I Stalked The ‘date Everything!’ Devs And We Talked About Dating Sim Tropes, Meaningful Characters, And Steamy Love (interview)

I really, really want Date Everything! to succeed. I’m not exactly shy about that fact. First of all, a “sandbox dating sim” is a phenomenal idea! Secondly, y’all, I shouldn’t say this, but I adore Team17 and Sassy Chap Games. You couldn’t ask for a more pleasant and passionate group of people who understand how to stand out in a crowded genre. Speaking of, I had the pleasure of chatting with Sassy Chap Games about everything that will define Date Everything! as one of 2025’s sleeper hits (or Game of the Year contender — you never know)!

Screenshot: Team17

It’s a heck of a premise: Date Everything! If you were trying to convince a seasoned dating sim veteran who may be familiar with all the “tropes” of the genre, how would you pitch Date Everything! to them?

Ray (Chase): If you’re looking for a panoply of enticing characters to date, lovely art to feast your eyes upon while playing, and interesting choices that have an impact on the story – look no further! However, this game isn’t only for the most hardcore dating sim players out there. While there are some traditional elements of the genre like a time-of-day mechanic or player progression measured through a point system – we wanted to break away from the mold and give players additional freedom.

There’s no time limit, and there’s no romanceable limit, either. Players can take their time and collect as many lovers as they like without the traditional tension of the genre. We want to give players a true sandbox to write their own version of the story. So, to seasoned veterans, I would say – this is an experience that straddles the ‘dating sim’ and ‘visual novel’ genres. We hope you enjoy the attention we’ve given to both!

I couldn’t help but notice in many of the game’s trailers that everything seems to take place within the house. Can we hold hands with our lamp out in public, or is high society not ready to see that yet?

Robbie (Daymond): Haha, it’s true. By design, our player character does spend the majority of their time in their home. That is not to say, however, that the outside world doesn’t affect their story. In fact, while the core gameplay of Date Everything! mostly involves dating the “things” in your house, the overarching story of how this came to be and the intrigue that surrounds the Dateviators is absolutely coming from the “real” world beyond the sexy walls of the player’s abode.

Screenshot: Team17

The first two questions are a little on the heavier side. So, as a bit of a flex question: brag about some of the Voice Actors players might recognize!

Robbie: Oh, well, this is obviously one of my favorite parts of the game. As three voice actors creating their first video game, we knew we had to do something that relied on our strengths in narrative storytelling and performance. And as the lead CD and voice director, I can confidently say that this is, without a doubt, the most stacked cast in a video game ever. The actors that agreed to work on this game are some of the best in the business, from all areas of entertainment; video games, anime, cartoons, film, television, and streamers.

We’re talking generational talent here. It’s so good, I’m loath to even select a few, but names like Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Grey DeLisle, Johnny Yong Bosch, Dana Snyder, Roger Craig Smith, Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, and Felicia Day come to mind. And they are just scratching the surface of our 100+ cast of heavy hitters. It’s truly unreal, and an honor to me that these talented people would support us by coming in to play sexy appliances.

An early apprehension I’ve had is the sheer volume of dating options. With 100 characters to date, how do you go about giving each and every character a full, satisfying story?

Ray: One of the biggest concerns for us early on was making sure that we don’t create a game that is repetitive. During our pre-production phase, early pitches were given for each of the dateable objects. And when we found that characters overlapped, we had to make the hard decision to remove them in service of other characters who had ground to cover that we hadn’t seen otherwise. Once we had our 100 characters picked out – we worked to ensure their paths weren’t all the same traditional pattern. Simply talking to someone and being generally nice to them shouldn’t be the way to go through everyone. Careful attention should be paid to each character when they communicate their own desires…

Piggybacking off the last question, can you truly date every character? Or are some locked into “just friends” or “hates your guts”? How do those “interpersonal layers” play out in-game?

