September arrived, and Ichin returned to collage.
Falling back into study mode right after summer break didn't bother him at all. After all, even during vacation, he often picked up books to read.
While The Binding of Isaac's sales couldn't compare to Persona due to its smaller scope, its live-streaming potential was far superior. Unlike Persona, where one playthrough was enough, Isaac offered endless variety—every run started randomly, often ending in brutal failure. That unpredictability made for fantastic live content.
Some streamers even got so hooked they played until two or three in the morning, still pulling large audiences with lively comment sections full of scrolling messages.
The popularity of Isaac made many indie developers realize the untapped potential of roguelike games.
Dungeon-crawling, top-down pixel design was just one approach. Action roguelikes, strategy roguelikes, RPG-style roguelikes—all were possible. Even deck-building games like Slay the Spire still had plenty of room for expansion.
This realization sparked brainstorming sessions among countless small studios, each thinking about how to make a roguelike of their own.
Ichin didn't know this was happening behind the scenes, but if many new, interesting roguelikes appeared because of it, he'd be thrilled.
As long as a roguelike had its own unique hook, it could draw players in. The genre naturally encouraged word-of-mouth promotion. Development costs were relatively low, which meant prices could be affordable, making players more willing to give them a try.
Smaller devs might not sell millions, but by tapping into trending genres, giving their games distinct flavor, and sparking enough discussion in forums and communities, even selling tens of thousands of copies would bring profit.
This kind of healthy cycle let indie devs not only earn funds but also grow their player base and skills.
That evening after dinner, Ichin went to his room to review plans for Isaac's future updates—only to see a lively discussion in one of his QQ groups.
It was a group of game streamers, big and small, all hardcore players. Through them, Ichin sometimes picked up industry news he wouldn't have known otherwise.
What surprised him was seeing chatter about indie devs seriously considering roguelike projects.
"Well, that's a good thing," Ichin mused. "No need to overreach by going big at the start. Most don't have the cost or the technical resources."
Rubbing his chin, he tossed a few comments into the group chat, then went back to tinkering with Isaac.
Although the game already had plenty of content, Ichin had no intention of stopping. He wanted to keep expanding it, ensuring it stayed relevant.
He'd also enabled Steam Workshop mods, but since the base game itself was already overflowing with content, most players hadn't even thought about making mods yet.
When Utaha returned from her shower, she found Ichin still busy at his desk. Peeking at the screen, she noticed he was designing an item icon.
"Ichin, is this for an update?"
"Yep, future updates." Ichin nodded. "But no rush. I won't release it until October. Steam stats say no one's even unlocked all the achievements yet. Once more players clear it, I'll slowly release new content."
Utaha rolled her eyes.
Isaac had ninety achievements on Steam. Some required very specific conditions and weren't easy to obtain.
"Just ninety achievements—it's not that much," Ichin countered. "Sure, some are tough, but most players can grab several in a single run. Over time, they'll naturally unlock them. Besides, the game still isn't the 'complete version' I have in mind. I'm planning at least two free updates. I'll do the first myself, and then after BattleBlock Theater launches, I'll hand the second update over to Hazuki and her team. That way, the two games alternate, filling the gap while we wait for our bigger titles to release."
Even if they were small-scale, Ichin wasn't worried about quality.
Their lower price points and modest sales wouldn't be a loss, and thanks to Persona's massive profits, the company had no financial concerns for the next year or two.
After watching Ichin work for a while, Utaha retreated to bed with her Switch, playing Isaac herself.
She wasn't a fan of the dark aesthetic, but since it was her boyfriend's game, of course she would support it. And honestly—it was surprisingly addictive.
After about an hour, with one death and one clear, she unlocked a new character. Tired, she put down the Switch, picked up her tablet, and opened Bilibili to watch an Isaac stream.
On September 12th, the demo for BattleBlock Theater launched simultaneously on Steam and Switch.
The game supported both single-player and two-player modes, local and online. The demo included ten stages, enough to keep players busy for over an hour if they aimed for perfect clears.
Downloads surged right away, surpassing fifty thousand on day one, with peak concurrent players reaching thirty thousand.
For a demo, those numbers were excellent.
With its cartoonish art, goofy character expressions, and clever stage designs, the game struck a balance between charm and challenge.
Single-player was fine, but in co-op the fun skyrocketed. Perfect teamwork could clear stages beautifully—but players could also sabotage each other mid-run, leading to hilarious "friendship-ending" moments.
> The level design is fantastic—even for a demo!
> The art style's great too!
> Finally, a proper co-op game! Just a shame the full version isn't out yet.
> Can't wait for release!
The positive reception filled Hazuki and her team with even more confidence as they entered the final stretch of development.
*
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