As the most of you probably know by now, about two days ago I wrote about Studio FOW’s upcoming 18+ erotic sci-fi/RPG “Subverse” and it’s Kickstarter campaign?
Well, I was so impressed by “Subverse” that I decided to reach out to Studio Fow for an interview (I have been wanting to do an interview with Studio FOW for years actually).
Long story short, Studio FOW picked up on my/our interview request =) So I talked to Mr. Kristoff König (Executive Project Manager at Studio FOW) about everything from “Subverse”, lewd games, censorship, the Tim Pool aftermath, and more!
So with that said, please enjoy our interview with Studio FOW 😉
Robin TGG
Right off the bat, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us, because I know that you’re crazy busy with your Kickstarter campaign and all. So, with that said, please go ahead and introduce yourself to our readers.
Mr. Kristoff König
You’re welcome! And thank you so much for giving us the coverage. Things are indeed busy here at Studio FOW right now. It’s crazy to me to think back on how the first time I spoke to DC (the founder and director of FOW) as a fan almost five years ago, I was just offering to help them with some voice acting, storyboarding and other odd jobs so his tiny studio could more easily put out some silly 3D porno flicks on an almost non-existent budget.
Here I am today about to serve as the senior producer on a FOW project that will likely end up with a million-dollar budget. Nothing I haven’t done before due to my previous career as an American capitalist swine, but it’s surreal to marvel at how far we’ve come.
Robin TGG
I’m quite sure that most of the people who read this interview know more than well what Studio Fow is all about.
However, for those who don’t know what Studio Fow is all about, feel free to give us a little introduction of the company. I’m also curious to know how it all started for Studio Fow (how, when, where and why).
Mr. Kristoff König
Studio FOW is the premier provider of 3D adult entertainment in the world. We’re famous for making video game porn parodies that are passionately faithful to the source material while also featuring the characters in particularly lewd and extreme situations that their relative fans have always wanted to see.
The studio started when DC and his friend Yagskie came up with the concept for animating a porno inside a free software program from Valve called Source Filmmaker.
At the time, people were only making 1-5 second loops due to the labor-intense nature of animation, but these absolute maniacs decided they were going to make a full movie. Everyone said they were crazy, but they did it anyways. The result was Lara in Trouble, which went viral and made way for the studio’s future success.
Robin TGG
At the moment Studio Fow isn’t just busy with making new erotic animated movies, because you’re also working on your very own game called “Subverse”.
So could you perhaps tell us what the game is all about? Furthermore, how did the game project come to be in the first place? (was it something that you’ve planned and wanted to do for a very long time?)
Mr. Kristoff König
Subverse is going to be the first premier adult game made in Unreal Engine 4. In many ways, it’s going to be the first “real” adult game in that the gameplay and plot along with the erotic content are all meant to organically flow into each other rather than just exist for the sake of the other.
The game began when we met a stretch goal on a crowd-funding platform to create a small Unity 3D game for our fans. We experimented inside Unity and found it didn’t quite meet our needs.
As a result, we then tried Unreal Engine 4 and found it much more capable of delivering the experience we were looking for. We set up a theoretical production pipeline and hired a game developer to help us execute it.
The results were so stunning that we thought we’d be crazy not to expand the project into a full game. Subverse is the result.
Robin TGG
“Subverse” is already pushing beyond £600K on Kickstarter. So I think it’s safe to say that it’s very likely that your mascot Fow-Chan will be unlocked since the 550K milestone isn’t far away now.
So my question to you is this, did you ever expect that “Subverse” would become such a huge success on Kickstarter? And are you excited to get a chance to add Fow-Chan into the game?
Mr. Kristoff König
I’m happy to report that Fow-Chan was unlocked today and our fans are ecstatic to see her in the game!
We are all so proud of everyone on the team as it was their passionate work that led to the collective perverts across the world entrusting us with such a generous amount of cash to bring our dirty fap game to life.
We knew we had something special early on with this thing, but I’d be lying if I said I expected us to reach these heights this fast.
Robin TGG
What has it been like working with Unreal Engine 4? And do you feel like UE4 has made it possible for Studio Fow to turn “Subverse” into the game that you wanted to create?
Mr. Kristoff König
Unreal Engine 4 is our new religion. We all bow in glorious honor to Cliffy for blessing us with such a buttery smooth modern engine that will allow us to bring our vision for Subverse to life!
