Q: Have you and your team ever considered making your own game? I see that they have learned a lot with Evergreen and Arcade, but personally I think it would be great if they try it in the future:)
A: I have personally had quite a few original game ideas. Actually, the only reason I'm working with Emil Macko nowadays is because I originally approached him, maybe in 2018 or 2019, to work with me on an original project.
I come up with new game ideas, however ambitious they may be, pretty frequently. I share most of them in my BMC Discord server but I tend to avoid talking about them publicly to keep expectations reasonable.
Evergreen and Arcade are obviously priorities because of the Fazbear Fanverse. They can be sold. And they're being endorsed by Scott, getting merch, publishing, ports, etc. It's a quick and painless route to a fairly successful series. Once POPGOES is done, it's very likely that I'll make some original games, if Scott doesn't want me to work on anything else.
Q: What inspired you to create your fangame? I am curious to know the origin of the mythical POPGOES! tell me everything;)
A: POPGOES began as an answer to an argument on Reddit for the most part. After FNAF3 had released and people had discovered everything, there was a general belief that if a FNAF4 were to ever exist, it would have to be a prequel. Nothing could or should happen after FNAF3. So I joined the conversation and gave an idea for a game set in the future, after FNAF3, with a completely new restaurant and roster of characters. Here's the exact Reddit comment.I then tried to convince some people in my private subreddit called /r/2124 to help me turn it into a real fangame. Eventually a team was formed and we began working on it over the course of a year or so. That's about it!
Q: Have Evergreen and Arcade influenced you? (both positively and negatively). in your GameJolt publications I have noticed you a little stressed
A: These new games have been stressful to work on, absolutely. I am determined to make them perfect. There are also new aspects to it, like the legal side of things for the Fanverse. But the pros outweigh the cons. The game is going on consoles, getting merch, proper Steam releases... It's a dream come true. It has made me feel more professional, more in control, and more of a leader. But yeah, of course, it is hard work and it can take its toll on me and my team, especially when it takes upwards of three years to develop.
Q: In your most honest opinion, did you really imagine being in the Fanverse?
A: I actually knew about the Fanverse through Emil before Scott. Emil told me he received an email from Scott about the Fanverse (before it was even named this, though), and I was actually quite jealous because I really didn't expect to get an opportunity like that. FNAC as a series, especially in 2020, was always much more iconic and prevalent than POPGOES. I was very happy for Emil, of course, but a part of me wished that POPGOES had been successful enough to also be in a deal with Scott. But literally all I had to do was check my own email and there it was! Scott had emailed me too and I was getting upset over nothing.
Q: Do you think AftonBuilt deserved to be in the Fanverse? and because?
A: AftonBuilt was an incredibly ambitious project. If Liam scaled the game down and focused more on gameplay rather than characters and story, then I think it would have been a great addition to the Fanverse. As it stands right now, I completely understand why Scott turned it down. Especially since it seemed to rely on the funding that Scott would give. None of the other Fanverse games absolutely needed funding to exist. FNAC4 was already in development, ONAF3 didn't cost anything to make, I was already making a reboot of POPGOES, etc.
Q: Will there still be reveals? I mean, in some future when the gamejolt page reaches a certain amount or Dawko does a Stream, will we have some Evergreen?
A: I'll still try to show off new things every now and again. There might be some interesting things in the Steam release of POPGOES Arcade for example. But for certain things, like character reveals, I think I'm done. I don't want to spoil the game or show off too much without finishing enough in development. The game will eventually get a trailer when it's near completion, so there's that as well.
Q: I have seen that Emil works with you. So, does that mean that concepts or advances of your projects are passed between you? (I mean, have you seen some Fnac 4 and Emil some Evergreen?)
A: Yes absolutely. Emil knows everything about Evergreen - he is the programmer of the game. And I've seen quite a lot of FNAC4. Both game series take place in the same universe, called the CPU (Candy's + Popgoes Universe), so we need to know what each other has planned for their stories.
Q: Have there been new evergreen characters that have been discarded? and if so, could you give a short description of them?A: Nope, not yet. Evergreen's story and characters have been planned out for over 2 years now. I haven't scrapped anything major and certainly no characters.
