Chapter 303: Huang Sibo’s Interview
Chapter 303: Huang Sibo’s Interview
Pei Qian felt a little dizzy.
“What does ‘blank space’ even mean?”
Wasn’t this supposed to be a normal interview? How did they turn it into some kind of fancy artistic experiment?
He hurriedly continued reading.
The documentary proper began with scenic shots of Jingzhou.
“This is the author’s first time visiting Jingzhou.”
“To be honest, I didn’t have much of an impression of Jingzhou before this. I only knew it was the capital of Handong Province.”
“As a typical second-tier city, Jingzhou’s industries are not particularly developed, nor does it have any extremely famous landmarks or major corporations.”
“But after learning more about Jingzhou’s local culture and lifestyle, my view took a dramatic turn.”
“To summarize Jingzhou in a simple sentence: it is a place where tradition and innovation coexist.”
“It is like an old tree sprouting new buds—allowing one to feel both the weight of history and the freshness of modern creativity.”
“There are historical landmarks here that reflect the city’s long heritage; and at the same time, countless new companies that demonstrate its thriving vitality.”
“These landmarks may not be world-famous, and those new companies may not yet be massive in scale, but the intertwining of old and new, steady and adventurous, conservative and innovative—this feeling is deeply embedded in the city’s veins.”
“As the saying goes, ‘the environment nurtures the people.’”
“And in Tengda, one can also see the shadow of Jingzhou.”
“Sometimes it seems conservative and steady—investing in many traditional industries such as brick-and-mortar businesses and logistics, improving people’s daily lives step by step.”
“At other times, it appears bold and full of innovative spirit—its games are often imaginative, unconventional, and awe-inspiring.”
“This Jingzhou spirit has made Tengda a uniquely distinctive company. In just over a year, it has grown rapidly, leaving those resting on their laurels far behind.”
After that came scenes from inside Tengda: the office area, employees working and eating, the Moyu Internet Café, and so on.
“Unlike most companies in Jingzhou, Tengda always provides its employees with top-tier working conditions and generous benefits, to the point that one might wonder, ‘Isn’t this a bit too much?’”
“But reality proves that superior working conditions only further stimulate employees’ enthusiasm and creativity, allowing Tengda to grow at a remarkable pace.”
This opening segment basically tied Tengda and Jingzhou together completely. On the surface, it was praising Jingzhou; in reality, it was also praising Tengda.
One could only say that the scouting work done by Chief Editor Xia’s team in Jingzhou really paid off!
Many of the shots were of Jingzhou’s landmark buildings. Even though the introduction wasn’t very long, it thoroughly showcased the city’s atmosphere. It could easily double as a city promotional video without looking out of place.
To this, Pei Qian remained emotionally stable. This level of praise was within his expectation.
The only thing that worried him was that Tengda’s generous benefits were now completely exposed.
Of course, Pei Qian already knew this wouldn’t stay hidden for long. Jingzhou’s job market was small, and as Tengda hired more people, someone was bound to brag about the benefits eventually.
But until now, no matter how much people talked, it stayed within Jingzhou.
Now that an official documentary had broadcast this nationwide, it was likely that masses of talent from other cities would come all the way to Jingzhou to apply for jobs at Tengda.
But, as always—problems of the next cycle could wait until the next cycle.
Pei Qian continued reading.
Next came the segment featuring interviews with Tengda employees.
Before the interview footage played, the documentary briefly introduced Huang Sibo’s résumé:
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Formerly an lead executive designer at a game company in Jingzhou.
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After joining the newly founded Tengda Games, he was exceptionally promoted to lead executive designer and led the development of Ocean Fortress.
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Founded Feihuang Studio and collaborated with Director Zhu Xiaoce to produce short videos like President Pei’s Daily Life, the documentary Breaking the Cocoon, and the short drama A Day in the Life of a Great Inventor, among others.
This résumé was dazzling enough to make anyone envious.
Normally, a game producer who releases even one hit game already has enough bragging rights. Some game producers rely on just a single successful title to make a fortune and coast for the rest of their lives.
But Huang Sibo not only created Ocean Fortress, now considered a classic domestic FPS, he also founded Feihuang Studio and produced multiple viral and widely beloved short films.
To be able to switch fields and remain so successful—anyone would consider him an exceptional talent!
Even more astonishing was that all of these achievements were completed within just one year.
After skimming the résumé, Pei Qian breathed a small sigh of relief.
Not bad.
The interview’s focus was entirely on Huang Sibo, emphasizing his accomplishments.
This is very much in line with his expectations!
Below the résumé was the interview video. Pei Qian clicked to play.