Robin TGG
Which platforms and formats do you aim to release “Subverse” to? And will the game be uncensored on release? And will you go all in on the lewd content? (no holding back, just pure Studio Fow perfection)
Mr. Kristoff König
The game will release uncensored on Steam as they have recently revised their store policy and now allow such content on their platform.
Lord Gabe hath given us a path to glory, and our fans will hold hands with their favorite waifus as they walk upon it into the sunset.
Robin TGG
Just recently Tim Pool came out with a Youtube video called “StudioFOW “Subverse” Has Forced Me To Retain A Lawyer Over My Trademark Of The Same Name”. So, what are your thoughts on that?
And how will all of this affect the Kickstarter campaign for “Subverse”? Furthermore, it’s said that Tim has owned the “Subverse” name for over four years, and that he reached out to Studio Fow about this. So, is there any truth to this?
Source:
Tim Pool
KotakuInAction
One Angry Gamer
tmsearch.uspto.gov
Mr. Kristoff König
It is true that Mr. Pool contacted Studio FOW concerning this situation on our Discord and Twitter. However, we requested that he discuss this matter properly with our legal team in the future and he has thus far complied with that request.
I cannot offer further information at this time, but I will say I am absolutely confident it will have no effect on the Kickstarter campaign at all.
Robin TGG
What’s Studio Fow’s take on censorship in general? Because I do recall that Patreon permanently banned Studio Fow from their platform, and that Blizzard went on a ban/sue/takedown spree against “Overwatch” porn makers not so long ago.
Source:
Studio Fow
Reddit
Sankakucomplex
One Angry Gamer
Mr. Kristoff König
The Kickstarter campaign of Subverse has proven beyond a doubt that the perverts of planet Earth want to see high-quality 3D alien waifus get absolutely railed and censorship would make that not possible. As a result, we are against censorship.
Robin TGG
What could you tell us about the current system requirements for “Subverse”? And did the game’s boob physics raise the requirements specs?
I’m also curious to know in what ways you can play around with the physics (read boobs and booty) in the game?
Mr. Kristoff König
Minimum:
Windows 7, 8, 10 (64bit)
Intel Core i3-2100, AMD FX-6300
4GM RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760, AMD Radeon HD 7950
Direct X 11
Storage 20GB
Recommended:
Windows 7, 8, 10 (64bit)
Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 570
Direct X 11
Storage 20GB
The state-of-the-art booby physics in Subverse do indeed require the utmost care from our development team to make sure the pure sexiness on display does not stretch UE4 to a breaking point, but luckily these guys know what they’re doing.
You will be playing with both boobies and butts of all shapes and sizes in all sorts of gravity environments in Subverse, so prepare yourself accordingly.
Robin TGG
If I’m not wrong now, there will be nine unique waifus that can join your crew in “Subverse” right?
And all of them are fully animated and voice acted? Other than that, is there anything that you could tell us about the game’s waifus?
And is it true that there is an upgrade and progression system in the game that allows the players to improve their ship and waifu’s combat abilities?
Mr. Kristoff König
Actually, now that Fow-chan is unlocked we will have TEN fully voiced and animated waifus.
It is true that there is a lovely progression system in place that allows you to upgrade your waifus, ship, army of mutant soldiers, etc. However, I cannot reveal details about it at this time as we will be doing so SOON™ in a Kickstarter update.
One thing I want to make sure people understand about this game is that all the waifus in it are unique characters that have a wide range of personalities, beliefs, backstories, fetishes and body shapes.
We strongly believe creating real female characters will give the game a heart that other hentai titles simply do not have as their waifus are often just there to be banged and not truly experienced.
Robin TGG
Here’s a follow-up question on the same topic. Is it really correct that the players will be able to customize their waifus appearance in the game? If so. What will they be able to do?
And will there be any limitations on that front? And will players really be able to breed an army of bio-engineered aliens to fight alongside their waifus?
Mr. Kristoff König
Absolutely correct! You will be able to discover new outfits, alter color schemes, etc. There will be some limitations to make sure our animations don’t fall apart, but the player will still be able to play dress up to their heart’s content.
The aliens that will fight alongside your waifus are called MANTICORES, or mantics for short.
They will make sure any alien dickheads that want to say mean things to your waifus are rendered unable to do so. These guys play a big part of the story, and we’re going to be revealing more of them SOON™.
Robin TGG
I couldn’t help to notice the following text snippet for “Subverse”:
“No Pay2Win, no Gacha, no Lootboxes and no daily logins. Get rewarded for winning, not for losing. Spend your XP and loot to unlock filthier sex scenes.”
