Exclusive Interview!

"Boss, First Game News wants to interview you. Should we accept?" Secretary Xiao Zhang knocked on Ethan Vale's office door.

First Game News was an authoritative outlet in the gaming industry. They always pinpointed a game's strengths and weaknesses with sharp accuracy and were highly respected by players.

This time, Sprout Studio, which had been nominated by the World Anti-War Organization, had also caught First Game News's attention.

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

"Set it for tomorrow morning, then. Do they have any requirements for the interview location?" Ethan Vale asked, glancing over his schedule.

"They hope to conduct the interview at our studio and film our working environment while they're here," Xiao Zhang promptly replied. Before reporting back, he had already discussed the general details with them.

"Fine, we'll hold it here." Ethan Vale nodded.

"They have one more request. If you don't mind, they hope to conduct the interview as a livestream. Of course, if you do mind, we can still use the traditional interview format." Xiao Zhang looked at Ethan Vale and unconsciously slipped into honorific speech.

The man before him still had a trace of youthful boyishness on his face. With sharp brows and bright eyes, dressed in a simple T-shirt, he looked no different from a male college student.

People's stereotypical image of programmers and game designers was someone in a plaid shirt, wearing heavy black-rimmed glasses, with thinning hair on top...

If this were livestreamed, the players would definitely be shocked when they saw what he looked like, wouldn't they?

What?

The bastard who'd tortured me for so long was actually an innocent-looking male college student?!

The thought alone made it impossible for him to suppress his excitement.

Ethan Vale nodded. "Then let's livestream it. I don't mind."

He wasn't some looks-based streamer. There was no reason he couldn't show his face.

Accepting this interview would bring him nothing but benefits. No matter how much players liked him now, Sprout Studio was still only a small game development studio.

In his previous life, game companies would spend a long time building hype and promoting a game before its release. Even a single character update would receive endless marketing.

But right now, he could not afford that kind of promotional budget. The only thing he could do was rely on game quality and word of mouth, letting players voluntarily recommend his games to their friends.

But that effect was too weak. Before the World Anti-War Organization nominated the game, their games had been beloved by players, but their download numbers had been nowhere near this explosive.

He wanted to make large-scale games. He wanted to create AAA blockbusters. That required no small amount of money.

If he did not want capital to buy into and control Sprout Studio, Ethan Vale needed to earn enough money—enough to support the studio's independent operation.

Continued exposure and constantly appearing in the public eye would also be good for the studio's development.

Secretary Xiao Zhang left Ethan Vale's office and closed the door behind him.

Everyone cast eager looks his way. Xiao Zhang looked at everyone working diligently at their desks, patted his chest to calm his racing heart, then nodded vigorously.

The news that First Game News would interview Sprout Studio at nine the next morning was released immediately.

"Brothers, livestream tomorrow morning! Don't miss it!" Yinzi grew completely excited when he saw that it would be a live interview.

He looked at First Game News's announcement. This interview would be hosted by Shen Keke, who was well known for her sharp questions.

When reviewing games in the past, she would always point out the core issues based on player feedback and demand to know why the designers had not listened to the players.

At that thought, Yinzi froze.

But none of Ethan Vale's games had any obvious major flaws so far. The things players complained about were not really problems at all.

He truly wanted to know what targeted advice and opinions Shen Keke would offer.

"Brothers, tomorrow's going to be good." Yinzi rubbed his hands excitedly. You bastard! You're always torturing us through your games. Now it's your turn to get tortured, huh?!

At eight-thirty the next morning, Shen Keke arrived beneath the office building where Sprout Studio was located with several colleagues.

It was the morning rush hour. Outside the office building, workers hurried inside with expressionless faces.

Shen Keke stood at the building entrance while her colleague had already shouldered the camera.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Shen Keke from First Game News. Today, we'll be interviewing the recently famous game designer, Black Star." Shen Keke appeared before the camera as the livestream began.

Countless players were already waiting in the livestream room.

The young woman on screen had short hair and a delicate oval face as fresh and lovely as a lotus emerging from clear water. She wore refined light makeup and a black-and-white professional outfit.

"Now, we're heading up to meet the person countless players have been praising." She smiled with narrowed eyes and glanced back behind her.

Because they had spent some time preparing outside, it was already eight-forty.

The elevator was no longer as crowded as it had been earlier.

Ethan Vale's studio was on the seventh floor. It was not high up, and the elevator ride took only a few seconds.

Since they had arranged things in advance, Xiao Zhang was waiting to greet them as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.

Shen Keke followed Xiao Zhang into Sprout Studio's work area. The moment she entered, she saw over a dozen pairs of eyes focused on her. She briefly glanced around and saw that most of them were working at their stations.

To avoid violating development confidentiality, the camera did not sweep around carelessly.

"Our boss is already waiting for you," Xiao Zhang said. He knocked on Ethan Vale's office door and led Shen Keke inside.

The camera followed behind Shen Keke as she passed through the employees' work area and entered Ethan Vale's office.

"Hello, I'm Ethan Vale, Sprout's chief designer." As the camera turned the corner, it caught sight of a boy with a shy smile standing in the office. He wore a well-fitted suit, though it seemed somewhat mismatched with his youthful face.

The cameraman stood a little farther away. From his position, he could perfectly keep both Ethan Vale and Shen Keke within the frame.

From that angle, he captured every change in Shen Keke's expression perfectly.

"You're the bastard?" Shen Keke's expression turned strange. This did not match the image circulating online at all.

"Please, have a seat. Xiao Zhang, pour some tea." Ethan Vale invited Shen Keke to sit on the reception sofa.

The cameraman also sat farther away. He fixed the camera to the floor and occasionally poked his head out from behind it to glance at Ethan Vale.

"Ahem. If you're ready, we can begin the interview." Shen Keke smiled at Ethan Vale.

Ethan Vale sat upright and nodded. This was his first interview, and he wanted to leave everyone with a good impression.

"Then I'll begin with the questions. This is also the question everyone cares about most." Shen Keke studied Ethan Vale. The moment she saw him, all the questions she had prepared were thrown into disarray.

"Why didn't you hire a female secretary?"