Original subtitles

-[Charlie's voice] They say the greatest commodity

in the universe is time.

[maraca rattling]

Kind of surprising at first, right?

That it isn't... I don't know, money or land.

We've all got the time we're given, I suppose,

but I just lost 30 days.

The whole month of my life gone in the blink of an eye.

I'm honestly not sure

how it's gonna turn out just yet.

But I do know exactly how it began.

Christmas 1998.

♪ Got a good thing comin' ♪

♪ And it's all I need ♪ -[gasps]

Unreal Tournament!

[indistinct robotic voice]

No way!

-[shrieking] Video game! Video game!

[screaming]

♪ Just wait and see ♪

♪ It's a good, good thing ♪

-I love you! -[mom] I love you, too.

-Nintendo video games.

Definitely the hottest thing this Christmas.

-[Charlie's voice] I was eleven going on 12

when I knew I was meant to do this...

video games.

Not just play them, make them.

The moment I saw those pixels explode in a blaze of victory--

man, I was hooked.

I think you're hooked.

-[chuckles] No.

-I love video games so much.

I had to create a game of my own.

-A game engine is a software framework...

-[Charlie's voice] Some kids play sports on Saturdays.

Me?

I taught myself the world's first commercially available

video game design software.

And by the summer of sixth grade...

I had already met my number one fan.

-[squeals]

[gasps] You made that?

-Yep, sure did.

[gunshot]

[muffled machine gun rattling]

['90s hip music]

Mom, look.

-Wow. That looks great.

You know what? I got an idea.

But it has to wait till tomorrow.

And it's a surprise.

-[groaning] Mom...

-[indistinct] -[chuckles]

['90s hip music continues]

♪ You hear that sound? ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ You hear that sound? ♪

♪ Get ready to play ♪

['90s hip music continues]

♪ Get, get ready to play ♪

[electronic click, hums]

[game cartridge clicks]

[electronic humming]

[chiptune music]

[chiptune music]

-Go ahead.

No, sir.

This is where your game belongs.

[chiptune music]

[Polaroid clicks]

Now, this is you today.

Page one.

-[nurse] Charlie, your mom has about 30 more minutes,

-okay? -Okay.

-Bree, your dad's almost done.

-Final page, that is when you get your first real game

on those shelves.

-[young Bree] What are you reading?

-Oh. Uh...

I'm reading a book about video game programming.

-[sniffles]

-What book are you reading?

-And then all the pages in between...

-[indistinct chatter]

-That's how you get there.

-Whoa. That's pretty cool.

-Welcome to day one

of The Collective video diaries.

A little aftershock with the gun [indistinct]

-Yeah, yeah. I get that.

[objects clatter]

-[mom] Having fun.

-Thanks, Mom.

[monitor beeping]

[chiptune music]

Okay, so watch out for those.

[kids laughing]

I win.

[poignant music]

[scrapbook rustling]

[poignant music continues]

-We're here for you, Charlie.

[gun firing]

-Oh, wait. Right there.

-[over game] [groaning]

[gunfire]

-[Charlie's voice] Mom used to say

we were gonna change the world. [weapons booming]

But life has a way of throwing curveballs.

The one constant about time...

[indistinct robotic voice]

-[robotic voice] Double kill. -Shotgun.

-[Charlie's voice] It doesn't slow down.

[suspenseful music]

[suspenseful music intensifies]

So I grew up. We all did.

And we're still waiting on our big break.

Turns out creating a video game with your friends

isn't that simple or easy.

[suspenseful music intensifies]

[phone alarm ringing]

[headphone clatters]

[exasperated sigh]

Whaddya think, Mary Jane?

I should still have time, right?

[low, electric humming]

[objects clatter]

[bell ringing]

[gentle music]

-[Gibbs growling]

-[Charlie] Hey, Gibbs.

-Mornin'.

-[Charlie] Hey, issue five come in yet?

-No, not yet. Maybe later today.

Look, will you come help me out in the warehouse for a second?

-Warehouse?

-Yeah. It's a big building with aisles and boxes.

-Yeah. I know what a warehouse is, Gibbs.

-No, boxes. -Yep.

[door lock beeps]

[door slams]

[gentle music]

-[Gibbs] Great. You can just set them down over there.

-I didn't know this place had a warehouse, Gibbs.

What is all this stuff?

-[Gibbs] It's just my grandfather's old stuff.

Whew. I gotta get my table up for the Elven Tribe Gathering.

The next chapter of our campaign drops tomorrow:

The Black Tower of Shenthiel! [majestic music]

-Wow. Sounds amazing. -Yeah.

-Hey. I don't suppose you need an extra cleric.

-You're not ready. -Whoa, hold up. Hold up.

I am a cleric, okay?

I've been playing D&D since I was 10.

-[Gibbs] That's great.

-So?

-Well, our room is about more than just a game.

[mysterious ambient music]

-This is interesting. Hey, Gibbs, what is this?

-That is an energy amplifier.

My grandfather was attempting

to harvest subatomic energy or something.

-Okay. How about this one?

-[Gibbs] That is a perpetual motion machine, I believe.

-Doesn't that kind of violate science or something?

-I dunno.

-[Charlie] Huh.

[machine hissing]

-Gibbs, what is this? -[Gibbs] Don't touch it.

[electrical whirring] [high-pitched ringing]

-Whoa! What just happened?

-I told you not to touch it!

Get out of there.

The metal on the inside causes time displacement.

-Time displacement? -Yeah, time displacement.

You're not ready for that either.

Just help me with the dragon.

-[Charlie] Okay.

-[straining]

[phone buzzes] -Oh, hold on. Just one sec.

I've got a text.

Oh. It's my boss, Barbara.

Yeah. I gotta go, man.

Off to another day to watch other people make video games

and not my own. Alright. Later, Gibbs.

-[strains] Alright.

Well, you have fun with that. [funky music]

-[Charlie's voice] By day, I'm the world's fastest burger

delivering extraordinaire.

[car door closes]

-Uh, soy sauce?

-I did ask the restaurant

three times for-- [door closes]

[Charlie's voice] I'm perfecting the art of delivering happiness.

Please leave a review. [door closes]

Review?

[Charlie's voice] One greasy bag at a time.

It's all good?

[funky music]

[bell dings]

[Charlie's voice] By night I'm an aspiring game designer.

[indistinct chatter]

-Cut!

Cut!

Cut! Cut! Cut!

-Hey, Barbara.

You might lose some of the weight and size of the boss.

Plus, if you have them go that fast

players won't be able to react and well,

they'll think the game is unfair.

-Shh.

- [Charlie's voice] Who's still aspiring.

[bell dings]

And after all that I come home to my real job.

[pill rattles]

Dad...

Dad. Wake up.

-Wakey-wakey. Dad. -[sleepy groan]

-You forgot to take your medicine.

-Oh, I'm sorry. Must have slipped my mind.

-It's okay. -Charlie...

if it weren't for you...

when I leave the house

I'd probably forget to put my head on.

-I really need you to remember this, okay?

Day and night you gotta take your medicine.

-Yeah, yeah. I was just too focused on the novel.

-Right. Also Maria is coming by in the morning.

-Okay. Sounds good.

Who's Maria?

-Assisted care. She gets the groceries for us.

I'll introduce you to her.

-[softly] Oh, okay. -Again.

[bell dings]

[emotional music]

[seatbelt clicks]

[Charlie] Hi, there. Here is your Timely Eats order.

Please leave a review. [door slams]

Or not.

[exasperated sigh] [car door closes]

[phone buzzes] [phone dings]

[phone swooshes]

[electronic click]

[futuristic upbeat music]

[car honks]

[futuristic upbeat music continues]

[tires squealing]

[car door opens, closes]

[door opens]

[background chatter]

-[Lucas] So you told me you never thought about it?

-No, we've been friends since we were 12, okay?

-Ah. So, I can ask her out then? -No, no. Don't.

That would make it weird.

[Charlie's voice] Meet Lucas.

My best friend and a self-pronounced theatre geek,

who's also one of the best level designers I know.

We've been pals since we were 12.

Oh, and this is Brian.

Think Silent Bob but with coding skills.

He's got a lot to say but doesn't say a lot.

Close friend and the quiet genius of our trio.

-Someone's gonna ask her out eventually.

-[Bree] Hey, guys. Room for one more?

-Ah! -[Charlie] Bree, hey.

-[in British accent] Hallo, Lady Bree.

-[in British accent] Hello. -Striking pant suit.

How's the Qube?

-Is that Australian, Lucas?

