VIC GAME STUDIOS
Executive Producer Lee Dong-jun
Notable Work: BREAKERS: UNLOCK THE WORLD

Q1: Which 2024 game release impressed or shocked you the most?

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

2024 was an intense year, with many of our competitors releasing titles. Among them, Granblue Fantasy: Relink left a particularly strong impression. The game excelled in numerous areas: polished artistic presentation, refined controls, adrenaline-pumping combat, diverse and spectacular active skills, deep and extensive passive skill systems, compelling weapon progression, and engaging multiplayer content. I found myself spending countless hours testing different builds on training dummies, then taking them into real monster battles – nothing beats that satisfaction of achieving your target damage numbers and clear times. While I personally wished the story was a bit longer, the game’s endless potential for theory-crafting kept me playing for extended periods. As a developer working on BREAKERS, which shares some genre similarities, this game stirred up many emotions in me, including a healthy dose of admiration.

Q2: What was the most memorable entertainment content released/published in 2024?

GODZILLA MINUS ONE

I watched it when it released in Korea in June 2024. While I personally prefer Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla, GODZILLA MINUS ONE left a profound impression by essentially resetting everything and returning to the franchise’s roots. Over its 70-year history, Godzilla gradually evolved into humanity’s savior, with Hollywood portraying it as a dark hero, which isn’t necessarily bad for entertainment, but I felt it was straying from Godzilla’s essence. GODZILLA MINUS ONE wiped the slate clean, presenting Godzilla as completely indifferent to humanity, returning to its original incarnation as terror and catastrophe personified. The scene where Godzilla’s head emerges from the water was particularly impactful, the directing created such palpable tension that it felt like cosmic horror. While the film carries the message, “Survive at all costs!” I found myself completely captivated by Godzilla alone.

Q3: Who caught your attention in 2024?

Kazuya Tsurumaki

While I deeply respect Hideaki Anno and Mahiro Maeda as an Evangelion fan, Kazuya Tsurumaki particularly fascinates me. I still recommend Gunbuster and Diebuster to everyone around me, and during my time as an animator, I studied the animation collections of FLCL and Diebuster extensively; he’s truly a role model director for me. I was thrilled to learn he’s directing the recently revealed Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. The PV showcases a distinct departure from traditional Gundam, reminiscent of 2000s GAINAX, which personally moved me. The dream team combination, screenplay by Hideaki Anno and mecha design by Ikuto Yamashita, is bound to excite any GAINAX fan. As someone who loves the Universal Century timeline, I’m incredibly intrigued by this parallel universe setting. I’m eagerly anticipating how Director Tsurumaki will bring his fresh style to the Gundam franchise.

Q4: Your aspirations for 2025 and a message for 4Gamer readers?

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has shown interest in BREAKERS since its initial reveal at TGS2023. While 2024 was tense due to impressive competitor releases, it was also a year of refinement and decisive action. Our entire team has worked together to establish BREAKERS’ unique identity and differentiation, discovering core gameplay elements that truly set it apart. We plan to reveal more information to those anticipating BREAKERS in 2025, and we’re working diligently on a beta version to gauge your satisfaction. We’re aiming for a Q4 2025 release, and we’d be grateful for your continued support. Thank you very much.