From Nightmare to Success: Kotaro Uchikoshi’s Infinity Series Journey

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Currently, Kotaro Uchikoshi is widely recognized within circles of enthusiasts for mystery and puzzle games. He’s the mastermind behind the acclaimed series “Zero Escape” and “AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES”, among others. However, before these popular titles, there was the “Infinity” series, visual novels connected by science fiction elements and narratives revolving around time looping and breaking free from restrictive environments. Over two decades after their initial launch, the first two games from the “Infinity” series, titled “Never 7: The End of Infinity” and “Ever 17: The Out of Infinity”, are now available in the Western market for the first time, having been remastered by MAGES and published by Spike Chunsoft, Inc.

Game Rant recently interviewed Kotaro Uchikoshi about the creation of the Infinity series, discussing both the challenges of its early development and his feelings upon seeing it remastered after two decades. Uchikoshi referred to the initial development as a “difficult situation” due to the tight deadline for Never 7, but one that eventually proved beneficial as he was granted more time to refine the game and create subsequent titles aligned with his creative passions.

From Glitch To Hit: The Journey Of Never 7

Back in the year 2000, I found myself deeply immersed in a game titled “Infinity,” later known as “Never 7,” exclusively on the PlayStation console. As a fan, I was awestruck by the brilliance that Uchikoshi and his dedicated team managed to create within just six short months!

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to fully develop one of the romantic storylines for the character, Izumi Morino, due to time constraints. As Uchikoshi himself put it, “We had no choice but to release an incomplete version of her route.” To add to their woes, there was no time left for debugging, which led to a significant bug that made it nearly impossible to access the unfinished Izumi Route!

Initially, the debut of Infinity was heavily criticized, but since it was already scheduled for a Dreamcast port, Uchikoshi and his team were granted additional time to rectify issues and complete Izumi’s storyline. As a result, the developers’ vision for Never 7 was brought to light, receiving far more favorable responses; Uchikoshi attributes this chance as instrumental in furthering his career.

Had the bug not emerged, it’s likely that a direct transfer of the PlayStation version to Dreamcast would have been mandated instead, saving costs. Consequently, Never7 was born from this bug. For me, Never7 feels like my backstory. If the bug had never taken place, Ever17, the Zero Escape series, and even AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES wouldn’t have materialized. Indeed, fate can be quite ironic.

The Development Of Ever 17 And Beyond

Due to worries about market preferences at the time, Never 7 largely adhered to traditional visual novel conventions, revolving around romance with several girls that the protagonist Makoto could court. Uchikoshi initially thought that only such a narrative would be acceptable as a visual novel. However, upon its release in its complete version, Never 7 proved popular, allowing Uchikoshi to explore more creative freedom in his writing. Ever 17, released in 2002, shifted the emphasis away from romance and introduced the intriguing blend of mystery and science fiction that would become synonymous with Uchikoshi’s work.

Uchikoshi viewed the success of “Never 7” as a surprising and enlightening experience. Upon the release of the full game, it was warmly accepted by many, with strong sales following. This moment made him ponder, “‘Hold on… I can create what I want, and people will still appreciate it?'” He held onto this perspective while crafting “Ever 17,” the subsequent “Infinity” games, and the “Zero Escape” and “AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES” series.

Despite the challenging journey in bringing them back, Uchikoshi can hardly contain his excitement as Never 7 and Ever 17 are re-released following such a long gap. “It’s exceptionally uncommon for a game to receive a remastered version a full quarter century after its debut. This is all due to the unwavering support of the fans, and I am deeply grateful from the core of my being!

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2025-03-10 20:09