- [Charlie's voice] And here's Bree.

Part of our crew but never quite one of the guys.

She was always there for me though,

even in the tough times.

Now she's all grown up and stuck at Sugar Qube,

a kind of corporate sellout mobile game studio.

She works for Miles as an assistant.

I'm not really sure what she does there,

but it's definitely not her dream job.

We grew up together playing every game

we could get our hands on

and eventually decided to make one ourselves.

We called it Quicksand.

We tinkered on it for like 10 years

and it went nowhere.

Total disaster.

But hey, we're still friends.

-Talk about a circus. Sugar Qube is the circus.

Trying to keep my boss focused on what keeps the lights on.

I need a margarita.

-Sugar Crush literally selling 10 million copies isn't enough?

-Sugar Crush accounts for 90% of our revenue

but my boss wants to expand.

Can you imagine the company that makes Sugar Crush

trying to do an M-rated first person shooter?

-Peppermint Patty gettin' her head blown off whif an AK!

Right, Bry?!

-Little accent drift there, buddy.

A little slipping into some cockney?

-And thou hits keepeth coming... Oop.

Don't look now, Sir Charles,

I daresay your good lady is here.

-What good lady?

-He's been oogling the barmaid. -[Charlie] No, no.

-Yeah look. Oh.

-[Charlie] Hey.

-[laughs]

-Oogling? I didn't-- [chuckles] I didn't oogle--

-I didn't oogle anyone. -Yeah.

-[Charles] I didn't oogle anyone.

-I need a margarita. [soft chuckle]

[upbeat EDM music]

[indistinct chatter]

-[gagging] -[Bree laughs]

I love some soda. I love some soda.

[upbeat EDM music]

-Yeah. [chuckles]

[indistinct chatter]

[drink pouring]

[upbeat EDM music]

[indistinct chatter] [Bree laughs]

-Whoa. Easy, buddy. Easy, easy.

-That fourth margarita was a terrible idea

and my 8 a.m. meeting is gonna be so early.

-Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Do you want us to pitch Quicksand to your boss?

-You're still working on that?

-Okay. Let's just say it's a work in progress.

-It's more than a work in progress,

it's basically there.

-Lucas. No man, okay?

The concept, the bugs, it's just a mess.

The game has a long way to go.

-Well, there are few tweaks to be made,

but we are close.

-Okay. Are you?

Hey? [giggles] Come here.

[indistinct] car?

-Yeah, let's get you to your Uber. Come on.

Hey, good luck with that hangover tomorrow.

-[Bree giggles] Thanks. [car door opens]

-Alright. [whistles]

[car door closes]

Oh yeah, never thought about it once in my life.

-Never ever thought about it. -Shut your mouth.

-You too, Brian. -So I have childhood friends,

so explain this to me then.

-[Charlie] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

-[male voice] Rated E for everyone.

Where sweet candy reigns supreme,

there's only one thing

that can upset the balance of power-- dark chocolate.

-[Game Character 1] This is my bittersweet pal.

[evil laughter]

- Who's ready to get a sweet talk?

-[Game Character 1] Milk chocolate. Horrible!

-[woman] I feel like a Claire in a candy store.

-[robotic voice] Choco Blast!

-[voice] Get ready to crush the dark choc-opocalypse.

Sugar Crush Dark Chocolate, download this Spring.

-Well, what do you guys think?

-Yeah. [sighs]

It looks a lot like the other 25.

-We're not here to talk about mobile games, Miles.

-What's happening with our triple A titles?

Doomshot?

-The triple A titles...

We are... working on them.

-Miles, we scheduled this call to discuss future titles.

In particular our first-person shooter

that we need to compete in the market.

[sighs deeply]

Our established deadline is three months.

Can you still hit that?

-Three--three months. Uh...

Three months is a little fast.

-You've got three months.

[disconnect beeps]

[chair squeaking]

-Sheryl?

Sheryl, we need to call a meeting.

I'm feeling suddenly stressed out.

-[Charlie's voice] This is Miles Sugar.

-If we can't show the venture capital board

the demo that I am contractually obligated to deliver

then all of our funding goes away.

In 2008, he was a college brat entrepreneur

whose mobile game Sugar Crush blew up

and made him Tech Magazine's youngest ever

entrepreneur of the year.

-Bree-oncé.

[fingers snap] Hit me with it.

-[Charlie's voice] Since then he's been riding

the Sugar Crush wave.

But that can get old after 15 years.

So his newest venture is to try and get into triple A games.

-Why? Because, because that's what sells.

That's why.

-[Charlie's voice] Which means he needs venture capital,

which is where these guys and gal from Texas come in.

Oil, cotton, natural gas.

Gotta love Texas money.

-In three months' time,

we will have a first-person shooter

to present to the VC guys,

or all of you are fired!

Have I made myself

just crystal Sugar Crush clear?

-[Charlie] Dad, we don't have any towels again.

Hey, that'll do.

Hey, Dad, you forgot to get the towels.

-I need to talk to you. -Whoa. Hey, hi.

-How did you get in? -Your game, Sands of Time?

Sandwich? Something?

-Quicksand. Can I have a second?

-Yes, that is the one. It's a shooter, right?

-Yeah, it was a strategy

but then we changed it to an FPS.

Two wildly different genres

so it's basically all over the place.

Can I please just put some pants on here?

-How close is it to being done?

-[sighs] Not even close.

Um, I mean, there's just been so many versions

that in my opinion,

it would honestly just be easier to start over.

Besides, the thought of working with Lucas right now

-is exhausting. -Stop, stop, stop, stop.

Sugar Qube needs a killer shooter demo in three months.

You're the only person I trust to do it.

This is your chance.

-Bree, I really wish I could, with all my heart,

but there's no time.

-[sighs] Okay, I get it. It's fine.

Just, if you think of a way, you call me?

-Okay. I will give it some thought.

-Thank you.

[rousing music]

-[Barbara] Action. Let's go, Kevin.

Come on. Faster. Faster.

Oh my gosh, that looks awful.

Do you believe that?

Okay. Come on.

We'll take you, Becky. Go.

-[George] Charlie, watch this for me, man?

-Hey, George. Of course, man.

Hey, watch Barb out there. She's a real bear. Okay?

-[George] You don't have to tell me.

-Watch your backs. Hey, kill it.

-Thanks, man.

-[Barbara] Get up! Gimme more. Come on.

Make it better. Faster!

[mysterious music]

[rousing music]

[Charlie whooshes]

-Time displacement.

What does that mean?

-Well, it's basically as it sounds.

-Like fast forward time, rewind time?

Time travel?

-More stops time.

-Stops time? Like the ring stops time?

Does it work?

-Yeah. It works.

-But how exactly?

Also, just saying.

I am a cleric.

[sighs]

-My grandfather was the scientist in the family,

but from what I understand, time displacement is relative

to the people moving around you in the moment.

Yes, it stops time.

-You sure your grandfather wasn't making it all up though?

-Yeah. I'm not going to tell you the entire history of the ring

but it's been in our family for a long time.

-Can you prove it?

-Yes, I can.

But my Elven Tribe Gathering is in 20 minutes

and I want to be prepared.

-Gibbs. This is important.

-Whoa.

-Okay, this is important too. -Yeah.

But I have an amazing opportunity right now.

My entire life could hinge on this.

[rock music on speakers]

-Okay. Come with me.

-Yes! Sorry.

-Alright, young Charlie.

Do you know where you are?

-Yeah. Of course, man.

This is your Onyx Guild.

-[chuckles] That's right. This is the Onyx Guild.

Now, do you know how much time each week I put in

setting up the table?

-I don't know. At least two or three hours?

-[scoffs] At least two or three hours.

So you can see why I might be a little too busy to do this.

But because it's you, I shall demonstrate.

-Okay. Let me know if you need me to do anything.

[otherworldly warbling]

[dramatic music]

-Okay.

[otherworldly warbling]

-[gasps] Holy!

How is this possible?

-Satisfied?

-Gibbs. How did you do this?

-You have your proof.

Now it's time to run along. Come on.

-You have to let me borrow that ring.

-Oh. No, I don't.

-Gibbs, Sugar Qube needs an FPS fast.

-I don't know what any of that means.

-Bree can get my demo in front of them.

I've literally been waiting for an opportunity like this

my entire adult life.

And if that thing can really stop time,

you have to let me borrow it.

-No, I don't.

You know, why don't you call your friends

Lucas and Brian? Aren't you guys a team?

-Oh, look. I just want this game to be my own, you know?

