Of the handfuls of video games already scheduled for 2025 — which incorporates a number of the greatest franchises and most anticipated titles within the historical past of the trade — one specific title stands out for the way uncommon and interesting its premise is: Date Every part, the debut title from Sassy Chap Video games. It might not be 2025’s greatest title, nevertheless it’s definitely the funniest on premise alone. However the staff behind it, in addition to writer Team17, is definitely critical about its growth and launch, regardless of the market nonetheless being in a difficult place after 2024.
This relationship sim’s pitch is correct there within the title: The participant character can — via a little bit of magical eyewear — meet, befriend and ultimately date each animated inanimate object inside their house. From the washer and dryer (who’re voiced by David Sobolov and Neil Newbon, respectively), your grand piano (voiced by Pleasure Ofodu) and your doorways (voiced by Ben Starr); to your personal overwhelming sense of Existential Dread (voiced by Sungwon Cho).
Sassy Chap itself was based by a gaggle of voice actors, together with Robbie Daymond, Ray Chase and Max Mittelman. I bought the possibility to talk with Daymond on the Anime Frontier conference about Date Every part and launching such an uncommon title — the studio’s first, no much less — into what by all accounts is without doubt one of the most tough markets in gaming historical past. Under is an edited transcript of our interview.
GamesBeat: How are you feeling concerning the launch thus far? What’s the reception been like?
Robbie Daymond: Our advertising numbers are type of unhinged for particular person views. That is an indie recreation, so these advertising budgets are all the time large, and a lot of the suggestions that we bought was simply natural. So, you already know, got here out of nowhere — the trailer, I feel, has 400,000 views on, like, one type of it. Now we’re entering into the hundreds of thousands of views. After which we’ve a pair viral Tiktoks and Reels, and the following factor you already know, we’ve bought, you already know, views with Bs. So we’re tremendous comfortable, and the wishlist numbers are wonderful.
I feel the enjoyable half is all people will get it. That’s good to see. That was the concern. Are they gonna suppose that is only a joke, or are they gonna get that it runs deeper? And I feel there was a second the place folks have been like, “Oh, we always get these dating sims where you can date the toilet.” And I’m like, okay, that’s one a part of the joke. You don’t write 1.5 million phrases for funsies. We’ve created some actually deep and endearing characters with some clearly shaggy dog story strains, but additionally some fairly critical ones. Once we hope that you would be able to come again to those characters and deal with this as an actual relationship sim. We tried to create over 100 particular person folks.
GamesBeat: Stepping into the background a bit bit: I feel I’ve an thought of the place the essential thought got here from. There’s a complete historical past of bizarre relationship simulators. Hatoful Boyfriend, I feel, was the inflection level.
Daymond: Hatoful Boyfriend, Monster Promenade, Dream Daddy — proper, Western relationship sims have a enjoyable spin on it. We have been simply riffing on concepts about what we wished to make. And the thought was, what can we do this hasn’t already been executed? What if it’s simply every little thing? What if we take this style to its logical conclusion and simply allow you to date every little thing?
GamesBeat: Since we’re speaking about it, did you may have any skilled or private expertise with the relationship sim style?
Daymond: I performed them, however largely for homework. (Rachel: “Sure you did, Robbie.”) I do know lots of the historical past of it, however I’d say that wouldn’t be on the highest of my checklist for one thing that I’d play till I began making one. Then I used to be like, “Well, I better do my research.” And we performed lots of them — the great ones, the heavy hitters. And we kind of discovered, I consider, the place a number of the weaknesses are within the format, after which how we are able to strengthen that, after which learn how to play into the issues which can be that folks take pleasure in most about relationship sims. And as I stated earlier than, like one of many issues is forming these significant relationships.
GamesBeat: It’s not nearly sizzling folks.
Daymond: It is concerning the sizzling folks, however that was one thing that we wished to try this leaned into extra like Japanese and conventional relationship sims, the place it’s such as you’re actually relationship somebody. I used to be like, yeah, we are able to do this. Each expertise will be intense. Some characters are simply humorous, however largely they go fairly deep.
GamesBeat: Did you may have any background as a recreation developer earlier than this?
Daymond: No, that is our first recreation. We — “we” being me, Ray Chase and Max Mittelman — have been doing different artistic endeavors exterior of voiceover for the higher a part of a decade. About six years in the past, we determined we wished to make a factor, a tangible factor. Is it going to be a present? Is gonna be a podcast? Is it gonna be a recreation? Ray Chase, who’s the lead designer and recreation director on this, had all the time had an curiosity in recreation growth. He’d been going to PAX and and a bunch of different recreation growth conferences for years. He stated, “What about a game?” And that was the place the thought got here from.
