We call it 'subculture' today, but back when I started, the term didn't even exist. Labels vary across the globe, but the core appeal remains constant. The players who enjoy these games likely grew up loving manga, anime, or similar media, and deep down, they’ve always wanted to experience those worlds through a game.

That’s exactly why I started making games in this genre. The allure of a subculture game isn't so different from an anime—it’s all about whether you can craft compelling characters and an immersive story, and more importantly, how fun you can make that interactive experience.

We’ve been at it for about three and a half years, which is the longest cycle for any game I’ve worked on. The biggest challenge was blending diverse genre features into a cohesive, balanced experience.

Plus, as a studio working on its second major title, you hit 'the second game dilemma.' You can't just pile all your best infrastructure and key talent into one project; you have to share resources. We had to focus on cultivating a new generation of lead developers, which is a time-consuming process.

Well, 'Ryuko-chan' is essentially a rebel plotting to take my seat at the office, so perhaps I’m not the best person to ask! But truthfully, as a CEO, I believe in doing whatever it takes to communicate with players and get the word out. The times are changing. I might not be the best at reading every trend, but I’d rather try something a bit awkward than ignore the shifting landscape entirely.

Personally, it’s a bit frightening. You worry that these things might come back to bite you later. My goal is to manage that risk, but if things do go south, I intend to listen to the players with humility and find the right path forward. That means keeping the doors of communication wide open.

In many 2D games, players are often obscured or kept off-screen. In 3D games, we usually rely on cinematics to tell the story. But if the protagonist is completely absent from those scenes, it feels like you're watching someone else's life.

Even if they do appear, if their face is hidden or wrapped up, making a stylish video is a nightmare. The screen just goes dead the moment such a character shows up. Most successful games today put beautiful, well-designed characters front and centre to maintain visual flair and immersion. Think of our design as a tool to keep that cinematic momentum going.

One of our core design pillars was justifying this 'Journey' system narratively. Why are we training? Why are we raising these characters? Why do I pour my heart into one, only to start over with another? We didn't want to just brush it off as 'it's just a game.'

Often, training scenarios have nothing to do with the main plot. We’re working hard to weave the loops of growth, repetition, change, and failure directly into the story.

At first, it’s all speculation for the player, but as the story unfolds, I hope you understand why these characters leave, what happens next, and why we’re doing this. There’s a term for this kind of narrative—'yūetsu' (joy in suffering). I hope you find that emotional resonance.

I can’t say it’s purely one or the other. A game that’s entirely luck-based is rightfully criticised, but a game with no luck at all is just boring. If it’s purely about skill, like a fighting game, it becomes impossible for a beginner to overcome a pro. I want to avoid that.

A good game needs a blend of managed luck and deterministic stats. Most importantly, it needs to be strategic. You make choices, those choices interact with the RNG, and you live with the results. That’s the balance we’re aiming for.

It’s both narrative and mechanical. Lore-wise, the Cube Palace is connected to our previous title, CounterSide. The character 'Omega,' who runs the place, has ties to the Administrator, which allows for these 'modern' elements like computerised cheat codes.

Mechanically, it’s because the difficulty ramps up. We introduced this mode to give players more strategic agency when the going gets tough.

I usually have a soft spot for all the protagonists I create. Officially, the team says we love them all equally, but personally? Asera and Luna really hit the mark for me in terms of both design and narrative.

There are several reasons, but the main one is that the genre conventions didn't quite gel with male characters during our initial testing. We tried incorporating them into the journey and progression systems, but it just didn't fit the vision.

I personally love a cool male character and know the unique energy they bring. But if it doesn't fit the genre, forcing it can actually stunt the game's growth and expansion. So, we cut the male characters we were developing early on.

As a live-service game, we’ll be pumping out new content continuously. We aren’t planning to shake up the foundation of the game anytime soon. The Journey system is our bread and butter, so expect various modes and twists on that formula as we continue our R&D.

It’s not easy to make a game today, let alone get it noticed in such a crowded market. I’m incredibly grateful to the players who have stuck by us and kept the faith. We’re working our fingers to the bone to ensure the final product lives up to your expectations.

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