We interviewed Producer Naoto Oyamaand Director Cho Yong-heeatthe “Pragmata” Blockbuster Celebration! Father’s Day Special Event held on Thursday, June 18, 2026!
We asked them about the behind-the-scenes story of developing this hugely successful new IP, as well as their current thoughts.
Interview with Producer Naoto Oyama and Director Cho Yong-hee of “Pragmata”!
— As a completely new IP, it has become an unprecedented hit with 2 million copies sold. From the development side, what do you think were the factors behind its success, and what do you think resonated with users?
Director Cho: While the game features innovative mechanics, I think the biggest factor is the charm of the characters.
You can’t fully appreciate the game mechanics until you actually play them, but I believe the relatable banter between Hugh and Diana served as an easily accessible point of appeal.
Producer Oyama: I think a major factor in the game’s success was that we were able to seamlessly establish a clear path: first, getting players interested through the characters; then having them try out the gameplay via the demo; and finally, having word of mouth spread so that many people went on to purchase the full game.
— As the development team, did you anticipate this level of success?
Zhao D: It far exceeded our expectations (laughs).
Producer Oyama: Honestly, it was more than we expected. We’re truly grateful.
— I heard the game was heavily criticized internally during the development phase. What allowed you to overcome that in just four months?
Zhao (D): Even though it was only four months, it was the result of overcoming all our past assets and failures.
It feels like we were led to success through those failures.
— Between the difficult development process and the massive hit it is now, have your feelings changed at all?
Producer Oyama: I don’t think anyone’s mindset has changed that much since development began.
Both during and after development, our desire to entertain the players who play our game has remained the same.
Because it was such a challenging process, the fact that we’ve now made 2 million people happy—it feels like we’ve lived up to everyone’s expectations, and I feel that all our hard work was worth it.
Director Zhao: At first, there was pressure to create a brand-new IP.
Since this was also my debut as a director, I think that added even more pressure.
In the early stages, there were times when I overthought things and couldn’t come up with any ideas, but when I asked myself, “What do I really want to do?”—that’s how this game came to be.
From there, I began to understand what needed to be done, and I truly realized that the most important thing is to trust what you love and follow through with it.
― How did you come up with the idea of combining a TPS with hacking puzzles?
Director Zhao: We’d already decided on the broad framework of a sci-fi shooter, but I didn’t want to make a typical sci-fi shooter.
The idea of shooting while thinking about something came to me, and from there, the character who becomes my partner was born.
Oyama (Producer): The concept of action and hacking came first—it wasn’t originally a puzzle game.
The puzzles emerged after a lot of trial and error trying to figure out how to express that concept in the game, and you saw that process in the footage we just showed.
We just kept making revisions over and over.
— I think Diana’s character was also a key factor in the game’s success.
D. Zhao: Since I have a background in art, I directed the project while drawing.
At first, we needed something that would instantly catch the eye in the empty space of the lunar surface.
The astronaut was there from the start, but on its own, it just wasn’t interesting at all.
As a result of sketching out various ideas for what kind of partner to place there, a young girl was born—who became the Diana we know today.
Producer Oyama: We’re constantly making adjustments—adding or removing elements—to ensure the game is at a level that’s easily accessible to users.
So, if you watch the early 2020 trailer, she might come across as a bit more reserved and quiet.
However, if she were too quiet in actual gameplay, her character wouldn’t stand out, and her presence would fade, so we made careful adjustments to address that.
Director Zhao: When it comes to the “calculated cuteness” of female characters, other women tend to spot it more easily.
Even when men might ask, “What’s the difference?” women have the ability to see right through it.
The “Diana Police” (※It was revealed during a livestream that there was a team dedicated to adjusting Diana’s “calculated cuteness”) were all women (laughs).
Producer Oyama: It was really difficult to define the characters’ personalities.
I think once the game is released, a shared understanding will emerge among everyone, but during development, we always assumed things would change. So even if we established a core concept for the character, the specifics were prone to wavering.
The entire team worked together to correct those fluctuations and refine Diana’s character into what she is today.
— The ending really left a lasting impression on many of you.
Director Zhao: Precisely because this is a new IP, we wanted to create a game that would leave a lasting impression—one that would linger in players’ minds long after they’d finished it. That’s why we placed such a high priority on the ending.
Actually, the ending was decided from the very early stages of development. By making it a vocal track, we wanted to create something where just hearing the music would bring this title to mind.
I made that request to the sound team as well. Personally, I’d been thinking from the very beginning about how to make this ending work.
Even when selecting the voice actors, I’d think, “They’ll probably say lines like this in the ending,” and then, “If they’re going to say those lines, would this character’s tone be a good fit?”
Mio Tanaka and Nao Higashiyama’s voices were a perfect fit for the ending I had envisioned, so I cast them.
― Are there any forms of expression in this game that were only possible because of the RE Engine?
Producer Oyama: The RE Engine itself is a engine that has accumulated know-how from past titles.
Since we develop it in-house, we can expand its functionality to meet the specific needs of each title.
To give one example: the “strand hair” technology used for Diana’s hair was originally researched for short hair in a different title.
With *Pragmata*, we decided to expand on that and try applying it to long hair—and I think the fact that this kind of innovation carries over to future titles is the RE Engine’s greatest strength.
― It’s been two months since release. Has any user feedback stood out to you?
Producer Oyama: I’m definitely happiest when I see that people are really enjoying the game.
Also, comments saying “I cried” really stood out, didn’t they?
Everyone on the development team is also keeping an eye on user reactions online.
Zhao (D): Like, “Even this celebrity is saying it!” (laughs)
While looking at those comments—sharing them with the team to boost our confidence, or feeling sad when we see harsh criticism—
Oyama (P): Every day, there are times when I think, “I wish we’d done this a little differently,” but at the same time, I believe this feedback reflects the result of our team giving it our all back then, so overall, I do my ego-searching with a smile.
— Were there any unexpected player demographics?
Oyama P: I got the impression that younger players were playing the game more than I expected.
Also, while this doesn’t really come up on social media, I often hear from the development team’s parents—or even from people I meet at events like this—saying, “Actually, my kid plays it.”
I’m really surprised to hear that younger players are enjoying it too.
In terms of action shooters, even young children are getting better at it, and I was surprised to hear that for them, the puzzles are easy to solve and they’re “playing smoothly.”
Zhao D: I tend to think of sci-fi as a genre that men generally prefer, but when I look at YouTubers and influencers, I’m surprised to see that we have such a strong female fanbase as well.
Oyama P: We’re calling it a Father’s Day event, but I hope all the moms out there will enjoy it too, tapping into their maternal instincts (laughs).
