Interview: BOKURA just hit a 600k milestone, and the viral co-op game is getting a successor that’s going to make players “fight even more”
Kodansha Creator’s Lab announced BOKURA: planet on August 8. This title may have a familiar ring to some as it is the latest work by Tokoronyori, the creator of BOKURA. The two-player puzzle adventure game BOKURA was released in 2022 on Steam/Nintendo Switch/iOS/Android and has sold an impressive 600,000 copies to date. Wanting to hear more about their next title, we sat down for an interview with Tokoronyori.
──To start things off, could you please introduce yourself?
Tokoronyori:
I’m Tokoronyori. I began developing games on my own around 2016. It was in 2021 that I started working on games with Kodansha Game Creators’ Lab.
I love games that are a bit unforgiving
──Before we dive into your upcoming title, please tell us about BOKURA.
Tokoronyori:
BOKURA is a two-player puzzle adventure game where players see entirely different landscapes. For example, they could be looking at the same object, but one player sees it as a rope, while the other sees it as a moveable box. Since what each player sees is different, they must talk with each other to work out what’s different. They need to work together to solve the challenges they run into by exchanging information and filling in the gaps.
──But Tokoronyori, you’ve mentioned on X (formerly Twitter) that you played BOKURA alone, right? (laughs)
Tokoronyori:
Yeah, I was working alone the whole time developing the game and I played it by myself for years. I don’t normally see people play BOKURA alone, but there are some people who will play it on their own for speedrun challenges. Having been there, I can’t help seeing such solo players as kindred spirits (laughs).
Also, when it comes to soloing the game, the feel of the gameplay is different from the intended, two-player design. That’s why I had to use my imagination during development and think about how things would turn out when it was actually two people playing. I imagined players would play the game differently depending on their relationship. If it was a couple playing, I hoped they would get into an argument and break up. A lot of ideas were running through my head as I worked on the game.
──There are a few predecessors to Bokura that have a similar system of presenting players with different information. Were there any titles you used for reference or inspiration when making BOKURA?
Tokoronyori:
I came up with the game’s concept itself quite a while ago, and I was convinced that no one else would come up with an idea as interesting as players receiving different information and having to share it to make progress.
However, after looking around, I realized that quite a few games used the same idea. For example, I’m a fan of We Were Here and have used it as a reference. It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios is also up there, but I’d say I like their previous title A Way Out even more. I was especially influenced by it. The two main characters have a proper storyline, and players follow it as they advance through the game. On top of a good story, A Way Out has a mind-blowing twist.
I loved the sadistic nature of the game and what it forced upon players, so I decided to follow suit and make BOKURA with the same idea of having players suffer as much as possible. Since I personally like it when games are unforgiving to me, I end up thinking that everyone else likes their game that way too. Of course, this is not to say that a game should treat players poorly and be unkind to them. For me, the fun part of making a game is having players thoroughly enjoy it, but then be forced to make difficult moral decisions.
How Kodansha helped me make it happen
──By the way, we heard that BOKURA has reached a record of 600,000 copies sold. How do you feel about this milestone?
Tokoronyori:
It honestly doesn’t feel real. I could imagine maybe 500 people buying the game, but for 600,000 to make the purchase and find the time to play it with someone is not something I imagined ever happening. So, I have nothing but sincere gratitude for the game’s success. At the same, I’ve come to realize that the game has reached even super casual players. For example, I once received feedback from a mom playing with her elementary school child saying the game was too hard for them. Some challenges in the game can only be solved by sharing one another’s thoughts and reaching an agreement, so if you have difficulty putting something into words, it becomes hard to solve. I see cases like this from time to time.
Of course, there are also a lot of people who tell me that the game is fun. Although they might not make it to the end, the initial surprised reaction upon seeing how the world each player sees is different is something many users experienced. I’m happy when players have that kind of reaction even if the game was too hard for them to beat.
──What was your sales target for BOKURA before it launched?
Tokoronyori:
I actually didn’t talk with Kodansha much about setting a sales target to begin with. I wanted to hit 100,000 sales, so I worked on the game with the feeling of “I have to reach 100,000!” even if I were to publish the game on my own. In the end, we reached 600,000 sales, and I feel that credit for all of the sales after the 100,000 mark goes to Kodansha.
