Since being announced 2 weeks ago, many gamers from around the world have expressed their interest and curiosity about Black Clover Mobile, an Unreal Engine 4 open world RPG currently in development by VIC Game Studios (a subsidiary of Pearl Abyss). Since then, the developer has held a media session with various local Korean outlets, including interviews with key staff members. Here are some of the highlights which we have briefly translated!
• The art director of VIC Game Studios has a 15-year experience in the gaming industry, previously working on Netmarble’s The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, Dungeon & Fighter and Durango at Nexon, and also Bless Online at Neowiz Bless.
• An avid fan of games and cartoons, he started his career in a time when the comics market was at its infancy and Webtoon was yet to be around.
• Originally a designer of realistic-style themes, his interest in anime-style started when working on The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross over at Netmarble.
• The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross was developed using Unity, but Black Clover Mobile is crafted on Unreal Engine 4.
• The most important aspect when developing Black Clover Mobile is to preserve the original story (storytelling), such as Asta having no magical powers and the process of him training hard and making new friends.
• The world of Black Clover is a magical world where all residents can use magic. Rather than just seeing and passing by, players should feel like they are exploring the world of the original by walking around the town. In order to bring that feeling to life, the team tried to capture the smaller details from the original work and animation.
• Majority of the development team are already fans of the Black Clover manga and anime series.
• The team is considering a PC version right now as it is simple to do so via Unreal Engine 4. But this has not been confirmed.
• The mission of VIC Game Studios is to make games not just for South Korea, but the global audience.
• VIC Game Studios actually started working on creating an original IP game, 브레이커스 (Breakers), before Pearl Abyss’ investment. The developer is now working on that and also Black Clover Mobile, though majority of the resources are focused on the latter first.
• Cutscenes in Black Clover Mobile will not be forced onto players and will be skippable.
• 브레이커스 (Breakers), the original IP game, is actually inspired by Makoto Shinkai. It is a real-time action game, with more information to be announced later.
• Black Clover Mobile is scheduled for a launch in 2022 and 브레이커스 (Breakers) in 2023, though no specific regions were mentioned.
