Following its initial reveal in October 2024, Project RX locked in its official title as 'Pareidolia' last August, bringing us ever closer to launch. It is drawing a lot of attention on various fronts, not least because it is the next project from the Blue Archive development team, but also because it boldly puts forward a completely different concept of 'daily life vibes'. Still, with plenty of details left under wraps, we sat down with NEXON Games Producer Min-seo Cha and IO Division Head Yong-ha Kim (hereafter referred to as Division Head Kim) to chat in depth about the development process, unique features, and future plans for Pareidolia.

Division Head Kim: We haven't really thought about a separate official abbreviation, and we are currently taking in community feedback. We figured a single-word title like Pareidolia would stand out as a clear point of differentiation in the market. We also judged that the meaning of the word neatly aligns with our game's core message of 'the restoration of connection'. We weighed various elements together, including the mystical vibe of how it sounds, before making the final call.

Producer Min-seo Cha: Games crafted by the IO Division are fundamentally all subculture titles featuring anime-style characters. Within that massive framework, our goal is to carve out something fresh we can pull off. It is technically a collectible RPG format, but we wanted to appeal to players by showing that we aren't just obsessing over the mechanics alone.

Division Head Kim: What we are aiming for is an anime-style otherworldly realm that you just want to 'dive' straight into, kicking things off with the ambition to forge an entirely new IP. Naturally, with massive player expectations come heavy nerves, and since we made a lot of unprecedented shifts—like changing the character proportions from SD to LD—we spent a long time deliberating.

Producer Min-seo Cha: We decided it would be tough to simply copy the exact formula of our previous work, so we pondered a unique path that only Pareidolia could walk. As part of that effort, we poured a ton of hard work into the character styling and overall art design to properly showcase Pareidolia's distinct aesthetic.

Division Head Kim: Blue Archive had a crystal-clear intent to let you figure out a character's origins just by glancing at their illustration, but that often boxed in our designs. In Pareidolia, we thoroughly ditched any forced approach of slapping on random crests or halos. Instead, we zeroed in on designs rooted in everyday life, letting characters naturally blend into the daily scenery of Animasi.

Division Head Kim: It is on-device AI tech developed entirely in-house within the IO Division, rolling out the fruits of our long-standing research into voice processing. It runs completely without a separate server, and we paid meticulous attention to optimization so it performs smoothly on mobile devices. Right now, it is sitting at a demonstration level where you can call out to Mates (characters) or swap pleasantries. How we will apply and expand this going forward is something we plan to decide after gauging user reactions at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show.

Producer Min-seo Cha: We wanted to capture the feeling of a space where players can truly find solace. We needed an emotional tone that feels somewhat akin to Blue Archive yet distinctively fresh, and after endless internal debates, we managed to craft something where you can deeply feel those everyday life vibes.

Division Head Kim: If you look at recent titles, fierce action and quick-fix dopamine rushes mostly run the show. Pareidolia steers in the exact opposite direction, aiming for a game you can comfortably leave running in the background as part of your daily routine for instant peace of mind. We want players to feel like they've stepped into a cozy hometown tucked away in another world—a place they can comfortably return to whenever they please.

Producer Min-seo Cha: (With a firm tone) The dormitory is a hot spring. Please view it as a design mechanism engineered with the potential future expansion of Tasogare Hall content firmly in mind.

Division Head Kim: An otherworldly setting needs to spark a distinct sense of anticipation in the player. Hot springs will naturally serve as one of several devices designed to satisfy the exact expectations players hold for life in another world.

Producer Min-seo Cha: While the granular details will roll out progressively, it isn't a massive open-world structure. Think of it as sitting somewhere right around the halfway mark relative to linear gameplay. Puzzles are utilized primarily as a tool to make the characters' charms pop.

Division Head Kim: Rather than following the open-world grammar of exploring sprawling maps and uncovering hidden secrets, this game focuses squarely on building bonds and interacting with characters. We built our fields and content by centering entirely on how we can naturally exchange emotions with our characters.

Producer Min-seo Cha: Since enemy movements follow certain established patterns, players won't feel heavily stressed once they get the hang of the game. The combat in the demo version is nothing more than a baseline foundation, and upcoming user test builds will inject a richer variety of fun elements. We deeply agree that players need both moments of intense focus and moments to kick back, and we will make a call on auto-battle features after gathering thorough feedback.

Producer Min-seo Cha: Right from the initial planning stages of the project, we had an unshakeable internal rule that it must never impact the live service of Blue Archive. In reality, the number of existing staff members who transitioned over to the Pareidolia team can be counted on one hand.

Division Head Kim: We had to spin up a completely fresh IP from scratch without any brain drain, which made setting up initial development quite an uphill battle. However, once the basic skeleton was built and progress picked up speed, a wave of brilliant new developers jumped on board, meaning development is currently rolling along smoothly right on schedule.

Producer Min-seo Cha: Pareidolia is being developed under the primary prerequisite of a multi-platform launch. Because of that, rather than fixing our sights on a specific game, we view major multi-platform subculture heavyweights as friendly competitors.

As for monetization, we plan to stick to the standard levels widely accepted across the market. Given who we are, we aren't cooking up any overly aggressive custom models. The launch will likely be locked in as we sequentially step through various expected industry events.

Division Head Kim: Pareidolia's concept of comfort wasn't mapped out to duke it out with specific games over sales figures or chart rankings. We simply want Pareidolia's cozy atmosphere to properly resonate with players. We are meticulously prepping a CBT to bump up our quality standards, though it might be a bit tough to push it out right before the year ends.