Alex Parker updated a new entry in the "Azeroth Universe."
"Moonglade: This is one of the most extraordinary places on the entire continent of Kalimdor. The forest has not been corrupted by demons and still maintains its original purity and tranquility. Unlike other places in Kalimdor, Moonglade is a land of peace, where those who harm the forest or cause disputes are expelled by the druids. As a result, Moonglade is often chosen by both the Alliance and the Horde as a neutral meeting place. Taurens also come here to learn the druid ways from the elves."
Shortly after the entry was updated, many people left comments.
"Holy crap, a once-in-a-lifetime event, Alex Parker actually updated an entry!"
"First!"
"Every time it's just a few dozen words, Alex, you need to learn from those web novelists who update thousands of words daily!"
"Totally not enough!"
"Are you slacking off after making enough money?"
"When are you going to fully create Azeroth? Stop giving us 'I Am MT' card games as a distraction!"
"I'm sending razor blades, who's with me!"
"Count me in!"
"Me too!"
Alex smiled faintly, closed the interface, and basked in the satisfaction of his accomplishment. As usual, he opened "Azeroth Geographic" to see if there were any new posts.
"Hmm? A new fanfiction? Seems pretty popular."
Alex noticed a post recently published that had already been upvoted several pages, indicating its popularity. The post was titled "Long Fanfiction: The Orphan of Orgrimmar."
Alex opened the post, and indeed, it was a long-running fanfiction. The protagonist was an orphaned orc born in Orgrimmar, and the story mainly depicted his growth and adventures as he became a warrior of the Horde.
Of course, Alex guessed these developments based on the fact that the fanfiction had less than 20,000 words so far, and the plot had not fully unfolded.
However, Alex could see that the author had a very good writing style. Generally, Chinese writers of Western fantasy often fall into two extremes: either it doesn't feel authentic, or it reads like a translation. This fanfiction had neither problem.
Moreover, the story structure was reasonable, with good narrative tension and some foreshadowing for future events, indicating a well-thought-out framework.
No wonder it was so popular; the quality of this fanfiction was indeed far superior to other "middle school essay" level fanfics.
"This person is quite talented," Alex murmured in surprise.
In fact, when Alex first created the "Azeroth Universe," he had a similar idea in mind. The content of Azeroth was too vast, and relying on him alone to create a VR version of "World of Warcraft" might take years. Just writing the quest texts and story dialogues could exhaust him.
That's why Alex created "Azeroth Geographic" in advance, hoping to gather a group of artists and writers who loved this genre and had strong skills, to utilize them later.
Otherwise, recruiting suitable people by himself would be very difficult and time-consuming.
Much like the previous success of the "I Am MT" anime, which benefited from the NGA forum.
Alex hadn't expected to find such a talent so quickly.
He checked the Thunderstorm Games pass information for this author and found that they had a linked phone number. Alex called the author.
After a short wait, someone answered: "Hello?"
It was a man, which made Alex a little disappointed.
"Hello, I'm Alex Parker, the designer of 'I Am MT.'"
There was a pause on the other end, then a shocked reply: "Ah? Alex Parker? Really? Are you really that Alex Parker? You're not a scammer, right?"
Alex was speechless. "I don't think I'm famous enough to be impersonated yet... I'm really Alex Parker. How should I address you?"
The other person said, "Oh, I'm Alva Castillo, or you can call me by my pen name, Mirage."
Alex: "Both are hard to remember."
Alva Castillo: "..."
Alex asked, "So, are you currently employed?"
Alva Castillo replied, "No, I just quit my last job, and I'm currently at home doing nothing. I got interested in the 'Azeroth Universe' and impulsively started writing a fanfiction."
Alex said, "Hmm, interested in developing your career in the capital?"
Alva Castillo asked, "Ah? Can I work at Thunderstorm Entertainment?"
Alex replied, "Yes, I'm quite interested in your work. How about this: which city are you in right now?"
Alva Castillo said, "Uh, in Shanghai."
Alex said, "Okay, I'll cover your high-speed rail ticket and accommodation. Come to the capital, and we'll have a face-to-face meeting. Bring your past works as well."
Alva Castillo said, "Great! I'll pack up and come over the day after tomorrow!"
Alex nodded, "Good. I'll send you the address, just come directly."
After hanging up, Alex sent the address of the experience store to Alva Castillo.
"If this guy is suitable, then we'll just need someone proficient in game mechanics."
"I Am MT" was already steadily profitable, and Alex now had enough capital to start a large-scale game project.
However, Alex's immediate goal was still to expand his player base further. Once the player base was large enough, his first large-scale game would have a smoother launch.
In the meantime, Alex needed to hire two more assistants, one for the storyline and one for game mechanics.
Alex could handle everything himself, but that would be too time-consuming. Besides, much of it was repetitive work, doing it over and over again was pointless.
Until he found reliable story and game mechanics designers, Alex wouldn't start on a large-scale game. Working slowly wasn't the issue; being overworked would lead to mistakes and lower quality.
In Alex's opinion, Alva Castillo had potential and, with some training, could be a great addition.
At that moment, his phone rang.
Alex was exasperated. What's with all the calls these days, can't get any peace?
He answered, "Hello?"
A female voice responded, "Hello, is this Mr. Alex Parker?"
Alex: "Yes, who is this?"
The woman said, "I'm Bowie Jimenez, a journalist from Skynet's game channel. We'd like to arrange an interview with you. Do you have time?"
Alex was taken aback, "An interview?"
Bowie Jimenez said, "Yes. Our editor-in-chief thinks your game, 'I Am MT,' is very successful and has a lot of buzz, so we'd like to interview you. It won't take much time, just an hour or two, mainly to discuss your thoughts on designing this game."
Alex thought for a moment, "Okay, I can do that."
Bowie Jimenez said, "Great, do you have time tomorrow morning? I can come to your experience store."
Alex replied, "I'm available."
Bowie Jimenez: "Good, let's tentatively set it for tomorrow morning then. See you there."
After hanging up, Alex was dumbfounded.
An interview? Am I that important now?