Chapter 80: Full of Hot Air
Chen Mo said, "Well, you know, 'I Am MT' is completely free, right? Even if you don't spend a single cent, you can still play it all the way through, right up until the game shuts down, no problem."
Han Lu thought it over, and it did seem to be the case, so she nodded.
Chen Mo continued, "So, if it's a free game, why have players spent so much money? Actually, I'm a time traveler, and I can use this game to control players' brains, making them willingly top up in the game."
Han Lu: "???"
The atmosphere was suddenly awkward.
Chen Mo chuckled, "Sorry, that joke was a bit too cold."
Han Lu wiped the sweat off her forehead, "No, it's fine. When you tell dry jokes, you're just so deadpan that I fell for it without thinking."
Chen Mo said, "Obviously, I'm neither a time traveler nor can I control players' brains, right? So, there's only one explanation for why players spend so much money on a free game."
"That is, they have a genuine love for this game from the bottom of their hearts. They feel the sincerity I've conveyed to them through the game, which is why they're willing to pay to support me, hoping I'll make more and better games in the future."
"For that, I always remember the players' kindness, never daring to slack off, and I'll definitely develop even more fun games to repay everyone."
Han Lu's mouth twitched slightly, "Um, if I remember correctly, at the beginning you said you've been resting lately, right?"
Chen Mo nodded, "That's right. But I always keep my dear players in my heart."
Han Lu felt a bit exasperated. This guy was full of hot air, completely unreliable!
It felt impossible to get any valuable answers out of him!
But since she was already there, Han Lu had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue.
"To build hype for 'I Am MT,' you also invested in producing an animated series called 'I Am MT,' and a website called 'Azeroth Universe' to introduce the game's world-building, which is very rich in content."
"But 'I Am MT' doesn't use much of that setting. Is that due to limitations of the game genre? Or did you plan from the start to just use this world-building as a gimmick?"
Chen Mo said, "Well, that's a secret. Everyone can look forward to it."
Han Lu asked, "So, does that mean you intend to continue developing the entire Azeroth world?"
Chen Mo said, "I never guaranteed that. I said it's a secret. Everyone can look forward to it."
...
The interview lasted nearly two hours. By the end, Han Lu felt her thoughts were completely scrambled. Fortunately, the voice recorder had captured their conversation, and she had also jotted down some notes.
Feeling like she couldn't get anything more out of him, Han Lu stood up to leave.
"Thank you for your time today," Han Lu said.
Chen Mo waved his hand, "Don't mention it. I'm especially grateful that you can share my true thoughts with all the players, letting them feel my passion for games and my sincerity toward them."
Han Lu: "...Goodbye."
Leaving Chen Mo's experience store, Han Lu still felt a bit dizzy.
What just happened? It felt like she'd been completely played...
Before coming, the editor-in-chief had repeatedly urged Han Lu to uncover the secrets behind 'I Am MT'—things like the profit model of free games, Chen Mo's creativity—these were all explosive points that could cause a stir if written into an article.
Even if she couldn't get those secrets, she was supposed to extract Chen Mo's real thoughts, like whether he cared more about making money than player experience, or if he was deliberately stirring up competition among players, things like that.
Content like that could also create conflict and topics.
As it turned out, Han Lu found she had completely failed her editor-in-chief's mission.
Secrets behind 'I Am MT'? None at all!
Chen Mo's real thoughts? Also none!
This guy was just lying through his teeth! Passion for games? Sincerity toward players? Persistence in dreams?
He didn't even blink when lying! Han Lu was starting to wonder if Chen Mo had split personalities!
"Forget it, I'll just have to write what Chen Mo said..."
Han Lu looked at the notes in her little notebook and got a headache. She had a feeling this would be the most agonizing article she'd ever written in her career...
Watching Han Lu's retreating figure, Chen Mo chuckled. Trying to trap me? You're way too green.
Things like the profit secrets of 'I Am MT'—how could I possibly tell you? If Chen Mo had naively spilled the beans, once that interview article came out, wouldn't it be a free "how to trick players into paying" tutorial for every game designer out there?
Of course, Chen Mo also knew that even if he didn't say it, the game designers in this world would eventually figure out the profit model of card games, and soon there would be a flood of card games just like in his previous life.
But Chen Mo didn't care. Even if these people could grasp the tricks of card games, it would take at least a few months. By then, Chen Mo would have long since moved on from making such low-tier, first-generation card games.
...
Three days later, Chen Mo's interview was published on the Sky Network's gaming channel, with the title "Interview with 'I Am MT' Designer Chen Mo: Creating Happiness with Heart."
One passage read:
"When the reporter asked why he was so confident in 'I Am MT,' Chen Mo replied: 'My creed in designing games is to create happiness with heart. Being able to make such an excellent game all comes from my passion for games, my sincerity toward players, and my persistence in my dreams.'"
There was plenty of similar content. Han Lu had basically faithfully recorded Chen Mo's answers.
The interview did go viral, but not in the way Han Lu had anticipated.
After seeing the interview, players left comments:
"Not a single punctuation mark in what Chen Mo says can be trusted!"
"Creating happiness with heart? More like creating happiness with cash!"
"He was pretty decent when he made 'Plants vs. Zombies,' but now he's completely exposed! He's a total scammer!"
"This is hilarious! Who did this interview? The reporter and editor have no brains, lol."
"Chen Mo's full of hot air, and the editor actually wrote it down seriously and published it!"
"I feel like I'm watching the news broadcast..."
"I'm laughing so hard I'm crying. Is it April Fools' Day today?"
"Chen Mo creating happiness with heart? That's the best joke of the year, lol."
"I seriously underestimated how shameless this guy is!"