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Nerial, the studio behind The Crush House, recently shared developer insights about their new game in an interview with producer Laura Fournier and creative director Nicole He. The Crush House, a unique game inspired by reality TV shows, has the player step into the role of producer and create the hottest reality TV show of 1999.
Game Reception and Future Plans
Nicole He expressed satisfaction with the game’s reception, particularly noting how players have embraced its unique core mechanic. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see people enjoying the game, especially those who truly grasp what we’re trying to achieve,” she said. The feedback has been especially positive on Twitch streams, with both streamers and their audiences responding enthusiastically.
Regarding future content, Nicole stated, “We don’t have any immediate plans. We’re currently focused on developing a patch to address some issues, and there may be some feature updates down the line, but we’ll see how things evolve.” This approach suggests that the team is prioritizing game stability and refinement before considering additional content.
Art Direction and Creative Collaboration
The Crush House’s distinct art style is a result of Nerial’s approach to collaborating with external creatives. Nicole He explained, “One of the things I love about Nerial is their openness to collaborating with external creatives, which brings a fresh perspective to each project.” This approach has led to unique creative directions in various Nerial games, including The Crush House.
This approach to collaboration has been a consistent theme in Nerial’s development process. Nicole elaborated: “For The Crush House, I was that external creative; for Card Shark, it was Nicolai Troshinsky (who directed art & animation and card magics for Card Shark); and in other projects, they’ve worked with different people. This approach infuses each game with a unique creative direction and energy.”
Despite the visual differences, Nicole emphasized that there are underlying connections to previous Nerial games: “If you look beneath the surface, you’ll find certain similarities or thematic throughlines that connect The Crush House to previous Nerial games. While The Crush House introduces something new, there are underlying commonalities, especially in the shared technical interests between me and François Alliot (One of the co-founders of Nerial), such as our focus on procedurally generated narratives.”
She pointed out specific examples of these commonalities: “You can see these parallels in games like Reigns and The Crush House. Additionally, humor is a consistent element across all Nerial games, even if the style of humor varies from one game to another.”
Relationship with Publisher Devolver Digital
Laura Fournier discussed Nerial’s unique relationship with Devolver Digital, which has been their publisher since 2016. “It’s interesting because even after Nerial was acquired, the agreement was that we would continue to operate as an indie studio,” Laura explained. This arrangement allows Nerial to maintain creative independence while benefiting from Devolver’s support.
Laura elaborated on the benefits of this partnership: “Devolver steps in at key moments, like with marketing, localization, and QA, which allows us to focus on the actual game development.” She also noted the value of having milestones, saying, “It keeps us disciplined with our production schedule and methods.”
Project Origins
The idea for The Crush House originated from a chance meeting between Nicole He and former Nerial team member Arnaud De Bock at GDC. Nicole recounted, “We met at GDC, and a friend of mine snuck me into the Devolver party. Arnaud and I ended up meeting in the bathroom line, and we were both fans of each other’s work.”
Inspired by the Japanese reality show Terrace House, they developed the concept of a game centered around reality TV from a producer’s perspective. “We started thinking, ‘What if we made a game inspired by Terrace House?'” Nicole said. “We loved the idea of creating a game centering around reality TV, which is so popular and widely understood, yet not often explored in games, especially from the perspective of the producer.”
Reality TV Influences
The developers of The Crush House drew significant inspiration from various reality TV shows, which helped shape the game’s concept and atmosphere. Nicole He, the creative director, shared her personal favorites and their influence on the game:
“My all-time favorite is probably still Terrace House, although its tone is very different from The Crush House,” Nicole explained. “Terrace House is very chill, Japanese, and wholesome, whereas The Crush House is more of a trashy, American-style show because that’s more fun.”
Laura Fournier, the producer, brought a British perspective to the mix, mentioning several UK-based shows. “A great show here is The Traitors. It’s like a mix between Among Us and Werewolf,” Laura said.
She also mentioned more outrageous shows like Naked Attraction and Don’t Tell the Bride. “In the UK, we have Naked Attraction, which is about selecting a date based on naked body reveals from the feet up. It’s… unique,” Laura explained. “Then there’s Don’t Tell the Bride, where the groom is given a budget to plan the entire wedding without consulting the bride. He picks everything—the dress, the venue, the entertainment. Naturally, it usually turns into a disaster.”
This diverse range of reality TV influences allowed the team to create a game that captures the drama, unpredictability, and entertainment value of reality television while adding their own unique twist.
Final Thoughts
The developers encouraged players interested in experimental games to try The Crush House. Nicole emphasized, “If you’re up for trying something new and different, particularly in terms of game mechanics, this game is definitely worth exploring.” She also noted the game’s appeal beyond reality TV fans: “Even if you’re not a fan of reality TV, the game offers an intriguing dark mystery layer to its story, which adds to its appeal.”
Laura concluded by highlighting the game’s potential international appeal: “We’re excited and honored to have our game selected, and we’ve noticed a positive reaction from audiences in Korea and Japan with our previous release. So, I’d encourage Southeast
