On November 26, a remake of Sublustrum, a cult Russian quest game by the Phantomery Interactive team, was announced. The App2Top editorial team spoke with Georgiy Beloglazov, founder and CEO of Brickworks Games, about how the work on the new game is progressing and what it will be like.
Get in the spirit with some lovely DLC - Lake: Season's Greetings is releasing for Nintendo Switch and I chatted with Jos Bouman, creative director at Gamious, about this cozy DLC. Read more: A Cozy Fireside Chat about Lake: Season's Greetings
This past November, Frontier Developments provided a general outline of updates coming through December 2025 and into early 2026 for Elite: Dangerous, including the intriguing arrival of operations, a repeatable multi-step encounter for up to four players that blends ship combat and FPS combat that’s slated to arrive early this year. We now have a […]
The fact that ARC Raiders’ use of generative AI development tools for its creation, particularly for its voice work, is a sticky wicket for many shouldn’t come as a surprise in the age of rising slop tides. Still, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Soderlund is not backing down and continues to defend the decision in an […]
Starting out as a freelance videogame writer and narrative designer for various indie game studios, Aoife O’Friel found her way into Ubisoft as a scriptwriter on the procedural quest team for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in 2018 and never looked back. She soon joined Massive Entertainment (an Ubisoft Studio), where she would spend the next seven years working in her chosen field to bring Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and its story packs, The Sky Breaker and Secrets of the Spires, to life as narrative lead.
Now, as a Narrative Director, O’Friel is in charge of the story for the latest expansion, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes, making her the perfect person to talk to about the game’s new protagonist, So’Lek.
During the preview event early last month at Lightstorm Entertainment HQ in L.A., despite her busy schedule, we briefly managed to sit down with O’Friel to discuss So’lek’s character, his motivations, what obstacles we can expect him to encounter, and who he is ultimately destined to cross paths with.
So Aoife, what can you tell us about So’lek? Obviously, we’ve met him as a recurring character in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, but it looks like From the Ashes will be the first time that we are actually able to control So’lek as a playable character, right?
Aoife O’Friel: Absolutely. So you are playing So’Lek in From the Ashes, and as you mentioned, we’ve met him before in Frontiers of Pandora. We understand that he has a lot of tragedy in his past. He’s had this loss of family, loss of Clan, even the loss of his first ikran [a.k.a. banshee, winged mount] in the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains. And then in the main game, we saw that vengeful drive he had to hunt down the commanders in that battle, and he took their dog tags. And he wore them around his neck.
But now, playing as So’lek, we really get to focus on, you know, what does that vengeance mean for him, and also, what is it doing to him, internally? Like he suffers from a lot of survivor’s guilt and PTSD, and this vengeance, [the] central path he’s on, where does it lead? He’s not going to find peace that way. He’s not going to get his family back. So getting to experience the western frontier through his perspective and [discovering] what he wants and what he’s looking for…It’s different, for sure.
Along those same lines, like, what inspired the decision to turn the focus from The Sarentu to So’lek in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes?
Aoife O’Friel: A lot of it was to do with Avatar: Fire and Ash. We had the opportunity to have the Mangkwan, the antagonist clan from the movie, also be the antagonists in From the Ashes. And so we wanted to be able to delve into their backstory and into their motivations. And So’lek ended up being a perfect fit for that, because he has this rich backstory that we haven’t really tapped into.
[In the first Avatar film], we saw, you know, of course, the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains that I mentioned, and then we see [So’lek’s] journey in the comic book series, but then he has so much in his past that is still unexplored. And we realized, you know, this is an opportunity to have the Ash Clan be part of So’lek’s past too, and [tie] these things together, especially as the Ash Clan are driven by darkness. So’lek, to a different extent, is also driven by darkness. So it [allowed] us to compare and contrast by choosing So’lek to be the protagonist.
Speaking of the new characters, what can you tell us about the new clans in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes? That was something that kind of surprised me. I was expecting that there was going to be at least one, as we saw in the trailer, but in fact, there are actually two.
Aoife O’Friel: Yeah, so we have our lovely Wind Traders who come a little earlier [to the Aranahe] than expected… because they have this warning that they have seen a darkness that is coming to the western frontier. And so they are different Wind Traders than [those] in the movie. They are a different clan of the Tlalim, but they are just as exuberant and are kind of a party people. They love to travel and trade and have gossip, and so they’re very fun-loving. And then it’s really interesting to see them be concerned.
They come to the Aranahe Hometree, and they warn the Aranahe and So’Lek that “something’s coming. Our journey here wasn’t easy. These are bad times.” So it was really fun to, like, have this, look at these, these really exuberant party people, and then have that be this nice beginning, I guess, before everything turns dark for the rest of the story, because the Mangkwan show up.