-Oh, that's a bad look.

-They would just slow me down anyway.

-That's worse.

-Gibbs, I want to do this.

-I'm sure you do.

But this isn't something you take lightly.

Alright? I'm not saying no, Charlie.

I'm saying come back tomorrow and we'll discuss it.

Now, I have to prepare to commence

chapter 316 of the Chronicles of Onyx Guild.

-Gibbs, just let me try it once.

-Oh, boy.

[car engine revs]

[Gibbs] Attack rolls against the creature have a disadvantage

and the creature attack rolls

have the advantage.

Or have an advantage.

Are advantaged.

It's advantageous.

[Gibbs] And thus begins the foulest adventure

ever known in the land,

with terrible dungeons and foul fiends galore.

Where's the D20 die?

[group indistinct chatter]

[Gibbs] No, the god die.

-[Group groans] -[D&D member] Oh, damn it.

I left it home.

-[Gibbs] Mm-hmm. Where is the die?

Oh, funny. Right where I left it.

Got it!

[group indistinct chatter]

-[D&D member] Oh, here it is.

-[Gibbs humming]

[suspenseful music]

[Gibbs groans, exhales]

Shall we begin?

An invisible creature...

[continues indistinctly]

[distant objects clatter softly]

[clears throat]

The creature's location can be detected by

any noise it makes or any...

[indistinct]

[machine whirring]

[dramatic orchestral music]

[ring whirring]

Gentlemen, allow me to draw your attention

to a large five-headed dragon.

As yet she has no name.

[indistinct]

[dramatic orchestral music]

[machine whirring]

[clicks, whirrs]

[Gibbs] After five [indistinct], I'm basically describing...

[kids laughing, shrieking]

[otherworldly warbling]

-[man's voice] Now I'm becoming the...

[building crescendo] [clock ticking]

[bomb explosion] destroyer of worlds.

[high-pitched ringing]

[mysterious music]

[Frisbee buzzing]

-It works. It actually works.

Holy crap.

I think I can actually do this.

[otherworldly thrumming]

[scene clicks]

[rousing music]

[skateboard clatters]

-[gasps]

[ring thrumming]

[kid laughing]

[ring thrumming]

[suspenseful music]

[cabinet door opens]

-[Bree] Oh my gosh, the traffic was terrible

and I was like, I almost hit this other car

but it was fine because, like, I stopped in time

but basically I was 35 minutes late

which was still 15 minutes [indistinct],

but it was really, really difficult for me

because I wanted to have enough time to get a yogurt

and I didn't have enough time to get a yogurt.

And you know that if I don't have my yogurt,

I freak out.

So essentially the traffic killed everything.

-Hey, Bree. I'm in.

I can make the demo happen in three months.

-[chuckles] Wait, really?

Are you sure you have enough time?

-Let me worry about that.

When can I pitch my game to your boss?

- Um, well, he's out this afternoon,

but I'm meeting him tonight at the Barcade at like seven.

-Okay, great. Uh, wait, uh...

At a bar? Like a, like a date?

-[Bree] Seriously, Charlie?

-Uh, yeah. Sorry.

Seven o'clock. I'll see you there.

- Okay. Bye.

[disconnect tone]

[utensils clatter]

[suspenseful music]

-Four hours.

Four hours?

I can do this.

[suspenseful music]

[thrumming]

-Freeze! -[man] Freeze!

-Yeah, that never gets old. [mumbling]

[Charlie's voice] Settle down, class,

and welcome to game development 101.

[dramatic music]

You can't have a game without an idea.

Grab your favorite energy drink.

Gather your team. In this case that's just me.

[keyboard clacking] And let the wild ideas flow.

[computer bleeps, thrums]

[light gun shoots]

Remember: There are no bad ideas or good ideas.

Oh, crap. I have no ideas.

-[Bree's voice] Alright. Here's what we're gonna do.

-Alright. What have we got here?

-[Bree's voice] We're gonna prove your mom right.

-No. Terrible. Derivative.

-[Bree's voice] I mean, look at what you've already made.

-Phew!

-[Bree's voice] Oh! Lone State!

I love that one! [light bulb dings]

It's Rambo meets the apocalypse... in Texas!

-It's Rambo...

against the apocalypse...

in Texas!

-Yee-haw! -We got it.

I got it.

[dramatic music]

[hissing]

[inspiring music]

Zombies. Tower of downtown Dallas.

Environment's gotta be big.

[inspiring dramatic music continues]

[blows on paper]

[drawing thumps]

[inspiring dramatic music continues]

This is it. This is it. Let's go!

I got it.

[inspiring dramatic music intensifies]

And four feet...

Oh, yeah. Final piece.

[building crescendo]

Let's pitch this game.

[background chatter]

-[Bree giggles] -[Miles chuckles]

So there I was, on the 18th floor--

-[clears throat] -Nothing but a five-iron--

-Hey. -Charlie!

This is, um, this is Charlie.

Uh. He's the game designer who's gonna save our skin.

-So this is the infamous Chuckie.

I was just telling Breefcase here about my 18th hole

with Bry-Bry DeChambeau.

I probably shouldn't go into too much detail

due to some pending lawsuits,

but I rock up to the thing with nothing but a five-iron.

-Is that bad?

-You don't know golf?

-No, uh. [clears throat]

I can learn it, if it's important.

-You did all of this in a day? -[Miles laughs]

-Yeah.

I had a little extra time today, so.

-Alright. Let's hear it.

-Okay. Um, so.

People still love a good zombie shooter.

Survival. Crafting.

One man against all odds.

-Okay.

Thinking like a businessman, I like it.

What is this, a hacksaw?

-Yes. Okay, okay, so I'm thinking

an action RPG where one lone gunman gathers resources

to survive in a single player hack-and-slash shooter

with weapons you level up in round.

It's Rambo meets the apocalypse in Texas.

-Charlie...

[loud background chatter]

-Nope. I don't like it.

Feels a little bit like it's... it's derivative.

Like someone's already done it before, but better.

Lacks the X factor.

So anyway, thanks a lot, Chuckie.

Really appreciate it.

We gotta go over to catch-- -Well, uh--

-[Miles] Take care.

-It's like the PGA.

[thrumming] [bird chirping]

[golf club swings] [golf ball clatters]

[audience cheering]

[background chatter]

-I like golf.

-A tournament.

Every single player chapter has a winner.

And those players play each other

in a weekly online tournament.

We can hold a final championship each year.

-Okay, I'm listening.

-It's esports events like you've never seen before.

-And what's it called?

-I-- I call it Lone State Chapter One.

Leaves room for expansion.

-Chapter One...

I like it.

It's epic.

Lone State Chapter One.

-I love it! -Yeah?

-If you can deliver this tech demo

exactly as you pitched to me...

then we're good.

-Okay. Yeah.

Yeah, okay.

-And you can deliver a full tech demo in three months?

-Won't be a problem.

[Charlie's voice] Alright, Charlie Fleck.

No more excuses.

Before today, time was your enemy,

but now it's your best friend.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it--

finally create the epic video game

you've always dreamed of.

Step one: a great idea. [dings]

One that will make people say,

"Wow, why didn't I think of that?"

Step two: the pitch .

Showcase why the world needs your game.

Asyou can see, we nailed that one.

Step three: the tech demo.

Make things move and prove it works.

Step four: production.

Code, design, animate, bring it to life.

Step five: testing.

Eliminate pesky bugs.

No spinning characters, no crashes.

Step six: the finish line.

Launch it, brace for the reviews ,

and hope the world loves it as much as you do.

Won't be a problem.

-You have come in, in the clutch.

And I am telling you what, we are saved with this idea.

It is epic, it is time to celebrate.

To Chuck E. Cheese.

[glass shot clinks]

[thunder rumbling] [rain pattering]

-[Charlie] Hey, I'll be one sec.

Okay? -[Bree laughing]

Talk about the save of the century.

You don't even play golf.

-[Charlie] I've played Tiger Woods on Xbox.

-[Bree] Uh-huh. Oh, yeah, you have.

-Do you want some help with that?

Let me just--

-We should play Mario Kart N64.

-Uh, I've got work to do. -Oh, come on!

We'll play best of three, Rainbow Road.

[thunder rumbling]

-Sorry, rain check.

-Yeah. I'm-- I-- good night. [giggles]

-[Charlie] Good night. See you.

Hey, man.

-Ah! First night's kiss at the door?

-No, no, it's not like that.

No. We're just friends.

-Ah. [indistinct], it's overrated.

It's good. Uh, water? [indistinct]

-I'm just good, man.

