'The Coma 3,' the title that will put a period on the 11-year-long The Coma series, is set for official release on April 30.

Launched in October 2015 with 'The Coma: Cutting Class,' The Coma series has consistently received acclaim from genre fans for its polished visuals, intricate storytelling, and authentic 'run-and-hide' survival horror mechanics. Subsequent titles, including 'The Coma 2' and the spin-off 'The Coma 2B,' followed suit, building on the stories of their predecessors while continuously evolving their visuals and systems to become the signature series for Devespresso Games.

Now, The Coma series returns with 'The Coma 3' to finally conclude the story that has been unfolding all these years. With visuals and systems more advanced than ever and the long-awaited resolution to the narrative, the fandom's excitement is at an all-time high.

These 11 years have also been the years of youth for Devespresso Games CEO Kim Min-ho. What does it mean for him to bring The Coma series to a close? And where is his gaze directed now that the journey is nearing its end? Ahead of the official release, we visited Devespresso Games to hear his reflections and thoughts on the future.

Putting a Period on the 11-Year Journey of The Coma Series

'The Coma 3,' the grand finale of The Coma series, is about to be released. How are you feeling.

"Since I incorporated the company while developing 'The Coma: Cutting Class,' I have effectively spent 11 years with The Coma series. Looking around, there are very few small indie studios that have managed to sustain development for this long unless they had a massive 'hit.' In that sense, I feel a sense of relief, but mostly, I am just filled with gratitude.

Honestly, in the beginning, I was a bit arrogant (laughs). When 'The Coma: Cutting Class' was released and received good reviews, I sometimes thought, 'I worked hard, so I got good results,' especially since it was my first game and I had poured my soul into it.

But as time passed, I began to see things I had missed. I realized that we were able to make it this far not just because of my own effort and time, but because of the support from those around me and the interest and love from the people who bought the game. That is why I am just grateful now. I believe it is a miracle that we made it this far, thanks to the help and interest of so many people.

On the other hand, I also feel a sense of relief that we have finally put a period on the 11-year series. To be honest, I have always felt a kind of 'debt' regarding the story. As the world expanded with each sequel, there were many unresolved plot points. Writing and developing 'The Coma 3' required a lot of work to re-establish settings and tie up loose ends. I feel lighthearted now that all of that has finally been resolved. I was also worried that players might interpret the story differently than intended or find it too complex, but after talking to our testers, they generally felt the narrative flowed cleanly, which is a huge relief.

You have concluded The Coma series after 11 years. What would you say to yourself?

"I would say, 'You survived well so far. But don't let your guard down, as there is still more to learn.' When I finished developing 'The Coma 3,' I felt proud, thinking, 'Finally, it's all over!' But then, the friend who manages the company told me, 'This isn't the time to take a breather; we need to improve these things next time.' He was already looking at the next step, and strangely, I didn't feel frustrated at all (laughs). Instead, I thought, 'Right, you're right. There's no time to be complacent. We need to show something even better next time.' I will continue to work hard and evolve so that we don't fall behind.

It couldn't have been easy to develop games as a small studio for 11 years. What was the driving force that kept you from giving up.

"Rather than one massive driving force, I think it was the satisfaction of being able to do the work I wanted to do. That doesn't mean it was always fun. There were times when I was happy, but there were also many times when I was under immense stress. I would lose sleep at night, and people around me would ask, 'Why do you insist on doing this if it stresses you out so much? Isn't it hard?' But even considering all that, I loved this work. I love creating stories, and the fact that I could turn the stories I conceived into games—that, in the end, was the biggest driving force.

Someone once said that while building a world and continuing a story is hard, finishing it is even harder. 'The Coma 3' must have been the same; did you experience the 'pain of creation'.

"I think there were more moments of joy than pain. For example, when planning the story for The Coma series, I always kept the sequels in mind. While the main story was completed in each game, I left breadcrumbs to create room for sequels and strengthen the connections. Perhaps that's why, whenever I developed a sequel, I would look back at the previous game's story and think, 'Oh, I can resolve this plot point like this—wow, I'm a genius!' (laughs). Since I love conceptualizing stories so much, I never felt the 'pain of creation.

Even so, I did feel the pressure of concluding the series. Whether people will like this ending is an unknown territory that can only be known after release. Since everyone has different standards for judgment and understanding, I was always anxious about whether I could provide catharsis or dopamine through resolving the plot points and foreshadowing. Seeing the reactions from our testers, I am relieved that they were generally satisfied.

Of course, this is only about the story. While it was definitely fun to resolve plot points, add depth, and plan the story to connect with previous entries, figuring out how to translate that into a game was a different story, which brought its own challenges.

Song Tze-hyun has joined as a new playable character. Given her role in previous games, this is quite unusual. Is there a reason you chose her? If there were other candidates, we would love to know who they were.

"Song Tze-hyun is a compelling character in many ways. While her role in the real world is closer to a supporting character, in the Sehwa Mirror World, a killer who looks like her appears as a primary antagonist. So, regardless of her actual screen time, players have always viewed her as a lead character. Also, as we intended from the start, Tze-hyun is quite beautiful in the real world. Because of these factors, she was imprinted on players as a lead-tier character.

