Love, Ghostie Deep Dive with Jennifer Goto
Congratulations on the launch of Love, Ghostie! How long has it been in development?
A little over 3 years! It’s been such a long journey, and it’s the longest I’ve ever worked on any project in my life. There were plenty of ups and downs during development, lots of stress and doubt, but I’m so happy with what my amazing team has accomplished and super proud of what we’ve done in the full release. I can’t wait for everyone to finally play it!
Did you always want to launch your own studio? What led to you opening Janbeh Games and starting in game development?
Yes and no. I never really saw myself in a leadership position, so I never imagined I’d ever launch my own studio. However, I’ve been passionate about game development and indie games ever since I was in college. I took a couple game design courses during my time there and had so much fun making games. I always knew that one day I wanted to make my own indie game, so I guess starting my own studio was bound to happen!
Before starting Janbeh Games, I worked as a senior software engineer in mobile games for 4 years. When the pandemic hit, I re-evaluated a lot of what was important to me, as I'm sure many others did. I ended up leaving my job to figure out what I wanted to do next. A lot of people asked me if I was finally going to do my own indie game, since they knew how much I wanted to do so. Timing wise, it seemed ideal, so I decided to make the leap and now here I am!
What inspired you to create Love, Ghostie? The idea of a ghost match-maker is hilarious and adorable. I'm curious what led you to this concept.
Fire Emblem! On the surface, Fire Emblem is VERY different from Love, Ghostie, but there’s a dating sim/shipping component of Fire Emblem games. The first Fire Emblem game I ever played was Three Houses, and while I initially played it for its tactical combat, I fell in love with the characters and their relationships. I found myself grinding in battles to increase the characters’ supports so I could watch their unique support conversations. I wanted to play another game with similar mechanics, but didn’t know of any others that focused only on relationship building, so I decided to make it myself!
A core theme of Love, Ghostie revolves around the simple joy of bringing kindness and delight into the world, even when it’s anonymous. A ghost protagonist seemed perfect for this, since the residents are unaware of the haunted manor they live in. Unbeknownst to them, the ghost is trying their best to bring a little joy to their lives!
What is your favorite match in the game? Are there any fun couples you'd recommend for us to explore their storyline?
It’s too hard to choose! I personally love Apollo x Wobbles, Gerard x Ami, Apollo x Felix, Mina x Noir, Felix x Sky, but I could go on forever! I think there’s something I love about every pairing - whether it’s their dynamics, their storyline, their ending, or their couple art! Every couple pairing is unique, so I hope everyone will be able to find something that they like. I’d recommend for people to explore the different relationships and discover what their favorites are! You are free to experiment with couples as you’d like, and you don’t have to commit to couples until you’re ready to do so. We also included New Game+ where relationships you’ve seen from previous playthroughs will carry over!
Thank you so much Jennifer for sharing your journey and insights with us! You can play Love, Ghostie on Steam now!