If we could just get home, that would be... great.

[otherworldly thrumming, warbling]

-Whoa!

[otherworldly thrumming]

-[straining] [groaning]

-Hey bro, you okay?

-Yeah man, I'm...

[panting] I'm fine, don't worry about me.

-Cool.

[doorbell rings]

-Greetings, Gibbs. -Hey.

-Prepping for the Guild's arrival, I see?

-Yes...and no.

-I'm just checking in.

Seeing how things are going.

-Going well.

[rock music on speakers]

You know what?

Which name do you like better?

Gor-Long or Gor-Lock?

-As a warlock?

-Really?

-[Charlie's voice] Okay, what Gibbs is asking me here

is the name for the ultimate villain

in his Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

Which is usually some kind of big multi-headed monster

or dragon.

D&D, if you're not familiar,

is basically a storytelling game

where a bunch of friends pretend to be heroes,

warriors, mages and yes,

warlocks. -[warlock snickering]

-[Charlie's voice] On an epic quest to save a kingdom

or destroy a dark overlord.

Or sometimes just to get out of a dungeon

without dying. [zombie snarling]

-Actually, Gibbs, uh-- -Yeah?

-I need to talk to you about something.

-What?

-Time displacement.

-Yeah, what about it?

-Can you tell me a little bit more about the ring?

-You may not borrow it.

-Uh. Actually...

[telephone ringing]

[rock music on speakers]

-You stole it?

-No, no. I borrowed it.

-You stole it!

This is why you're not allowed to play in the game.

-That is a breach of etiquette-- -Gibbs, just listen--

-You know what that is? That's against the law.

-You broke the law. -For one second, just listen.

I left-- -It's not even fun, it's uncool.

-That was uncool. -Okay.

I know, I know, I know.

-You know what? That was bad.

That was bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.

-That was bad. -I know, I know.

-Well, what do you have to say for yourself?

-Actually, I may need to borrow it.

-What?! You know what?

I can't even... No, you... No...

I need to hear everything

-Okay. Okay. -that happened, alright?

-You start from the beginning, don't leave anything out.

-Okay, from the beginning--

-I want to know what you remember,

I want to know who you talked to.

I want to know what the color of the sky was.

-Okay.

-You are risking an awful lot for a video game.

-This isn't just a video game.

-Yeah? Well, it seems like just a video game.

-Gibbs, I need this.

Okay? This is my dream, always has been.

I can't play sports, I can't play an instrument.

I don't want to be a doctor or a lawyer

or a toy shop owner.

[softly] Sorry. Look, man, what I'm saying is,

if I can't do this, I'm useless.

It's what I have to offer this world.

[emotional music]

-I have just seen so many people's lives ruined

by this thing.

-Gibbs, no one wakes up and dreams of failing.

No one looks in the mirror

and says, "What should I give up on?"

I make video games.

That's what I do.

That's my passion. My mom knew it.

[poignant music]

[Charlie's voice] Watching people

enjoy an experience I created for them,

it makes me happy, man.

I know you understand.

The only thing I need is the time to do it.

-Oh. I hope I don't regret this.

As you've experienced,

this medal confers great power on the wearer.

And with great power comes--

-Great responsibility? -Rules.

-Rules? -[groans]

Guidelines.

-Guidelines? -Yeah.

Things that my family has, you know,

figured out through trial and error over time.

-Okay. So how does a ring have rules?

-Well, for one thing, I wouldn't call it a ring.

-Okay. What should I call it?

-Well, it's basically a combination

of particle acceleration

and space time displacement fueled by atomic energy.

My grandfather called it, uh...

nuclear chronos.

-Yeah. I'm going to call it a ring.

-[chuckles] Okay.

-Who is your grandfather?

-Oh. Frank?

[Gibb's voice] He worked under Oppenheimer

on the Manhattan Project.

He would scavenge the test sites looking for anything

that was unnatural in the environment.

That's when he found them.

-[Charlie's voice] Found what exactly?

-Little metal nuggets.

A new element, not on the periodic table.

And when he had finally fashioned them

into an infinite loop, a ring...

Well, the effects of time became more predictable.

-Okay. So, I get that this thing stops time.

How did I end up losing time?

-You lose time every time you use it.

-Every time?

-Well... we found a sort of sweet spot.

One full rotation of the earth, 24 hours.

If you use it less than 24 hours,

generally you're okay.

If you go over that, you can experience what I call

a parabolic leap.

And if that happens, you can lose days.

-Man. Wish I would have known this.

-Yeah. Well, that's what happens

when you take other people's things.

-Sorry.

So, you're telling me I could have all the time

I could ever want?

-No, you have to make time to sleep.

This is about your molecular relationship

to the metal. It's not exact.

Okay, if you honor the 24-hour limit, you're fine.

If you go over it...

[poignant music fades]

What I'm saying is...

You have to recharge yourself before you use it.

-I can make that work.

-Hey, Charles.

Just take care of yourself, alright?

And good luck with your game design.

-Um, game design?

-Hey, guys.

-You working on a new game?

-Yeah, it's just a little something I'm doing for Bree.

-It's no big deal. -Oh. Okay, yeah.

Sounds cool.

So, like, what's the concept?

Do you want some help with that?

-Uh, actually, I think I'm gonna tackle this one solo.

-Oh. Okay, yeah. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.

We should go, Brian.

[rock music on speakers] -See you guys later.

-Yeah. Peace out, man. -Peace.

See you, Brian.

[rock music on speakers]

-Hey. Charles.

We both agree that Batman

is one of the top five superheroes of all time,

-am I right? -Yeah, no question.

-And of course, he's always stronger

when he's with the Justice League, right?

-Okay. And would you rather watch the Justice League

or The Dark Knight ?

-Mm. Touché.

Well, if it's Snyder's version, then you want...

No, no. Charlie, what I'm trying to say is,

at some point in your life,

you gotta decide what's more important,

your friends or your ambition.

-I get it. You're trying to be Alfred.

But number one, Alfred was British.

Number two, unlike Batman, I have an actual superpower now.

[upbeat music]

I've got a game demo to get to.

Later, Gibbs.

[Charlie's voice] So Gibbs says I can use this ring

for up to 24 hours with no... problems.

So, what's a typical 24 hours gonna look like for me?

First things first.

I brush my teeth,

say my prayers and try and get a good night's sleep.

[digital clock beeping]

Next. I get up before my day jobs start

a nd use the ring for 24 hours of sweet,

uninterrupted design time.

[whooshing]

[upbeat rock music]

Cool. Let's see how much work I can get done in 24 hours.

[error dinging]

Great. My computer sucks in every time.

Okay, new plan.

First part remains the same. [bell dings]

But instead of using my old PC...

I use the powerful computers at my day job

to get 24 hours of sweet, uninterrupted design time.

Next. Try and get through the day jobs

without falling asleep.

[bell dings]

And finally, go home, check on Dad,

brush my teeth and get some beauty sleep

so I can do it all again.

[bell dings]

If I can keep to this daily schedule

for the next 12 weeks,

I might have a chance of pulling this off for Bree.

[Charlie snoring]

New plan. Try not to be late for work.

[upbeat rock music]

[body thuds]

-Hey, Maria. -[Maria] Hey.

-[Bill] There he is.

-Hey, Dad.

Dad, your medicine.

You have to remember to take it.

-Maria? -[Maria] He was waiting for you.

-[Charlie] Why won't you to let Maria help you, Dad?

-Yeah. I was just going back over

what I've got so far in chapter 39.

You're gonna love it.

-[sighs] Sounds nice, Dad.

You don't have to finish the book, you know.

-No, no. I'm gonna finish it.

I just gotta get my bearings.

-It's okay, Dad.

[mysterious music]

-[Charlie's voice] Over the remaining weeks

I settled into a good routine with my game.

Work through the night in real time.

[electronic beeping]

Then freeze time and continue to work

for another 24 hours.

[upbeat music]

[Charlie slurps]

Aside from the odd time loss hiccup--

[whooshing]

of which there were many--

This again?

[low thrumming] Whoa! Hey.

[Charlie glitches]

Wait, who's driving my car?

Get me back!

[gibberish] [screams]

All I had to do was deliver on my game demo,

and I'd never have to worry about Barbara

or her abysmal game ever again. [Charlie slurps]

Let's do this. Nice.

That's pretty good.

[dramatic music]

The only limit was my imagination.

[powering up]

[shotgun cocks, bangs]

[weapon rattling]

[mimicking Barbara] Charlie, you're the best game designer

in the whole world.

