2023.09.05
Interview with the CookieRun: Braverse Team | The Journey to Create a Trading Card Game
CookieRun: Braverse, the newest entry in the CookieRun series, is a trading card game (TCG) that was revealed through its launch showcase on September 1, 2023.
The CookieRun: Braverse team aims to not only popularize the TCG genre, but also to further grow the CookieRun franchise worldwide. In this interview, the CookieRun: Braverse team reveals the steps needed and challenges faced in the project, as well as the effort and dedication poured into the TCG’s development.
Greetings to All TCG Fans
Hello, world! We are the CookieRun: Braverse team. We’ve developed this CookieRun TCG with all of our hearts. This game was designed with passion and lots of effort. And today, we’re super excited to finally introduce CookieRun: Braverse to the world.
Since the successful launch showcase held on September 1, we have officially begun to meet fans from all over the world. We hope that this interview will convey just how much sincerity and dedication we’ve poured into this project.
A Team that Loves CookieRun and Trading Card Games
CookieRun Braverse is a TCG where players battle each other using decks of 60 cards, composed of Cookies, Items, Traps, and Stage cards. It’s also the first project to be launched by Devsisters’ Global IP Business Group (GIPB).
The GIPB Group’s main goal is to help CookieRun grow into a world-renowned, large-scale media franchise that can be loved by everyone of all ages. The team consists of experts from various backgrounds and professional fields, with a shared love for the CookieRun franchise. The team focuses on MD products, online and offline pop-up stores, exhibitions, licensing, production of an animation series, and the TCG itself, CookieRun: Braverse.
Our team started the TCG project because we were convinced that it was a genre where the CookieRun IP could achieve international growth as a media franchise. Unlike mobile or PC game genres, TCGs hold special value in that players can experience the unique charm of CookieRun in physical form.
TCGs are also a genre enjoyed by many youths across the world. If the CookieRun franchise could enter the daily lives of people via a new method, the TCG genre, we believed that CookieRun could become a name loved by all generations for the next 10, 30, or even 50 years or more.
The TCG could also become a fond childhood memory, or a close friend to many players worldwide. If the CookieRun franchise could become friends or memories for multitudes of people, we thought that the IP itself would somehow become a living, breathing entity in its own right, living in the hearts of those who enjoy it.
TCGs are All Around Us
The TCG genre and industry is steadily growing on an international scale. Many experts predict that the TCG industry will become a huge market worth approximately 10 trillion KRW by 2023. In Japan and the United States, the TCG genre has already established itself as a part of popular culture.
On the other hand, in Korea, TCGs are still somewhat unfamiliar territory. But, if you look closely, there are many elements that are similar to TCGs to be found in Korean society. Many people have had some sort of playing experience with a deck of playing cards, or have played games such as Halli Galli. Other have collected Pokemon cards or traded Major League Baseball cards as children.
Most of the recognized TCGs are from outside of Korea. With this in mind, our team approached the design and development of CookieRun: Braverse with a strong and fiery passion, almost like a team with a grand mission and purpose. Based on the appeal of the CookieRun franchise and TCGs, we intensively prepared and analyzed methods and strategies to capture the hearts of people across the world. This passion has inspired us with the dream to create a TCG that can stand shoulder to shoulder with internationally recognized TCGs, such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, and Magic: The Gathering.
The Crispiest Adventure Ever: Cookies Crossing Multiple Dimensions
The primary concept and premise of CookieRun: Braverse is the “multiverse”. The concept was born from bold ideas: “What if there was something out there in the universe in the world of Cookies?”, “What if there was a rift in time caused by an explosion in outer space?”, and “What if countless dimensions could be accessed through the rift, each with its own dimension of Cookies?”
After much brainstorming and careful consideration, the world of CookieRun: Braverse was born, featuring Cookies from five different planets. These Cookies are multidimensional travelers on a mysterious journey. The team’s goal for development was keeping people on their toes with unpredictable ideas, much more different and diverse from the kinds of fun players have enjoyed in previous CookieRun games. As some may have noticed, this has served as a motif in the TCGs teaser trailer revealed on June 27, where the protagonist’s clothes changed in style and color when touching the mirror.
An Ideal Method of Play, Balancing Ease and Strategy
We are, most definitely, latecomers to the TCG industry. Therefore, the team has devoted the majority of our time and effort into capturing the authenticity of existing TCG mechanics and making up for some existing shortcomings. But there was one thing the entire team has invested a ton of effort: the Rules.
According to some players, existing TCGs have a steep learning curve due to their complexity, card decks and configurations, and an extreme gap in skill between beginners and experts. When developing CookieRun: Braverse, from the very beginning, we have been dedicated to three tenets: Everyone, Enjoy, Expect. To elaborate, the team has been dedicated to creating a TCG experience that everyone can enjoy, while also becoming deeply immersed in a light, but with expectations for an exciting method of play.