── Were there any specific moments when you felt things were going in your favor?
Tokoronyori:
I’d say it was when I revealed the game’s concept before launch. At first, I hid the entirety of the game concept and purposely made it misleading by describing it as an emotional story about two boys running away from home with Stand By Me vibes. Around a few months before the launch, I released a video at the INDIE Live Expo, and it was there that I properly revealed that it was actually a game where each player sees a different world. I was amazed by how that increased the title’s number of Wishlists.
Furthermore, a video introducing the game overseas went viral, so I got a feeling that things would go well abroad. I knew from the start that the game concept would definitely be interesting, but I was concerned about revealing it too early on. People would get bored, and the excitement would have worn off before they got to play it. That is why I removed the game concept from the equation at first. Instead, I directed attention to the other parts to keep people interested, such as a feel for what kind of story it’d be, and the appeal of the nostalgic adventures of two boys.
──In terms of sales, was there anything that became a catalyst for the big success BOKURA saw?
Tokoronyori:
There were several occasions that caused overseas sales to go beyond our expectations. One was when an overseas pair of streamers, a man and a woman, introduced BOKURA on their TikTok. That video got an unbelievable number of views, and it even boosted sales. Our localization efforts focused mainly on English and Chinese at first, but expanding the number of supported languages also had a big impact on sales.
For example, when the video in English went super viral, it naturally reached people who speak English as a second language as well. But people sometimes give up on games that do not support their first language. We were able to take advantage of this potential audience gained through viral videos by promoting proper localization and allowing people to play the game in their own language. I’m talking like I did it myself, but it was Kodansha who did the work in this area.
(Kodansha Game Creators’ Lab Chief) Katayama Yuki:
BOKURA was available in 4 languages when it was first released on Steam as an early access title. From there, that grew to 9, then 15, and now, a total of 20 languages are supported. The timing of when to make additional localizations is very important, and we consulted with Tokoronyori throughout the process. Also, the TikToker who went viral was KnZPlay, but they didn’t have a huge following at the time. Their video of them playing BOKURA gained a lot of attention and the views they got increased dramatically.
That’s why we feel like we worked together to make BOKURA a success. When we recently broke the 500,000 sales mark, we posted a video of various streamers playing our game to thank them, and we contacted them to express our gratitude.
Tokoronyori:
I personally sent them a Super Chat to thank them for spreading word about BOKURA and encouraging so many people to play it (laughs).
──Was there any support from Kodansha in particular you’d like to mention?
Tokoronyori:
I’d say it was definitely the editor’s support that I’m especially grateful for. They looked at my build and gave me pointers on what to improve, which I accepted as much-appreciated advice. When making something alone, you lose the ability to look at your work objectively no matter how hard you try. You might think you’ve done your best, but in reality, it’s because you have a narrow perspective, and only think you did your best. Making things even better from there requires more development work and it can also feel like a hassle, but if someone is there to tell you objectively, “If you did this like that, it would be even better. Let’s work harder to make it happen,” that motivates you to push onward.
The idea is to see players fight more
──Since we’re on this topic, could you tell us what your new game will be like?
Tokoronyori:
As you might have guessed from its title, BOKURA: planet is another title in the BOKURA series. The story is about two men who crash-land on a planet somewhere that is not Earth. It follows their adventure as they try to escape the planet. BOKURA: planet is not a direct sequel to BOKURA, but the concept and the feeling you get when you play should feel similar, I think.
Also, this game is something I wanted to make even before BOKURA. When I was making BOKURA, the concept kept changing until it became what it is now. The core concept of BOKURA: planets is to go one step back before BOKURA and bring another entertaining experience to be enjoyed by two players. I also fulfilled my desire to add sadistic elements I want players to face. A lot of those have been packed into this game. I saw players getting along so well with each other in BOKURA, which made me want to see them fight more (laughs). To make that happen, I tried to make the content more emotional to get players riled up.
──We’ll brace ourselves for what’s to come. Thank you for your time!
BOKURA is available for PC (Steam). Its successor BOKURA: planet is scheduled to release in the Spring of 2025 for the PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android.
[Writer, editor: Keiichi Yokoyama]
[Interviewer, editor: Ayuo Kawase]
[Translator: Norris Wang]
AUTOMATON WEST
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