Producer Cho Soon-gu: The build we are showing right now is a bit different from what will officially launch. Last year, we structured the demo to showcase a single playthrough, highlighting the game's opening, routing, and character narratives. This time around, rather than layering on new scenarios, we overhauled the entire thing to highlight our core systems and the direction we want to pursue.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: First of all, since this is a new IP without any external backing, we felt a strong urge to get out there and spread the word as much as possible. Some folks probably walked away with bad memories last year due to rough modelling when we first debuted at TGS, but this time we wanted to show tangible improvements and completely change those perceptions.

Thankfully, the complaints about 3D modelling dropped significantly. Unlike the past where mobile was the priority, we paid a lot of attention to UI and character controls this time, introducing hotkeys tailored for the PC demo environment. We also showcased the character interaction and relationship-building aspects through the assembly hall content, which pulled in plenty of positive reactions.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: It is true that the character modelling fell a bit flat when we first revealed it. However, we already had the direction and structural layout sorted out back then. We previously had issues where clumsy camera angles made characters look too wide, or we failed to control technical elements properly, but we fixed every single one of those issues this time. Because we already had our homework done, we managed to push out a mountain of fixes in a short span.

Art Director Kim Hyung-sub: I reckon we still have a long road ahead of us. A big chunk of last year's negative feedback targeted the models, so this time we put our backs into nailing the shaders. The burning challenge was figuring out just how precisely we could recreate the shading expressions and lighting style of my art style in 3D. It is not quite perfect yet, but we will definitely roll out even better models down the line.

Art Director Kim Hyung-sub: That was a headache we wrestled with right from the start of the project. We figured that characters in the main party needed a baseline of common traits to leave a punchy impression on players. After plenty of stewing over it, we decided to put our faith in my somewhat niche art style. We visually expressed stigmas—an in-game setting—to tie everything together, and then layered on unique charms tailored to each character's backstory.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: That was a collaborative effort between Smilegate's business division and the development team. The business side pitched the massive LED booth idea first, and our dev team put our heads together to figure out how to translate it into the game. By showing characters getting stuck or chatting inside cramped pipes, we wanted to put their distinct personalities, body types, and artistic quirks front and centre.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: Stellar art is our primary strength, and we are pouring immense effort into facial expressions and animations both in-game and externally. We have features allowing players to closely inspect ultimate skill animations during combat or display specific poses as digital figures. We are also introducing a 'Memento' system—combining backgrounds, voice lines, and audio—so players can feel dimensional depth even in static illustrations while diving into character lore.

Art Director Kim Hyung-sub: While we used to focus heavily on how precisely we could draw a subject, these days our primary concern is how charming and approachable a single image or character feels to the player without feeling burdensome. I have spent ages researching ways to project my strengths onto canvas, and it feels like those answers are finally taking proper shape in Miraeshi.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: Early on, we did toy with collection gimmicks as a completionist element. However, forcing players to collect every single action frame for every character would pile on way too much fatigue and stress. So instead, we leaned toward lightweight achievement goals, like collecting specific animations per character. We are currently R&D-ing it in a direction where players can enjoy it without feeling bogged down.

Creative Director Kwon Se-woong: The current demo build leans heavily toward being a tutorial. Because of that, players only get to experience basic scripted victory gimmicks, which can feel a bit repetitive. The combat we are aiming for is essentially a frame-by-frame slice of a team fight from an AOS game. We will support auto-functions to minimize boredom when your combat power is high enough, while making sure battles that demand tactical solving stay brainy and engaging.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: To shave off the tedious waiting inherent to turn-based systems, we shortened the standby phase so the very first turn kicks off midway through combat. By letting characters dynamically pull turns or manipulate order in real-time, we want to push players to predict and decide their next moves. Once you gear up and your characters' speeds pick up with continuous overlapping turns, that sense of drag will vanish.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: We plan to keep daily missions and grinding chores as streamlined as possible by supporting sweep functions. Mindful of subculture players who have far too many worlds to protect, we are cutting out the annoying fluff while keeping the balance tight so you can really sink your teeth into it when you crave a sense of achievement. Stages matching your recommended combat power can be cleared via auto-battle, while pushing through tough stages with sub-par gear will deliver that visceral thrill of manual control.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: We reckon not many players in the subculture genre focus heavily on real-time PvP as their main dish. While we already built it internally and had fun playing it, we have zero intentions of forcing it as a daily chore after launch. We are designing it as lightweight optional side content, akin to friendly matches, and will expand the direction depending on post-launch player feedback.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: Naturally, a test will come before the official release. We are currently nose-to-the-grindstone, developing hard to secure a quality level worthy of a test and beef up our content volume. That said, we still need to hash out clear specs and testing scopes with our business department, so it is a bit early to give you an exact date.

Producer Cho Soon-gu: It is a bit awkward to throw out hard numbers, but internally we value active user counts way higher than raw revenue. You need a massive crowd of players hanging around and enjoying the game before you can even think about rolling out subsequent services and content expansions. Our absolute top priority is making a game that people consistently love, rather than chasing a quick buck. Adieu, mate!