Yeah, building out those personalities with Lightstorm was really fun because we had a lot of questions for them on like, what do the Mangkwan Clan care about? How come they’re so different to other Na’vi, you know, what kind of relationships make sense for them, like Wukula and Zari, the brother and sister? Does it make sense for them to have a rivalry, you know, with Rakx and her ikran, and how hard she drives ikran and that she doesn’t take time to mourn [their deaths]? Does that make sense for how they feel about wildlife? So it was really great to explore this whole new culture and bring it into the game.
Getting back to Sol’ek, he seems even angrier nowadays, despite having suffered the loss of his clan several years ago, right? Obviously, he’s gone on quite some adventures [and] misadventures in the comic book series as well, so there are other factors, but would you be able to elaborate a little more on that?
Aoife O’Friel: Yeah, I agree with you, [if anything] he has gotten angrier, but it’s because of everything that’s happened before, right? He has suffered so much loss before, and he hasn’t fully come to terms with it, and now everything that he’s finally managed to grasp for himself, his new family, it’s all under threat again, and so he’s been here before, right? He’s lost people before, and he is so afraid of losing more people. He’s suffering from that survivor’s guilt we talked about, the PTSD, and he’s just, he can’t go through it again. And so I think that’s really what drives so much of his anger in From the Ashes because he knows what’s at stake.
So as we all know, a new third-person mode will be coming as a free update to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora on December 5th and will also be a part of the upcoming From the Ashes paid DLC expansion when it launches on December 19th, right alongside the theatrical release of Avatar: Fire and Ash. The base game and its previous story packs, The Sky Breaker and Secrets of the Spires, both supported co-op. Will there be a co-op mode for From the Ashes?
Aoife O’Friel: In From the Ashes, no, there is no co-op, but perhaps you’re thinking of the Sarentu character returning as a companion?
Oh, yes, my mistake, confusing those two things. Actually, regarding the Sarentu, in the previous game, the Sarentu were referred to and addressed as They/Them and had three voice options (male, female and androgynous) portraying them. Will the Sarentu still be voiced by the same actors in their new supporting role?
Aoife O’Friel: Yes. The Sarentu character… some players have spent hundreds of hours with that character, as we’ve talked about, and they built that character to be who they want them to be, choosing voice, choosing appearance, choosing gear, and that’s the character then that you will see, as the Sarentu companion in From the Ashes. It’s the one that you have created yourself.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
That’s great to hear, as I’ve grown quite attached to my Sarentu! Moving on really quickly, is it necessary for players to have played through The Sky Breaker or Secret of the Spires DLC to get the most out of this new expansion?
Aoife O’Friel: I mean, of course I would recommend it (laughs jokingly). But no, you don’t even have to have played the main game. If you want to jump straight into From the Ashes, you absolutely can. We’re going to have a little video at the beginning, like a “Previously on Pandora” type video that will set up the main characters and the main events.
So if you want to jump right into From the Ashes, you absolutely can, and you can understand what’s come before. But yeah, I mean, I think to get the full experience, of course, play [them]! I hope the players will want to. Maybe they start From the Ashes, and they’re like, “Oh, I really want to know more about this person,” and they’ll want to jump into the rest of them.
We’re almost out of time, but how excited are you about this new DLC addition and the fact that it’s being connected to the movies in such a direct way [as opposed to the non-canon Avatar games of the past, like 2009’s Avatar: The Game]?
Aoife O’Friel: It’s true, I mean, we’ve always had the connection. I mean, everything that we do is canon, which is an incredible privilege to be part of this universe and to know that everything that we made is actually contributing to the entire history of the franchise. But, yeah, especially now with From the Ashes being very closely tied to Avatar: Fire and Ash because of the Mongkwan and the RDA alliance and that they want to spread their fire across Pandora, we get more of that tie-in. But yeah, I’m beyond excited. I’m embarrassingly excited. Yeah, I can’t wait for people to experience it and just to see how this universe keeps evolving.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Final question: What’s it like working with James Cameron? Like having him sign off on all your [work], making it “officially canon?”
Aoife O’Friel: It’s so cool to know that. I mean, I’ve never had the privilege of speaking to him, but it is so cool to know that he, of course, is incredibly invested in this universe. He created this universe, and he has [signed off] on everything that we do, and makes sure that it all fits into the canon, and that it feels cohesive and it feels real. So it’s incredible to know that he likes this, and he’s, you know, giving it the seal of approval. Yeah, it’s really fun.
Aoife, it’s been lovely meeting you. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me and allowing me to ask you some questions. I personally look forward to playing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes once it’s finally in the public’s hands.
Aoife O’Friel: Nice to meet you, and oh, thank you!
The DLC expansion for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes will release on digital storefronts for PC and current-gen consoles (PS5, Xbox Series, PC, Steam, Amazon Luna) on December 19th, 2025.
