WitPOP Indie Game Studio: The Masterminds Turning BL into Pure Magic!

We had the pleasure of interviewing WitPOP all about their work!

1. Tell us a little about yourself and work?

I'm Red Chan, I run WitPOP to make fun and light-hearted stories. Most of our games deal with relationship dynamics, whether it be romantic or platonic and explore LGBTQIA+ themes.

2.Tell us about some of your BL games?

Our first original BL game was made as a joke—a parody of many classic otome, shojo, and harem tropes. It's aptly titled 'I'm a love interest in my childhood friend's reverse harem!!! As you can probably deduce from the title, you play as one of the male love interests in the game, and are given the option to romance the other male love interests instead of the female heroine. I will admit, I watched a lot of romance anime for 'research' during the time I was making this game. Haha.

3.What inspires your work?

One of the main motivators behind our games are tropes. I enjoy taking tropes that some may consider overdone, and turning them on their heads. A few of my favourites are kabedons, the enemies to lovers, and two characters getting locked in a room together. Some tropes are used over and over again, because they work, but others I find ridiculous and ask myself: 'What would I do in this situation?'

4.What does pride month mean to you?

Pride month is a great time to see everyone expressing themselves through their art and stories.

5.Where can people support your work?

All of our games are available on itchio (https://red-baby.itch.io) and you can get I'm a love interest in my childhood friend's reverse harem on STEAM as well. We also have a Patreon for early access, behind-the-scenes work, and exclusive artwork (https://patreon.com/witpop).

6.Tell us about anything you want! Can be something you are working on, something positive, or something totally random!

One thing I always try to mention is that I wouldn't be able to make games without the amazing help of all the talented artists, writers, and musicians that join me on my projects. Being a game developer is a lot of work, and having a team of incredible people work with you makes it not only more enjoyable, but also a heap easier than doing it alone.