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First development video of the year

[p]Hello everyone,
[/p][p]The inZOI team has returned from the year-end holidays and is happy to be back in development. At the moment, we are strengthening our core foundations under the Fundamentals First approach, while also preparing several new features in parallel. [/p][p]We’d like to share with you the development progress we’ve made this week. [/p][p]Weekly development updates have become a familiar routine for us. More importantly, we’re genuinely enjoying the process of selecting and organizing updates that we think you’ll appreciate. [/p][p]As our hope that "this game will bring joy to others" continues to grow, we find ourselves feeling even more energized and excited. [/p][p]This year as well, we hope to make inZOI an even better game—one where players can project their own lives, laugh, and sometimes find comfort. This is the core goal of the inZOI team. [/p][p]And to achieve that goal, we will always strive to be developers who stand right beside our players. [/p][p][/p][p]Thank you[/p][p]Kjun[/p][p][/p][p] ※ For the video, please check it on Discord or the Forum[/p][p]🔗 Discord: Link[/p][p]🔗 Forum: Link[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]
Kjun’s Reply to Your Comments[/h3][p][/p][p]Hello everyone.[/p][p]It’s Wednesday already.[/p][p]Do you have any wishes or goals you set for the new year?[/p][p]They say that if you can keep something going without breaking for about two months, it becomes much more sustainable after that. If you’re doing well so far, hang in there just a little longer. After the two-month mark, your actions stop relying purely on willpower and start becoming habits—making it much easier to reach your goals.[/p][p]I’ll also keep moving forward without stopping this communication with you all.[/p][p]This week as well, we received many opinions and suggestions about the future direction of development.[/p][p]From the community, there were strong requests for improvements across a wide range of areas: in-game family, romance, crime systems, graphics, interface, genetics, NPC behavior, and many everyday life–oriented features.[/p][p][/p][h3]Animation Improvements[/h3][p]We’ve seen a lot of positive feedback about the recent updates, especially the animations where couples bathe together and the expanded affection animations. Thank you so much.[/p][p]Many of you mentioned that the new animations significantly improve immersion and make emotional expression feel more natural.[/p][p]The inZOI team is also working on adding group activities, simultaneous interactions, and stroller features. We’re currently testing interactions where babies can be seated and moved while remaining interactive, and this looks technically feasible.[/p][p]Limited “walking together” features are also in development so families can move as a group. In addition, we’ll continue expanding affectionate interactions between family members—such as kissing, hugging, and comforting one another.[/p][p][/p][h3]Genetics System[/h3][p]There were many discussions around improving the genetics system. Currently, some players feel that children don’t properly inherit their parents’ facial features, and that mismatches in gender-based face presets can result in repetitive, “clone-like” appearances.[/p][p]Suggestions included blending facial features by individual parts, introducing dominant and recessive genetic traits, and reflecting regional genetic characteristics.[/p][p]At the moment, our system intentionally includes randomness so children don’t look 100% like their parents—but we’ll revisit this and see how we can improve it.[/p][p][/p][h3]Daily Life & Interface Improvements[/h3][p]Many of you suggested features such as adjustable action duration (for example, avoiding repeated reading actions), click-and-drag interactions (for trash, dishes, etc.), and UI locking options.[/p][p]With some foundational tech work, most of these seem feasible. In particular, we plan to implement action duration settings in a unified way across all interactions that involve looping motions—allowing actions to continue by default and be stopped at the player’s discretion.