You’re not the founder. You’re employee #7. You joined for the equity.
The Unicorn Race tells the story of the person at the top. Vesting tells the story of everyone else — the people who build the thing, navigate the politics, watch the pivots, and find out at Series B that their options are underwater.
Same startup world. Ground-level view.
The Premise
The cliff-vesting mechanic. The all-hands where they announce layoffs. The performance review that comes three months after the pivot changed your entire role. The two founders fighting in the hallway. The company that gets acquired and you find out the acqui-hire only includes the founding team.
These moments are culturally recognisable and almost entirely untouched by games.
The prestige loop isn’t “start a new company.” It’s “leave, join the next one, hopefully don’t get burned again.”
Why It’s Interesting
- Emotionally distinct from The Unicorn Race — relatable rather than aspirational. The 90% story, not the 10%.
- The “powerlessness as mechanic” theme connects to Fund — three games exploring the same world through three completely different power dynamics: founder, investor, employee.
- A Gen Z audience who are deeply sceptical of startup culture but still drawn to it. “I’d never do this in real life” can be a reason to play.
- The shared universe creates natural cross-pollination with both The Unicorn Race and Fund.
Current Status
Spark. The core concept is defined. The core loop is not.
Is this a career strategy game? A narrative game? A time-management sim? That question needs answering before development begins. The tone also needs careful work — this game could easily tip into cynical lecture. It needs the same humour and balance as The Unicorn Race.
Status: park and revisit post-The Unicorn Race launch, pending audience appetite for same-world exploration.