What sort of recreation can we need to make? We had zero programming abilities. All of us discovered learn how to work with all of the programming instruments, learn how to construct in Unity. We’re utilizing a language-writing software program known as Inky. And, you already know, it’s a wild expertise, doing one thing we’ve by no means executed earlier than. We’ve additionally by no means managed a staff of 40-something folks. We’ve by no means labored with a longtime online game writer. It began as three guys in my storage, however now we’ve an organization with workers that we’re answerable for. I’ve actually loved watching all people step as much as the plate and produce. Our programmers, our artists, our musicians, the voice actors that landed their voices. All people’s simply superior on this. So, yeah, we’re actually proud of the place we landed.
GamesBeat: I admit, when this was first introduced, there was part of me that thought… that is such a weird atmosphere for this sort of recreation, proper?
Daymond: Who’s making a giant relationship sim in 2024? I feel it’s been lengthy sufficient the place we’d like, like, a giant banger relationship sim to leap again within the zeitgeist. And I feel, in keeping with the suggestions, you already know, we’ll see after launch day, nevertheless it looks as if individuals are going to play it, which is admittedly thrilling.
GamesBeat: It’s most likely one of many higher genres to place out proper now — doesn’t require the large finances of a giant RPG or an open world Soulslike.
Daymond: I really feel like we’re a bit bit above the true “indie low-budget” finances, however we’re kind of hovering on this decrease double-An area the place we are able to get proficient folks on board, and we are able to make one thing that feels high-quality and hold our overhead low. Our whole staff is distant. Our publishers are within the UK, so you already know that that provides us the pliability to make one thing high-quality, after which what we’ve to promote to recoup isn’t as a lot as say, you already know, should you simply poured $50 million right into a recreation or one thing like that.
However right here’s the factor too: We additionally discovered we’d get actually proficient folks on board if we shared a bit bit. So we’ve a wholesome rev share program inside our growth staff, so those that have contributed probably the most to the sport will get some actual back-end, together with our efficiency, our expertise, our musicians, our artists, a few of our programmers, you already know, not all people, however the core members, if the sport does effectively, they’re going to get a chunk of that, and it comes out of our pockets as executives. However for me, it’s price it. Not solely is it the precise factor to do, nevertheless it permits, it motivates folks, and it provides them, permits them the eagerness to work on one thing. So, yeah, I feel we are able to develop a tradition of that inside video video games the place, you already know, these large properties are making billions, and you already know our recreation received’t, however we’re small, and if we are able to share, the large canine can share too, proper?
GamesBeat: What are you most curious to see after the sport launches?
Daymond: Clearly the primary query is who will get probably the most love.
GamesBeat: Who finally ends up being the preferred?
Daymond: It’s a recognition contest once you create 100 folks. That’s simply human nature to be interested by it! However I’m really curious. The sport tracks your metadata of the way you play, which is one thing we actually have been necessary about placing in, and we’re working proper now and making a sharing platform, probably for a submit launch, for you to have the ability to present somebody IRL, “Hey, this is how I played!” And, you already know, clearly we’ve to have that information. We’re not farming it. We will’t take a look at it as a complete proper now, however it is going to be cool simply to see how the populace is enjoying. And you already know, each datable, you will get three completely different endings with 4, should you embrace the truth that it’s possible you’ll by no means meet them.
GamesBeat: There’s a shoebox in a closet someplace who’s like *checks watch.*
Daymond: There are some exhausting characters to seek out. A few of our secret characters require, like, actually particular in world, issues that you just’ve bought to do to unlock them.
GamesBeat: These folks higher be actually sizzling, Robbie. I’m simply saying.
Daymond: They’re tremendous sizzling, and however they’re going to be price it, as a result of they’re enjoyable and in contrast to the opposite characters. So the cool half is, I’m largely trying ahead to seeing how folks play after which assembly different folks inside the neighborhood discussing how they performed. The chances of assembly somebody who has the very same play via are actually nearly one-in-a-million. However that’s what I’m most enthusiastic about: Listening to suggestions. I’m excited to see how folks play. I imply, I’m a theater child. I need to know what my viewers is feeling. And we actually tried to permit lots of completely different voices to be heard. We had a bunch of various writers and artists all like creating these these characters from their views. So I need to know the way folks reply to them. And clearly all people at Sassy Chap and Team17 loves all of our characters.
GamesBeat: Anyone’s gonna must be the least widespread.
Daymond: It’s gonna be any person I voice, I simply realize it.
Date Every part launches on February 14 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X/S and Nintendo Change.
