Welcome back, and a thousand praises to you, Your Majesty!
This is our sixth and final My Lovely Empress dev log from the teams at GameChanger and Neon Doctrine. We hope that this series of behind-the-scenes peeks at the process of game development was useful to you, and deepened your appreciation for the world of Ashuwa and its many nations!
In case you missed out on our previous dev log, check it out here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2052990/view/6717768028449829643
Throughout our dev logs, we’ve talked to just about everyone in GameChanger about the work they’ve done for My Lovely Empress, from how they’ve developed the art and characters, to overcoming the technical challenges of working on a game far larger than My Lovely Wife. Now, here to talk about the experience of finally launching the game after years of work, are the senior members who have been with the team since My Lovely Daughter: Roderick, Dodick, and Riris!
Finally getting My Lovely Empress to the finish line after years of work was no simple feat — the demo version had received a lot of great feedback Roderick and the team wished to implement but had little time to work with before launch, and on the marketing side of things Empress actually saw slower wishlist growth than My Lovely Daughter and My Lovely Wife in spite of an intense marketing effort from both GameChanger and Neon Doctrine, which was a great worry for Riris on top of all her other responsibilities in running the studio.
Fortunately, setting a reasonable scope along with a good plan worked for crossing that final, bumpy stretch. By making a list of limited, small, but impactful changes that GameChanger could make from the demo feedback, the team could make meaningful last minute improvements to the game without sacrificing all the testing and QA checks needed to ensure a smooth launch.
And a smooth launch it was! To the pleasant surprise of both GameChanger and Neon Doctrine, My Lovely Empress lightly surpassed its projected sales on release day, and with a great reception to boot. Roderick and Dodick alike were delighted by the user reviews and community feedback during the game’s launch. Though it was not and will never be possible to please everyone, so much of the positive feedback revolving around improvements made from the demo version only solidified in their minds the importance of listening to the fans and making the right improvements. It made all that extra effort worth it.
As for Riris? More of a sigh of relief. Running a studio isn’t easy, but finally releasing a game after years of blood, sweat, and tears is like letting go after a long held breath. The scary, sobering reality of indie game development is that one failure can be enough to sink your studio and all your dreams with it, and so a good launch means the dream lives on.
But what now? What could be next for GameChanger after unveiling the Ashuwa continent to the world? For Dodick, GameChanger’s next moves are two parallel ones: keep improving My Lovely Empress based on feedback to make it the best game it could be, and to start seeking new horizons as well with a prototype for a brand new game unrelated to the My Lovely trilogy. With the My Lovely trilogy having gone from a father creating daughters out of alchemy to a mad emperor wiping out his own people in pursuit of love, the series can rest for a bit in the Crimson Empire (or what’s left of it after Hong is done), and it is time to explore new horizons.
Riris agrees. GameChanger cannot and will not rest on their laurels, not while there are stories still inside the team just waiting to be told. A long weekend break for everyone to recharge after the launch was certainly helpful though!
Finally, the three have some words for the fans of My Lovely Empress, and of the My Lovely trilogy in general. Here they are in their full, uncut statements.
Dodick: We are immensely grateful for the incredible support from our fans. From our journey with My Lovely Daughter in 2018, which explored abusive parenting, to My Lovely Wife in 2022, which delved into toxic relationships, we've always aimed to create thought-provoking game series that challenge and engage you. Now, with My Lovely Empress, we're thrilled to see how much you've embraced this world and its exploration of the corrupting power of love. Your passion and feedback drive us to keep improving. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!
Riris: Ahh. I know somewhere far away from Indonesia, someone gets happy, disappointed, angry and maybe even cries when they play My Lovely Empress. I want to give a big thank you to everyone who has bought, played and reviewed the game. You, our players, are the main reason we enjoy what we do. We are always grateful to you for raising the bar and proud to have the best job in the world as a game developer. I love you all!
Roderick: Thank you for supporting us all the way from the early stages of development, especially those who have followed us since My Lovely Daughter in 2018. Your love and support kept us in high spirits throughout the development of the My Lovely Series 💖.
We hope you enjoyed these sneak peeks into My Lovely Empress’ development journey. Thank you all for joining us, and we are truly blessed to have such wonderful fans.
My Lovely Empress is out now on Switch, Xbox, and Steam. Check it out here!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2052990?utm_source=homepage&utm_campaign=devlog&utm_medium=steam
