Chapter 234: The Press Conference
Amid the massive promotional wave for the upcoming launch of *Thousand Prisons*, another piece of news was spreading through the gaming media circles.
Chen Mo was holding a new game press conference and had invited all the gaming media to attend.
Although not much information about Chen Mo’s new game had leaked out, many well-informed gaming media professionals had still managed to pick up some clues.
It might be a VR game, and it had been in development for over seven months.
Beyond that, nothing else was known.
Many gaming media outlets sensed something unusual in this news.
If it was a VR game, that meant this would be Chen Mo’s first VR title, which carried immense significance.
Previously, Chen Mo had entered the PC platform with *Warcraft*, back when he was still just a B-rank designer. *Warcraft* had been a massive success upon release, sweeping through the entire RTS genre and even selling overseas.
Everyone was curious: what kind of game would Chen Mo’s first VR title be?
What’s more, the timing was extremely sensitive, because it coincided directly with Yan Zhenyuan’s *Thousand Prisons*.
Based on the timeline, these two games would likely launch simultaneously in July or August.
Why had Chen Mo chosen this timing?
Clearly, Chen Mo was well aware that *Thousand Prisons* would affect his game’s sales, but he had no intention of delaying. This was a blatant challenge to go head-to-head with *Thousand Prisons*.
Journalists from major gaming media outlets were all discussing it.
“Chen Mo is holding a new game press conference. Did you know?”
“Of course I know. I got the notice ages ago. It seems almost all the major gaming media outlets have been notified. My editor already told me to prepare questions in advance.”
“What do you think Chen Mo is up to? Is he really going to go toe-to-toe with Imperial Dynasty Interactive? Launching both games at the same time—he’s got some nerve!”
“*Thousand Prisons* is basically a rip-off of *Diablo* in some ways. He’s definitely not happy about it. Don’t you know Chen Mo’s personality? When has he ever backed down?”
“So, you’re saying, ‘You copy me, so I’ll make a game that crushes you’?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s way too arrogant! To be honest, if Chen Mo were making a mobile game or a PC game, no one would question it—he’s already proven himself with so many successes. But VR? He’s never done it before!”
“I agree. And besides, his previous opponents were at most A-rank designers. This time, his opponent is Old Yan, one of the most stable S-rank designers in the country. *Thousand Prisons* has such high quality. What if Chen Mo messes this up?”
“I think Chen Mo might feel that delaying would be more embarrassing, so he’s forcing it through.”
“But he hasn’t even announced the release date yet. If he quietly developed for another two months, who would know he delayed because he was scared?”
“That’s true. So that means Chen Mo is very confident?”
“Maybe. Oh, and one more thing: Chen Mo’s game has only been in development for about seven months, right? Last November, he was still busy with *Reaper of Souls*. What kind of VR game can you make in seven months?”
“Exactly. Yan Zhenyuan took a whole year to make *Thousand Prisons*, even with ample resources. Chen Mo cut that time in half and still dares to challenge *Thousand Prisons*?”
“Sigh, I don’t get it. Anyway, I’ll just go check out the press conference. Honestly, if it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be optimistic. But with Chen Mo… I think he might actually give Old Yan a run for his money.”
“Yeah, let’s see what the press conference reveals.”
……
The day of the press conference.
Conference hall of a five-star hotel in the imperial capital.
Almost all the gaming media journalists from the imperial capital were present, and many had gone to great lengths to fly in from the magic capital or even farther cities, just to attend the press conference and ask Chen Mo a few questions.
The event staff were a professional team hired for the occasion, and everything was arranged in an orderly manner.
Outside the hotel, there were horizontal banners, vertical banners, floating balloons, and directional signs. As the journalists entered, staff members guided them the entire way.
The seats in the conference hall were neatly arranged. The backdrop, microphones, and other equipment were all well-prepared. There were various themed backdrops and promotional materials, along with dedicated camera crews.
On the big screen, the PPT displayed “Thunder Interactive Entertainment New Game Press Conference,” with Chen Mo as the speaker. The PPT background was plain, with no game assets, so it was impossible to guess anything about the new game.
The press conference hadn’t started yet, and many journalists were whispering among themselves.
“Almost there, just five more minutes.”
“This is Chen Mo’s first new game press conference, right? Before, he just posted on Weibo and called it done.”
“Yeah. In terms of profitability, Thunder Interactive Entertainment is already a pretty influential big company. Looks like they’re slowly getting on the right track.”
“Not bad. The press conference is well-organized, unlike some small companies that make a mess of things. Just don’t know how the content will be.”
“I wonder how Chen Mo’s public speaking is.”
“Public speaking? Chen Mo once guest-commentated for *Warcraft*. His speaking skills are definitely top-notch.”
“He’s here! It’s starting!”
Chen Mo walked up to the big screen with a microphone, and the room immediately erupted in warm applause.
Chen Mo smiled and nodded to everyone. “Thank you, thank you all.”
“I’m very grateful that you took time out of your busy schedules to attend this press conference.”
“As for this press conference, although there’s video recording, there’s no live stream. And since you all know me well, and I know you all well, let’s skip the unnecessary pleasantries. After all, you’re all here because you care about my game, right?”
“Regarding this press conference, I can assure you that I’ll be completely open and honest. There will be no deception whatsoever. Of course, this is mainly directed at Han Lu from the Sky Network gaming channel.”
After saying this, Chen Mo deliberately glanced at where Han Lu was sitting.
The journalists in the room burst into laughter. Everyone knew about the two exclusive interviews Han Lu had written about Chen Mo—it had practically become a running joke.
Chen Mo smiled and continued, “Alright, then let’s officially begin this press conference.”
“Actually, many of you journalist friends may have already heard that the game I’m announcing today is a VR title. That takes away a lot of the mystery from today’s press conference. Especially the whole ‘Chen Mo’s first VR game’ gimmick—it can’t be revealed with a big bang anymore.”
“Of course, there’s no helping it. I didn’t particularly try to keep it a secret, and there were too many channels for the information to leak out. But now that I’m holding this press conference, I realize it’s a bit of a shame. So, let’s all just forget about that for now. Play along with me, pretend you don’t know what platform my game is for, okay?”
The journalists below were all amused and exasperated. This Chen Mo really knew how to stir things up. How could they possibly pretend?