Of course, things were easier said than done. The process to create the current set of rules had its setbacks on many different occasions. Dozens of meetings with Main Designer Ryo Shinomoto, planning and re-planning existing rules and concepts from scratch. The rules were radically redesigned at least five times.
This repetitive and gruesome process was entirely worth it. CookieRun: Braverse’s rules for playing are easy to learn, regardless of who you are. We feel that it really is a game for everyone of all ages to enjoy across the world. There’s strategic depth to the game, as well as unpredictable dynamics that provide extra excitement. CookieRun: Braverse is a well-balanced game, where both luck and strategy go hand-in-hand, kind of like a game of cards.
There were, however, moments where we doubted the rules we created. Were they really easy to learn? Could everyone understand the mechanics? Was it only simple in our eyes? But our worries were laid to rest when, during a play-testing session, players ranging from a 5-year-old child to adults over 40 were playing with many smiles on their faces.
Top Names of the Industry
From its initial development, our goal with CookieRun: Braverse was to reach audiences beyond Korea. We were confident that the CookieRun franchise’s charm and values, combined into a TCG, could be loved by the entire world.
But gaining international recognition in the PC and mobile gaming markets is no small feat, especially overseas. Though the CookieRun franchise is well-known to many in Korea, it has only taken its first steps into becoming an internationally recognized franchise.
After much deliberation, the team decided that the best course of action was the seek the expertise of the world’s best designers; internationally recognized names in the TCG industry. With such a production team designing CookieRun: Braverse, TCG players who are unfamiliar with CookieRun could also think, “Now I’m curious,” or “It may be worth a shot.”
The only problem was that we had no idea how to recruit such internationally recognized designers. But in the end, our strategy seemed to have worked. We met with each individual, explaining the idea behind CookieRun: Braverse and the future of the TCG genre, alongside the potential of the CookieRun franchise. We believed that our goal to provide an authentic and challenging experience would convince others to join as a strong motivator.
Our sincerity paid off. The opportunity arrived to work with Ryo Shinomoto, one of the top players of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, and designer for the Dragon Ball and One Piece TCGs. In addition, Kenji Watanabe, senior designer for the Pokemon franchise and original artist for the Digimon franchise, also joined the effort. Others joined as well: In-Hyuk Lee, who illustrated for Magic: The Gathering, Jun-Seong Park, illustrator for League and Legends and Legends of Runeterra at Riot Games, and Yo-Seok Heuk, who has reimagined the beauty of Korea in an attractive and unique artistic format. These are producers and designers, not only known by the TCG industry, but also the general public. And it was an honor to work with such esteemed designers on CookieRun: Braverse.
Dreaming of Augmented Reality
CookieRun: Braverse has one last major secret to share with the world. Or is it a secret no longer with the September 1 showcase? CookieRun: Braverse has an augmented reality (AR) play mode.
As previously mentioned, we wanted to address the shortcomings of existing, traditional TCGs and fulfill the desires of all players, both experts and beginners, children to adults. The development of CookieRun: Braverse’s AR mode was also made with this same purpose in mind.
Many players who enjoy playing TCGs can only imagine the characters on their cards coming to life, battling their opponents on the field, just like in film or anime. We here at CookieRun: Braverse want to make that fantasy a reality.
In AR mode, the characters will pop out of their cards and dash towards their opponents, use their unique skills, and engage in intense battle. When playing the game in this mode, you’ll finally get to see what you’ve always wanted to see: living, breathing cards engaging in intense combat.
A playable demonstration of the AR mode will be available at CookieRun: Braverse’s first domestic tournament, to be held at the end of this year. In addition, the feature will be actively utilized for all future tournaments and events. This will provide a rich and memorable experience that not only our players will enjoy, but also spectators who have never seen TCG matches before.
This is Just the Beginning!
Starting with the launch showcase, CookieRun: Braverse plans to visit players through various offline locations, such as the “CookieRun: Braverse Station” in Lotte World Tower in Seoul, GS25 stores nationwide in Korea, and through the online CookieRun Store.
Currently planned for October, CookieRun: Braverse will release its first booster pack and a storybook pertaining to the world of CookieRun: Braverse. The first domestic tournament for CookieRun: Braverse will be held at the end of the current year.
Moreover, starting in February 2024, CookieRun: Braverse will launch in a total of seven regions worldwide, including the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Our goal is to release CookieRun: Braverse in more than 20 regions across the world, and to one day, host a World Championship, where fans and players can gather in one location to create new memories and enjoy exciting TCG battles together.
We hope to bring sincere smiles to players all over the world. The road to bringing CookieRun: Braverse to the world was an immense challenge, but also very enjoyable and rewarding. We can’t wait for players to dive into CookieRun: Braverse and create new memories with their Cookie friends.
Through these first steps, we hope to continuously provide an amazing TCG experience. One day, we truly wish CookieRun: Braverse can be recognized as a Korean TCG, much like Magic: The Gathering is recognized in the U.S. and Pokemon in Japan.
We hope to bring you more excitement and amazing news in the future!
