Lollipop Chainsaw holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. With James Gunn’s edgy humor, Juliet’s chainsaw-swinging charm, and thrilling hack-and-slash gameplay, it became a cult classic. Elements like the famous upskirt achievements didn’t hurt its appeal either! So when Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP released in September 2024, fans were both excited and apprehensive.
Would it fall victim to the industry’s growing trend of censorship and political correctness?
Thankfully, RePOP stayed true to its roots. While it introduced a “RePOP Mode” with toned-down blood and comic-like effects, the “Original Mode” preserved all the unapologetic, over-the-top action of the 2012 release. This commitment to authenticity earned fan praise but seemingly infuriated major outlets like IGN and Kotaku, which refused to review RePOP’s release while seemingly releasing hit-pieces on its performance issues.
I had the privilege of sitting down with Yoshimi Yasuda, President of Dragami Games and Producer of Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP. We discussed the team’s nerves about remastering the beloved cult classic, the balance between artistic vision and market demands, and his philosophy on creating unforgettable gaming experiences.
A Screenshot from the release trailer for Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP – YouTube, PlayStation
VARA: Was it exciting working on REPOP? Were any of you nervous with the task presented to you?
YASUDA: Working on RePOP was a pretty thrilling experience, and the transition from Unreal Engine 3 to UE5 was especially challenging: We were blindsided by how different just two generations had made to it, and to be frank, half of the source code had to be rewritten from scratch.
On the other hand, advancements in technology let us implement CG expressions that we were unable to put in the original release, bringing a positive spin to the challenges we faced, almost making it fun. For example, in the original version, we used special lighting to make Juliet look more pretty in cutscenes, but in RePOP, we didn’t need to add anything special to make Juliet look better: She was naturally beautiful.
A Screenshot from the release trailer for Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP – YouTube, PlayStation
VARA: You went from being a CEO to an executive producer and director. The gaming industry has evolved a lot during your time in it. Is there anything you miss from the beginning days that you think is missing now?
YASUDA: What I miss from the earlier days of the industry here in Japan is the more constructive communication between creators and fans. Recently, the trend has been that new releases are immediately met with criticism, and sometimes these criticisms are based on misunderstandings or wrong interpretations. As a result, true feedback with value is often only available after the release, which leads to creators increasingly avoiding communication with fans. In the past, there seemed to be more room for creators to listen to fan feedback and incorporate it into development, but I feel that this kind of environment has been diminishing in recent years.
VARA: Do you feel artistic vision and creativity are being stifled at all due to market trends?
YASUDA: As a game creator who also serves as a CEO, I can take on the responsibility for decisions on such issues, so it doesn’t personally worry me much. For example, with a project like RePOP, where we sought to make a faithful reproduction of the original, we approached development with the primary goal of perfectly recreating the artistry and creativity expressed in the original version.
However, I do feel that changes in the market are making it harder for game creators to maintain the freedom they once had. The market has become more monopolized, with the winning games dominating the market, meaning the share available for games in second place and beyond continues to shrink.
In such a market environment, the mental pressure on creators is considerable. When creators lose their freedom, the creativity that drives passion and playfulness in a game tends to be lost as well, and this isn’t a good thing.
A Screenshot from the release trailer for Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP – YouTube, PlayStation
VARA: How do you balance artistic vision with market demands?
YASUDA: For RePOP, we decided to shift our strategy during development to faithfully recreate the original version. This does not mean we gave up on the idea of a remake, but rather that we decided to first release a faithful port and then add the remake elements after the launch.
The most significant reason behind this decision was the requests from fans, who told us that they wanted us to first recreate the original game as faithfully as possible. Our top priority was thus to align with the wishes of the Lollipop Chainsaw fans who had been sending us messages ever since the title was announced.
The post-launch remake mode we plan to implement differs slightly from what we originally envisioned during development, but the base concept of Juliet engaging in high-speed battles with the strongest zombies remains unchanged. We are calling this remake mode Nightmare Mode, and we hope to be able to show it to you in April, so please look forward to it.
In any case, it is through approaches like this that we work to balance market demands and artistic vision.
A Screenshot from the release trailer for Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP – YouTube, PlayStation
VARA: What role did fan feedback play in deciding to remake the cult classic?
YASUDA: When we announced the title of RePOP, we received around 5,000 messages (including those from our official website and emails). Most of these were positive, welcoming the return of Lollipop Chainsaw, but we also noticed that many fans were requesting a “faithful recreation” of the original.
At that point, I first communicated to the users that it would be difficult to bring back the original licensed music. After that, my X became a place where fans requesting an “uncensored” Lollipop Chainsaw clashed with others who argued that an uncensored version would be impossible. As the person managing the account, I found myself in a position where I faced both the expectation of “try doing it” and the intense pressure of “don’t you dare betray us.”
To be honest, I initially didn’t take the issue of censorship very seriously. Back when we released the original version 12 years ago, I had gone through intense debates with platform holders to get it approved, and based on that experience, I thought there would not be any major issues. However, it quickly became clear that the debate surrounding censorship had changed significantly over the past 12 years.
At that point, I realized that implementing both the faithful original mode and the high-speed battle mode (Nightmare Mode) to eliminate the sluggish feeling and bring a refreshing gameplay experience at the same time would be challenging. So, I made the decision that we should focus on implementing the uncensored original mode first, with the Nightmare Mode being scheduled as a post-launch update.
Eventually, we completed the game, got approval from rating agencies and platform holders, and it was released, leading us to where we are today.
A Screenshot from the release trailer for Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP – YouTube, PlayStation
VARA: What’s your personal philosophy when it comes to creating memorable gaming experiences?
YASUDA: I may have worked in game development for over 20 years as a CEO and game creator, but before that, I was also a hardcore gamer for 26 years (laughs). Because of this, I always keep the player’s perspective in mind when checking the quality of a game. As such, “looking at it from the player’s perspective” is something I always incorporate into the game’s development process.
VARA: Is there anything you or the team would like to say to players who loved the experience?
YASUDA: I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has shown interest in RePOP from my heart. The smooth progress of RePOP’s development and release is thanks to your honest feedback and warm support. We are currently still working on Nightmare Mode, and will do our best to ensure that we can bring you high quality content.
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Major kudos to Yasuda for talking to Vara. It’s obvious that he wanted to do this remake for the fans, which is why I supported it even though I’m not a fan of Suda games. I am looking forward to their next game and I’d rather they move away from the Lollipop Chainsaw IP and make something new with gamers in mind.
Why do the snowflakes at IGN and Kotaku think their hitpieces have any impact whatsoever? Their reader numbers are in the toilet and their patrons at the triple-A studios are in downard spirals themselves.
The industry crash can’t finish fast enough. Once the big boys go bankrupt, shill media outlets will die as well and truly independent game devs will have all the space they need to make what they want without having to please anyone but their actual customers.