Alonzo Mourning knows better than anyone how badly Pat Riley still wants to win a championship. The longtime team president of the Miami Heat is seeking his first championship since 2013 with the franchise. Although Riley certainly isn’t lacking in championship hardware as a nine-time NBA champion — as a head coach, assistant coach, executive […]
Into the Breach was a major inspiration for its elegant strategy!
I think they nailed things by having players move units around to defend, all while granting very limited resources. You have to think about how to really defend objectives and just survive.
It’s not a necessarily a kill everything type of game.
Board games were also an inspiration. There are dexterity board games like Catacombs or Flick ’em Up! – and even the little paper football game you may have played back in grade school.
I also heard about the early development of Hearthstone; they asked:
“What could we do in a digital environment that we can’t do in a physical environment with a card game?”
I tried to do the same thing with Bounce Castle.
What can I do with a kind of billiards or a mini golf-style of gameplay, but something that you couldn’t do in real life?
That’s where things like explosions and pits that you can throw things into come into play.
I tried to kind of combine all of these things and bring it together with the art style of games like Card Hunter from back in the day, or Paper Mario.
That’s where a lot of the inspiration came from!
Gamers Heroes
Absolutely!
So I know the Steam Playtest has been going on for a little while, and that it’s going to be extended.
Have you noticed any insights from players?
I mentioned my aggressive approach that didn’t end well, but were there any instances on the opposite end?
Any MVP plays or things you never thought of doing that basically broke the game?
Chris Stevens
I do really appreciate when people get in there and try to break the game!
Being a game that uses physics, there’s an avenue for that.
While we try to protect against most of it, it is one of those things where one can find a way to really mix things up – that’s how you know you’re doing a good job.
One of the interesting things I noticed from Playtests is that there’s really two types of players…
There are the players that really want to go in for precision, and then there are the players that are okay with being chaotic.
It’s interesting the way that they view the Wizard character in particular right now during the Playtest.
If you’re a precision character, the Wizard is useless to you – but if you’re someone who can embrace the chaos, the Wizard character is the best.
What I found was that some players would do a lot of their precision plays first, then using the Wizard to clean up.
However, other players would look at the board and be like,
“This is not a good state. I’m just going to gust everything with the Wizard and then clean up from there.”
It was interesting to watch these two different play styles!
When I saw that you could really go at it with two different play styles and find success, I thought this was like an idea worth really pursuing.
The best thing I learned to do with Unity is embracing its way of doing things.
Coming from a software engineering background, I had my kind of preconceived notions as to how to work with the code.
When it came to working with the engine’s components like prefab, scriptable objects, and other tools, delegates, and whatnot that Unity provides…
Once I really embraced that, it became very smooth sailing.
The physics have been great to work with.
There are certainly some quirks…
One of the things I like to note – for any other developers interested – Bounce Castle is a 3D game that uses 2D physics.
The game itself is designed more like up on a wall.
I like to say that it’s not like a board game on a table; it’s more like a board game on a wall because it’s using “X” and “Y.”
Anyway, Unity has been really great, and I couldn’t do without it.
Gamers Heroes
I saw on the Bounce Castle splash screen that you credited two voice actors!
I love voice actors – they bring so much life to games.
There’s a lot still under wraps, but what’s it been like working with Ian and Katarina?
Chris Stevens
They’ve been great!
So Ian is a close friend of mine who has a great voice for Viking-like characters – I had him come in and do some of those.
And Katarina – I just happened to find her as I was hanging out in a game dev Discord. I just instantly heard her voice, and said:
“You would be perfect for these characters!”
She does the Goblins, the Archer, the Wizard, and soon we’ll reveal that she’s the Queen and Bishop. She’s been great.
It’s been really fun letting them be creative; I tried to be as hands off as possible. It’s kind of like nudging the flow of a river, as opposed to a straight direction.
Are there any particular lines or moments you’re especially proud of?
Chris Stevens
We don’t have actual words – a lot is more guttural-like!
Once it got to the point of being integrated into the game, and you saw the characters responding – that was the moment things started to click.
When showing it to them, they were like:
“Oh, let me make a couple tweaks to this one, or do a little different take over here.”
That’s when it was the most fun!
When we recorded Ian’s parts, he just came over and used my setup here.
That was fun, just because we could go back and forth doing Keanu Reeves impressions for the night!
We’re like:
“It’s got to be more surfer dude.”
Just having fun!
Gamers Heroes
I see you’ve got a killer setup too!
Since they’re on the call, what’s it been working with Violet Moon – and Scarlet Moon for that matter?
Violet Moon [David Bruno]
You don’t have to answer that! [laughs]
Gamers Heroes
You can be diplomatic! [laughs]
Chris Stevens
Seriously, they’ve been true.
It’s funny, because where I’ve struggled the most has changed as the project progresses.
What I keep butting up against with this project is:
“Oh wow, I’m not as prepared for this part as I thought I might be.”