[/p][p]We also received requests related to CAZ (Character Creation), such as separating outfit and makeup presets, expanding body and face customization options, and adding voice tone controls.[/p][p]Voice tone adjustment is already planned for this year and is currently in the design phase, so we believe it can be developed without too much delay.[/p][p][/p][h3]NPCs & Social Interaction[/h3][p]Many of you want NPCs to feel more natural and alive, with more random animations, conversations, lively street life, and stronger interactions with family and friends.[/p][p]There were also suggestions for multiple Zois meeting and interacting within the same city, group conversations, and synchronized movement.[/p][p]We are actively challenging ourselves with simultaneous movement features. To be honest, there are many technical difficulties, so progress has been slower than we’d like. Still, I really want Zois to walk together, hold hands, and move as a group—and we’ll do our best to make it happen. We’ll get there.[/p][p][/p][h3]Crime & Career System Improvements[/h3][p]There were many requests to rebalance criminal careers and activities—such as success rates, rewards, police pursuit, and more realistic reactions to arrests and prison escapes.[/p][p]You also suggested expanding crime content with mini-games, hideouts, and bribery systems.[/p][p]Wow—there were so many ideas about crime, and they’re incredibly useful for us going forward. Thank you. As a developer, crime systems are something I personally want to explore a lot.[/p][p]One idea discussed within the inZOI planning team really stood out to me: when a criminal steals something, they leave footprints or traces behind. If you erase your traces, it becomes harder for the police to track you.[/p][p]On the other hand, if a thief breaks into your home and you find evidence and report it, the police can arrest them faster.[/p][p]Sounds fun, right?[/p][p]There were also requests for adding police careers, more realistic traffic systems, improved driving, and ambulance responses to accidents.[/p][p][/p][h3]City & Environment Content Expansion[/h3][p]Suggestions included city-specific cultural identity systems, seasonal decorations, more active amusement parks, expanded movie theater features, and natural disasters like storms and heatwaves.[/p][p]Many of you also mentioned city expansions inspired by K-pop culture and Japanese Akihabara-style districts.[/p][p]We’re continuing to add more land to cities, and if optimization tests show this doesn’t significantly impact performance, we plan to keep expanding features like drive-in theaters and amusement parks.[/p][p]By the end of this year, I think you’ll be seeing a lot more city content.[/p][p][/p][h3]Other Major Requests[/h3][p]Underwater swimming and scuba diving, with WASD underwater controls[/p][p]Improved appearances, behaviors, and interactions for babies, toddlers, and children[/p][p]An in-game music player and support for custom music[/p][p]Ongoing discussions and requests around adult content such as crime, drinking, and smoking[/p][p]Console and Mac support, mod support plans, and related questions[/p][p]Expanded jobs and careers, including K-pop idols, fashion, crime, fishing, and more[/p][p]Stronger in-game social media, conversation, and phone features[/p][p][/p][p]Being able to hear your voices on Discord again this week really gives me strength.[/p][p]More than any words in the world, what you say about inZOI means the most to me.[/p][p]Those words aren’t just opinions or evaluations—they’re proof that the world we created has reached someone’s hands. They remind me that all the time spent fixing, polishing, and refining wasn’t wasted.[/p][p]Development is like crossing a very long night. Sometimes we lose our direction, and sometimes we ask ourselves if we’re really on the right path.[/p][p]Every time that happens, your words light the way again.[/p][p]So more than anything else,[/p][p]what you share about inZOI gives us the greatest strength.[/p][p]See you on Friday.[/p][p]kjun.[/p]

