College Kings, interview with Undergrad Steve
A short chat with the development team, which is currently very busy with the realization of act IV's game
Last month we ventured into College Kings (here our review), one of the most popular erotic visual novels of the sector. The reason is simple. The title from independent developer Undergrad Steve surprises both technically and in writing quality. A rather unusual factor for games of this type.
As always, on our part there is considerable curiosity about the origins or in any case the modus operandi of those who work behind adult titles. College Kings currently consists of three acts, with the IV set to release on Steam at the end of March. In fact, the full version of this dlc will be released on the Valve store, which instead is available in early access for all subscribers to the Patreon of the London-based studio.
Despite being very busy with the implementation of Act IV, we managed to intercept Undergrad Steve for a little chat. In which we tried to get to know better the development team. For friends who don’t speak English, here is the Italian version of Our interview. Enjoy the reading.
Introduce yourself to the italian public.
Hey everyone, I’m Undergrad Steve, creator of the adult visual novel College Kings.
Who is Undergrad Steve? Tell us a little about yourself and/or your team.
I’m 21 years old and started working on College Kings during Summer of 2020, since then the team has grown to over 20 people. It’s been a crazy time but we’re all just here to make the best damn game for the players!
Personally I’m a huge fan of movies like American Pie. What do you think? Was it a source of inspiration? Or do you have direct college experience? Talk about it.
I like American Pie and that was definitely and inspiration. I also am a big fan of Fight Club and Never Back Down, so College Kings is kind of a cross over of those. I’ve also spent a year living in California so that definitely had a lot of impact too.
We’ve seen that like many other adult titles, College Kings finds support primarily with Patreon. Have you ever considered a Kickstarter campaign?
Honestly I just started a Patreon because other adult creators seemed to do it. Launching a Kickstarter is a lot more complex and requires a lot more work to be successful, so Patreon just seemed easier as a beginner.
We know that Steam tends to be very liberal in terms of publishable content. But have you tried / thought about releasing College Kings on other stores as well?
There’s not many other big stores that allow adult games unfortunately, otherwise I would.
Unlike other visual novels for adults, we have noticed the care given to the script/plot. However, let’s think about the fact that the protagonist can get officialy engaged, for example, with Lauren. Despite this, he can easily spend a whole day having fun with others, without even hearing her with a message.. Was it your intention or not?
It’s very difficult balancing the sheer amount of love interests we have in the game. We always try to create enough content for everyone, but sometimes some girls fall under the radar.
Was the character designs totally invented, or were you inspired by real people, perhaps your friends or relatives?
Most characters have some kind of foundation in someone I knew in real life, but through development, writing and creative liberty, the characters become their own throughout the process.
Among the girls featured in College Kings, which one is your favorite and why? (Personally, I consider Riley the best)
I’m a sucker for Emily, even though she might come of a bit crazy.
College Kings’s Act IV is expected to be released on Steam next March 25th. Will it be the last? Or are there others under construction? Also, you have other plans for the future in mind?
We don’t expect Act IV to be the last, but we’ll have to wait and see!
Thanks for your time. See you at the next act.
Thank you!
A couple of months ago Undergrad Steve and his team posted a long Q&A video on their Youtube channel. We leave it for you below.