So I take it that Studio Fow isn’t a big fan of Pay-2-win, gacha and lootboxes? In other words, you want the players to have a blast without having their wallet being sucked dry if they pick up your game?
Mr. Kristoff König
Studio FOW would not exist if it weren’t for our fans and their generous donations throughout the years. FOW always has been and always will be pro-consumer.
We are not willing to sell out or ever exploit the people who support us, and we offer an impolite gesture in the general direction of any video game company that does this.
Robin TGG
From what I understand it, one will be able to unlock fully animated sex scenes as rewards in “Subverse”?
And there is also a diverse range of different fetishes to be found in the game as well? So what exactly can the players expect on that front?
Mr. Kristoff König
Subverse allows you to hold hands with your waifus in many fully animated ways, and you can expect as many fetishes as we can cram into the game without Steam banning us, such as vanilla, interspecies, femdom, maledom, etc.
Also – futa is confirmed, so you can stop spamming our inbox about it. No, seriously. Please stop.
Robin TGG
What could you tell us about the gameplay aspects of “Subverse”? Because from what I understand, the game is a mix of shoot-em-up and JRPG when it comes to combat missions?
So what about the non-combat related content? For example, how will the erotic content be played out? Through an animated visual novel-like interface?
Mr. Kristoff König
What I can tell you is that we will have the best gameplay in a hentai game ever. Granted, that’s a low bar to pass, but we’ve come up with combat missions that are fast paced, arcade style fun for everyone regardless of your skill level.
However, if you do happen to be highly skilled, you will be rewarded for your performance.
The SHMUP missions are actually quite interesting in that they take place in both vertical and horizontal scrolling modes as well as a more free-roaming style.
The grid combat is tactical but maintains an interesting tempo of attacks that gives it a unique feel compared to the classics of the genre.
The dialogue scenes are presented in a more JRPG fashion but with a sleek modern animated appearance. The hand holding scenes appear in a specially designed real-time interface that we will be revealing more details about SOON™.
Robin TGG
It’s said that “Subverse” will offer a 25+ tracks big soundtrack. So what could you tell us about the music of the game? And is there any famous artist names working on the soundtrack?
Mr. Kristoff König
The music of Subverse is quite fitting to the science fiction setting and create a smooth atmosphere that you wouldn’t normally expect in an adult game.
We have a variety of tracks that span several digital sub-genres, including a few off-key original surprises here and there that are largely for comedic effect.
Don’t expect any famous names, though. We’re giving smaller composers a chance to shine with this one.
Robin TGG
Is it correct that “Subverse” will come to PC via Steam Early access this Summer? If so, then do you have a rough idea of when the full version of the game might get to see the day of light?
Mr. Kristoff König
We’re aiming to release the first chapter in late summer 2019. No promises for when the full game will release, but the plan is to add one chapter to the game at a time and polish each previous chapter collectively once they drop.
It’s a systematic release pipeline that we know we can realistically handle while giving our fans a steady supply of content.
Robin TGG
I got one reader question for you here. Whatever happened to your “Witcher Parody”? Because apparently it’s been a silent topic since 2017.
Mr. Kristoff König
It’s still in production, along with every other movie we’ve ever announced. The current plan is to focus on Subverse this year and give our animators a chance to train as UE4 is quite a big transition for us. We’ll return to movies after that and start to clear out our list of projects.
Robin TGG
What are your plans, hopes and expectations for the rest of the year? And is there something else that you would like to say to our readers?
Mr. Kristoff König
We plan to single-handily revolutionize the adult gaming space. We hope to not die during the production of Subverse during the rest of the year. We expect some of us won’t make it, but we have contingency plans in place should this occur so the fans don’t have to ever stop holding hands for even a moment.
To your readers that have already pledged to Subverse’s campaign – thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We couldn’t have done this without you, and we’re going to deliver something that is beyond your expectations in every way once the full game is finished.
To your readers that have yet to give us money – WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? DID YOU NOT SEE THOSE TITTY PHYSICS IN THE TRAILER? VISIT OUR KICKSTARTER AND GIVE US YOUR MONEY SO WE CAN MAKE THE BEST H-GAME EVER.
Robin “V-Act” Ek
Editor in chief
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround
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Tags: Adult Games, Censorship, Erotic games, Indie games, Kickstarter, Lewd, PC games, Studio FOW, Subverse