[v0.5.3] Hotfix Details

[p]Hello, Creators.[/p][p][/p][p]We would like to inform you that the following hotfix has been applied to inZOI. Please refer to the details below for more information.

[/p][p]◆ Hotfix Details[/p][p]◽️ Patch Date: January 9, 2026[/p][p]◽️ Game Version: [/p]
  • [p]Windows PC Steam : 20260108.9692.W[/p]
  • [p]Mac Steam : 20260108.9694.M[/p]
  • [p]Mac App Store : 5.4.29 (0.228) / 20260108.9690.M[/p]
[p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Gameplay Update[/p]
  • [p]Added 12 business lot presets[/p]
    • [p]5 for Dowon / 6 for Bliss Bay / 1 for Cahaya have been newly added.[/p]
  • [p]Improved feature to allow portioning large food items for display or for serving a full meal[/p]
[p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Bug Fixes[/p][p]Gameplay[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where items could not be displayed in certain slots on business sales counter objects[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where hired employee work schedules would intermittently fail to generate during business operations[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where multitasking would intermittently fail to work in certain situations[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the 'Give Lecture' interaction would intermittently cancel[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where the lecture topic would reset after each lecture when using the 'Select a Course Topic' interaction[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where Zoi would stand in place while listening during the 'Give Lecture' cooperative action[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where missions could not progress normally if mission conditions were already met before starting the business tutorial[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where rewards were not granted upon completing certain Business Prosperity aspiration missions[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where bathroom-related interactions for bladder needs were unavailable due to missing restroom at 14 Jal Surya Putih business lot in Cahaya[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where interactions with objects on the lot would not occur when moving back to a previously occupied residential lot[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where childbirth was not possible in certain situations[/p]
  • [p]Fixed some text related to Holiday Festivals in the Psycat Guide[/p]
[p][/p][p]CAZ[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where applying Zoi presets would set the age to Teen[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where mod information was not included in creations when uploading style presets[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where required information such as city name could not be entered when entering CAZ via cheats, preventing Zoi from being saved[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where some material colors could not be changed for clothing mods using multiple materials
    [/p]
[p]Build Mode[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where a delay occurred when exiting Build Mode on certain lots[/p]
[p][/p][p]UI/UX[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue where text in the Ambition UI would overflow its boundaries when playing in English[/p]
[p][/p][p]Crash Fixes[/p]
  • [p]Fixed some crashes that occurred in specific situations[/p]
[p][/p][p]ModKit (20260107.9652.W.MODKIT.EGS)[/p]
  • [p]Clothing mod migration due to multi-material support
    [/p]
[p]※ For game stability, all mods will be automatically disabled when updates or patches are applied. You can reactivate them afterwards, so please keep this in mind.[/p][p]※ You can check the issues we’re currently investigating on the Known Issues page.  [/p][p]If you encounter any problems while playing, please report them anytime via the inZOI Forums.[/p][p]As always, you can also share issues through the following channels:[/p][p]
[/p][p]We’ll continue working to make inZOI more stable and enjoyable for everyone.[/p][p]Thank you, as always, for your continued support and valuable feedback.[/p][p]
[/p][p]The inZOI Team[/p]

Beyond the Fundamentals 2026 Roadmap_Part2 (Updated)