Which, fortunately enough, I had drip bed

with a steady diet of video games

and movies since childhood .

[sword swinging]

[shotgun cocks, banging]

[sword swooping]

Working in a time freeze, there are no distractions.

Just me and the game. Done.

[low thrumming]

[phone chimes]

[music fades]

Although I was getting a lot done in the time freeze,

the isolation was starting to take a toll.

Turns out, even if you're doing what you love

it's pretty lonely spending all your time by yourself.

How you doing, Barbie?

[claps] Let's do this. Back to work.

-[Assistant] You have a seat here.

Mr. Miles will be right in.

-Thank you.

[sighs] Okay.

[dramatic music building]

[machine gun rattling]

[machine gun rattling]

[machine gun rattling]

[machine gun rattling]

[dramatic music fades]

-[frantic breathing]

-We reviewed the demo for Lone State.

We love it.

-Yes!

-Well, you actually delivered, Miles.

-We want to make it.

-Now get the deal done, Miles,

and turn this prototype into a full playable game

that we can sell.

-Mm-hm. And we need this done by Q4.

You've got two months.

-Two months? But that's--

-All you have.

And Miles, get Charlie Fleck under contract.

-[Miles grunting]

I am buzzing, Charlos Santana.

The board loves the demo and I want to make it.

Here's the catch...

is that I need this thing

in two months.

-I'm your guy, Miles. I can do this.

-Let's talk cash.

Hundred fifty K up front as an advance.

Hundred fifty K upon completion.

Then...

-Residuals. -... residuals to follow.

How's that sound?

[cash register dings]

[coins singing] ♪ We are the money ♪

♪ We are the money ♪

-Yeah. [clears throat]

Yeah, that's, that's perfect. Yep.

-Fantastic.

[taps on glass table]

[pen scribbling] Okay.

Good luck, Chuck.

[clicks tongue]

-Charlie. Welcome to the sanctum.

[soft chuckle]

Whoa!

-Hey, do you have a young red dragon?

-Yeah. It's my favorite.

-Okay. What about a Medusa? -Yeah.

-Gibbs, please tell me you have Zariel.

-Charlie... What do you want?

[ring clinks]

[soft chuckle] Well, congratulations.

You were right. All you needed was time.

-Yeah. About that...

Um, now they want me to finish the game in two months.

So can I hang on to that?

-Finish the game in two months?

You've been using it for two months.

How's it not finished? I don't get that.

-I told you, I made the demo.

Now I gotta finish the game.

And two months isn't enough time

but I could try with the ring.

-No, you can't.

Absolutely not. Look at you.

You look like you haven't been sleeping.

You remember what I said?

-It's dangerous. -Gibbs.

-Gibbs, I'm fine. Okay? -No, you're not fine.

You're not fine.

You know what?

Why are you coming to me right now?

You had the ring. You could have just kept going.

It's because you know something's wrong.

You know something's wrong, and you want my permission.

Well, I don't give it.

You're my friend. I don't give you permission

-I'm about to turn 30 years old

with a stack of unfinished games in my closet.

I'm a game designer that's never made

a game people actually played.

And I'm terrified that I never will.

Gibbs, you gave me this chance

-but it's not finished. -Yes it is.

-I know making a video game may seem trivial to you,

but for me, it's all I ever wanted.

It's all I've ever been good at.

Gibbs, please.

-You know what?

Charlie, you're my friend

and I can see you're not gonna stop,

so all I can say is...

you're in uncharted territory.

Better be careful.

[upbeat music]

-[Charlie's voice] I need to get out of the house.

Stretch my legs.

-[Mario] Charlie. -Mario, my good man.

It's time.

[triumphant music]

[Charlie's voice] I figure it's time to get my own space.

Hi, I quit.

-I quit. -Excuse me?

-I'll take it. -Fantastic.

Where do I sign?

[background clicks]

[low thrumming]

[triumphant music]

[background clicks]

[low thrumming]

[Charlie's voice] If I'm gonna make this deadline...

I need to use every tool I have.

[scene whooshing]

[door hissing] I need guns.

Lots of guns.

[otherworldly warbling]

Oh yeah, need that.

I'm gonna need that.

Add to cart.

Love it!

[device beeping]

[low thrumming]

[machine gun rattling] [zombie growling]

[exciting music]

[bullets clinking]

[guitar plucking]

-Not bad. Oh, sorry.

Not bad, Charlie.

I'm digging the storyline

and the gameplay mechanics pretty great too.

-I told you.

Wait till you see it go live with working network code.

-Come on. I don't know.

I know that you're good but you couldn't get this done

in a month with a team of ten.

What is your secret?

-What can I say?

I'm Charlie freaking Fleck.

-[scoffs] Okay. Give me a break.

Aren't you biting off like way too much?

-Listen, it's growth mindset.

I've been learning new game design software

since the seventh grade.

You know, I'm sure I can learn some PVP parameters.

[crow squawking]

[horse galloping]

[dramatic music]

Hey. [clears throat]

-Wow. Gang's all here.

Let the council begin.

-What's going on?

-Listen, um, we know you've been focused

on the demo for Sugar Qube, I get that.

But we're ready to restart work on Quicksand

and bring it into Unreal Engine 5.

You know, so we can really flesh out the levels, add more.

-More levels?

-Okay, we want it to be epic.

And we want you back, working on it with us.

-Justice League.

-It's just, like--

-Hey, man.

I know you weren't happy with Quicksand.

[clicks tongue] It wasn't ready.

You're right.

I'm sorry for not seeing it.

-Lucas, just-- -But, but...

I really think it has a lot of potential.

And it's our thing.

You, me, Brian, even Bree.

Even your mom.

We can't do this without you, Charlie,

and we don't want to.

-Guys, I really appreciate the invite,

but I'm just-- I'm so swamped with work--

-No, I, I, um, I get it. Me and um...

me and Brian are gonna continue with it.

-Good luck.

-Yeah, you too.

-Well done, Master Wayne.

Of course, I hope it goes a little more Bale

and a lot less Clooney for you.

-Can you not come up with a single Marvel reference

every now and then?

You know I'm not a DC guy.

[phone vibrating] [low thrumming]

[whooshing]

[phone buzzing]

[phone buzzing stops]

What do we got here?

[paper rustles]

[Charlie sighs]

-[Miles] Breetles! Sheryl, let's go.

-[Sheryl] Miles? Miles? -What? Paperwork?

I know, I'll do the paperwork when it's not boring.

Besides...

you're not going anywhere, are ya, Chuck E. Cheese?

-No. No, I'm, I'm here.

-Okay. Boom!

[mysterious music]

-Okay, I should free up some space.

-[Lucas' voice] We can't do this without you, Charlie,

and we don't want to.

-Focus, Fleck, you got work to do.

[upbeat optimistic music]

Megazomb. One evil mother.

[shotgun cocks, bangs]

[Charlie's voice] Megazomb's limbs grow back.

You need to shoot off all four

before you can go for the head shot.

-[Megazomb groans] [gunshots]

-[Charlie's voice] I may have made him too strong.

[alarm clock beeping]

[Megazomb roaring] [computer glitching, beeps]

No, no, no! Another bug.

[tense music]

I didn't do that. I didn't do that!

[error tone]

[clock ticking]

[Charlie's voice] Turns out a time-stopping ring...

Why does it keep crashing?

doesn't make me a better programmer.

-Bit off more than you can chew, huh?

-I can do it,

it's just this coding crap takes time.

-Really? So you're telling me that you need more time?

-Hey, don't time shame me, okay?

A magic ring does not solve all your problems.

-Really?

-Brian did this exact same thing on Quicksand in less than a day.

-Then why don't you just ask him for help?

He's your friend, right?

[rock music on speakers]

-He would help, wouldn't he?

-Yes, I think he would.

-Okay, gotta go hit the books.

This code isn't going to write itself.

-Okay.

-[Charlie] You're the man, Gibbs.

-[scoffs] Jeez.

[mysterious music]

-Open up Quicksand.

[keypad clacking]

Of course, Brian can do this.

[mouse clicks]

He would just write the exact same code again,

so I'm basically saving us both time.

[mouse clicks]

Okay, command copy save.

[keypad clacking] Let's go. Okay.

Okay.

Hope you don't mind, Brian.

[mouse clicks]

[CPU humming]

[device beeping]

[steady beeping]

[uneasy music]

[device chimes]

Yes! That's it.

I like it.

Okay.

Thanks, Brian, you're the man.

