Wakerunners Interview: Devs Are Working On A Replay Feature For Next Test

Story Highlights

Wakerunners is an action team game by the same studio that brought Dave the Diver.
Following Mintrocket’s debut success, gamers are really looking forward to their upcoming titles.
We interviewed Chae Hyun Lim, Director of Wakerunners, over an email interview to get more insights.

Mintrocket quickly made a name for itself after the success of its debut title, Dave the Diver. While many thought that the studio would keep itself busy expanding the deep sea adventure, Mintrocket surprised everyone with not just one but two completely different projects. One is an extraction survival, Nakwon: Last Paradise, and the other is a MOBA, Wakerunners.

Dave the Diver’s success escalated the development of both titles, but even then, these games still have a long way to go before release. With so many questions unanswered, we had to learn more about Wakerunners before its imminent release. As such, we spoke with Chae Hyun Lim, Director of Wakerunners, over an email interview to explore more details about the upcoming MOBA.

Read ahead for the full interview.

Could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your work on Wakerunners?

Hyun Lim: Hello, I’m Chae Hyun Lim, the Director of Wakerunners. Wakerunners is a team-based action game with acceleration movement and melee combat from a top-down perspective. Players will master a roster of heroes with unique skills in combat at high speeds. Wakerunners puts melee combat at the forefront, using the player’s wits, acceleration, and deceleration controls.

What are some inspirations behind the game's art style, the gameplay, and, of course, some of the mechanics?

Hyun Lim: We wanted to make an action game that requires quick thinking and wit, and our games incorporate fast-paced action such as Tekken, Call of Duty, and Overwatch.

In another recent interview, Lim mentioned that the studio went with Unreal Engine 4 because the goal was to develop the game quickly. Did the studio ever compromise on certain features or the quality to prioritize the speed?

Hyun Lim: As you develop a game, it’s tempting to want to customize the engine to suit your project, but our goal is to decide the gameplay quickly, so we’ve stuck to Unreal Engine 4.

Is there any piece of content or a feature that you scraped during development? Or is there something you wanted to implement but couldn't for some reason?

Hyun Lim: We’re working on a replay feature, but it’s not yet high quality due to technical difficulties. We’ll improve it gradually and include it in the next test so players can rewatch their handiwork.

Could you tell us a bit about the battle pass system and how microtransactions will work in-game?

Hyun Lim: The primary business model will be a Battle Pass with cosmetic items, and we don’t plan to include any items that can impact gameplay.

How long has the game been in development, and how many developers are actively working on it?

Hyun Lim: We’ve been working on it for about two years and have about 30 team members.

Although Mintrocket is familiar with Unreal Engine 4 the most, did the team ever feel limited by the engine's capabilities?

Hyun Lim: We’re focused on finding the fun, so we don’t have any regrets about the engine’s capabilities — it suits Wakerunners just fine.

Speaking of engines, do you think the studio will ever invest in creating one if it ever settles on developing specific types of games?

Hyun Lim: MINTROCKET prefers small projects with small development teams so we can prioritize passion projects and innovation, so building our own engine is not feasible.

Mintrocket currently has three games, all of which are completely different from one another. So, will the studio continue trying out different genres?

Hyun Lim: MINTROCKET will continue to take on various challenges in the future. MINTROCKET aims for a world where various genres and new kinds of enjoyment coexist. The studio’s focus is on making fun gameplay and bringing immersive gaming experiences worldwide with creative and inspiring games.

Would you say that Mintrocket is able to explore all these ideas thanks to Dave the Diver's success? And depending on how well these games perform, will you ever consider making an even larger project, perhaps a AAA title?

Hyun Lim: Within MINTROCKET Studios, each game’s development team is organized differently. We’re an organization that develops games with free themes, so the success of Dave the Diver has given us a lot of hope and momentum for our other projects, and we will continue to do so for future projects.

Wakerunner's reveal was a big surprise, especially when everyone thought the studio had its hands full with Nakwon and Dave the Diver. Can we expect more such surprises from the studio in 2024?

Hyun Lim: We don’t know if we’ll see any new announcements this year, but MINTROCKET will always chase new challenges.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers? Something we haven't touched upon yet.

Hyun Lim: We received a lot of feedback from players at the Steam NextFest, and many comments resonated with us. We will actively implement the positive feedback and build the game with help from our player base.

Wakerunners is a 4v4 and 5v5 team action game by Mintrocket—the studio behind the critically acclaimed Dave the Diver. It was revealed in early 2024, and a limited-time demo version was available on PC during the Steam Next Fest. We appreciate Chae Hyun Lim for taking the time to answer our questions, and Dakota Burgin from Evolve PR for assisting with this interview.

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