As part of the Busan Indie Connect Festival, the Busan Indie Wave Conference brought together indie game developers from around the world on August 14th, setting the stage for important discussions about game design and industry trends. Joongkyu Kwon, CEO of Sinkhole Studio, presented his experience developing indie games using existing intellectual properties. His talk centered on “Ogu and the Secret Forest,” a game based on characters created by his high school friend Jongbeum Moon, founder of MoonLab.

Kwon explained that working with established characters can help developers in some ways – it makes marketing easier and gives players something familiar to connect with. However, he pointed out that players often have high expectations for games based on known characters, which can lead to disappointment if the game doesn’t meet those expectations.

The collaboration started when Moon wanted to create a Pokémon-style 2D adventure game. Kwon had different ideas, preferring varied settings and connected storytelling similar to American cartoons. These different visions helped shape the final game world. MoonLab handled character and background art, while Sinkhole Studio worked on maps, puzzles, and combat systems.

“Ogu and the Secret Forest” currently has 93% positive reviews on Steam and won the general division at the 2022 BIC Awards. Kwon said the team focused on making a game they enjoyed rather than trying to appeal to the biggest possible market.

However, Kwon also shared some challenges they faced. The game needed to appeal to both fans of the original characters and regular gamers, which proved difficult since these groups have different preferences. He also discovered that the 2D adventure game market is small and mainly attracts dedicated players. Kwon admitted that their Early Access release strategy didn’t work well for a story-focused adventure game. While releasing content in parts helped get early feedback and attention, players generally want the complete story experience from the start.

After completing “Ogu and the Secret Forest,” Kwon got inspiration for his next game from visiting a bathhouse. This led to “Maltese’s Fluffy Onsen,” which was also influenced by the idle gameplay style of “Rusty’s Retirement.”

The new game was selected for Steam Next Fest in February, where it ranked in the top 25 most-played demos. Since its full release, it has received over 1,100 reviews with 92% positive ratings. Kwon said this game fixed many of the problems from their previous title, with better alignment between characters and gameplay mechanics.

The Busan Indie Wave Conference provided a platform for developers to share practical experiences and learn from each other’s successes and challenges in the competitive indie gaming market.