[p]Last Friday, I posted “12.26.25 Fundamentals First & 2026 Roadmap_Part 1” (and quietly edited the title to say Part 1).
To be honest, posting still isn’t something I’m fully used to. I still get nervous every time I hit publish, and that’s when mistakes tend to happen.[/p][p][/p][p]Today, I’d like to briefly share—within what I can reasonably disclose—the development direction and timeline for three important workstreams that I couldn’t communicate clearly enough in the previous post.[/p][p]These items are currently at a stage where we need to validate both technical challenges and market response, so we’re running tests in several different ways.[/p][p][/p][p]The Beyond the Fundamentals 2026 Roadmap is being driven by a dedicated internal team working in parallel with the existing core development team.[/p][p]This work is designed to expand our capabilities without reducing focus, resources, or staffing on ongoing core improvements.[/p][p][/p][p]These initiatives are currently under active R&D validation and development, including Modding, Multiplayer, AI NPCs, and Canvastown (+ Fate Engine).[/p][p]As these initiatives are heavily R&D-driven, timelines and scope may change depending on development progress.[/p][p]In addition, schedules may be altered—or direction and scope adjusted—based on mid-stage test results and the chosen service/operations model.[/p][p][/p][p]After reviewing the materials, please leave your thoughts and feedback. We’ll be listening closely, and your voice will be a valuable input as we shape the direction of future development.[/p][p]I have a feeling 2026 is going to be full of good things. And I truly believe that, along with that, inZOI will become more complete and more mature as well. Start the year with hope.[/p][p][/p][p]Kjun[/p][p]P.S. I’m gathering the courage to share this video and the roadmap materials with you, even though they’re still far from perfect.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p]
[p][/p][h2]MOD Roadmap 2026[/h2][h3]Development Direction[/h3][p]Because the Unreal Engine used by inZOI can be complex and difficult to learn, we will develop a wizard-style tool to help users approach modding more easily. At the same time, we will continue development toward script-based modding.We’re pushing hard to accelerate script modding, but because it requires deep integration with the game itself, there’s a limit to how much we can pull the schedule forward. We’ll do everything we can to deliver it as quickly as possible.[/p][h3]Schedule[/h3]
  • [p]January 2026[/p]
    • [p]ModKit: Improve the structure so assets are handled in a JSON-based format to prevent mod data mismatches.[/p]
    • [p]inZOI: Add an in-game integrated mod management system.[/p]
  • [p]March 2026[/p]
    • [p]ModKit: Expand the CAZ Wizard to support accessory, motion, and face modding (a MetaHuman guide will be provided).[/p]
    • [p]Improve project management features (search, asset merging).[/p]
    • [p]Improve the Sound Wizard (partial replacement and addition).[/p]
    • [p]inZOI: For graphics asset mods, allow installation during gameplay and apply changes immediately.[/p]
  • [p]June 2026[/p]
    • [p]ModKit: Add vehicle modding, migrate to Unreal Engine 5.6, and test (R&D) content template modding (e.g., farming).[/p]
    • [p]inZOI: Add (R&D) CLO platform integration.[/p]
    • [p]Shared (R&D): Prepare for PS5 and Mac mod support, though availability may be restricted or delayed depending on policy and partnership considerations.[/p]
  • [p]October 2026[/p]
    • [p]ModKit (R&D): Test multiplayer-linked modding and a data-modding AI wizard.[/p]
  • [p]December 2026[/p]
    • [p]ModKit: Add Lua script modding support.[/p]
[hr][/hr][h2]Canvastown Roadmap 2026[/h2][h3]Development Direction[/h3][p]The core concept is to capture interesting situations you’ve experienced and let others enter that life and play it themselves. Canvastown is intended to become the first stage for the Fate Engine, and later we plan to expand it so the Fate Engine can operate in other cities as well.[/p][p]A key challenge in this genre is that motivation can be hard to sustain. Simulation systems can combine many features to create emergent stories, which can lead to genuinely engaging experiences—but depending on probability, players can also end up with experiences that feel strange or underwhelming. The purpose of this system is to preserve the genre’s value while enabling players to save and share the “good runs”—the moments worth passing on.[/p][p]Canvastown is designed to be small but comfortable, running smoothly even on lower-spec hardware, while still giving players space to build and customize their own city. Although it is smaller than other cities, that smaller footprint improves ease of movement and creates a unique advantage: everything around your home becomes part of your playable space.[/p][h3]Schedule[/h3]
