I assure you that Everlife will also be a compelling experience." Vince stated kindly.

Vince introduced his mother and friends to the famous actors, leaving them some time to mingle.

Kyle and Rick were drooling over Jennifer Lawrence and Hailee Steinfeld while Leah, Sera, Jessica, and Sarah were conversing with Robert Downey Jr. and Dwayne Johnson.

Marco and Vince spent a few minutes discussing Everlife and other random topics with The Rock.

"I've been watching your friend, Tom Fury, in his recent UFC fights. That kid is tough and enormous to boot." The Rock stated.

"Marco and I train at his father's gym every day when I'm in Austin. He's busy with a fight camp at the moment, but he would've loved to meet you." Vince replied.

"I'm a big fan! Tell him we can meet whenever he's in LA. My home even has a full gym. I'll have a cage installed just for him." The Rock replied excitedly.

"Alright. Tom will appreciate the kind gesture. He'll probably give you cage-side tickets the moment he learns you're a fan." Vince stated honestly.

"You're friend here is Marco, the Marco from the Battle of Dehdadi, right?" The Rock asked.

"Of course, you've heard of me?" Marco asked curiously.

"You're a living legend, dude! Plenty of my military friends who served in Afghanistan keeps talking about your heroics. Kicking a grenade with your leg before it explodes is a crazy and courageous act. It's an honor to meet such a badass." The Rock replied reverently.

"It seems like you're quite famous in certain social circles, Marco," Vince said in jest.

"I've been your fan for so long, ever since the WWF. Your words mean a lot to me." Marco stated.

"War is a sensitive subject, but I bet we'll win with men like you on our side. Do you mind showing me your cybernetic leg? I heard it's the most advanced limb replacement in the world." The Rock requested.

Marco happily pulled up his pants to reveal the Future Med enhanced cybernetic leg.

"Holy shit. That thing looks dangerous as fuck." The Rock commented.

"If I wanted to, I could easily destroy anything in this room, including the walls and floor with this leg," Marco explained.

"This version of cybernetic replacement isn't commercially available yet, and will probably not be sold to civilians anytime soon," Vince remarked.

"I bet it's expensive. I hope regular people don't have access to this sort of thing, or else we'd be screwed." The Rock replied.

A few minutes later, inside the convention hall. Wonder Alice and 3D Jaden were readying their equipment for the presentation.

All of the lights suddenly dimmed in preparation for the show's start.

The hall was full of excited people who couldn't wait to hear more about Everlife.

Music began playing, and the spotlight pointed to a corner of the hall, where Pharrel Williams and Daft Punk were performing the Everlife theme music live, which surprised many people.

A brand new trailer was shown on the big screen, featuring more moments with the leading actors, the different vehicles, and the game features Everlife had to offer.

"They have the La Ferrari in the game?!" one of the audience members exclaimed.

"The game has more licensed vehicles than just the La Ferrari. Look, Robert Downey Jr.'s character just hopped off an Agera SFV in the background." his friend replied.

[Future Tech's presentation is so much more entertaining than the ooze fest Microsoft and Sony announcements.] Wonder Alice thought while enjoying the photorealistic video.

Towards the end of the new trailer, four people emerged from the backdrop, the leading cast of characters in Everlife and Future Studio's junior executive director.

The crowd started wildly cheering when they watched the pop icons walk to the middle of the stage.

[I wonder who this young guy is. I'm sure he wasn't in the trailer.] 3D Jaden pondered.

"I'd like to thank Pharrel and Daft Punk for that fantastic performance," Kyle said confidently before clapping.

The sudden entertainment fully engaged the audience with the compelling trailer and music, and everyone clapped even louder than earlier.

"Future Studios has invited three of your favorite actors to speak about their experience with the game's story development," Kyle stated.

"I had so much fun working with these two guys and the rest of the cast at Future Studios LA. My character is very different from my usual stuff, and I hope you enjoy the intricate sidequest you'll be experiencing with her." Jennifer Lawrence stated.

"Though they couldn't make it here at E3, The Russo brothers have outdone themselves with the direction of the game story. They're filming Captain America - Winter Soldier this year, but I feel Everlife is still their magnum opus." Robert Downey Jr. explained.

"All I can say is, this game is a must-buy! I've been playing the extended demo for a week now, and I'm craving for more. Good thing the demo version connects to an Infinity Cloud account, making it easier for me to transfer my progress to the game release version. You guys will share the same luxury when trying out the demo booths at the Future Studios exhibit." The Rock stated.

"Though, don't waste too much time creating your character because you'll be able to change it at release," Kyle commented jokingly.

"Everybody is wondering when the game will come out. I can confidently say that with the collaborative effort between 10,000 game developers and artists and the assistance of Epic Games, Everlife story mode will be available for download on June 14, 2013. While multiplayer is available for purchase now." Kyle declared.

"Wait. That's three days from now." 3D Jaden said out loud in surprise.

"That's correct. Future Studios started the development of Everlife a month after the release of War Online. Using Unreal Engine, advancements in the game development pipeline allowed us to complete this next-generation triple-a video game. That achievement is a testament to the prowess of Future Tech's software and hardware engineers." Kyle proclaimed proudly.

"The new Infinity Unreal Engine is a product of hard work and dedication between many divisions of Future Tech and the entirety of Epic Games. Now that Future Tech purchased Epic Games for $10 billion, we'll be releasing the software development kit, including assets used in Everlife, free of charge. Anyone can use Unreal Engine for commercial use for up to $5 million in profit; then, Future Studios will charge a 10% license fee." Kyle explained.

The game developers in the crowd were whispering to each other, primarily ones who use Unity and proprietary game engines.

"Did we forget to mention that the entire Everlife trailer is rendered in-game? Meaning what you see is what you'll experience when you play the game. This video game is the first to attempt a photorealistic aesthetic with the power of Infinity Unreal Engine. So you, too, can make video games as beautiful as Everlife." Kyle added.

"You're wondering how on earth your PC or previous-generation console can handle Everlife, but don't worry. Future Studios designed the game to work on any platform, from mobile phones to the newest consoles, in varying graphics quality. But, of course, to achieve the level of detail you see in the trailer, you'll need an Infinity-based computer system.

The lights suddenly turned off, and the four people left the scene in the cover of darkness. Vince made his way up the stage while a video was playing on the big screen.

Stats last time checked:

Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion

15 million BTC (currently trades at $1,000)

$10 Billion cash in Future Tech

105,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education, SpaceX)

20,000+ operators under Future Security

Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner

Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)

Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram)