Smilegate developers have discussed the development of Chaos Zero Nightmare and Epic Seven, including the former’s first anniversary, the latter’s Steam launch and the role of competitive play in shaping both games.
Chaos Zero Nightmare producer Choi Seung-Hyuin said the game’s cosmic horror and science-fantasy setting was built from a broad range of influences rather than one specific title or genre. The team also chose a 2D presentation partly because of Smilegate’s experience with 2D production during the development of Epic Seven.
The game’s first anniversary marks the beginning of a new period of updates. Season 6 is planned to address Combatants becoming less useful after a season ends. The roguelike content will also be revamped, while Season Chaos is expected to make Save Data progression less grindy and introduce additional challenges. The story will further explore the gods, with the team promising unexpected developments.
Choi said player feedback had highlighted issues caused by insufficient testing. In response, the team has adjusted its schedule, increased its testing efforts and believes the live service has become more stable. He described his approach as avoiding damage to the player experience and said a plan covering the period through Chaos Zero Nightmare’s second anniversary is expected to be shared in December.
There are currently no confirmed plans for an Epic Seven collaboration in Chaos Zero Nightmare. Choi said the team is instead focused on establishing Chaos Zero Nightmare as its own intellectual property while preparing its first collaboration with another property. He identified Diana as his favorite character, citing her visual design and her companion, Milkpong.
Epic Seven producer Tak Gwang-Jin described the introduction of World Arena, the game’s real-time player-versus-player mode, as a major turning point. The mode expanded the strategic possibilities of the turn-based combat system by having players respond directly to one another’s choices. It also encouraged the development team to examine Hero interactions, counters and team-building options more closely.
That focus contributed to the growth of the Epic Seven World Championship. Tak said the competitive scene demonstrates the variety of the game’s combat while also helping the team evaluate how Heroes and strategies work together. The developers aim to support high-level competition without overlooking players who primarily enjoy the story, characters or PvE content.
Tak also explained that Epic Seven’s “Play the Animation” approach is intended to make characters feel alive through their illustrations, expressions, movement, voices and skill animations. Rather than focusing only on spectacle, the team wants animations to communicate each Hero’s personality and story while preserving the game’s distinctive 2D style.
Epic Seven launched on Steam on October 29, alongside the sixth annual Epic Seven World Championship. Tak said the move was designed to reach players who already discover games through Steam, while requests from the global player base also influenced the decision. Existing players can transfer their progress through an account transfer process.
A new server called Foundry launched alongside the Steam release, with progression support events for newcomers. Foundry is available through Steam, the STOVE PC Client and mobile devices, allowing new players to begin on the same server regardless of platform.
Tak presented Epic Seven as an option for players who enjoy animated storytelling and turn-based role-playing games. New players can explore its story and characters at their own pace, build teams around preferred Heroes and gradually learn its systems rather than entering competitive content immediately.
Sources: Anime News Network.