Treehouse Games’ Co-Founder Explains How Playtesting Helped Shape Voyagers of Nera

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Voyagers of Nera is a new survival crafting game developed by Treehouse Games. Players will explore a huge ocean world, building bases, collecting resources, and battling creatures. The game aims to capture the beauty and mystery of the ocean, with gameplay happening both on the surface and underwater.

Game Rant spoke with Michael Chu, the CEO of Treehouse Games, about their game, *Voyagers of Nera*. He shared that the game has improved significantly thanks to a lot of testing by players who are very familiar with this type of game. He emphasized how valuable playtesting is, and how it helps developers connect with their players.

Voyagers of Nera Underwent Extensive Playtesting

Shortly after Treehouse Games started developing *Voyagers of Nera*, they realized getting feedback from outside players would be a huge help. Creating a survival crafting game based in the ocean is complex, and experienced players are best equipped to identify issues and suggest solutions to the developers, as Chu explained.

Since April 2024, we’ve been regularly testing the game with players outside the development team – about every two weeks. Initially, it felt like a lot of extra work, and we questioned whether it was worth it. However, the enthusiastic and detailed feedback we received from players proved invaluable. It helped us build strong relationships and have meaningful conversations, leading to a much better game.

Genre Experts Provided Plenty of Feedback

Getting feedback from playtesters during development is helpful, but it’s essential they represent your target audience. For example, asking experienced first-person shooter players to test a fighting game wouldn’t provide useful insights. When developing *Voyagers of Nera*, Chu and his team specifically recruited playtesters who were already familiar with and enjoyed survival crafting games, understanding both what makes the genre great and its common pitfalls. As Chu explained,

We really wanted feedback from dedicated survival crafting fans when designing this system. We’d often hear things like, ‘This feels great because it reminds me of a game I love,’ or, ‘This doesn’t work – it’s similar to a problematic system from another game.’ Those kinds of detailed comparisons were incredibly valuable to our team. It was a huge turning point. After gathering feedback from thousands of players over a year and a half, we felt like we had unlocked a lot of potential for making the game even better.

Now that *Voyagers of Nera* is available in early access, Treehouse Games knows that listening to player feedback will be crucial for improving the game and making it a success. Chu and his team are hoping their players will help *Voyagers of Nera* stand out in the crowded survival crafting genre.

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2025-09-17 13:35