There we go. [sigh of relief]

[background shifts, rumbles]

[running footsteps]

[upbeat music]

[car honks]

[crickets chirping]

[upbeat optimistic music]

[Charlie sips]

[whooshing]

[upbeat optimistic music]

[skateboard scraping]

What's going on, guys?

-What's up? -What do you think you're doing?

-I'm going to work, what's the problem?

-The problem is you stole our code.

-I don't know what you're talking about.

-No, no, Charlie, no. Don't lie to me.

Last night, did you or did you not access our drives?

You took our code and put it in your game.

-Lucas, the network feature was my idea to begin with.

Ninety-five percent of that entire game was my work.

-[scoffs] Oh, 95, you really believe that?

-Here's what I believe. Here's the truth...

You didn't spend any time thinking about game mechanics

and instead, made 67 giant levels.

The game's all over the place and isn't fun.

-It sucks. -Sucks?

Apparently it's good enough for you to steal the code.

-I'm not going to get into this with you.

Quicksand is never going to work.

It's just a bunch of pretty levels

and nothing more. Now, if you'll excuse me--

-Charlie-- -I have a real game to finish.

-Charlie, Charlie, I'm trying to talk to you.

Listen to me, Charlie!

-That's the thing, Lucas... -Charlie! Charlie!

-I don't have to listen to anyone.

[emotional music]

[phone dings, swooshes]

[phone lock clicks]

[ambient somber music]

Deep breath. This is it.

Final stretch. Let's do this.

[chalk scrapes]

[ambient somber music]

No more distractions.

I'm not leaving till it's done.

[intense suspenseful music]

-My grandfather called it a... nuclear chronos.

-I can have all the time I could ever want.

-[Gibb's voice] No!

You lose time every time you use it.

-[Charlie's voice] Come on, Fleck.

You can't afford to be tired.

Why does it keep crashing?

Focus on the details. [dramatic sting]

Don't lose track of the big picture.

You got this.

[intense suspenseful music]

Gibbs, I'm fine. Okay?

-[Gibbs's voice] You're not fine.

-[Charlie's voice] This isn't just a video game.

-Yeah? Well, it seems like just a video game.

-[Charlie's voice] If I can't do this,

I'm useless.

[alarm clock beeps]

I have to finish this game, I have to!

-You have to recharge yourself.

[alarm clock beeps]

[low, uneasy music]

[Charlie snoring]

[Gibb's voice] This is about your molecular relationship

to the metal. It's not exact.

If you go over a 24-hour limit...

[uneasy music]

[Charlie snoring]

[otherworldly warbling]

-[groans]

[alarm clock beeps]

Again?

What's happening?

Oh my god.

[intense dramatic music]

-Good luck, Chuck.

-[groans]

-[Gibb's voice] I have seen so many people's lives

ruined by this thing.

-[Bree's voice echoing] Charlie?

[otherworldly warbling]

Charlie?

[phone buzzing]

-What time is it?

[message alert tone chimes] What?

- [Bree] Hey Charlie-- it's [indistinct]

-and I haven't heard from you. -No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

-I lost a month?! -[Bree] Where are you?

-The meeting is in 10 minutes. -Oh, shh--

- [Bree] Charlie, you're scaring me.

-No, no, Charlie-- what did you do?

- [Bree] Miles almost fired me, so there's that.

[multiple dings, pop-ups]

Okay, Charlie.

I've filed a missing persons report.

It's been three weeks.

Please, if you're getting this call me back.

[dramatic music]

[somber music]

Charlie?

-Bree.

Hey.

-You're alive.

I thought you were dead. We all thought you were dead!

Where were you?

-It's hard to fully explain, but I'll tell you everything.

-I am sincerely glad that you're alive. Okay?

But you left for a month without telling me.

You screwed me over with Sugar Qube.

What is that?

-Bree, you have to tell Miles I can give him the game.

-Are you telling me that you have been working

on the game for a whole month?

He doesn't want it now! [dog barking]

What he wants is his advance back

and your nuts in a vice.

[somber music]

-I don't have the money.

I had to pay for it. It's a long story.

You have to get me in the room with Miles

for five minutes.

-Do you think that Miles trusts me anymore?

I am the idiot that supported you.

And now I'm lucky to have a job at all.

-I would never hurt you like this on purpose.

-You may not have meant to hurt me but you did.

It's over. It's done.

I'm done too.

[forlorn music]

[car revs]

-[mumbling]

-Gibbs.

-Charlie?

[groans]

Dude. So good to have you back in the flesh.

[sighs]

How far did you go?

-A few hours. Four weeks lost.

-I tried to warn you.

-I messed things up with Lucas, Brian, Bree.

-I told you, the Justice League is always stronger together.

-Seriously, man. What do I do?

-Come with me.

[mysterious music]

Charlie, allow me to introduce you...

to the Onyx Guild.

Now, Charlie, we don't just play Elven Tribes

because it is the greatest game ever invented,

which it is.

No, we've kept this campaign going for nearly 20 years

because we're there for each other.

Toby is our monk and he wrestles with depression.

Elliot is our ranger.

And he battled cancer two years ago.

As for me, I would love to introduce you to Mrs. Gibson,

but that hasn't happened.

Yet here we are, there for each other.

-A tribe?

-A tribe.

What I'm saying, Charlie is that...

is that it's not worth losing your friends over a game.

-I think it's too late, Gibbs.

I really hurt them. I almost ruined Bree's career.

-Look, if I've learned one thing from my group...

it's swallow your pride...

-[laughs]

-be honest...and go first.

I know you can do this, Charlie.

I'm proud of you.

But now, if you would be so kind

as to vacate this sanctuary,

for the group of warriors you see

before you are about to do battle

with the most extraordinarily violent

and evil creatures ever to walk the land, the...

-Gorlock.

-Gorlock.

-[shouts] The Gorlock of Shenthiel!

Fight!

Wait, is that a cave troll?

-[Charlie's voice] There has to be a way to fix it all.

- I am the idiot that supported you.

-[indistinct]

-[Bree's voice] Charlie...

[chiptune music]

Charlie...

-[Mom] Alright. Who's hungry? I've got--

[Mom clears throat]

-Are you okay, Mom?

-Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Charlie. [coughs]

[heart monitor beeps]

-[Young Charlie] I made some updates on the book

while you were gone.

-Wow. It's getting full. [chuckles]

-Yeah.

[heart monitor beeps]

-You and your friends are gonna change the world.

[heart monitor beeps]

[heart monitor beeps]

[emotional music]

-I know this is hard, but it gets easier.

And your friends will always be there for you.

-[Charlie's voice] I think I got it.

Go back to the beginning.

[closet door opens]

[objects clattering]

[paper rustles]

[softly] No.

[paper rustles]

[softly] Oh, my god.

[sighs]

[softly] Okay.

- No, no, no.

Wow.

[mouse clicks]

[mouse clicks]

[mouse clicking]

[mouse clicks]

[mouse clicks]

[heartfelt music]

-This is incredible.

[machine gun rattling over game]

-[sighs] What are you doing here?

-You remember this one?

You drew the levels on like 20 pages of graph paper?

-[Lucas] And what about it?

-You failed history class because you spent the whole week

working on a level design for our game.

That was pretty cool of you, man.

-Oh, yeah. My mom was pissed.

She took away my DS for the summer.

-Is that why you borrowed mine for a month?

-Okay. Stop.

Seriously, why are you here, man?

-I came here to apologize.

I suck and I admit it.

-Agreed. Suck for what specifically?

-Okay. Yeah.

Specifics.

I suck... for being a know-it-all.

For thinking my career was more important than yours.

For thinking my ideas were better.

For wanting to make a game without you.

For stealing the code and for saying you held me back.

-That's a pretty substantial list.

-You guys are my Justice League, you know?

-Justice League? What are you, a DC guy now?

-Well, no, but Justice League Batman

is like the best version of Batman.

Like remember when George Clooney played Batman?

That wasn't nearly as good as Ben Affleck.

-You think Ben Affleck was a good Batman?

-Look, what I'm saying is I'm Batman,

but I want to be Batman with the Justice League.

Make sense?

-Not even a little. Stick to Marvel, dude.

-Look, what I'm saying is I miss you guys.

You all are my bros, my tribe.

My Justice League. Whatever.

You know what I mean.

Here's the deal...

I saw the work you've done with Quicksand.

The new levels are beautiful, bro.

Really great work.

-Ah, I see you're accessing the drive again.

Notice the code's all locked down now?

-Yeah, I did.

Look... if you and Brian

can somehow forgive me...

