Hello everyone, it's me again! I'm Houki(Nancy), producer of Sensei! I Like You So Much!
With the official release finally out, the main development work has wrapped up—and now I can finally come and share with you what comes next.
The development of Sensei! I Like You So Much! took much, much longer than we originally expected. Along the way, because of my own immaturity, we stumbled through many obstacles and hardships. Now that the full version has finally launched smoothly, I can at last look back on everything with a calmer heart. No matter what kind of experiences they were, to us, it has all been a precious journey.
Our core team is just three people. We've known each other for years: I (Houki) come from a gameplay design background, while Biu and XC are both artists. Starting from five or six years ago, we've been making small jam games together—silly little games meant to make people laugh.
As we made more and more of these mini-games, the response was decent. And so, a dream gradually formed: we wanted to make a big game. A really big game. The “ultimate” game. That game turned out to be Sensei! I Like You So Much!
At the time, due to real-life reasons, we poured everything we had into it—almost as if it would be our very last game. I crammed in every idea, every mechanic, everything I wanted to make. But of course, the scope of a big game isn't so easy to control. In truth, Sensei! I Like You So Much! won't be our last game. Nor should any single game be burdened with carrying one person's entire life, or a whole group's collective hopes.
A pole position doesn't guarantee a podium. Even if you clock the fastest lap, it doesn't mean much; you might still collapse after just a few more rounds. Especially when big “rule changes” like Steam's new curation system hit, which completely disrupted development rhythms and ecosystems. Game development is a long race—it's not something you can win with just a single burst of reckless courage.
But for us three rookies, this was our very first long-distance run. And we actually managed to finish within the points! I'm so proud of our team.
I especially want to say how incredibly proud I am of our artists, XC and Biu. This being their very first Steam game, I was amazed by their speed, talent, and how quickly they improved. Especially after the EA version—we no longer outsourced anything; all art was entirely done by the two of them. Anyone who hasn't compared the EA version to the full release might not understand just how shocking the improvement is. It's unbelievable!!
Huge thanks as well to our remote collaborators: Aerie Zhou for scene art, sssand for UX, and ReD0x for concept design! Back when we had nothing but a rough prototype, it was because of my single line—“let's make a fangirl game”—that they helped us build out the game's framework and core content. Only the bond of stans could explain such support. I truly wish all of you smooth sailing in life and work!
And to my favorite, Cream, our scenario writer! She wrote the main story, romance routes, and some daily events, breathing life into the game's narrative. I met her 7 years ago in the fandom, and she's written works that completely swept me away. No exaggeration—she is my personal “EtherealSnow”. (Not to say EtherealSnow has a real-life model!) For me, meeting Cream was nothing short of a miracle. But thinking about it, the very birth of Sensei! I Like You So Much! has been full of miracles from the start.
Also, many thanks to Titi, who designed and drew our character sprites! She brought such charm to the old lady characters—please support the old ladies… I mean, support Titi!
Thanks as well to all the illustrators who drew our story illusts! The illusts are some of the most beautiful parts of Sensei! I Like You So Much!, and it was an honor to have such talented people illustrate our story.
And to all the writers who contributed to our in-game short novels—thank you! The novel writing style in our game is highly unusual, very different from any other format. We went through multiple drafts, tried countless approaches, and you've been there with us since the demo, patiently experimenting alongside us. I sincerely hope your journeys in the fandom go ever more smoothly!
A big thanks as well to our publishing partners, who tirelessly helped us with community management and localization. Because of them, we could focus fully on development without worrying about anything else. And in the end, they gave us enough breathing room to get the release schedule back on track and deliver a version we could truly be proud of.
Finally—thank you, thank you, thank you to every player who playtested, followed us, and gave us feedback!! Fan culture is born from the desire to connect, and the drive to make a fandom game comes from your anticipation and support. We did our best to hand in this exam paper. Whether it met your expectations or not, I still want to give my heartfelt thanks for accompanying us along the way.
A long-distance race is constant compromise: between lap times and tire wear, schedule and quality, ability and ambition, different demands, ideals and reality. I once chased after perfect answers, only to admit they don't exist, and finally had to compromise with myself. Toward the end, Sensei! I Like You So Much! shifted from “trying to show off something” to simply “trying to make people happy”. We're not historians of the fandom world—our ability doesn't reach that far. In this turbulent age where new and old constantly collide, all I wish is that in some little corner of the internet, our game can let you spend a bit of time laughing—whether in joy or in embarrassment.
The world needs EtherealSnow, but also Mila. The world needs Baldur's Gate 3, Disco Elysium, and Sultan's Game—and yes, it also needs Sensei! I Like You So Much! (Not that I mean to compare us to them!)
No matter what, this game has given both our team and myself tremendous growth. Back in my teen days, I once swore that I would make my life's game before turning 26, then die, and have “Developer of Best Game” carved on my tombstone. Well, I did make Sensei! I Like You So Much! at 26—and for a time, I thought it would be my life's game. But now that it's released, I don't want to die anymore. I want to live. I want to live a long, long time. I want to keep creating alongside Biu and XC, and with all of you too, making more games—better, funnier, more joyful games!
It's time to start the next chapter!
First, I'm excited to announce: the beloved desktop pet will be spun off into its own expansion pack! (Is that what it's called?) You'll be able to buy it separately. It'll include more interactions, animations, toys, costumes—so feel free to start “placing your orders” now, haha!
Second, the Mac version is already packaged! After QA and compatibility testing, it'll be released soon.
Third—oh my gosh, Sensei! I Like You So Much! is being ported to Nintendo Switch… is this real? I don't quite believe it myself, so maybe don't believe it yet either (?).
And lastly, our next game is already taking shape—it's probably going to be a smaller one. But even though it's small, it'll be really funny. After running this marathon, all we want now is to go back to our cozy pit box and make a game that's fun, silly, and just makes people laugh out loud.
New updates should be coming soon. Please continue to support us!
—Houki
On behalf of LaoO Studio
August 13, 2025