Chapter 31: Exclusive Interview

Translator: Daoist6fubtiW

“Boss, the First Game News wants to do an interview with you for our first game report. Are we accepting it?” Secretary Xiao Zhang knocked on Ye Feng’s office door.

The First Game News was an authoritative media outlet in the gaming industry. They were known for their insightful analysis of a game’s merits and flaws, and they were highly regarded by players.

This time, Sprout Studio’s nomination by the World Anti-War Organization also caught the attention of the First Game News.

They were curious about this dark horse that had risen to prominence within a few months.

“Arrange for them to come tomorrow morning. Do they have any specific requirements for the interview location?” Ye Feng glanced at his schedule.

“They would like to do the interview at our studio and also film our working environment.” Xiao Zhang quickly replied. He had already communicated with them and gathered general information before reporting back to Ye Feng.

“They have one more request, if you don’t mind. They hope that this interview can be conducted in a live broadcast format. Of course, if you’re uncomfortable with that, we can stick to the traditional interview format,” Xiao Zhang looked at Ye Feng, unconsciously using a respectful tone.

The man in front of him had a hint of youthful innocence in his appearance, with sharp eyebrows and a lively gaze. He was dressed in a simple T-shirt, looking no different from a college student.

The common perception of programmers and game designers in people’s minds was of someone wearing plaid shirts, thick black-framed glasses, and sparse hair on their head…

If it was going to be a live broadcast, wouldn’t the gaming community be utterly surprised by his appearance?

What?

The old scoundrel who tormented me for so long turns out to be a youthful college guy?!

Just thinking about this scenario, he couldn’t suppress his inner excitement.

“Sure, let’s do it as a live broadcast. I don’t mind.” Ye Feng nodded.

He wasn’t a face-value-based streamer, so there was no reason to avoid showing himself.

Accepting this interview was beneficial and posed no harm to him. Regardless of how popular he was among players right now, the studio was still a small-scale game development studio.

In his previous life, game companies spent a lot of time on pre-release promotions and marketing for their games, even for updates to game characters. But now, he couldn’t afford to spend so much on packaging and advertising. The only option he had was to rely on the quality of the games and the word of mouth from players to organically spread the game’s popularity.

However, this approach was relatively weak. Before the nomination by the World Anti-War Organization, their games were popular among players but hadn’t exploded in terms of downloads.

To create large-scale games, to make AAA masterpieces, required substantial financial resources.

If he didn’t want to bring in capital investors to control Sprout Studio, Ye Feng needed to earn enough money to sustain the independent operation of the studio.

Continuous exposure and visibility in the public eye would also be beneficial for the studio’s development.

Secretary Xiao Zhang left Ye Feng’s office, closing the door behind him.

He looked back at the team, and under their eager gazes, he took a deep breath and calmed his excitement. With determined enthusiasm, he nodded firmly.

The news that the First Game News would interview Sprout Studio was quickly announced.

“Brothers and sisters, live interview tomorrow, don’t miss it!” Brother Yin was brimming with excitement as he saw the announcement of the interview format.

He glanced at the notification sent by the First Game News. This time, the host for the interview was Shen Keke, who was known for her sharp questioning style.

Thinking about this, Brother Yin was slightly startled. However, regarding the games Ye Feng had created so far, there weren’t any major apparent issues. The problems players complained about weren’t actual issues.

He was curious about what targeted insights and opinions Shen Keko would provide.

“Brothers and sisters, we have something to watch tomorrow!” Brother Yin exclaimed excitedly. Old scoundrel! You’ve been tormenting us with games all this time. Now it’s your turn to be tormented, right?!

The next morning at 8:30, Shen Keke arrived with her colleagues at the entrance of the building where Sprout Studio was located.

During the morning rush hour, there was a stream of people entering the office building, looking expressionless as they hurried inside.

Shen Keke stood at the entrance of the building, her colleagues already holding cameras.

“Hello, I’m Shen Keke from the First Game News. Today, we will be interviewing a well-known game designer, Black Star.” Shen Keke appeared in front of the camera, and the live broadcast had begun.

Countless gamers had gathered in the livestream room. The image showed a girl with short hair, a face as fresh as a lotus blossom, and light makeup enhancing her delicate features. She was dressed in black and white professional attire.

“Now, we’re about to go meet the person who’s been praised by countless players.” She squinted her eyes and smiled, looking back at her colleagues.

Having prepared outside for a while, it was now around 8:40.

The elevator wasn’t as crowded as it had been before, and there was no jostling.

Sprout Studio was located on the seventh floor. It wasn’t a particularly high floor, and the elevator ride only took a few seconds.

Since they had coordinated ahead of time, as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Xiao Zhang was waiting to greet them.

Following Xiao Zhang, Shen Keke entered the office area of Sprout Studio. As they entered, she noticed that many pairs of eyes were fixed on her, but most of the employees were focused on their work.

Due to concerns about violating their privacy, the camera didn’t pan around wildly.

“Our boss is waiting for you all.” Xiao Zhang knocked on the door of Ye Feng’s office and led Shen Keko inside.

The camera followed Shen Keke as they walked through the employees’ workspace and entered Ye Feng’s office.

“Hello, I’m Ye Feng, the Chief Designer of Sprout Studio.” As the camera rounded a corner, they saw a young man with a shy smile standing in the office. He was wearing a well-fitted suit, though it didn’t quite match his slightly youthful face.

The cameraman was situated a bit far away, capturing both Ye Feng and Shen Keke perfectly within the frame.

From this angle, Shen Keke’s changing expressions were perfectly recorded.

“Are you the old scoundrel?” Shen Keke’s expression was odd; it didn’t match the online image she had seen.

“Please have a seat, and Xiao Zhang will pour some tea.” Ye Feng invited Shen Keke to sit on the guest sofa.

The cameraman also sat a distance away, fixing the camera on the ground. He occasionally peeked his head out from behind the camera to glance at Ye Feng.

“Cough, if you’re ready, we can start the interview.” Shen Keke smiled at Ye Feng.

Ye Feng sat upright and nodded. This was his first interview, and he wanted to leave a good impression.

“Let’s begin with a question that everyone is most concerned about.” Shen Keke sized up Ye Feng. When she saw him in person, all the questions she had prepared in advance were thrown out of order.

“Why don’t you have a female secretary?”