On screen, Huang Sibo and Xia Jiang sat on opposite ends of a sofa. Xia Jiang asked questions, and Huang Sibo answered them one by one.
“We all know you’re one of Tengda’s earliest employees. When you joined, the company had only just been founded. Could you tell us what made you choose to join such a young company?” Xia Jiang asked with a pleasant smile.
Huang Sibo thought for a moment before replying, “At the beginning, I was doing miscellaneous work at another game company in Jingzhou—”
Huang Sibo briefly recounted how he came to join Tengda.
Xia Jiang then followed up with more targeted questions, including:
Why both he and his former lead planner applied, yet Tengda hired him and not Old Liu; Why Tengda, as a startup, had such a great working environment; Why Tengda proactively raised the offer and doubled his salary—
Listening to this, Pei Qian didn’t notice any problems at first.
Everything Huang Sibo said was true, after all!
But as he watched Xia Jiang’s expression—that sly, satisfied glint in her eyes each time she asked a question—Pei Qian felt something faintly off.
He continued watching.
The questions grew more direct—things like the design philosophy and inspirations behind Ocean Fortress, its promotional strategy, and why Huang Sibo left Tengda after the game’s success.
Huang Sibo answered all of them honestly.
“Yes, before we officially began developing Ocean Fortress, the overall framework was already finalized. From the start, we decided it would be an FPS with a deep story mode, a strong focus on new-player experience, and epic weapons priced at 888.”
“In the very beginning, I actually felt this approach wasn’t reliable at all.”
Xia Jiang seized the perfect moment to interject: “Why is that?”
Huang Sibo smiled and explained, “Because from a traditional point of view, all three of those decisions were extremely risky.”
“Domestic FPS games had never included a story mode before. Even the few foreign FPS masterpieces with story modes tended to encounter some degree of ‘cultural mismatch’ once they arrived in China.”
“Moreover, creating a story mode is generally seen by domestic designers as a ‘thankless task’—high cost, low returns, very inefficient and ineffective.”
“At the time, FPS games were viewed as a type of competitive game. Developers tried to make them as hardcore as possible, catering to core players. Lowering the difficulty was the fastest way to get a game pushed to the bottom of the genre hierarchy.”
“As for pricing epic weapons at 888… I’m sure many people thought the devs had gone crazy for money. Hahaha~”
Huang Sibo laughed at himself. “Honestly, that’s exactly what I thought too. At that time, I was still heavily influenced by traditional game design concepts.”
Xia Jiang nodded, acknowledging his point. “Indeed.”
“But in the end, the success of Ocean Fortress proved that the direction was absolutely correct.”
Huang Sibo nodded as well. “That’s right.”
The topic ended neatly there, without revealing who exactly proposed the original framework for the game. The interview moved smoothly to the next question.
“You also weren’t very clear about the game’s promotional strategy at the beginning, correct?”
…
Pei Qian felt more and more uneasy the longer he watched.
Why was Xia Jiang’s questioning drifting further and further away!
You’re supposed to ask about what Huang Sibo actually did as lead executive designer—the challenges he faced, how he cooperated with other colleagues to solve problems!
Why are you obsessively asking about all the things Huang Sibo didn’t handle!?
He continued watching.
…
“After Ocean Fortress was completed, you left Tengda Games. Could you briefly tell us why?” Xia Jiang asked.
Huang Sibo smiled awkwardly. “Well… actually, I didn’t leave voluntarily.”
Xia Jiang: “Hmm?”
Huang Sibo sighed with emotion. “To be honest, right after making Ocean Fortress, I was extremely excited—you could say I was full of ambition.”
“After all, I jumped from being a miscellaneous planner at a small Jingzhou company to lead executive designer on a hit game. That kind of sudden success and sense of achievement can easily go to someone’s head.”
“At the time, I was prepared to devote my entire life to game development.”
“If this were any other game company, I probably would’ve been assigned to lead the next big project.”
Xia Jiang nodded slightly. “But at Tengda, things didn’t turn out that way.”
Huang Sibo chuckled. “Yes. Thinking back on that day still feels dreamlike.”
“At that time, the whole project team was celebrating the success of Ocean Fortress.”
“I was just doing my usual work.”
“Then suddenly, I received notice that the company was holding an ‘Outstanding Employee’ selection. I was confused, but somehow I ended up chosen.”
“That’s when I learned that besides the trophy and certificate, the Outstanding Employee Award also included a 1 million yuan ‘Dream Fund’!”
“I could use this 1 million Dream Fund to pursue anything I loved, in any field, to fulfill my dream!”
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