May Our Games Flourish!

Carter looked at the latest game sales figures, grinning from ear to ear. He was on a video call with his friend, explaining why he wanted to stay.

"Evan, my performance is soaring!"

"Carter, I can see that. His games are excellent, and I don't deny his potential!"

"But right now, he's still far from meeting my standards." The other voice on the video sounded somewhat helpless. "I won't accept your suggestion."

"Evan, I already told him I'd introduce you two!" Carter looked earnestly at his friend. "Maybe he really can solve the problem you're facing."

"Solve it?" Evan smiled helplessly. "Carter, you've been in Great Xia for so long. Do you know what it would be called if I really went looking for that kid named Black Star?"

"In Great Xia's words, it would be called grasping at straws in desperation—treating a dead horse like a live one."

"I know he gave you a hand, but that doesn't mean he can give me one." Evan shook his head. The difficulties he faced were not so easily resolved.

"It's a dead horse either way," Carter muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?" Evan had not heard him clearly.

"I said, meet him once. Do me this favor." Carter looked at Evan. He had already promised Ethan Vale that he would introduce Evan to him.

"Fine. I happen to be coming to Great Xia on a business trip in ten days, so I'll meet him." Evan looked helplessly at his friend, but ultimately agreed to his request. "But let's be clear: we're only meeting. I won't agree to anything else."

The call between them had ended, and Carter sighed.

Ethan Vale's achievements were dazzling now, but in the eyes of the real big shots, they were still just small-time stuff.

Overcooked had gone viral again.

For most guys, having a girlfriend who played games with them was an incredibly happy thing.

The game's popularity had also prompted many girls to download it and play alongside their boyfriends.

From joking, "Looks like we need an excuse to break up," at the start, to gaining mutual understanding after finishing the game, it seemed to match Sprout Studio's original intention in making it. As they played, players constantly worked through and adjusted to one another emotionally.

In a relationship, some arguments were better than silence.

The bickering and conflicts in the game made it easier to dissolve old grievances.

"I'm sorry. I caused you trouble during the livestream interview before. I'm glad it didn't affect you." Shen Keke called Ethan Vale.

She had called to apologize to Ethan Vale as soon as that day's livestream ended.

Now that the game's sales and reviews were out, although the result was good, it still could not erase her mistake.

"This isn't a problem. If Sprout Studio wants to earn players' trust, it has to withstand every kind of test." Ethan Vale shook his head.

No matter what kind of game he made, players were the foundation.

He was not afraid of this kind of gamble in game development. What he feared more was that no one would be willing to believe what he said.

If he said now that he would make a 3A game next year, most people would only laugh and not take it seriously.

But what about next year? If he really made it, really advertised it, players would only stare wide-eyed in confusion—he actually made it?

There were so many 3A games in the game store, each costing two or three hundred at the drop of a hat. Without trust or anticipation, who would spend that money?

"Thank you. You're a good designer." Shen Keke's voice still carried a trace of apology.

"Will there really be a 3A game next year?" Shen Keke asked softly.

As if she had thought of something, she hurriedly added, "I don't—I don't mean it like that!"

"I just think the progress is too fast, and the development time is too short... No one has ever been able to do it this quickly." Shen Keke spoke anxiously, afraid he would misunderstand her.

Ethan Vale smiled. He could almost picture the short-haired, oval-faced girl on the other end of the call clutching her phone and scrambling in flustered panic.

"I know. I'll send you a picture later. That's the game we'll be making next." Ethan Vale browsed through his computer, looking for a suitable image.

"Huh?" Shen Keke froze. "You already have a picture?"

"You're... already making it?"

"Yeah. After finishing Overcooked, the studio expanded its hiring again. The project has already been launched." Ethan Vale spoke casually, unaware of how deeply his words shocked the girl on the other end.

"Would it be convenient to reveal how many people your company has now?" Shen Keke swallowed, her fingers tightening around her phone.

She knew this man had plans and intentions, but she had not expected him to already be taking action.

"There were over thirty people before. We hired another hundred or so."

Shen Keke fell silent. The salary expenses for one hundred and thirty employees alone were no small sum. She knew his games had made money, but supporting one hundred and thirty people while also covering the costs of developing games...

The entire company was like a bottomless pit, constantly consuming money every moment.

Before Overcooked came out, players had compiled Ethan Vale's rise to success online, documenting Sprout Studio's growth.

The studio was small, but its development could be called legendary—a legend of the gaming industry.

The first game, Getting over it, had cost almost nothing. For the second, Dead Cells, he had poured in the little over one million he had just earned.

And now, he had hired another hundred employees.

When it came to making games, that man was extremely willing to invest.

Shen Keke felt somewhat lost. Throwing more than a million entirely into game development at the beginning could be called youthful boldness, an investment in a startup.

But would he throw around his tens of millions in assets like this too?

"Will you consider financing later? I know some very decent bosses. I can introduce them to you." Shen Keke began worrying about his cash flow.

"Not for now." Ethan Vale shook his head. "If we run short of money, we'll just keep making games. If the old game market becomes saturated, we'll make new games."

The voice from the receiver had been processed through cold electrical currents, yet Shen Keke could still hear the soaring ambition in it. At that moment, she desperately wanted to stand before him in person and listen to him talk about his dreams and aspirations, about everything related to games.

"I hope your game development goes smoothly, and that your studio becomes hugely successful!" Shen Keke took a deep breath. It seemed that all she could do now was wish for his continued success.

"Thanks. I sent the image to your email. You can take a look."

"Can I show it to the players?"

"Yes."

After hanging up, Shen Keke nervously opened the newest email.

The sender was Ethan Vale, and there was only one image in the email.