The director of OvenSmash thinks PvP shouldn't just be for hardcore players

PvP gaming has always carried a certain reputation with it. For many casual gamers, this space is reserved for games that aren't always enticing and instead, more often than not, are rather intimidating, dominated by skill gaps and players who have far more time to devote to a single game than other players can. And this perception has only grown stronger as competitive games continue to evolve, generally rewarding commitment at the expense of accessibility. But what happens when the series is liked CookieRunknown for his charm and approachability, enters the competitive arena and tries to rethink what it can be? It seems that CookieRun: OvenSmash it intends to do just that to give players of different preferences a chance to feel like they're actually good at a PvP game.

GameRant recently interviewed CookieRun: OvenSmash game director WonYoung Lee on the challenges of long-running CookieRun franchise into a real-time PvP environment. While Devsisters brings the IP to a new genre with fast-paced competitive battles and multiple modes built around short matches, Lee offered some insight into how the team approaches competition in a way that fits the series' identity while still utilizing the intensity that PvP so often demands.

CookieRun: OvenSmash wants to make PvP more attractive

One of the biggest problems with moving a friendly, fun IP like that CookieRun into the intense space that is PvP gaming tries to maintain a balance between identity and competition. Bringing all of this to a battle arena format brings with it expectations that don't always match what players associate with CookieRunespecially when the fun of PvP tends to boil down to player skill. For WonYoung Lee, the challenge wasn't just to create a competitive game OvenSmashbut figuring out how the competition can still feel like it belongs in the CookieRun universe:

“We started with CookieRun IP, and it's a new genre, a battle arena genre, so it can be wild. But how do we do it? CookieRun? How we keep the style CookieRun and at the same time makes it a strong competitor? And how we evolve CookieRun to a PVP game? That's what we focused on the most.”

But developers can't just hope to succeed if all they've done is slap their own IP on someone else's idea, and at first glance it's easy to think CookieRun: OvenSmash it does just that. The upcoming mobile title has naturally been compared to other fighting arena games such as Supercell's Brawl Starsand it's easy to see why. Bright, stylized characters, fast-paced matches, hero-based design, and a team-based PvP focus all reinforce these comparisons. However, Devsister's goal with OvenSmash it was never intended to compete with other games – or any other game Brawl Starsspecifically – and instead “put a lot of thought into why people would like this particular game”.

Ultimately, it's about focusing on what it ultimately does CookieRun: OvenSmash unique among other PvP games. Again, games in this space often rely heavily on player skill, which can create a barrier for those who aren't ready or willing to commit to that level of play or the time it takes to get there. Lee pointed to this gap as one of the biggest things the team wanted to address when thinking about what it was doing CookieRun: OvenSmash feel different:

“I think when there are more advanced players, more experienced players, PvP games become about losing to those players. Small things can have a snowball effect and these elements can make the game boring. The difference in skill can make a big difference. If the skill ceiling is too high, it can be overwhelming for some users. So we also focused on luck, not just user skill and skill, so even if the user is not different in skill. and they still can to bridge the skills gap.”

what does he do CookieRun: OvenSmash therefore, they excel in how they redefine the idea of fairness in PvP play. Instead of treating balance as something that strictly rewards the best players, CookieRun: OvenSmash It seems to be exploring ways to keep players engaged even if their skill levels aren't perfectly aligned with others. This doesn't automatically trivialize the skill cap, but it does introduce enough variation that the results don't always feel like they've been decided before the match even starts.

This idea is directly reflected in how Lee sees the game's potential place in the genre. Rather than just competing with established PvP games, this is the point CookieRun: OvenSmash tries to rethink who these games are actually built for:

“Yes, I think it's definitely possible. I really like the PVP genre itself. When I play PVP games, it can still be stressful. It's a lot of fun, but some matches are unsatisfying, so it's hard for me to play them for a long time. I think it's because the players who stay in PVP games are really hardcore users. And we thought we could enjoy non-hardcore games, of which we should have two different types of games.” together – new players and hardcore players We wanted to go further than others and make sure we become the new standard in the PVP genre.”

Bringing these two audiences together is where the idea becomes more ambitious. PvP games tend to narrow over time and experienced players increase their skill level so that it becomes harder for others to stay. If CookieRun: OvenSmash can preserve a space where both groups feel like they belong together, it could end up doing more than carving out a niche and possibly changing the way accessibility is approached in competitive gaming.

Cookie Run OvenSmash - official screenshot from steam 5

For Lee, that vision is ultimately rooted in something much simpler than genre expectations or design philosophy. As he said, “I want a lot of players to come to our game, invite their friends, and I just don't want them to quit after playing a short match. I want this game to be something that people want to invite others to and want to play with their friends.” In order to achieve this, the Devsisters believe CookieRun: OvenSmash it needs to be a game for everyone, and that's where a little accessibility can go a long way.