But then I have this attitude of:
“Well, if I’m not good enough, I’m going to find somebody who is!”
And I was lucky enough that [Violet Moon’s] David Bruno found me, and then we started from there.
I had been in need of marketing and community outreach help for a while.
I tend to be off social media in general myself, so it was an avenue. It was an area I was not very prepared for, but he’s put a structure around it that is understandable.
It put a lot of structure to the just kind of nebulous space I was in.
I felt like I was just dropped into an ocean before, and David has let me know where to go from here.
Gamers Heroes
I totally understand! You’re safe in loving hands.
Violet Moon [David Bruno]
Going back to the voices, I absolutely love the Archer. I want a sound test – it’s just the cutest little sound.
I am definitely one of those people that does the Force Push with the Wizard and cleans up after!
That was my strategy too! I thought to myself, “Okay, I see how this is going!”
Violet Moon [David Bruno]
I immediately leveled up with the Wizard and then tried to expand that skill set first.
Chris Stevens
Yeah!
I get the feedback that the Wizard needs a buff, that they can’t do enough with it.
And then some people that say: “The Warrior is useless; I just all Wizard all the way.”
I’m glad it can fit both!
Violet Moon [David Bruno]
It’s fun once you start learning how to use them to combo off one another!
Chris Stevens
There’s going to be more of that too!
There are a lot more abilities coming out that are going to have synergies between them, as well as teams that have passive abilities that suggest a particular play style.
One of the teams we have art of on our Instagram is the Viking team, which consists of one big Viking King and then two Shield Maidens.
The Viking King himself can’t move on his own but has attacks, whereas the Shield Maidens can move, but don’t have attacks on their own.
So the idea is that it’s kind of like a cue ball; you’re kind of nudging him into positions so that he can do these big AoE attacks, all while using the Maidens to push him alongside the other units.
Gamers Heroes
You just segued to my last question!
I know we’ve got the Steam Playtest, but I saw there’s going to be new regions and chambers, enemies and challenges, and characters and abilities.
You’ve already talked about a little bit about them, but what else are you looking to add between now and release that you can talk about right now?
Chris Stevens
We’re looking at like the next demo, and then Early Access followed by its full release.
The playtests will continue after the Graveyard Playtest is over, with us doing Playtests for both the Castle and Forest Regions.
This will be closely aligned with what the demo is going to look like, but, but there’s going to be more content and more abilities in the demo.
What I’m hoping to have ready for the demo – which I guess this is going to become a promise! – is to have the Viking team playable for one region.
For those things, we’re really making an example of what the full game is going to have to offer. This includes multiple teams beyond the two that will be seen in the demo and four regions, along with a final region that will be the final boss fight.
Basically, expect a lot more content in both the regions and the teams – and a lot of unlockable stuff!
Gamers Heroes
I look forward to experiencing it!
I know this is a super, super busy season – thank you for giving me these heartfelt responses, and just letting me do a deep dive with you!
Letting players become the worst of the worst, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide’s Hive Scum Class is looking to pack personality and power when it launches December 2.
Taking on the esteemed mantle of the diabolical animatronic Toy Freddy, we recently spoke with Professional Voice Actor Kellen Goff ahead of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – learn more with our interview.
We recently had a heart-to-heart with professional voice actor Ryan Colt Levy ahead of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc’s release – learn more with our interview.
With the recent release of Sacrum Romanum, Gamers Heroes recently spoke with Conqueror’s Blade Producer Yiqui Bai regarding this new expansion, its devout community, and its stellar optimization – learn more with our interview.
Hot off the heels of its new Steam demo, Gamers Heroes recently asked Cult of Blood’s development team at Dusty Box questions around its survival horror roots, its modernized classic gameplay, and even the team’s favorite scary movie – learn more with our interview.
You may not believe this, but I didn’t really want to write this column about Final Fantasy XIV because it is entirely based on a game of telephone that is going to disappoint someone down the line. Let’s take a moment to recap. Back a couple of weeks ago, Naoki Yoshida (producer and director of FFXIV) gave […]
An interview with Blue Hat Studio - She's Leaving is a promising new horror game from Blue Hat Studio and I asked co-founder Sam Griffiths all about what players can expect. Read more: She's Leaving: Get to Know the Stunning Horror Game
An interview with Too Kyo Games - Your chums have been playing some great SRPGs this year and The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- is one of the best. I recently had the opportunity to ask scenario & direction lead Kodaka-san at Too Kyo Games some fun questions about it so let's get to it! Read more: Let's Join The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-
An interview with Fermenter Games - After being blown away by Baseless, I asked solo dev Andrew Armstrong of Fermenter Games all about this very unique shooting adventure. Read more: Get to Know Baseless: Scarves and All
David Baszucki, the CEO of Roblox, has been known to say some pretty outlandish things, but his recent interview with the New York Times might have ended up being a carpet bombing of poorly considered answers, as he tried to spin problems into “opportunities” and speak positively about tech additions that are anything but positive. […]
December 2nd is coming awfully fast — just two weeks now! — and the excitement for World of Warcraft player housing is hitting a fever pitch, especially with many testers exploring the system in beta. It’s great to see the creativity of this community spring up around the system, and I look forward to even […]
It’s been a busy November for Hololive Vtuber Nerissa Ravencroft, what with her being part of the Twitch Holoday takeover event and celebrating her birthday on November 21, 2025. Not to mention her second anniversary with Cover was this year, and preparations for 2026 beginning. Siliconera got a chance to check in with her again to learn more about how things are going and what’s next.