  • [p]March 2026[/p]
    • [p]Implement integration so Fate Engine and Canvastown operate together.[/p]
  • [p]May 2026[/p]
    • [p]Expand Fate Engine to work in cities beyond Canvastown.[/p]
    • [p]Add update and download features to the Canvastown canvas.[/p]
  • [p]June 2026[/p]
    • [p]Release Canvastown #1, a small village with about 40 lots.[/p]
  • [p]October 2026[/p]
    • [p]Release Canvastown #2, expanded to about 50 lots, featuring a calm rural countryside atmosphere.[/p]
[hr][/hr][h2]inZOI-online Roadmap 2026[/h2][h3]Development Direction[/h3][p]There are still many unresolved questions that must be validated through internal and external testing to confirm the value of online features. inZOI-online is being developed while continuously migrating and matching the base game, which makes the work both broad and technically challenging.[/p][p]Because this is a new direction for the genre, we are also starting from fundamentals such as defining the target audience. We genuinely hope you’ll enjoy inZOI-online, and throughout 2026 we want to discuss results and direction—based on testing—with the community and build it together.[/p][h3]Schedule[/h3]
  • [p]January 2026[/p]
    • [p]Create and save your account-linked personal character (“Zoi”).[/p]
    • [p]Add save-and-resume for hosted sessions, allowing hosts to pause a session and resume it later from the same state.[/p]
  • [p]February 2026[/p]
    • [p]Build the online Main, Plaza, and Lobby/Waiting Room pages on the web.[/p]
    • [p]Add new channels for online use and provide online chat rooms.[/p]
    • [p]Update the online-only “My Zoi” feature.[/p]
  • [p]March 2026[/p]
    • [p]Freely decorate your own house and save it to your account.[/p]
    • [p]Allow other users to enter your house and play together.[/p]
  • [p]June 2026[/p]
    • [p]Provide tools for the room host to adjust game rules and manage participants.[/p]
    • [p]Enable players to enjoy official inZOI mods together in online multiplayer.[/p]
  • [p]October 2026[/p]
    • [p]Support large-scale multiplayer with dedicated servers, including content such as visiting major cities.[/p]
    • [p]Enable hundreds to thousands of concurrent players per server to explore, watch, meet others, and make friends.[/p]
[h3][/h3][p]
[/p][hr][/hr][h3][/h3][h3]Kjun’s Reply to Your Comments[/h3][p][/p][p]Hello everyone — it’s Wednesday.[/p][p]This week brought a lot of discussion and differing opinions. Thank you, as always, for sharing your thoughts on our development. We truly appreciate both the support and concerns around multiplayer, and your feedback on what should come first for the game’s core priorities. [/p][p]Before posting this, I didn’t anticipate so much worry — and it made me think I should have emphasized one point more clearly: the inZOI team is staying focused on the fundamentals. Multiplayer is being developed by a separate team, while the core inZOI team is dedicating the majority of our people and effort to improving the foundation of the life simulation. [/p][p]Based on community feedback, we want to update you again on our major development topics — and more than anything, we believe it’s important to show real, visible improvement in inZOI. We’re also reviewing how we can deliver Fundamentals First updates more frequently, especially for players who’ve been patiently putting up with missing or inconvenient features. [/p][p]This is the inZOI team’s key goal. Before investing heavily in new features, we’ve set our top development priority for 2026 as making existing features smoother, more complete, and higher quality. [/p][p]It’s a new year, so we’ll work hard to show you an inZOI that keeps getting better. Beyond Fundamentals First, we’ll continue tracking your feedback, expanding our internal list, and staying committed to fundamentals. And we’ll share the list of improvements we’re working through more often.[/p][p][/p][h3]Story Progression & Family System Improvements[/h3][p]Many of you asked us to restore story progression for inactive families and NPCs — and you emphasized that it’s essential to keep the town feeling alive through marriage, childbirth, and family tree growth. You also suggested having a toggle to enable or disable story progression. [/p][p]We plan to build this with more control:
Per-family story options, so you can protect the families you care about
Adjustable intensity for normal/drama families, so you can control how strongly they participate in events
This will help bring life back into the town through marriage, childbirth, and family tree growth — and we will develop this with toggle options. [/p][p]Birthday management
You also requested the ability to manually manage birthdays and host birthday parties. Right now, aging automatically happens at midnight, which many of you pointed out as a problem.
