The following is a transcript of our interview with Playism during day one of PAX East 2024.

Ed: Hello, everybody. This is Eddie V from Boss Rush Media. I’m here at Playism, and I am joined by Executive Producer at Playism, Shunji Mizutani, and Assistant Producer of Glaciered and Mind Diver, Michael Kobayashi. Hello, guys. How are you?

Shunji: I’m good. We’re good. 

Ed: Yes! So I got to say, when Blade Chimera came out, I knew that developer Ladybug had a hit game. I just want to tell you guys, we gave it five stars. 

Shunji: Thank you!

Michael: Thank you!

Ed: Shunji, how did you start working at Playism? 

Shunji: When indie games started to become popular, I wanted to bring that to Japan. Our parent company was originally a localization company. I felt that we could bring this indie platform over to Japan and share indie games with Japanese gamers as well. That’s how I started at Playism.

Ed: A lot of these games feel like triple-A games. They look like they were a big-budget title, but it’s still indie. How did that come about? How did you guys find developers who can create games like that?

Shunji: Yeah. There are a lot of different ways that we get in contact with developers. Some of them reach out to us, and we form a connection there.

Michael: Some of them we meet at events like PAX or TGS, Tokyo Game Show. Some of them are through connections with other developers that we’ve worked with. So there are a lot of different ways that we come into contact with developers for our titles.

Ed: I got to play Break Arts III, and I was thinking, “OH, this reminds me of  Virtua On, which is from Sega, with racing added in. Getting into this field of mecha games, what did you guys think of that merge of two genres? 

Shunji: So the developer is big into Gundam and things like that. In his heart, he feels like the coolest mechas are the ones that you can create. So he wanted to play a game where you can create a mecha and race it, and battle it with other people.

Michael: But he felt that not a lot of developers were making a game like that. So he set it upon himself to develop Break Arts III. 

Ed: It’s weird because Damon X Machina, which was released on the Nintendo Switch, and other developers are making games that focus on combat. Do you feel like you’re getting the jump on this genre? 

Shunji: Yeah. I feel that, for sure. We feel that it’s not just about the combat and racing. They also added the customization layer on top of it. So all of that combined formed this unique, mecha combat racing game. 

Ed: Michael, let’s talk about Glaciered. How did you find this game?

Michael: The dev team found a lot of different stories like Jurassic Park, that may have taken place 65,000,000 years in the past. The developer for Glaciered wanted to take a spin on that and see ahead into the future. Rather than working with zombies or a dystopian society, he wanted to look sixty-five million years into the future and see what the Earth would look like in that scenario. That’s how Glacieried came about.

Ed: What about the other game, Mind Diver? How did you learn about this game? 

Shunji: Mind Diver was a student project from the developers. The theme is about you searching through memories of this individual while looking for her boyfriend. It becomes much deeper than that. The central theme is heartbreak. I can’t say too much about it, as it’ll spoil the game, but that’s pretty much the theme for Mind Diver. We also have Outrider Mako.

Ed: I GOT TO PLAY OUTRIDER MAKO! (laughs) It has a 16-bit sprite look. It reminds me of Phantasy Star back on the Sega Genesis, a little bit, but cleaner. How did you guys find this game? 

Michael: Yeah. I heard Mako is kind of interesting. The developer is a web designer.

Shunji: Yeah. So he’s originally a web designer. During COVID, he created Mako. He wanted to get into game design. So he installed GameMaker Studio Software. He was playing around with it, and that eventually led to Outrider Mako.

Ed: I have to ask, Shunji. I was at PAX West last year, and I got to play HARUKA: Beyond The Stars. I wanted that game now after playing the demo. I think it could be a Game of the Year contender. I told the helpers,” Oh, this may be my game of the year right now.” Is there any information about the game?

Shunji: So, unfortunately, we can’t say much about the release or anything as it’s still in development.  We’re hoping you look forward to the full game when it releases sometime in the future.

Ed: The demo was very fun and polished. When I heard it was 2026, I was like, “NO! IT’S SO GOOD!” (huge laughter and smile) I have to ask about MOTIONREC and Skateboard Knight. How did you guys find MOTIONREC? 

Shunji:  The developer drew inspiration from Elechead. He took several aspects from it, but ultimately wanted to create their own game.

Ed: Was that the game with the guy who had electricity on his head?

Michael: Yeah. Exactly. 

Ed: Did it come out last year? I think it dropped last year on the Switch because I have it.

Michael: Yeah, you’re right. It originally came out in 2021.

Ed: It’s an amazing game. How did you guys find out about Skateboard Knight?

Shunji: So the developer is originally a mobile game developer.  He wanted to create a casual game that you can just pick up and play anytime while talking with a friend or a family member. You know? A lot of games nowadays are challenging, like Elden Ring. He decided to take a casual approach to it, and so he set out to make Skateboard Knight, which is fun and addictive yet casual.

Ed: Well, I’ve got two more questions for you guys, and you both can answer it on your own. I’m writing an article about games that have earned their stripes, where people recognize a game or franchise for changing not only the genre, but the creativity and changes in video game design itself. I want to ask each of you, what is one game you feel has earned its stripes? 

Shunji: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. 

Ed: It is on my list to play. I feel like that’s the game of the year, I feel. What about you, Michael? 

Michael: Oh, man. It’s a great question. I don’t know if I have one because I’m more of a casual kind of gamer. I don’t play single-player games that often. 

Ed: Is there a game that you like to return to or anything?

Michael: I’m a huge Pokémon fan! 

Ed: YES! I feel like Pokémon has earned its stripes because of the games that came out, its longevity, and it’s still selling like crazy. 

Ed: So my last question for you, guys, is what is your go-to snack? Whether you’re working, you’re at home, or relaxing on the weekend, what is your one go-to snack? 

Shunji: Oh, that’s a good question. (Shunji takes a moment to think)

Michael: While he’s thinking about it, mine is Doritos Cool Ranch.

Ed: Oh, Nice!

Michael: After I moved to Japan, I missed it because they don’t sell it in Japan. So that’s mine.

Shunji: Anko.

Ed: Oh, that sounds delicious.

Shunji: It’s like a red bean paste, but kind of a dough form of it.  It’s a traditional Japanese snack. 

Ed: Oh, I need to have one. Well, Michael and Shunji,  thank you so much for this time. 

Shunji: Thank you.

Michael: Thank you.

To learn more about these games, check out Playism website.

Featured Image: Playism