This series features interviews with developers of intriguing new indie games. In this installment, we bring you a mini-interview with the developers of “Eslabong,” an arena battle action game developed by shirowita that entered Early Access for PC on August 25.
This action game challenges players to manage a mercenary group while engaging in real-time arena battles. You hire mercenaries to form a squad and develop your club by winning leagues and cup tournaments.In combat, you can either control the captain yourself—maneuvering and aiming—or set tactics in advance and let the game handle the battle automatically. As of this writing, the game does not support Japanese.
“Eslabong” is currently available in Early Access for 1,900 yen.
――First, please introduce yourself. What’s your favorite game?
Hello, FranzGame*Spark readers! I’m Franz, an independent developer from Argentina and the creator of “Eslabong.” I’m truly grateful for this opportunity to introduce my game to you all. My absolute favorite game is “World of Warcraft.”
――Please tell us about the game’s key features. Also, how did you come up with the idea for it?
Franz: “Eslabong” is a game that combines arena combat with fantasy arena club management elements. Players scout and train fighters to build a team and compete through multiple seasons of sports-style tournaments.
You can also choose to control your fighters directly in battle or play in Auto-Battler (automatic combat) mode.
――Were there any games that influenced the development of this title?
Franz: We were mainly influenced by MOBA games like “Dota” and “League of Legends.” We wanted to fuse elements from “Football Manager” and tactical games into that framework.
――Please share one memorable moment from the game’s development.
Franz: Personally, my favorite moment was when I was working on the Goblin Archer class. I was trying to create a “throw a banana peel” skill, but there was a mistake in the code—instead of trying to dodge the banana peel, enemies actually tried to actively pick it up.
So I renamed the skill “Finders Keepers” and reworked it into a skill that throws gold coins instead of bananas to “taunt” enemies.
――What kind of user feedback did you receive after release? Please share any that left a particularly strong impression on you.
Franz: What struck me most was just how much time complete strangers spent playing the game I created.Even during the early playtest phase, when there was only one season and a limited number of classes, several players spent over 100 hours playing the game. That’s when I became convinced that “this game has real potential.”
――Taking user feedback into account, could you tell us about your plans for future updates?
Franz: When we started developing this game, it was essentially a “control-the-captain” game. At first, you couldn’t even play it as an auto-battler. However, after receiving many requests from players early in development, we decided to implement it, and now it has become the game’s flagship feature and the main way most players enjoy the game.
We’ve also added “Ranked Match Mode” as a new mode that was highly requested by the community. In this mode, all teams are standardized to Level 100 with balanced stats to ensure everyone can compete on an equal footing.
Regarding future updates, since “Draft Mode” was very well-received by our Early Access players, we plan to significantly expand this mode and develop it into a fully independent game mode.
――Could you tell us about the Japanese localization status for this game? Is volunteer translation possible?
Franz: We are currently working on the Japanese localization. We sincerely apologize for the delay. We have received offers from several Japanese publishers, and we plan to complete the full Japanese translation next month and make all necessary preparations for the official release.
――Is it okay to distribute or monetize this game?
Franz: Absolutely! We’d love for players to stream *Eslabong* and monetize their gameplay videos or streams on platforms like YouTube and Twitch. We’d be thrilled to see what kind of teams you put together and what moments you share with your viewers.
――Finally, please share a message for our Japanese readers.
Franz: Thank you so much to Game*Spark and its readers for your interest in *Eslabong*! I hope you’ll enjoy starting your own Arena Club, experimenting with different team compositions, and watching your fighters grow. We’re currently working on the Japanese translation, so please bear with us for a little while longer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your warm support!
――Thank you very much.
◆ About “Spotlight on Indie Mini-Q&A”
This series features email interviews with indie developers about their games shortly after release. To ensure regular updates, we’ve standardized the questions, with the goal of sharing the voices of as many developers as possible. Please also enjoy our other interview articles, which now number over 1,000.
