“It’s quite a challenge to describe what our game truly is,” confides Oli Clarke Smith, the director at Promise Mascot Agency.
This is something the team has wrestled with. “From the start, we described the game as an open-world mascot management crime drama, which made perfect sense to us. But it appears we haven’t successfully communicated the essence of the game.”
The game is essentially a complete open-world RPG that includes management and creature-collecting facets. Once players dive into it, they often have that ‘aha’ moment where everything just clicks. The team at Kaizen Game Works, creators of the acclaimed Paradise Killer, has been navigating the journey of gradually revealing the unique aspects of their upcoming 2025 release. So far, early reviews from their audience have been overwhelmingly positive, especially regarding their “band of freaks.”
Now, let’s talk about these oddballs—the game’s mascots. Imagine managing characters like sentient burial mounds, anti-censorship cats, and quirky creatures like Mottsun, who is arguably an all-time fan favorite. These intriguing mascots will be your responsibility in Promise Mascot Agency. The brainstorming and design came to life through a collaboration between Kaizen’s tight-knit British team, including Clarke Smith, tech director Phil Crabtree, and art director Rachel Noy, alongside Japanese artists Ikumi Nakamura and Mai Mattori, renowned for their work at Tango Gameworks.
“We had nothing concrete when we approached Nakamura,” says Clarke Smith, “having just wrapped up our previous project. We developed the core concept of Promise Mascot Agency and felt it was crucial to co-create with someone from Japan, given our Western roots and the Japanese setting of the game. The mascots she designed brought fresh cultural insights and elements that we would never have intuitively conceived.”
Although Kaizen is dedicated to maintaining a distinctive identity with their games, their creative partnerships, like with Nakamura, are rooted in open-mindedness. “We provide a basic vision and encourage them to incorporate their unique perspective,” explains Clarke Smith. This openness resulted in vibrant storytelling elements, such as Nakamura’s personal narratives about Kyushu’s coastal town ambiance, which permeates the game’s setting, Kaso-Machi. The team also drew parallels with their own life experiences in the UK, like feeling out of place when visiting a pub in Cornwall. Movies like “Twin Peaks” and involving creators like Swery also played a significant role in shaping their artistic vision.
Some tweaks were necessary, of course. Not all elements made the final cut, primarily due to limitations in animation compatibility. Yet, Clarke Smith assures that the majority of contributions enriched the game. “Sometimes just 90% fit with the game’s structure was enough for us to include it,” he shares.
Creating Promise Mascot Agency required a paradigm shift for Kaizen compared to their first game. “During Paradise Killer, it was just Phil and me navigating how to create a game,” Clarke Smith explains. “Moving from a mystery game to a management game presented its conceptual challenges. But the process felt more streamlined this time.” Despite being his most challenging project to date, the seamless team communication was a significant improvement from their previous outing.
Crabtree describes leveraging existing systems from Paradise Killer, quickly adapting to coding needs with more liberty for creative design. Originally, the management aspect in Promise Mascot Agency involved intricate scheduling systems that were ultimately relaxed to better align with the game’s overall chill atmosphere.
Players will encounter numerous quirky escapades while managing their mascots. These incidents are born out of what Crabtree humorously terms a “big old list of stupid things that could happen,” garnered from YouTube mascot fails. The balance of scripting feasibility and player engagement was key in shaping these scenarios.
Art director Noy initially envisioned the game as a mascot management sim akin to classics like Kairosoft’s Game Dev Story. “We desired something bigger and sustainable for the company,” Clarke Smith elaborates. As the project’s vision matured, certain features naturally evolved or were set aside, like loan mechanics or race challenges, avoiding predictable open-world tropes.
Some unused ideas remain on the sidelines, awaiting potential opportunities like an Initial D-themed DLC. But for now, the team is fully focused on the upcoming release of Promise Mascot Agency. “I feel accomplished with what this small team has achieved,” reveals Crabtree. The repeated playthroughs continually reveal delightful surprises, echoing the excitement felt during the final stages of Paradise Killer.
“I’m deeply attached to our characters,” adds Noy. “The thought of moving on from this project is bittersweet, but I believe many others will connect with them as I have.” Although there’s a mix of nerves and anticipation regarding the game’s reception, the team’s confidence is bolstered by previous successes.
“We’ve crafted a game true to our vision,” Clarke Smith concludes. “Given the popularity of Paradise Killer’s narrative and characters, I’m optimistic that fans will embrace this new adventure just as warmly.”