Birthdays are already in our development plan for this year. I’m sorry we added birthdays so late. We’re pushing internally to include birthdays before inZOI’s first anniversary — though the timeline may still shift slightly.[/p][p][/p][h3]Skill System & Autonomy Controls[/h3][p]We’ve received suggestions to improve the HUD so players can view not only overall skill levels, but also more detailed performance indicators (e.g., number of books published, creation of high-value works, etc.), along with introducing an achievements system. We agree this is valuable, and we will reinforce these systems through internal discussion.
We are enhancing a meta system that summarizes what the player has accomplished and offers guidance on what to try next. This includes systems that record milestones such as how many generations you’ve raised, whether you’ve fully progressed a specific career, and more. By tracking player behavior and providing long-term goals, we aim to make content feel more connected and continuous.
To support this, we are planning development so that records go beyond simple checklists like memory or journaling—linking them with social systems as well. Some of these records may remain as platform trophies or badges to reflect your play history, while others will provide in-game rewards such as unlockables to strengthen motivation.
We also received feedback that Zois should be able to autonomously fulfill their needs, and that there should be autonomy control toggles for risky behaviors (e.g., betrayal, divorce, etc.). In addition, there were requests for a system that allows players to finely control whether autonomy is permitted for every interaction. We agree, and we’re preparing to develop these features.
That said, extremely granular control may be difficult to deliver immediately, so we plan to expand it in stages. We understand that feedback on this topic has been especially frequent recently, and we recognize that the demand for these options comes from concerns about issues in Zoi autonomous behavior within inZOI. We’ll work hard to improve it.[/p][p][/p][h3]Multiplayer Development[/h3][p]Multiplayer is being developed by a separate team, and we’ve clearly communicated that it will not take resources away from single-player development — but many of you still shared concerns.
Some players believe multiplayer could help the game succeed, while others worry that focusing on multiplayer before core content feels complete could be harmful. We also received feedback about voice chat, permissions, blocking features, and more. Multiplayer is being developed as an optional feature, and we’re building it so it can be enjoyed independently from single-player.
We believe all of this comes from how much you care about inZOI — and we’ll continue to focus even more on strengthening the single-player experience. [/p][h3]Modding Support & Script Modding Delay[/h3][p]Many of you were disappointed that script modding has been delayed to December 2026. This was a decision made to support the transition to Lua and ensure stability. I’m truly sorry about this.
One challenge is that as content grows, the amount of work required to support script modding also grows at the same time.
We believe modding is essential for the game’s long-term life and creativity. So first, we will prioritize:
improving the usability of the Unreal Mod Kit
providing more convenient, clearer guides strengthening modding support overall[/p][p][/p][h3]Everyday Life Feel & NPC Behavior Improvements[/h3][p]Many of you said immersion depends heavily on:
stronger autonomous behavior based on personality and relationships
realistic depiction of family emotions and daily routines emotion-driven automatic reactions
a city that feels alive through diverse ages, jobs, and daily events
We’re continuously improving this, and we’re especially focusing on family daily-life interactions — particularly involving children and babies.
This week, we’re working on pillow fights in bed. We’ll keep pushing forward.[/p][p][/p][h3]Other Requests[/h3][p]We also received many detailed requests, including:
improving elevator and stair modules inside buildings, and adding curved stairs
making cooking more realistic, adding the need for grocery shopping, and enabling cooperative cooking
improving city/world editing, empty-lot management, social relationship tags, transportation systems, and more [/p][p]We always carry your support with us. We’ll keep strengthening the core systems, expanding modding support, and building a realistic and immersive life simulation — and we’ll do it with energy and care. [/p][p][/p][p]Thank you. See you again on Friday.
kjun
[/p][p][/p][p] ※ For the video, please check it on Discord or the forum.\[/p][/p][p]🔗 Discord: Link[/p][p]🔗 Forum: Link[/p][p][/p]