I have an idea.

I would love nothing more than to restart The Collective.

Combine Quicksand and Lone State

and take it to Sugar Qube.

Think about it.

The game mechanics of Lone State with the scope of Quicksand.

-I mean, that's not a bad idea.

I don't know.

You bailed on us. That really sucked.

-It did. And I'm really sorry, man.

If I could go back and change it I would.

And if you can't get past it I understand that.

But if you can somehow forgive me,

I think we could have something really cool here, man.

What do you think?

-[sighs]

But I'm Batman. You can be the Flash.

-Okay. Yeah.

-And you have to apologize to Brian.

-Brian? Where's Brian?

Brian. Hey, man.

Been here the whole time?

Um, well, I know you're deep waters, bro.

But, uh, do you think you can forgive me?

-I always considered you to be an emotionally safe person.

But then you belittled myself and Lucas,

and set yourself above us.

I can forgive, and that wound can heal,

but if you disregard our friendship,

that inflicts pain,

and I'll have to erect an emotional boundary

and find other meaningful relationships.

-I, uh, yeah.

Yeah, bro.

Emotional boundaries. Understood.

So do you forgive me?

Let's go, bro. [chuckles]

-But I want to be the Flash. You can be Wonder Woman.

-Okay. You know what, enough Justice League talk.

We're going Avengers.

I'm gonna be Tony Stark.

Lucas, you can be Thor.

-No, no, no, no. I'm Iron Man.

I have the quippy one liners.

Okay. We'll talk more.

-Thank you so much. Yeah, in just a minute.

-Bree...

-I don't want to hear it, Charlie.

-Wait. Safe space?

-You have exactly one minute of safe space

before it is decidedly not safe to be in my presence.

-This is my mom.

-I know that, Charlie.

-The only person who ever really believed in me

on my dreams of doing this...

until you.

-Would you just tell me the truth?

-The truth-truth? -Yes, the truth-truth.

-Fine. The truth is I stole a nuclear power device

that stops time.

Bree, I screwed up and I'm sorry.

-I-- I am working, okay?

You can't just come in here

and interrupt me in the middle of a work day--

-Bree, I don't want all this to be for nothing.

-A lot of things happen for nothing, Charlie.

-That's the way it is. -No, no, no. Come on.

You don't believe that.

-I don't know what I believe anymore, Charlie

or... or who I believe in.

[footsteps approaching]

-Don't do it for me.

Do it for Lucas and Brian.

[telephone ringing]

We're putting The Collective back together.

Combining Quicksand

-and Lone State. -You are?

-It's the best of all of our talents

and I realize that now.

Brian's network code, Lucas' level design,

my game mechanics, his story--

-But they were pissed at you.

They were more pissed at you than I was

-and I was pissed at you. -I know.

You put it all on the line once for me

and I didn't deliver.

I don't deserve it,

but if you can give me one more shot,

could you get us in front of Miles again?

-Talk about an unsafe space.

You being anywhere near Miles

is really bad for your physical safety.

He's getting raked over the coals by the VC board

and he's ready to snap.

But...

if I'm being totally honest...

-[Young Charlie] Oh! Over there. -[Young Bree] I see him.

-Sugar Qube really does need an FPS ASAP.

-So, will you call him?

Yeah? Yes?

-I'll call him, if I can be your producer.

[indistinct chatter]

-Deal. Yeah.

-[suppressed giggle]

-I know, I wasn't good to my friends.

I thought I could do it alone...

What's the point of climbing a mountain

if you're all by yourself when you get to the top?

-[reading] Later is better than never. [scoffs]

[flash drive beeping]

[CPU powering up]

[sighs] Let's see what you got for me.

Lone State.

♪ Here we go ♪

[triumphant music]

-[Charlie's voice] Funny how things turn around.

I messed up but now we're all back together.

It's not just my game. It's our game.

[chiptune music]

[triumphant music]

Quicksand and Lone State, two games brought into one.

We're all in this, side by side.

And the best part?

We've got the perfect spot to make it happen.

Gibbs' warehouse. It's a small start,

but it feels like a fresh start for all of us.

-Okay. Well, thank you so much.

[clicks tongue]

Well, there's good news and there's bad news.

-Okay. What's the good news?

-The good news is--

♪ Ave Maria ♪

[machine gun rattling over game]

-Oh! Mr. Sugar, I'm so sorry.

I didn't know that you were still here.

-[softly] It's beautiful.

-He's gonna give us another shot!

-[laughs] Alright! -[Charlie]There we go. Let's go!

-But, but, but-- there's bad news.

They're only gonna give us two weeks.

After that the VC board pulls all of Sugar Qube's funding

for their entire game slate.

-Okay. Well, Lone State is finished.

-And Quicksand levels are ready to go.

-But merging these games is gonna be really, really hard.

It'll take a lot of work

and I just don't think two weeks is long enough.

-Uh, gang.

You know the Onyx Guild had a very similar,

near impossible seeming task last week.

In the Cavern of Dongoleth, fighting the Gorantial Overlord,

our wizard was able to devise a spell

that amplified the ranger and mage's range attack

while the paladin healed the tank

in the middle of a melee assault.

Now I admit, the dice lords were with us,

but you get my point.

-Yeah, I'm not following, Gibbs.

-Guys, he may be onto something. Right, Gibbs?

-What, I have to spell it out?

They worked together strategically

-to find a way to win. -Okay.

-[muttering] I gotta point out everything.

-It's not like we haven't done this before, right guys?

-I think we can do this.

-Let's do it. Come on.

-Alright. -[claps] Let's go.

[upbeat music]

♪ Oh, baby can you show me what you made of ♪

Okay, Lucas, animation level design.

Bree, compilation.

Brian, code.

-Alright, let us Frankenstein these zombies.

♪ Oooh, oooh ♪

♪ Feels so sweet ♪

♪ So, so electric ♪

♪ Oooh, oooh ♪

♪ This could be ♪

♪ Some kind of magic ♪

-How you doing, man? ♪ Hey, hey ♪

♪ What do you see? ♪ Looking great. Let's go.

-Alright, check this out. -Yeah.

Okay, and now headshots.

-Booyah. Let's go, bro. [claps]

-Alright, get in on this, get in on this.

♪ So, so electric ♪

[Lucas] Lead, overgrown freak.

-Ooh, no aim assist needed! -Let's go, bro.

-Let's go!

-Great.

[cup clinks]

♪ Staring at me You're stone-cold stunning ♪

-I've been defeated by your shadow attack.

Enter the Plains of the Dying Light.

-Hey, Brian. Can you send the level 5 files

over to the shared drive? [bell dings]

Yes, this is exactly what I'm talking about.

I wanna see them clashing, you know?

-Okay.

-Hey, Lady Bree, I've got a gift for you.

-Oh! [giggles]

-Look at that. -[Bree gasps] Megazomb!

-Old Megazomb. -Wait, the Megazomb?

-Get over here, Charlie. -Yeah. You have to see this.

-Brian, I'm gonna send it to you.

-Hold on, give me two seconds. -Bro, what does that look like?

-Oh, dude! That's crazy. -[Bree] Right?

-Yeah. And the scale compared to the grunts,

it's perfect.

-Wow, bro. Hey, is this a Quicksand level?

-Can't tell the difference, can you?

-No, bro, I can't. -[Bree] Can't even tell!

-[laughs]

-What? Dude, that's crazy, man.

-I know, this is my magnum opus.

Let's go. -Render that.

-It'll be rendered and ready to go, alright?

-Don't get too cocky,

you have encountered a fire elemental.

[groans]

-[Toby] I wanna cast an ice bolt.

-I want more sinew in this.

-[Lucas] More sinew? More sinew, you've got it.

-You know, and more blood. I mean, look at these guys,

it's the apocalypse, right?

-[Gibbs] You need a 17 hit. What'd you get?

-[Toby] Twenty-one.

-[Gibbs] Oh! Alright, roll your damage.

-[Lucas] Yeah, I think levels 1 through 20 are ready to render.

-One through 20?

-[Lucas] Brian, you get that? ♪ Oooh, oooh ♪

Look at that. Right there.

♪ Seems so sweet ♪

♪ So so electric ♪ [grunts] God, I love it!

-[Bree] To The Collective! -[all] To The Collective! Whoo!

-Oh, it tastes like victory!

[Bree giggles]

-And here's to our lead producer, Bree.

-Guys... but you all worked together so well,

it didn't even feel like work.

-It didn't.

It felt like the old days, actually.

-Okay. Okay.

