{"id":66198,"date":"2026-05-05T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=66198"},"modified":"2026-05-05T12:56:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T03:56:17","slug":"love-and-deepspace-is-designed-to-make-players-love-themselves-and-the-male-lead-more-producer-explains-the-romance-sims-unorthodox-design-choices-and-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/column\/love-and-deepspace-is-designed-to-make-players-love-themselves-and-the-male-lead-more-producer-explains-the-romance-sims-unorthodox-design-choices-and-r\/","title":{"rendered":"Love and\u00a0Deepspace\u00a0is designed to \u201cmake players love themselves and the male lead more.\u201d Producer\u00a0explains the romance sim\u2019s unorthodox design choices and\u00a0rocky\u00a0pre-launch\u00a0history\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At this year\u2019s Game Developers Conference (GDC) Infold Games held a series of talks about its flagship titles, including hit sci-fi romance sim Love and Deepspace<\/strong>. Since its launch in 2024, the free-to-play title has seen massive global success, approaching $1 billion in lifetime revenue<\/a> as of early 2026, with players singing praises to its high-quality 3D graphics and indulging storytelling. During GDC, the game\u2019s producer Lizi, who has been involved in the project for six years, talked at length about how Love and Deespace\u2019s mechanics \u2013 including unconventional choices like a real-time combat system and a period tracker \u2013 were designed in pursuit of the ultimate, swoon-worthy romance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we bring you the full lecture by Lizi, courtesy of Infold Games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At one point, the team’s only wish was for everyone to be alive<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As of today, Love and Deepspace has been successfully launched for two years, boasts over 80 million global users, and has allowed more people to discover the joy of romance games. I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to share the development story of Love and Deepspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a veteran romance game player and a 13-year veteran of the game industry, creating a romance game loved by many was my dream when I entered the field. We are fortunate to have the chance for Love and Deepspace to be seen by more people, although the development journey has certainly been full of twists and turns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wonder if any developers here have experienced this: falling into confusion during a long period of game development, not being favored by the outside world, or even facing a moment when the game’s fate hung in the balance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, at the company’s annual meeting wish-making session the year before the game launched, the only wish of the Deepspace production team was simply for \u201ceveryone to be alive\u201d. I believe that in such difficult circumstances, all of you have your own guiding “faith” to overcome obstacles. For me and my team, what sustained us was our passion for Otome games and our relentless pursuit of “romance.” Therefore, today I want to focus on the theme of “romance” to share our development considerations for Love and Deepspace as a romance game, especially some seemingly unconventional design trade-offs made during the process. I hope this can offer some inspiration to other development teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before that, I would like to briefly introduce Otome games. An Otome game is a sub-branch of romance games, with romance being its core experience. In an Otome game, the player acts as the heroine, embarking on her own adventures while meeting one or more charming male characters and developing romantic stories with them. Players build deep emotional connections with the characters, forming a game genre and player community full of “love”. Previously, Otome games were considered a relatively niche genre, with limited development investment and resource specifications, primarily focusing on story and exquisite illustrations, and having smaller game scopes and development teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In China, Papergames’ 2017 release of Love and Producer (English title: Mr Love: Queen’s Choice) successfully brought Otome games to the general public for the first time, pioneering the Chinese Otome game market. Therefore, when preparing to create Love and Deepspace, our primary consideration was: how to encourage more players who have never heard of Otome games to try it, and how to give Otome games a richer, more unexpected, and fresh experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, what kind of game is Love and Deepspace? It is a romance mobile game centered on 3D real-time interaction, set in a near-future worldview. In the game, you can interact with the male leads face-to-face in a direct way, experiencing both lighthearted, healing daily interactions and heart-fluttering, intimate moments. You can exercise, study, and check in on various small daily routines together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, you can also pick up a greatsword or dual pistols and, as a dashing Deepspace Hunter, fight alongside the male leads to confront enemies from Deepspace and embark on thrilling adventures. We constantly strive to create more “romantic” scenarios in the game to appeal to more players interested in romance games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this process, we made many “unexpected” attempts. These seemingly unconventional elements, on the contrary, brought a brand-new experience to the game. Next, I will introduce the design philosophy of romance in Love and Deepspace from two perspectives: combat and daily life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A design choice otome lovers didn\u2019t take kindly to at first<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, I want to share the idea that “Combat is Romance.” Love and Deepspace features a complete and authentic real-time combat system. As the heroine, the player can use super <\/s>powers alongside a chosen male lead to fight against alien monster drifters. This experience is very novel. Initially, almost everyone’s first reaction was, “Isn’t this a romance game? Why do we have to fight monsters too!” But after experiencing it firsthand, they realize that the combination of romance and combat is very reasonable and logically self-consistent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This design stems from our special understanding of “romance”: fighting side-by-side is also an ultimate form of romance. Facing difficulties together strengthens the emotional bond, and the trust and feelings built in times of crisis are more unforgettable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, we want the relationship between lovers to be one of equal support. In combat, players can experience the joy of growing together with the male lead and jointly defeating enemies. This positive emotional value makes players love themselves and the male lead more. This contrast is deeply memorable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, we designed a two-person combat system centered around “fighting side-by-side,” allowing players to both exert their own strength in battle and have a reliable partner by their side, reducing the sense of isolation and gaining the moving feeling of being supported. Thus, we decided to create a “different” combat system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But imagination is beautiful, and reality is harsh; we initially met with failure. When the game was unveiled in 2020, many Otome players strongly opposed this mode of interaction and combat. However, after the game officially launched in 2024, player acceptance significantly increased, and they truly grasped the positive experience of fighting side-by-side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Achieving console-tier graphics on mobile and letting players actually warm up to the male leads<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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