Amanda (Hufford): You absolutely can! While it’s a staple of the genre for certain endings with one character to lock the player into specific endings with another, doing that felt too much like not delivering on our promise. It’s the title of the game: Date Everything! And when we say date everything, we mean date everything, nothing is off limits. With a cast this large, we wanted to cultivate a rich inner world that exists between the characters inside the house. Without sacrificing the Player’s freedom to continue exploring that world after each ending. So, we dedicated a lot of time during writing to navigating those relationships. Building up those interactions so that the characters all still felt connected in a way that’s meaningful and satisfying to uncover through their stories. All while still leaving the player open for 100% Love, Hate, and Friendship endings!

Screenshot: Team17

Going around the room, who is everyone’s favorite character? Me, I admit to already relating heavily to Doug, my Overwhelming Sense of Existential Dread.

Le Toilet

Robbie: You have just asked the impossible! I love all our characters for so many different reasons. I’d say perhaps my favorite is one of the items that caught a lot of people off guard in the announcement trailer. We didn’t even reveal any character art, but the toilet seemed to capture everyone’s attention. I love him dearly, and he is an incredibly cute and stupid character. He’s also played by one of my best friends and co-founder of Sassy Chap Games, Max Mittelman. I’m pretty sure the rest of the world will fall in love with our French rapper, too.  Lil’ Crapper a.k.a. Jean Loo Pissoir will become an icon.

Le Door

Ray: Good luck getting Doug to love you back! He’s a toughie! For me, I enjoy Dorian the Door. You find him throughout the house, he is a champion of Friendship (rather than Love or Hate), and he has some bizarre encounters I loved writing. He was a character who spoke to me simply through Nijuukoo’s incredible artwork, and the rest flowed easily. I hope players have fun figuring out how to get the ever-present Friend into a Lover, or even get him to Hate you!

…And Le Trash Can

Amanda: I don’t think you understand how difficult it is to choose just one! That’s just how great the cast is. There’s something to love in each of these characters, and there is truly a character for everyone out there. A standout for me is Cam, the Trash Can. There’s so much more to his character than you expect when you first meet him. He, hands down, has one of the most interesting and complex choice paths in the game. Not to mention, Adam came in and just knocked every single line out of the park! I can’t wait for people to experience some of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard when they play him.

So, I decide my comb is a little obnoxious and I don’t want to date them anymore. Can I break up with them? Or do I have to play the story out and reject them later?

Ray: I do hope that you respect Barry Styles, the Beauty Supplies! The way our relationship system works for most characters is that once granted an ‘ending’, it remains that way until the end of the game (with notable exceptions – like Lux the Light Switch who has an on/off relationship with you…). Though, if you do end up in a Hate relationship with someone – there just might be a whole hidden system somewhere that players can work to make them better!

Screenshot: Team17

It would be easy to dismiss Date Everything! as a “haha funny jokes” game. However, I definitely got the feeling we’d get deep into some unexpected, self-reflective drama. Could you comment on that, or would that ruin any surprises?

Amanda: This game has so much heart, I really think it’s going to surprise people in the best way. Something that was important right from the start of production was including as many voices and perspectives as possible when developing who these characters were and what their stories looked like. And it would have been easy to stick with what, I’m sure, people are expecting — to just run with the joke the whole time. There are a lot of good laughs, but there is also a lot of depth. Behind these wild and proactive designs is a lot of self-discovery and exploration of nuanced, emotional experiences. The whole team did a fantastic job balancing everything so it was purposeful and fun to play the whole way through.

Thank you so much for your time and for being an absolute delight to interview! Wrapping things up, is there anything you’d like to share with VICE’s readers about anything you’ve kept hidden and perhaps want to tease? The floor is yours to express anything I’ve missed that you want to brag about or highlight!

Robbie: Of course! We’re just so grateful for the amazing feedback and community that is building around this game even before its release. The fan art, excitement, and even cosplay have been so fun to witness. Date Everything! is a game that offers a fun, simple concept, executed at — what I believe to be — a very high level. It is full of secrets and narrative journeys that will make every playthrough feel different. The branching narratives and different relationships you can explore make me excited to see how everyone experiences the game.  My hope (and secret plan) is much like taking our Dateables into the real world. I want players to use their time with Date Everything! to connect, share, and forge IRL relationships via how they played the game. And maybe even find real love!

Date Everything! is scheduled to release in June 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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