How important is your communication with the more than 35,000 backers, and others interested in the game? What sort of influence have they had on the design process?
Putera: Extremely important, we are very blessed to have such amazing backers and community members. We looked into and implemented plenty of feedback from the community during alpha. It has made Coral Island a better game, and we’re looking forward to continuing to do so during Early Access. On the other hand, we also maintain the balance to ensure that Coral Island stays in line with Stairway’s vision of the game.Coral Island and Starway Games received an Epic MegaGrant in the summer of 2021. What sort of impact did that have on the game and team?
Putera: It validated and boosted the morale of our team. All of the funds went into development, and we managed to hire a few more key roles. Being an Epic MegaGrant recipient was just a pipe dream when we started the studio, and we can’t believe we’re selected as one of the recipients. We’re really grateful for the great support from Epic Games for our game. It was a good day; the whole team was stoked!
How has Unreal Engine helped the process of bringing the game to so many platforms?
Putera: It has been very helpful. We managed to complete Xbox Game Passin time for release thanks to the existing plugin for WinGDK for Unreal Engine. While some customization was needed, the work was minimal as a result.
How has the studio’s location in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and its multinational team helped shape the game’s look and message?
Putera: While I’m personally a believer in remote work, I do recognize that having an office can be beneficial for some people. That said, it seems like we’re adjusting nicely, and with our varying locations, being in the groove of doing work remotely has been great so far. It does help to get together now and then, though, which we did several times–we went for karaoke, dinners, and things like that. Not work, haha.
Source: Unreal Engine Blog