Swery’s bloody gambling in Death Game Hotel won’t be his only multiplayer game, he says

Death Game Hotel was released last week, offering a comically gory gaming experience where players engage in casino-style card games around a table and escalate the stakes by betting their own limbs. Developed by White Owls, led by Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro, this VR game deviates from the studio’s usual style. With a significant multiplayer aspect, players can enjoy lighthearted interactions like bubble-popping and chicken-squeezing amidst the comedic bloodshed. Swery hinted at more multiplayer projects in the future, expressing a desire to explore new territories in online multiplayer gaming that are yet to be imagined.

“In the future,” Swery mentioned, “I would like to leverage this experience to challenge myself with something new in the online multiplayer realm (something you probably haven’t even imagined yet).”

While details on Swery’s upcoming projects were scarce, it’s known that he is collaborating with Goichi Suda (Suda51) on a separate project called Hotel Barcelona, unrelated to the multiplayer concepts brewing in Swery’s mind.

Swery’s current focus lies on immersing players in the VR gambling den, where each player faces a goblet filled with blood for placing their increasingly daring bets. The inception of this mortal multiplayer table game stemmed from the studio’s experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, where virtual hangouts in VR became a norm for White Owls’ team.

“During the ‘Stay Home’ phase, when we couldn’t leave our homes or meet friends and colleagues, we at White Owls distributed VR headsets to all employees and held game meetings in VR,” Swery explained. “This experience led to the idea of creating a place where people could gather and connect, which heavily inspired this project.”

Death Game Hotel marks Swery’s 17th published game, reflecting his extensive career in game development since the 1990s. Known for titles like Deadly Premonition and The Good Life, Swery expressed satisfaction with his studio’s previous works, acknowledging the perpetual sense of incompleteness that comes with creating art.

“As a game creator, I believe all the works I’ve created are ‘eternally unfinished’ yet considered ‘as complete as they’ll ever be.'”

When asked for advice for aspiring developers, Swery emphasized the importance of understanding the uniqueness of one’s creation.

“Big companies make AAA titles by investing money,” he noted. “Indies try to compete with big titles by offering something unique that can’t be experienced elsewhere. I think it’s important to look deep within and ask yourself what it is you are offering – and how – in order to avoid moving forward without a strategy.”

Besides his game development ventures, Swery is also a certified Buddhist monk with a penchant for feline companionship. Offering advice on healing from the loss of a beloved pet, he suggested various methods, including interacting with an AI cat or playing Death Game Hotel to lift spirits.

Death Game Hotel is available for purchase on the Meta store for Oculus users, with a Discord server facilitating game sessions organized by the studio’s staff, occasionally featuring Swery himself.