First, thanks for taking the time to talk to us again! It’s been about a year, and last time we did you talked about releasing an original song and hitting 700k followers. How does it feel to be closing in on a million after your second year with Cover, and are you planning any sort of special marathon stream when you get closer to that 67,000 milestone?
Nerissa Ravencroft: It’s my pleasure! Honestly, the idea of hitting 1 million subscribers is really exciting to me…! I have to keep working hard so more and more people can listen to my music and want to support me! Currently, I’m planning a lot of really exciting projects for new and old fans alike, so I hope everyone will keep their eyes peeled for the projects I’m working on.
You released your first EP called In My Feelings back in August 2024. Would you prefer to work on another EP next or dedicate yourself to a full album?
Nerissa Ravencroft: Getting to work on In My Feelings was a really new experience for me, since I’d only ever worked on and released singles in the past. Having to review and give feedback, write lyrics, and record so much at once was really exciting for me! Working on music is truly my happy place, so while I plan to keep producing original music no matter what, I’d really love to release a proper debut album. Regarding EP’s specifically, I’m not sure I’ll do another unless I have a really solid idea for one in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgMl8y2ufIg
You worked on two major, original duets with fellow hololive Vtubers in 2025, which were “100%” with Moona Hoshinova and “Over//Ride” with Mori Calliope. What was the experience like working on each one, and how does your preparation on a duet differ from when you’re working on original solo tracks or covers?
Nerissa Ravencroft: Getting to work with senpai I admire so much, like both Moona and Calli, has been so incredible! I had never imagined I’d have an original duet with such wonderful diva’s, so I can’t help but feel extremely pleased. Since both “100%” and “OVER//RIDE” are technically Moona and Calli’s songs respectively, the experience of working on it was more minimal compared to creating originals for myself. With my own projects, I’m very “hands-on”, so I often have a clear vision in mind or give a lot of feedback, and since I tend towards doing the lyrics myself it can usually be fairly intensive emotionally. It was nice with both songs to sit back and just enjoy singing.
You got to be one of the Hololive and Holostars Vtubers taking part in the Twitch Holoday event! What did preparation for that look like, and how did you decide to take part?
Nerissa Ravencroft: As someone who has used both Twitch and YouTube as a viewer, seeing the way the chat integrated is very interesting to me. Both websites have their perks, and I know some people feel very strongly about one or the other. Since hololive streams mostly exclusively on YouTube, I know there’s a lot of people who might love it, but haven’t had a chance to get into it due to only wanting to use Twitch. I wanted to use the opportunity to introduce more Twitch users to the joys of hololive! Since my birthday is in November, we’ve been handling a lot of major preparations for that, but I hope Twitch users can enjoy all of the holotalents streams over on Twitch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mThZIRqIBs
How do you feel streaming on Twitch compares to the YouTube experience for your personal streaming experiences and performances?
Nerissa Ravencroft: Personally, as a streamer, I feel like the differences aren’t that large. Twitch offers some perks YouTube doesn’t, and YouTube offers some perks Twitch doesn’t, so it ultimately boils down to each streamer's personal preferences. When it comes to integrations, Twitch has a lot more, so it can feel a bit intimidating but they can really up the experience you get while watching a stream! I really hope YouTube will continue to expand it’s options for streamers.
You also just celebrated your birthday event! Now that you’re a seasoned Hololive Vtuber, how does the planning work for these and do you feel your approach changes compared to when you first started with Cover?
Nerissa Ravencroft: Even though I’ve been here well over 2 years now, it really passed by in the blink of an eye! No matter what, I want to continue to do my best to create exciting projects that resonate with my fans. I guess, if anything, I’ve maybe learned that it’s okay to be a bit more picky, or to put my foot down if I’m not satisfied with something! I always want everything to be perfect, but when first starting I was very nervous to say no or that something wasn’t to my liking, but I’ve become more confident in myself in the sense that, I’m happy I can be in a space where I’m comfortable enough to put my foot down and bluntly state my opinion!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub9_vBd6N30
Members of your family have come up on stream, and at the end of September 2025 your father made his debut! What kind of convincing and prep work went into that, and how did he feel about it? Think we’ll see him again?
