Hidetaka Suehiro, better known as SWERY, provides a candid look at Hotel Barcelona’s launch, its post-release issues, and the work that led to Under New Management.
In an interview with MonsterVine, the White Owls founder breaks down where Hotel Barcelona connected with players, where it fell short, and why the latest version should be seen as “not just a patch” but “a complete overhaul that re-examines the very way the game is presented.”
“It was very complicated”
What was your personal reaction to the launch of Hotel Barcelona? What went well? What didn’t?
Hidetaka Suehiro (SWERY): Personally, it was very complicated. First and foremost, I had tremendous confidence in this project. It took six years to complete, including periods of remote work during the pandemic, and I did absolutely everything I could to bring it to fruition. So when it came out, I genuinely believed it was the greatest masterpiece of my career, and that feeling hasn’t changed to this day.
What went well, of course, was the core of the game. The visual style, the structure as a showcase for horror, the killers with their intense personalities, and the Slasher Phantom comeback mechanism. I was truly happy to receive reactions like “This is fun” and “I’ve never seen anything like this.” It confirmed that what we really wanted to create had properly been realized.
On the other hand, what hadn’t gone well was also obvious. The comfort of control, the accessibility of the difficulty, performance, and the maturity of the online elements. Because the “foundation of the experience” wasn’t solid enough, many players stopped playing before they could reach the core of the game. That really hurt.
In other words, we created something good. But we hadn’t managed to make sure all of that goodness properly reached the players. The candid feedback we received immediately after launch drove that truth home to us.
How did you approach the audience’s feedback?
SWERY: First, I refrained from responding emotionally. I’m human too, so kind words are comforting, and harsh ones hurt. Especially this time, since six years’ worth of emotions were connected to this game, so I spent the first 48 hours (or maybe 72? (lol)) desperately trying to shake them off.
Once I regained my composure, I listed up very single comment from Steam reviews and social media, whether positive and negative. Then we read through them as a team, carefully examining each one to determine, “Where did this person get stuck?” and “What caused them to feel this way?” If necessary, we’d reproduce the issue in our development environment and verify it on proper hardware. It was painstaking work.
Some of the comments were hard to read, but that’s part of reality. With indie games, both the good and the bad come back to you directly. That’s exactly why we didn’t just “pick out the convenient feedback.” We faced the painful criticism head-on and used it as material for improvement.
“It is a complete overhaul”
Can you describe the process of developing the ‘Under New Management’ update?
SWERY: First off, Under New Management is not just a patch. It is a complete overhaul that re-examines the very way the game is presented.
In the launch version, to help players understand the main “Slasher Phantom” system, we deliberately incorporated a strong design philosophy that insisted players “must experience death” and “cannot progress without using Phantoms.” In other words, the core of the gaming experience was centered around a strong message from the developers about “how we wanted players to play.”
But in reality, not all players play the game at the same pace or follow the same learning curve. They don’t all possess the same skills. Upon seeing this in a new light, we decided to remove that premise aside for the time being. We returned to the simplest philosophy: the player is the protagonist of their own experience, and the systems we provide should operate on these principles: “you can use them if you want to” and “you should still be able to enjoy the game itself even if you don’t fully understand them.”
Based on that, we organized our improvements into four key areas: comfort and responsiveness of controls, readjustment of difficulty and rules, stability and improvement of performance, and redesign of online features. Rather than just touching up parts here and there, we revisited the structure from the ground up and rebuilt it piece by piece.
Furthermore, once the game had taken shape to a certain extent, we released a preview version to the community and made further adjustments based on the feedback we received there. In other words, we organized the feedback from the initial launch, reviewed the structure, listened to everyone again, and further refined the game. Under New Management was created through this iterative process.
What moments were challenging or frustrating during the game’s development?
SWERY: There were many challenging moments, but if I had to name one major one, it would be the addition of online multiplayer.
In our initial concept, we had designed it as a more pure single-player action game. However, whenever we pitched the project to potential publishers during development, we always got asked, “No multiplayer?” They all kept asking for that, so we decided, “Maybe we should give it a try,” and ended up incorporating online play later on.
However, in reality, it wasn’t simply a matter of “adding an additional mode.” Incorporating online play completely changed everything—the satisfaction of the loop, the difficulty, the pacing, and the temperature of the fear. On top of that, we were developing it remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was truly difficult, and the frustration was immense.
But that pain and everything that came with it all ended up contributing to this reconstruction. It feels like we’re soothing all the strain and pain we experienced back then.
“I intuitively knew it would be something special”
What moments were joyful or rewarding?
SWERY: First, probably back in Halloween 2019, when I had dinner with Suda-san at an event called Reboot Red in Banff, Canada. We had a blast coming up with the broad outline of Hotel Barcelona there. I still vividly remember how exhilarating it was. In that moment, I intuitively knew it would be something special.
Another moment was when the Slasher Phantom actually worked for the first time. I’d been working on the idea for it for quite a while, and when we actually implemented it, it worked even better than I’d imagined. Not only was it convenient, but seeing my past self fighting there even sparked a strange sense of charm and affection inside me. I was thrilled when the whole team got surprised and said, “This might actually be a new invention.”
One last moment is definitely when people who tried the updated version told me “I noticed the difference right away” and “I’m glad I tried it.” That made everything worth it.
How did the collaboration with other indie development studios come together? Could you explain why those titles in particular?
SWERY: First off, it’s simply because every title has a “distinctive personality.” Indie games sometimes have a sharper focus than AAA titles, with the creators’ passion and philosophy directly reflected in the design. I’m strongly drawn to games like that.
Among those titles, I reached out directly to developers who seemed likely to support the concept of this game and my vision.
Hotel Barcelona itself is designed like a “showcase” that allows players to experience various horror subgenres in a row, so the idea of having guests from another world enter that space felt very natural to me.
After sharing this concept, I invited the creators who responded with “Sounds interesting!” or “I like that!” to allow their games to become “guests” at our hotel.
“We still believe we created something great”
Is there anything you would like to say to players, whether they are discovering Hotel Barcelona for the first time or returning since the initial launch?
SWERY: What I want to say most is that I hope you’ll set aside your previous impressions and approach this with a fresh perspective.
We’re not rejecting the launch version. We put our hearts into making it, and we still believe we created something great. In fact, I genuinely still consider it the masterpiece of my career. However, its greatness didn’t effectively reach our audience. Under New Management is our response to that realization, and we’ve carefully rebuilt the foundation to ensure it resonates.
For first-time players, I believe now is the best time to start. For those returning, from the moment you boot up the game, I want you to feel that we’ve “properly faced the issues AND properly fixed them.”
And I’ll be honest here: we want to move out of “Mixed” on Steam. It’s not just about the numbers. We want more people to connect with the core of this game. To that end, we’ll continue making improvements.
So please, take a look at the current version of Hotel Barcelona. Forget your previous impressions and check in. Nothing would make us happier than knowing our passion reached you.
Check in & Destroy!
