Interview: Xavier Izzi | Founder, FUT with Apero

We spoke with Xavier Izzi, founder of the FUT with Apero and let’s hear what he has to say about his works and the video game industry.
 

 

NoobFeed: Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

Xavier Izzi: Hello, I am Xavier, creator of FUT with Apero, a reference site in France and Belgium for the FIFA game. Basic I studied in pharmacy and then one day I started and gradually my site has made its way and a lot of opportunities have been offered to me.

 

NoobFeed: What are your duties at FUT with Apero? Tell us why you decided to establish FUT with Apero and how is it going for you so far? 

Xavier Izzi: I am the founder and the editor. I created this because I wanted to meet a new challenge and I wanted to help the community of FIFA players. Currently it is doing well, even if with my team we try to offer more and more to our followers and offer a better quality work. Therefore we are in constant reflection for the future.

 

NoobFeed: As a founder of a gaming website, what trends have you noticed in the gaming industry recently? Do you support where it’s heading?

Xavier Izzi: Micro transactions are a bit commonplace in video games, but I feel like it's starting to change. But I think that currently publishers are trying to have at least 1 game that can enter the world of eSports within their game range. This is logical because there is more and more visibility for the competitions. 'eSports.

 

NoobFeed: Esports focuses on its social aspect a lot these days. Do you think there’s a lot more potential in terms of the social aspect of Esports than there currently is?

Xavier Izzi: I think so, because we see a lot of great brands start to take an interest in the sport. And even professional football players, it becomes a real business and since there are still few people who really live, the potential is still very big.

 

NoobFeed: Having 15 years of experience playing FIFA, were you able to make any impact on the gamers of this genre? 

Indeed since I have always played FIFA, I think I have an impact when I give my opinion because I have a minimum of perspective vis-à-vis the different aspects of the game. In addition, having played at high level football I have a different view of the game.

 

NoobFeed: What is the most challenging part of your job?

Xavier Izzi: The most challenging part of my job is really trying to stay at the top level reference site for FIFA and really try to bring a full offer of content to the players. Because one always says to oneself: I will add this well, but is the time invested the top worth it?

 

NoobFeed: Have you ever received negative feedback on a piece of your guide or tutorial? What was your response?

Xavier Izzi: Like any content creator, sometimes there are negative feedbacks, you have to sort through and see what is constructive or not. And if the negative feedback is worth it, then I take it into consideration. But a golden rule in the digital world is not to react and respond without thinking. Because some people try to make you react to be able after to show: Ho this person is a bad person

 

NoobFeed: Can you tell us about a time when you developed your own way of doing things other than following others?

Xavier Izzi: At first I think everyone is inspired by what is done elsewhere, it is a good basis for work. Then we receive positive / negative returns, we modify this or that. Then by ourselves we find what suits us, what pleases the community. It's a bit instinctive I think.

 

NoobFeed: We all have experienced this at least once. Will you share an experience when your ethics and patience were tested? How did you keep your emotions in check?

Xavier Izzi: In the world of gaming, you must know that the age of the players can really vary and sometimes things are logical for us, are not for others. Or when some people ask you the question 50 times, then just read the article ... it's never obvious. Usually I try to redirect them to the place of information, but it has happened to me after having answered several times, to cut the discussion because it shows that the person is just trying to waste time. Fortunately this is rare. But I try to always keep my convictions and my line of driving at that level.

 

NoobFeed: What in gaming excites you the most? Outside of work, how much time do you spend playing video games in an average week?

Xavier Izzi: It depends a lot on the period, when a new FIFA comes out, I spend a lot of time. And I would like to spend more, but since I work 40 hours a week in addition to FUT with Apero, it's never easy. I would say that it can go from 10h / week to 2h / week. Or like this week where I have not yet run a single game.

 

NoobFeed: What experiences would you personally like video games to deliver in the future?

Xavier Izzi: I think we already have a little everything in video games, to satisfy everyone ... but I admit that I played a lot at Guild Wars 1 so I would like to see him back on the front of the stage. And also to Neocron, a game really good but that never took off.

 

NoobFeed: As a founder of a website, you get a lot of sports game developers trying to get your attention and to play their games, but they may not know the best ways. Do you have any tips that you can impart to make their pitches towards you and other journalists more effective?

Xavier Izzi: I think it's quite simple, from the moment people do not take you for an idiot and you see that you receive a request for "personalized" contact and not an automatic email that already has more impact.

 

NoobFeed: With so many gaming websites and independent journalists trying to reach the same target audience segment, do you think the correct messages are being spread across?

Xavier Izzi: Many people try with varying degrees of success. Some messages are bad because to make the audience, it often takes a message impacting and so often there are false titles but as people will see and it creates an interaction. We must always make people want to read / see our content.

 

NoobFeed: Why is it important for gamers to maintain a healthy lifestyle? What advice would you have for a gamer looking to take the first steps towards a healthier lifestyle?

Xavier Izzi: Because health is important, and a healthy life can be more serene for the future and be able to consider other projects. Even if you have to live in the present moment, you must always try to see what you can do in many years, and for that you need to have a healthy life.

 

NoobFeed: What are the future plans for Xavier Izzi?

Xavier Izzi: In the future I would like to enlarge the site further, and attract more visitors, which is normal because life wants that. But I already have some projects in mind for the new FIFA season, but I prefer to keep them for me now

 

Many thanks to Xavier for doing the interview with us. We wish him all the very best with all of his ventures. Keep up with Xavier Izzi by following him on twitter.

 

Admin, NoobFeed