Nerissa Ravencroft: Surprisingly, not as much as you’d think! On my side, it was choosing questions, securing art rights from the incredible fan designers, and the usual behind the scene prep stuff. As for my father, I think he was more excited than anything! My whole family is supportive of me, and they’re good sports about it when I invite them to be on my streams. It’s a very happy occasion I think because we get to make a fun memory together that’s immortalized. It does help that all of us are diva’s in our own way, though~ I do hope to have them all on my stream again in the future, but it’ll stay infrequent.
You recently did a lyre ASMR! How do you feel that went, and do you think we could see more performances?
Nerissa Ravencroft: It was really exciting! I’ve never been able to properly play an instrument before, aside from my voice. I’m still a beginner, but I’d like to continue to develop my ability so I can improve my natural musicality, note recognition, and potential upgrade to a harp! But, for now I’ll be focused on lots of solo practice and learning songs I am familiar with. Once I master them and am very comfortable playing, I can hopefully find more uses for it! I hope my audience will enjoy watching me improve!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCI6n1l_TGM
Since we’re getting to the end of 2025, any thoughts on what your personal game of the year was?
Nerissa Ravencroft: This is a really difficult question to answer. I think what I like in a game is a bit different then some other gamers. I tend to prefer either horror or very slow, easy, slice-of-life farming simulator types. With that in mind, I very thoroughly enjoyed Silent Hill f! Even though I’ve already played through all five endings and watched countless breakdown videos, I’m still thinking a lot about the game. I’m super stoked that Ryukishi07, one of my favorite writers of all time, was able to write for a series that I love, such as Silent Hill. If I had more time, I’d have liked to play Blue Prince, Clair Obscur, and Hades II, as those were some games that I didn’t get the chance to try but was interested in.
2026 will be your third year with Cover! What kinds of goals do you have set for next year?
Nerissa Ravencroft: I’m constantly working with Cover and my managers to make my big dreams into a reality! I don’t wanna say anything and potentially spoil expectations if anything gets delayed, but I’d really love to release more of my own original music and covers, and will keep working hard with that goal in mind! I hope everyone will keep their eyes and ears peeled~!
You can see Nerissa Ravencroft on YouTube, Twitch, and X.
The world of Sisu took fans by storm on Netflix; however, this was also a theatrical film that only grossed about $3.3 million domestically in Finland in January 2023. Surprisingly, the film did better internationally, grossing $14.3 million, including the United States and Canadian theatrical release in April 2023. The film also premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.
Even though Netflix is where Sisu really got it’s traction, director Jalmari Helander is pushing for a theatrical release for the sequel film: Sisu: Road to Revenge. In my opinion, this Finnish John Wick-esque film deserves some cinematic love. CGMagazine chatted about the upcoming second film with Helander and lead actor Jorma Tommila. They both discussed what it was like working with a Hollywood actor like Stephen Lang (Don’t Breathe, the Avatar films), inspirations behind this film, and video games.
(To Helander) You’ve mentioned that Sisu was inspired by the worlds of Rambo, James Bond, and Buster Keaton films. I even felt some Mad Max vibes from Sisu: Road to Revenge. What other influences went into this film, both as a revenge story and a historical fiction one?
Jalmari Helander: The easiest way to explain is that I wanted to have speed on this one. It’s something that I’ve always liked to have, like a lot of movement, which I haven’t had in any of our films yet. So I wanted to be on the move and basically do like a road movie. And I think one of the biggest inspirations is the Indiana Jones films.
They have the same kind of entertaining playfulness, but it was also important to me to tell a serious story about Aatami and him trying to get his house back. I think it’s a never-before-seen compilation of styles because it’s very serious and also really not serious, and how it works together. I think that’s interesting.
Yes. Visuals are very important. Now, I know you’re working on a passion project of yours—John Rambo. I was curious if revenge and those similar themes found in Sisu: Road to Revenge are a genre you’ve always been fascinated by?
Jalmari Helander: Yeah, I love films that are about somebody that you shouldn’t be f****** with. I always love that, and I think a lot of people do too. It’s an underdog story about someone who was just minding his own business, and bad guys are coming, and they get what they deserve.
And for you, Jorma, you’re an amazing actor—bringing so much physicality and visual acting. We’ve seen this from Rare Exports, Big Game, and the Sisu franchise. Where do you get your style of acting from? Any inspiration from other actors?
Jorma Tommila: The foundation of my acting career comes from the Helsinki Theatre Academy, where I studied from 1985 to 1989. At that time, the acting education emphasized physical expression and making the character’s mental state tangible. I’ve been inspired by a lot of great actors my entire life.
You’ve been in a few action films now. What about this genre keeps you coming back to action films like the Sisu films?
Jorma Tomilla: It’s not about the genre, it’s about working with the director Jalmari Helander. Whenever he asks me to join a project, I know that something unique is going to happen.
