The following is an interview with LK Shelley regarding today’s announcement by Sanrio and AVM Lab Games of the official Aggretsuko interactive story chat game (based on the popular Netflix original anime series). In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Shelley about the MomentSQ interactive story platform, what players can anticipate from the game, how you can access the platform, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: This is an exciting week for SANRIO and AVM Lab Games with the announcement of the upcoming Aggretsuko game. As the Executive Producer of the game, as well as the creator of the MomentSQ interactive story platform (on which it will be published), what are you most excited for fans of the animated series to experience in the game?
LK Shelley: It’s exciting that MomentSQ is the first and only official partner and platform to launch an interactive story chat game of Aggretsuko in collaboration with Sanrio. Aggretsuko has such a loyal following around the world, which has only been amplified the popular Netflix original anime series.
Overall, we’re excited for the fans to have an immersive experience interacting with the characters from the series. The story plot has been “inspired by” the original anime series on Netflix and TBS, and it fully syncs up to the character universe provided by Sanrio. What this means is that fans will be able to expect brand new content and witty conversations and dynamics from the characters from the get-go. They may also possibly discover new developments among the characters, too, which allows for the game to feel fresh and not a re-hash of existing scripting and story.
BD: For those who may be unfamiliar, what can you tell us about the MomentSQ interactive story platform, and what will it offer to viewers and players?
LK: Thanks for asking, we are very excited to launch this platform alongside the Aggretsuko game. During this launch phase, we will be releasing NEW 10 interactive franchises, as well. This will include works from other established writers such as Bernie Su, who is a three-time Emmy Award winner. Unlike other story choice-based games, MomentSQ focuses on a range of genres that will showcase premium content and stories for the player. The presentation of the stories means that they mainly focus on character developments and relationships that impact the plot. So, players will certainly find themselves immersed in a chat-app type of environment as if they are chatting with the game characters as friends. Add to that, the game platform will also offer Riddles, Quizzes, mini-games, and supports multimedia such as videos, images, audio, and stickers to bring variety to the experience.
We also have interesting and engaging features such as Multiplayer (multi-vote among closed group). The Global session feature is like Netflix’s Bandersnatch streaming on Twitch live with an audience around the world participating in the choice selection and voting together.
BD: Do you feel that the game will provide a welcoming jumping-on point for players who may be unfamiliar with the Aggretsuko series?
LK: Absolutely! MomentSQ provides character bios in their profile screen, Aggretsuko story description, and episode description in MomentSQ. This way, new players who aren’t familiar with the Aggretsuko series can easily pick it up. Also, the characters are very relatable and the story dialogue and gameplay will be very easy to follow… similar to a daily office life with twists and turns to keep players interested.
BD: What are the best ways for interested players to access AVM Lab’s MomentSQ interactive story platform?
LK: Fans can download from the Apple App Store on October 30th. The release of Android will be announced very soon.
BD: Are there any other developments that you have in the works at AVM Lab that you are able to share with our readers?
LK: Brands and IP Owners including comic book publishers, movie studios, or production companies have expressed interest of exploring opportunities with us. These have been adapting existing IPs in the portfolio to explore different media and format in storytelling, and to repurpose / expand the content to add a revenue stream. There will be more information being released that we are excited to share further with Fanbase Press once it’s announced.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about Aggretsuko and AVM Lab Games?
LK: Aggretsuko is the first step for MomentSQ to provide crossovers between anime and games, as well as working with talented Hollywood writers such as Bernie Su on adapting the Emmy Award-winning web series, Emma Approved. We will continue to find new great IPs to explore and experiment with on different storytelling approaches and adaptation into interactive games.
AVM Lab is interested in the story-based, narrative, and multi-branching games, and more specifically in the convergence of films, animations, and games. It’s an exciting time since the market and demand of high quality content and deep storytelling is growing. Mobile platforms like MomentSQ are much more accessible ways to experience multi-branching narrative games, which have been previously reserved for the PC/Console (thanks to Heavy Rain, Life is Strange, Beyond: Two Souls, etc).
