Chapter 64: Promotional Interview
"Eric's rice is burnt and you're still chopping vegetables!"
"What do I do? You were supposed to wash the dishes, but there are no dishes left. What do I do if I don't chop the vegetables?"
"I'm furious!"
"I'm furious!"
In Nebula Games' office, Zach, in charge of level design, and Eric, in charge of numerical tasks, had the following conversation. This was the fourth such instance to arise after the game's demo was released.
"Alex, is this game really for couples, to foster relationships?" Lisa looked at Alex strangely.
Jane, standing beside him, remained silent, but nodded her head like a woodpecker, clearly showing that she shared Lisa's feelings.
"Ahem, of course, it's not just for couples; friendships and brotherhoods can play this game," Alex concluded solemnly. "The only reason this is happening is that Eric and Zach are very competitive," Alex added.
"I feel like something is wrong," Lisa mumbled, looking at the Overcooked screen.
At first, she thought this game was universally popular. But now? She was reserved, as she had already played it. Playing on easy difficulty and completing it was not a big problem. But aiming for three stars put pressure on her, sometimes to the point of not being able to contain herself.
"Alright, Lisa, you and Jane, take care of the trailer. I also have some interviews to do," Alex said, looking at the two people who wanted to continue talking about Overcooked.
"Interviews?" Lisa and Jane asked, somewhat surprised.
"The Game Time interviews are also part of the new game's promotion process," Alex said.
Suddenly, they understood. After chatting for a few minutes with Jane and Lisa, Alex headed to the office.
Although this interview was intended to promote Overcooked, it generated quite a bit of media interest. After all, within the gaming community, his name was still behind the top designers and masters. But at least in the indie game world, Alex's name was quite well-known.
"Alex, nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!" Ryan, editor of Game Time, enthusiastically greeted him as he opened the office door.
Ever since he discovered Undertale and experienced its astonishing impact, he had quietly followed Alex, and his work had not disappointed him. To the Moon moved him to tears, and as for Outlast, although he wasn't a big fan of horror games, he had to admit it was excellent, capable of making a tough guy pee his pants. He had long admired Alex as a game designer. So, upon learning of the interview opportunity, he immediately requested it from the chief editor.
"Don't call me Master, just call me by my name." Alex felt a little uncomfortable hearing Ryan call him "Master."
Ryan paused, a little bewildered. After all, in his opinion, "master" was just a respectful title, perfectly normal in the video game industry.
"Uh... Alex, first of all, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to accept this interview," Ryan said after thinking for a moment. Although he didn't understand why Alex disliked the term "master," he couldn't call him by his first name.
"Don't be so nervous or formal. We can chat for a while." Alex smiled, taking a bottle of soda from a nearby box and handing it to him, and then taking one for himself.
"Uh... Okay... Okay." Ryan looked at Alex, who was smiling, and unconsciously took the soda bottle, placed it in front of him, and replied.
"Let's start with Undertale, then. After all, it wasn't appropriate to report on the previous Mirror. The development of Undertale was mainly because we recognized the scarcity of games in the market. Before, meta-concepts were more common in novels and movies, so I wondered why this model couldn't be applied to video games. Furthermore, in terms of immersion, video games offer a much greater advantage."
"To the Moon? How is it? I think countless players have already answered. As for Outlast, I developed it with immense passion, and judging by player comments, they clearly perceived it."
"Players wanted it, and there weren't many similar games on the market, so we created it. That's why I consider myself a love warrior. Each of our games is filled with passion for our players, like a volcano about to erupt."
"A new game!?"
Ryan's eyes lit up upon hearing Alex's words. Finally, there was a topic that generated buzz and could attract attention. Although he knew that Nebula Games' main goal was probably to promote its new game, at least there was hype; at least it was an exclusive announcement.
Ryan asked enthusiastically: "Alex, could you tell us something about the new game?"
"Of course. It's a cooperative game suitable for all ages and will be released on February 14th, Valentine's Day." "We hope this game will strengthen couples' bonds. Of course, if you don't have a partner, you can enjoy the joy of this game with your friends," Alex said with a sincere smile.
He also showed two conceptual artworks of Overcooked. The adorable Crocodile Chef, Onion King, and Kevin the Dog, two chefs with chef hats in a bustling kitchen, all with smiles on their faces. In short, in four words: harmony and love. And four more words: joy and delight. The game immediately felt incredibly touching, the kind of game friends should play together.
The interview didn't last long, barely less than 20 minutes. With a radiant smile like a spring breeze, Alex personally escorted Ryan to the door and watched him enter the elevator.
"Young man!" Alex sighed.
In the elevator, Ryan held a voice recorder and an unopened soda. At that moment, he regained consciousness and remembered the entire interview process. He felt a little dizzy. 'Shouldn't he be the interviewer? Why did he feel like a stenographer?'
Looking at the voice recorder and the soda in his hands, Ryan fell into deep thought. 'When did he lose the right to speak? It seemed to have started with this bottle of soda, right?'
"But, luckily, it's not without gains. There's still a lot of material for Alex's new game, but we have to prepare the press release quickly!"
"Let's use 'Love Transmission' as the main title. Also, the game Overcooked looks particularly touching from the original perspective. It seems that players with girlfriends will have a good holiday this year!"
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