Makes sense. And for both of you, what was it like working with actors like Stephen Lang on this film?
Jalmari Helander: There was a lot of thinking, and I don’t even remember the process anymore. But when the idea of Stephen Lang came in, I immediately knew he was the perfect bad guy. I went to have a chat with him, and I instantly knew that he would be the right guy for me. He was so respectful of what I was trying to do, and he was a big fan of the first Sisu. So, it worked out really well.
Jorma Tommila: [Stephen Lang] is a consummate professional and a great, inspiring colleague.
Definitely. Knowing now that Sisu: Road to Revenge is one of the biggest budget Finnish films ever, having about an 11-million dollar budget, what does that mean to both of you and for Finnish cinema?
Jalmari Helander: I don’t know what it means for Finnish cinema, but I do know what it means to me, because that’s been my dream. No one else is doing action films in Finland. No one has done action films in Finland [because] it’s a really weird concept. Even when I started saying that I want to do action films, and I’m from Finland, and there were a lot of people who were laughing at me, saying, “That’s a very stupid idea,” and “maybe you should concentrate on something else.” So being here now feels f****** good.
Jorma Tommila: Well, at least a large budget increases the pressure to be successful at your job. [It means] a lot. Working with Jalmari and on his films are the most important works in my career. And I feel that in the films Sisu and Sisu 2, my art of acting come out naturally.
Lastly, as we cover plenty of gaming content too, there’s a lot of great Finnish game studios out there—such as Remedy Entertainment with the Alan Wake and Control games, and the Supercell mobile games like Brawl Stars and Clash Royale. Even Hideo Kojima praised Sisu when it came out! Would either of you be eager to work on a video game?
Jorma Tommila: I would be open to it.
Jalmari Helander: It’s hard for me to think about that, but sure, why not? I don’t know. I myself like games like The Last of Us or Uncharted. I don’t like open-world games. I like to be entertained [in a similar way as] a movie.
Oh, nice! Those are great story-driven, cinematic games for sure. Thank you both again for your time!
There is no doubt that Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters have taken the globe in 2025, since its release on the streamer. In general, K-pop has been entering the more mainstream music scene around the world, closer to the 2010s when PSY’s Gangnam Style went viral in 2012. This was also the peak time of music videos on YouTube. As the 2010s progressed, BTS (aka the Bangtan Boys) debuted in 2013 and really won the hearts of many people everywhere. I would argue Big Bang laid the foundations in the early 2000s to appeal to a more Western audience. But BTS skyrocketed the genre globally, doing various collabs from Fortniteto McDonald’s.
Now, a fictional K-pop group called HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Huntershas been blowing up since this past summer. I say fictional, but there are real voices behind these characters. Real voices that can act and sing. Arden Cho (Rumi), May Hong (Mira), and Ji-young Yoo (Zoey) brought the emotions and story to these characters, while EJAE (Rumi), Andrey Nuna (Mira), and Rei Ami (Zoey) brought their beautiful vocal talents to the trio’s voices. Recently, the three music artists performed live for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. All to say, HUNTR/X can be as real as the voices behind them.
CGMagazine had the amazing opportunity to sit down and talk with one of the visionaries behind KPop Demon Hunters, co-director Chris Appelhans, at SCAD AnimationFest 2025. We discussed Appelhans’ favourite K-pop groups, and delved deeper into assembling the powerhouse voices behind the animated, iconic female K-pop girl group. While a second chapter has not been officially announced by Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, Appelhans stated how much he loved working with these spectacular women who bring HUNTR/X to life—including his wonderful co-director Maggie Kang.
With Kpop Demon Hunters being a fantastic genre mashup of supernatural, fantasy with music, I’m curious if you were a K-pop enjoyer before working on this project, or did you become one during the making of this film?
Chris Appelhans: Yeah, Rain was my first K-pop crush. That was around 2007-2008. And then over the years, I watched it grow, and I watched the musicianship and the production get more high-level. The last four or five years, artists like Sunmi really blew me away, like there’s just so much rawness and personality in her music. And then, obviously, BTS. I think BTS galvanized both Maggie and me because we were suffering through the pandemic, and they were doing all those virtual concerts.
[Meanwhile], the whole time we’re talking, ‘we’re making this movie about the power of music, but it’s cheesy. Is this going to work?’ And then we’re like, ‘Wait, it’s literally happening right now.’ Everyone around the world is happy because these seven guys are dancing and singing their great music. So yeah, I think it’s about 20 years or so [of enjoying K-pop]. But I’ve been a lifelong musician, so I think my deeper connection to the movie is as a musician and as a person who’s written songs and lived music as long as I can remember.
Yes, and I read a bit about how creating KPop Demon Hunters’soundtrack took around three years.
Chris Appelhans: Four years, actually. Yeah, it was four years from the first demo that EJAE did.