Perhaps that's why there were constant requests in every series: 'So, when is Ms. Song Tze-hyun going to be a playable character?' Since we were planning to go with a three-protagonist system for 'The Coma 3,' I thought if the players wanted it this much, it was worth including her as a new protagonist. As for other candidates, there were Ye-sol and Su-mi. Ye-sol was too strong; if she were the protagonist, it would feel more like an action game than survival horror. As for Su-mi, the issue was that she is too much of a character from the past. 'The Coma 3' is the finale of the series, and I felt she would make it feel like a prequel. Furthermore, we needed a protagonist who wasn't used to the Mirror World. We wanted to create contrast through the three protagonists: Young-ho reacts quite familiarly, Mina knows about it but isn't fully accustomed to it, and through Tze-hyun, we wanted to show someone who is completely unfamiliar and prone to panic. Considering all these factors, Song Tze-hyun was chosen.

Having three playable characters is welcome, but it also feels a bit cluttered. Some similar opinions were seen in the demo feedback. What do you think.

"First, I should explain why we chose a three-protagonist system. In the horror genre, fear tends to diminish once you get used to the environment. That's why developers often add new characters who are weak or unfamiliar with the setting, and 'The Coma 3' is similar. We structured it with three protagonists because we wanted players to be more immersed in the story by providing contrast through the different attitudes of the characters facing the Mirror World.

However, since players could only play the very beginning in the demo, it might have felt like they were disconnected. Naturally, as the story progresses, they join forces, so I believe the feeling of them being separate or the game feeling cluttered will disappear.

Will all the lingering questions and mysteries be resolved through 'The Coma 3'? We would also like to know if there are any plans for spin-offs, DLC, or sequels.

"It is true that the story surrounding Sehwa High School concludes with 'The Coma 3.' Therefore, there are no plans for spin-offs, DLC, or sequels like 'The Coma 4' regarding the Sehwa High story. I believe ending their story here is the most natural and best approach.

However, that does not mean The Coma series itself is coming to an end. I believe there is still much that can be done with the Coma universe. So, if a new game in The Coma series were to be released, I think it would be a game featuring new characters in a new setting.

What is next for Devespresso Games after The Coma?

What is the most memorable moment from your 11 years of game development?

"Looking back, only the difficult moments seem to remain. There wasn't anything particularly 'glorious.' Personally, I think that's a luxury (laughs). I believe we made it this far because we endured those most difficult moments.

But if you ask if I regret it because it was hard, that's not the case. We made it this far thanks to those hardships, and I am grateful that I was able to endure them. It's a very complex feeling. Thinking back, those weren't moments I could just laugh off. While the joy of creating games was certainly great, as a CEO rather than just a creator, there was a lot of pressure in running the company. But I don't think that's just me. I think it's a fate that indie and small studios must always carry.

Looking at Devespresso Games' titles, it's unique that, except for 'The Last Spell,' they are basically PC-based. Small studios usually tend to release on mobile; is there a special reason for this.

"There are two reasons. First, mobile is actually riskier. There is a perception that mobile games sell better due to accessibility, but in reality, it's the exact opposite. It is much harder to reach users. You can see it just by entering the store; it's hard to get featured, and users often play games that are already in the top rankings rather than trying new ones. Furthermore, in terms of genre, there are many cases where what was once the domain of indie developers has been taken over by large corporations.

Second, the platform's characteristics don't align with the games I want to make. Taking The Coma series as an example, it's a story-driven survival horror adventure, and as you know, this genre doesn't quite fit mobile. There are developers suited for mobile and those that aren't; we are a developer suited for PC. So, I think we've only made PC-based games so far. In a way, you could say it's our own strategy for survival.

We are curious about your future path. What kind of games do you want to make after The Coma.

"While it's not yet confirmed exactly what game we will make, I think the next project will also be a side-scrolling game. It's a perspective that is familiar and comfortable to me, and one I find fun. It will likely be a game that incorporates adventure elements.

Of course, there is a strategic judgment here as well. Side-scrolling adventure seems to have become our 'form' without us realizing it, and there are quite a few users who immediately recognize, 'Oh? This is a Devespresso Games title.' At first, I actually wanted to break that frame, but after thinking about it, I decided that if this is our unique characteristic, it's better to maintain and develop it well, so now I intend to embrace it as our identity.

As a studio with strengths in art and story, a game like a mystery adventure would also be good.

"We have actually discussed that internally. The idea was that it would be good to make a game that puts even more effort into art and story, and we are seriously considering it.

In a 2023 interview, you mentioned 'Vambrace' alongside The Coma as a core IP. Now that The Coma series has ended, can we expect you to focus on the Vambrace IP next?

"There are realistic difficulties. To be cold and objective, the interest in 'Vambrace' is very low compared to The Coma series. While it has its own fandom, it's difficult to make a game based solely on that fandom.

That doesn't mean I'm giving up on 'Vambrace.' Personally, it's a fantasy world I've imagined and conceptualized since I was in middle school, and I think I put a lot of effort into the story, so I always think about wanting to remake and bring this brand back someday.

However, that will only be a conversation for after the company has grown sufficiently. For now, we have to solve the realistic problem of survival, so we intend to focus more on The Coma series for the time being to stay afloat. I think we can only consider 'Vambrace' after that.

What kind of developer would you say Devespresso Games is? And how do you want to be remembered by users.

"I think we are a strange company that has built a history thanks to the games we've made. Personally, I don't think I've done much, and I believe the reason we've been able to survive this long is entirely due to the fans who played our games. So, I am always just filled with gratitude.

For a developer, the most important thing is the result—the game. The same goes for us. Since our team gathered to make games and we founded the company for that reason, I want us to be remembered not as 'Devespresso Games,' but as a developer remembered for the games we created, the characters within them, and the stories they tell.