Stupid question, but what if we go independent?

We'd make a lot more money.

-Absolutely not, okay, he is this close to his dream.

I am this close to my dream job.

-Dude, I owe them $150,000 if we don't deliver.

-Alright. Well, what if we go out tonight?

-I'd like to celebrate. -Let's do it.

-Yeah. -No, no, no.

No, no, because you have to work tomorrow.

Tomorrow's the big day.

Okay, just a little bit?

-Yeah. Just a little bit. [laughs]

[zombie growls]

[explosion echoing]

[heavy footfalls]

[Cowboy grunts]

-Nervous?

-Surprisingly no. Just proud.

-The completed game is great.

I'm seeing sequels, prequels, spin-offs, merch.

This is a franchise.

- I mean, guys, what can I say?

I've got a special gift for unearthing new talent.

- Yeah, you also have a special talent for losing them.

Where are we on Charlie's contract?

-What I am gonna need you to do

is I am gonna need you to sign a contract

here at the Qube.

It's just a three-year standard thing, alright?

-Me, here at Sugar Qube? Wow.

-And Breezy, you have saved my bacon

and it won't be forgotten.

Raindrops!

It is time for you to sign over that game

and collect your giant paycheck.

Do it, Charcoal. [snickers]

[rubbing hands]

[heartbeat pulsating]

[low, emotional music]

-What are you reading?

-[Young Charlie] Oh, uh, I'm reading a book

about video game programming.

-Why do you wanna make games?

[heartfelt music]

-[voice echoes] Charlie?

-You and your friends are gonna change the world.

-[Young Charlie's voice] And that's my dream.

- [Young Bree's voice] Here's what we're gonna do.

We're gonna prove your mom right.

I mean, look at what you've already made.

Swords of the Flame...

Ooh, Lone State. I love that one.

[Young Bree's voice] It's Rambo meets the apocalypse in Texas.

-Charlie? Are you okay?

-No, um, no, I'm not.

This, uh, this isn't right.

-What did he say?

-We can do it ourselves, Bree.

Come join The Collective.

We can go indie, publish it ourselves.

-Charlie, we talked about this.

-Working here isn't my dream.

It wasn't your dream either.

Making games together, that was the dream.

-Hey! Look here, guy.

This is my game.

-Actually, it's our game.

And I'll sign the game over if you want.

But we have a chance to do what we've always wanted, Bree.

Think about it, you, me and the guys

make the games we wanna make together.

-Bree, Bree, you listen to me!

You make him sign that contract.

You make him pick that pen up and sign that contract.

[seething] I made you.

I took all of your little clay and I put it together

and I gave a big check in there and now you are mine.

-What do you say? Let's do it.

-You need to sign that contract.

That's my game.

-Come on. -[Bree chuckles]

-Ugh! Sheryl!

[running footsteps]

-I can't believe we just did that.

[triumphant music]

-Hey, Bree. -Yeah?

-Sorry, I've wanted to do that since the seventh grade.

-I've wanted you to do that since the seventh grade.

[triumphant music]

-Let's go put this game out.

-Yeah. -Come on.

-Gotta love Rainbow Road.

Watch out for the blue shell. Blue shell.

Wow, look at this.

Seems like you two figured it out.

[Bree laughs]

So, uh, what happened?

-I didn't sign.

-You're messing with me. -Nope. He couldn't do it.

-[Lucas] Whoa. We're gonna self-publish?

-If that's okay with you guys.

-Okay? Of course it's bloody okay!

Wait, wait, wait. What about the 150K?

-Well, we either deliver a whole bunch of Timely Eats...

-Or we make this game a hit.

-Whatever we do, we do together.

-Wow.

-A tribe.

-Well, you know what's better than one tribe?

-Two tribes.

Welcome to the Onyx Guild.

-[Lucas] Wait, what? -No way, Gibbs. What?

-You need a warlock, right?

-I can join you, right? -Hey, hey.

We'll talk about it, guys.

We're not ready yet, okay?

-[Gibbs laughs]

-[Charlie] It's alright. Okay?

[Megazomb growling]

[suspenseful music]

[explosion echoing]

[rapid gunfire]

Okay, all that's left to do is press Submit.

-Hey. The game is good.

The game, it's great actually.

Most importantly, the game is finished,

and it's ready for the world.

-Let's just go through one more round of QA.

-Hit the button! -Okay, fine.

[mouse clicks]

[rousing music]

Alright, let's get some sleep

and we'll check back in the morning, okay?

[Charlie sighs]

[rousing music intensifies]

[zombies grumbling]

[horse galloping]

[exciting music]

[lamp clicks]

-Time to wake up. Sorry. [soft chuckle]

Big guy, time to wake up.

-[sleepy groan]

-Morning. Time to wake up.

-I'm up. I'm up.

-Got that for you.

-[softly] Thank you.

[groans] Oh, my gosh.

Okay.

Good morning, Charlie.

-[Charlie] Hey. -Hey.

-Hey. Come here.

-So, this can't be good.

-Yeah. -You hiding from it?

-Something like that.

-Mm-hmm. Let's look at it together.

-On three. -I don't wanna.

-One... -Please don't make me.

-Two... -I'm not ready for this.

-Charlie, if you fail with friends, you still win.

-Three.

-Aw man, you guys checking out the count?

Listen up.

I think even if we never get a single download,

we still did the right thing... together!

-That's good, Lucas.

That's really good,

'cause we didn't get a single download.

-Oh. Bummer.

-[Gibbs] Have you tried refreshing?

-What?

-Have you tried refreshing the browser?

-[Charlie] Uh, no actually.

♪ Got a good thing coming ♪

♪ And it's all I need ♪

We got 17,000 downloads.

-Seventeen thousand four hundred

-ninety-three downloads. -Oh my god, guys!

Come here, come here! -[Bree] Guys!

-Is this real?

-[Bree laughs] -[excited chatter]

-Seventeen thousand--

-Four hundred and ninety-three!

-Oh my god!

-This is crazy! -Okay, how did this happen?

-Hold on. -Guys, can we--

-We did it. -We did it.

-[laughs] Oh my god!

-Guys, we are on the front page of Dark Gaming.

-What? -No way!

-Yeah, yeah.

KTR needs a full walk-through on our YouTube channel.

-[Charlie] I can't believe it! -[Lucas] Can I refresh?

-[Bree] No, no, no. -Hold on, hold on guys.

Okay.

-[shouts] Seventeen thousand eight hundred!

-What? Holy! -Oh my gosh!

-Keeps climbing! [indistinct chatter]

Okay, okay, okay.

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go.

-[Bree] Ready?

[all shouts, cheers] Oh my god.

-Oh, my god!

-I can't believe we just finished--

-Alright, Bry. Go, go, go, go.

-[Vlogger 1] What's going on, you guys?

I was bored last night.

I was up and this game just randomly dropped.

-You guys, I am only two hours

into Lone State.

-Lone State. -Lone State.

-And let me tell you, this game is incredible.

-Let's go to Texas and check it out.

-Yours truly will be at San Diego Comicon cosplaying

as James from Lone State.

-What do you think?

Cause I know what I think.

I think this is a 10 out of 10--

-From the world to the level design,

it's a 10 out of 10 for me.

-And this is their first game. Go support these devs.

I would love to see more from them.

-I heard that there is an all day event tomorrow

at Galactic Games where you can actually pick up

a physical copy of this,

where they're promising a ton of cool bonus content.

Uh, the first DLC is called "Quicksand."

That sounds awesome.

[music fades]

-[laughs] [muttering] Stupid.

[somber music]

Touche, Charlie Fleck.

♪ Don't ♪

♪ Tell me to calm down ♪

♪ Look all around us here ♪

[store door chimes]

-[Charlie] I don't believe it.

It's out of stock.

-That's a good thing. [giggles]

-I couldn't have done it without you guys.

Wouldn't want to either.

Join the journey, right, guys?

Alright. Beer's on me tonight.

-Let's get out of here. -Hold on.

Aren't you forgetting something?

-This is you today.

Page one.

And the final page,

that is when you get your first real game on those shelves.

And then all the pages in between,

that's how you get there.

Working hard, failing, learning.

And having fun.

-Thanks, Mom.

[poignant music]

-Your mom would have been really proud of you.

-She'd be proud of us.

One pic for the scrapbook?

-Yeah, let's do it.

-Alright. Alright, here we go.

One, two, three!

[camera clicks]

[all laughing]

[Charlie] Alright, let's get out of here.

-[Lucas] Alright.

[inspiring music]