Wow, four years, sorry!When HUNRT/X is trying to write their final, big song in the film. I was curious if that was a reflection of both of your processes and everyone’s process on the music for this film, before or after writing the initial story?
Chris Appelhans:One of the things we really wanted to use the songs for was always to advance the story, and that included the relationship of the girls. So the songs that the girls sing represent the stages of their thinking. The first song, How It’s Done, is this declarative banger—like, we’re here; we’re badass; you can’t touch us; we’re going to protect the world, right?
Golden is a little bit more about how we have fears and insecurities; we started as zeros, and now we’re heroes. It’s more vulnerable and a little more like, we’re so close to our dream. Then, Takedown is really a misfire in their growth as people. It’s very one-dimensional, black and white, and it’s everything that they’ve been taught that’s maybe overly harsh. It’s obviously targeted at the Saja Boys, but really, it’s written to sort of target Rumi, right?
Inadvertently, [Rumi’s] realizing that Mira and Zoey have a really harsh and simple view of demons, [not good and bad demons, just demons]. So, the fact that they were writing the song together was a good plot point because I got to write a song to fight the Saja Boys, but it was also a vessel for us to show the audience how Rumi was questioning everyone’s worldview, and Mira and Zoe weren’t in that same headspace. It was a way of showing the audience this group that seems so together actually aren’t on the same page in some big ways.
Definitely. And on mentioning Mira and Zoey, we get a lot more of Rumi’s backstory in KPop Demon Hunters compared to Mira and Zoey. I know you probably have all the ideas already, but is that something that could be further explored down the line?
Chris Appelhans: I think it totally could. Nobody’s made any decisions about the next chapter. But I think one of the things that I love about their story, if you’ve seen any interviews with Rei Ami or Ji-Young Yoo, all the voice actresses and singers really relate to their fictional character. They each have really interesting individual backstories that kind of mirror the fictional ones.
So there’s always value in knowing more about the specifics. But sometimes the beautiful thing about a story is giving people a little bit of the details they want, without getting too specific; they can inhabit the idea a little bit. I know Zoey’s backstory, but when Rei Ami told me her backstory, I’m like, ‘This is amazing too,’ and it’s about the same thing.
It’s always this dance when you’re writing characters, to tell everybody exactly who they are and where they came from. [But you can] also withhold some stuff, so that people can put themselves in there and just relate to that universal thing that the character is going through.
Yeah, and I thought it was such a huge process blending the singers with actresses. It’s very interesting hearing about how you wanted to bridge that gap.
Chris Appelhans: I think the reason each character feels seamless, even though it’s two different women, is that both the actress and singer are really related to the character, and the way they inhabited them was personal. Somehow, that creates the illusion that it’s all one soul inside these characters. But I would say that Maggie deserves a lot of credit for dreaming up this idea when she did. Without the platform of this story and this film, EJAE, Rei, Audrey, and all these women [wouldn’t] have had this place to show who they are.
That’s one of the things about making films is if you are doing the right film at the right time, the universe tends to provide you with the necessary pieces. How crazy is it that these amazing women showed up and all had the talents necessary to pull this off? It’s a credit to the fact that finally, somebody planted a flag and said, ‘Let’s make a movie like this.’ And they all said, ‘I will be in that movie’. I love that. I think it’s why it’s important to keep doing original stuff in film and animation because the world is changing, and so our artwork should be changing too.
That’s amazingly put. Last question, I was hoping you could speak more on what went on behind one of my favourite scenes, the opening fight sequence on the plane.
Chris Appelhans: It was really collaborative. We had some great board artists on the show who boarded different passes of that and allowed us to figure out the structure. We also had some really comedic through lines in terms of the girls loving food. As much as they wanted to fight demons, what they really cared about was their dang ramyeon. The idea that they’re so badass that being attacked in an airplane at 30,000 feet by a bunch of demons that want to kill them is mostly a nuisance.
It’s really just like, ‘Can I just eat, damn it? ‘ So I think that conceit was really fun and playful, and then writing the song, like I said, is kind of just a catharsis, of like, let’s make a banger that’s basically ‘don’t get in our way.’ And then the choreography of the animation was a very carefully figured-out thing. With our amazing animation team, [there were] lots of reference videos.
We have some animators who would do the blocking pass, where they would draw in 2D some of those crazy continuous shots where it’s here, and then the camera is here, and then people overlap. They would do a 2D pass at that—to get it visually working—and then we’d sort that out in 3D. [For] the airplane, we have two airplanes. One is the first half of the scene, and when the song starts, it gets twice as big, but you don’t notice because it’s just hidden in the cut. So yeah, so many shenanigans.
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On November 26, a remake of Sublustrum, a cult Russian quest game by the Phantomery Interactive team, was announced. The App2Top editorial team spoke with Georgiy Beloglazov, founder and CEO of Brickworks Games, about how the work on the new game is progressing and what it will be like.Massively Overpowered
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