Q: What was your reaction when you found out that Scott enjoyed your fangame? (I mention this also because in a steam post I mentioned that I would be playing POPGOES and other fangames)A: Felt amazing, obviously! Especially since Scott and I have had some drama in the past. Knowing he was excited for POPGOES 2 and finds the story of POPGOES to be impressive is awesome.
Q: How is your relationship with the other members of the fazbear fanverse?
A: Emil and I are close friends. We talk frequently. I'm also good friends with Phil though our relationship is entirely different. I don't speak to Nikson at all. I was a close contact of Jonochrome before the controversy but haven't spoken to him since.
Q: Haven't you thought about making Evergreen in GameJolt a demo version? I mean, I know that Evergreen from Steam will have exclusive things unlike their version of GemeJolt, however, haven't you thought about making, for example, Evergreen from Gamejolt only let you play the first 2 nights, and their Steam version has all inclusive? I think this would encourage people to buy the game, to play it full (and S T O N K S)
A: That's right, I've been considering that. The original idea was for Evergreen to be released in "full" (including the full story, all endings, all canon content), but to only hold back on visual stuff like unlockable phones and trading cards. That remaining content would be exclusive to the Premium version (Steam, ports, etc). But some people have been trying to convince me that Evergreen is too large, and taking too much time, to be given away for free. And that, instead, just a demo should be available on Game Jolt with the rest of the game (with EVERYTHING) available on Steam as a paid product. And though I haven't settled anything yet, I am thinking about it.
Q: What is it that currently motivates you and your work team to Finish Evergreen?
A: We're all constantly impressed with each other's work, and we're adamant to have it all presented as intended. Not through a "behind the scenes" video, not through a "scrapped content" showcase, but as a full, playable, fun, scary game. The POPGOES series has had too many failures for a project of this size to also fall with them. It would be very embarrassing. There is also the benefits of the Fanverse that keep us going: The profit from sales, the notoriety that comes with merchandise and its own place on the Wikipedia page for FNAF... things like that. We feel like this is something important. It's a huge milestone for fan content, and we can't let it down.
Q: How do your relatives feel knowing that you develop a game, and that you can sell it like a professional?
A: I live with my parents, my sister, and my girlfriend. My parents are quite young and they understand video games and their impact very well. They're quite supportive of my projects and the concept of the Fanverse made them even more confident in it being worthwhile for me. It is a lot easier to explain the success of my project with the Fanverse existing.
Q: How likely is Challenge Night and Cycle Night to stay in the game?
A: I'm not sure about Challenge Night(s). We had plenty of cool ideas for that, but I think it's unnecessary. I'm not sure what you mean by Cycle Night but I'll assume it's Endless Night with the day/night cycle. That is probably going to stay in Evergreen. I think an endless mode that allows you to farm for rewards based on how long you survive is almost essential.
Q: Do you think an old computer (such as a Windows 7 office computer) supports evergreen?
A: I don't see why not. It's a Clickteam game. If you can run the new Arcade then I would bet you'll be fine with Evergreen.
Q: What do you think the cost of Evergreen could be?
A: Not sure... maybe the same price as FNAF2-SL?
Q: I have seen that you really want to deliver a quality product and I really admire that. however, you mention that Evergreen will be the last fanverse game to come out. so maybe Evergreen could be out by 2027 or 2030? (I know there is no established date, but I would be interested to know at least a possible year of release lol)
A: I've been wrong about this twice already but I would hope and imagine that Evergreen will be finished by late 2023. But I really don't know. There are some major things to work on.
Q: What do you think of the fnaf community? (and also from the Hispanic community)
A: I honestly don't interact very much with the general FNAF community. I don't talk in forums, or even browse Reddit anymore. I'm just here to provide content, listen to feedback, and check out fanart! I've had a mixed bag from the Hispanic community. I have had some very positive encounters with Spanish creators like GG Games, but I've also run into trouble with plenty of Spanish-speaking trolls who are very rude or spammy. But it's just an extension of the FNAF community as a whole so I don't let it leave an impression on me.
Q: Bonus question (it's ok if you don't want to answer it) When will Whatsapp Evergreen come out?
A: I'll see if we can port Evergreen straight to Whatsapp when the game is finished!