January Known Issues

Hello, Creators.

This January's list of known issues is now up on inZOI's official forums.
Click the banner below for more details on any issues you may have experienced or would like to learn more about.



We will continue to update the list based on your feedback.
If you encounter any problems while playing the game, please report them via the inZOI Forums.

Thank you for your continued support and valuable feedback.

Thank you,
The inZOI Team

Kjun’s Letter on a Special Wednesday

[p]Hello everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]When I shared the “Fundamentals First & 2026 Roadmap” last Friday, I did not clearly mention that it would be released in two parts.[/p][p]
Part 2 will focus on our mid- to long-term direction, covering features that are actively being validated and developed through ongoing R&D. This includes modding, multiplayer, AI NPCs, and Canvas Town (along with the Fate Engine). Please note that some items may be adjusted depending on development progress. Each area is being handled by a dedicated studio team, and we’ve already expanded our teams to support this work and keep development moving forward.[/p][p]
Part 2 will be posted this Friday.[/p]
  • [p]Part 1: confirmed tasks we must deliver in 2026[/p]
  • [p]Part 2: Mid- to long-term direction, covering features under active R&D[/p]
[p][/p][h3]Today is a truly special Wednesday—so I’m posting on a Wednesday. [/h3][p][/p][p]This is a thank-you note to all of you who made 2025 the most special year of my life. There’s no development update here—just something personal.[/p][p][/p][p]Through inZOI, 2025 became the year I discovered a new way to make games. Until now, my work usually meant intense debates in meeting rooms with teammates, or running full speed alone until an idea finally appeared. But this year, for the first time, I experienced what it means to build a game together with players, through constant communication—and I truly realized the value and meaning of that process.[/p][p][/p][p]I grew up in a very rural area. When I was young, I didn’t even have shoes before I started school, so I often walked around barefoot. It was quiet, empty, and remote—almost no people. Maybe because of that, I’m still shy and very introverted, and I don’t easily meet up even when someone reaches out. I’d never used social media at all, and I only created an X account recently after a friend recommended it. I was never someone naturally “good at communication.”[/p][p][/p][p]So for me, doing interviews for inZOI, meeting so many of you in person, listening to your voices, and then reflecting that feedback into the game—this has been a huge change.
The turning point came during an interview with a well-known influencer channel in Korea. The producer told me something like:
“I’ve never seen a developer talk about their game with so much joy. Keep building while staying in conversation with players.”[/p][p][/p][p]That didn’t feel like a compliment—it felt like a suggestion that could change how I develop games. And that’s one reason we chose Early Access and kept developing the way we do now.[/p][p]Just like the person who builds a car isn’t necessarily the best driver, even though I made this game, I believe the people who enjoy it most deeply—and therefore understand it most accurately—are you, the players. That’s why Early Access became a process that made me happier: improving the game together with you.[/p][p][/p][p]My son is also making games now, and sometimes we talk about game development methods and the life of a developer. The hardest question to answer is always:
“What talent do I need to succeed as a game developer? Do I have it?”
Because most of a game developer’s life is far from success. Success comes very rarely—but most of the time, you have to keep walking quietly through indifference.
Honestly, in many ways, our lives aren’t that different, are they?[/p][p]So I can now tell my son this:
“Dad isn’t a developer with special talent either. Game development is hard to succeed at. But if you love making games, then you’re a game developer. Loving it means you can walk that path. Whatever you do, do it in the way you like best.”[/p][p][/p][p]And after making inZOI, I’ve even started recommending the Early Access approach:
“The hardest part of succeeding is finding (or creating) something the public truly loves. One way to find the answer is through communication with players. And you also have to enjoy making others happy with what you create.”[/p][p][/p][p]Walking a road where nobody knows the right answer is scary and overwhelming. But going out to the market earlier, and discovering direction through communication with players—helped me stop enduring that uncertainty alone. It made development feel fun again.[/p][p][/p][p]The biggest gift you gave me is this:
“Development doesn’t have to be done alone—it can be done together with players.”
You didn’t just tell me that—you made me feel it. And now I can even share that experience with my son.[/p][p][/p][p]So, sincerely—thank you.[/p][p][/p][p]Everyone, in 2026, leave every burden behind in 2025.
I believe every life is a gift, and we live to understand the value of this experience.
In 2026, take one step toward the life you hope for. And if, every morning you open your eyes, you choose “a happy life”—then no trial can truly make you unhappy.
Just like this year—if something is truly meant to happen, it will find its way in the end.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you.
K.jun[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]P.S. I wanted to send a small gift with my gratitude. I thought Canvas could become a place where I can deliver gifts to you directly, so I decided to try it. It’s a little embarrassing because it’s a small gift—and since I rushed this without any special system, I’m slightly worried whether it will work smoothly. But if it goes well, I’d love to prepare more in the future. I’m also a bit concerned that accessing Canvas might feel inconvenient.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Warm New Year Gift: “Winter Classic” Collection Items[/h3]
  • [p]Winter Classic Nordic Scarf[/p]
  • [p]Winter Classic Knit Gloves[/p]
  • [p]Winter Classic Wish Earmuffs[/p]
[p][/p][p]Download Here : https://canvas.playinzoi.com/ko-KR/creation/gal-251218-085137-3630000[/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]※ Read All Kjun’s Brainstorm Topics: https://forum.playinzoi.com/t/topic/7762[/p]