Creating a Game Space Where Anyone Can Gather: Hidetaka 'Swery' Suehiro on VR

Hidetaka Suehiro, best known to gamers as "Swery," has long been appreciated for his off-the-wall characterization, unconventional genre mixes, and unique settings in games. For a great example, look no further than Swery's Death Game Hotel: a VR multiplayer death game released on July 11. We were able to speak to Swery about his new title.

What led to the decision to make Death Game Hotel a VR game?

Hidetaka "SWERY" Suehiro: When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the stay-at-home period was heavily enforced, making social gatherings and going to the office taboo. Yet, the team still needed to progress on their games, so I had the idea of meeting virtually and distributing VR headsets to everyone at White Owls. It was a great experience and inspired me to create a safe space where people could gather anytime.

Does it worry you that VR isn't yet seeing widespread adoption as a platform?

SWERY: Not really. I believe that any technology takes time to grow and expand. Especially with something you equip physically on your body, your body needs time to adjust to the feeling of it and the elements of “stress” that it leaves. Most importantly, however, our team has gained valuable experience through our creative processes and challenges faced during the making of our first VR game which will definitely come into play during future games. Similar to when the telephone or automobile was first invented, it took time for it to sink into the everyday lives of the generation at the time. Perhaps when my generation becomes senile, it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine many of us sitting around and gathering through VR.

What is the relevance behind the name of the character November Knight, as seen in the trailer?

SWERY: After you've beaten the other characters in single-player mode, you can actually read through their extensive history in the “Library” option inside “Character Profile” inside “Menu.” Regarding November Knight, he is the last boss in single-player mode. Although I don't want to spoil it too much, I will say we got his name from the story of Frankenstein, which was created one night during November…we leave the rest to your imagination.

Dismemberment is a fascinating concept to add to a gambling game. What was the inspiration behind the idea?

SWERY: When we first committed to creating a VR game, we wanted to focus on building a social multiplayer game that maximized the stimulation of visual, auditory, and sensory senses through the technology of VR. With this in mind, we thought it would be interesting to highlight the senses enhanced by the magic of VR by creating situations where you experience losing them one by one.

Is Death Game Hotel's use of self-harm and dismemberment in any way inspired by The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories?

SWERY: The Missing, in particular, was about the protagonist being dismembered throughout the game, only to recover repeatedly until she reached self-acceptance at the end. We definitely incorporated elements from this concept when developing Death Game Hotel, as we often draw inspiration from all the games we've worked on.

The goblet game evokes the confrontation against D'Arby the Elder in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; was this an intentional reference? Are there any other references through the other gambling games?

SWERY: At the beginning, when we developed the concept of the game, no. However, as we were working on it, I realized that the game concept, as well as the option of “cheating,” aligned heavily with the battle with D'Arby the Elder in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, leading me to re-read that part of the manga. I'm secretly hoping for a future collaboration where we can create a mode where the player faces off with D'Arby the Elder with lines like “I bet Kakyoin's soul!”

Are there games you wish you could have added to Death Game Hotel? Do you think you'll be adding more games to Death Game Hotel later on down the line?

SWERY: Since this game was developed as a social game, we focused mainly on the multiplayer mode experience. In the near future, however, we'd like to build more experiences for single players by adding different mini-games or incorporating NPCs into certain table games already available in the current multiplayer mode. At first, we wanted to add Russian Roulette. However, we realized it had become too popular on Steam, so we decided to leave it out and focus on creating our own unique table games.

What other media (movies or television) are you enjoying in your spare time?

SWERY: I already finished watching it, but Shogun had me glued to the screen, and I was excited for new episodes to come out every Tuesday. Now, I am watching House of the Dragon season 2, which has become my current favorite.

Do you have any final words for your fans in America?

SWERY: Death Game Hotel is not only White Owls' first VR game but also our first multiplayer game. It is a curated space for anyone from anywhere in the world to meet at any time. Even the developers and I have been hopping into multiplayer mode, having the opportunity to play and engage with other online players. I challenge and invite players to join me for a match where we battle fair and square with all limbs on the table. Details regarding special live-streaming events can be found on our official Discord channel where we also post first-hand exclusive behind-the-scenes content.