The ‘afterlove Ep’ Team Spoke To Me About Mohammad Fahmi’s Legacy And The Importance Of Empathy (interview)

Often, I come across a game I’m almost afraid to play. Not because I lack confidence in the experience, but because I know I’ll be boarding an emotional roller coaster. Afterlove EP is an indie title about loss and grief. About navigating trauma and trying to pick up the pieces of your life after the passing of someone who meant everything to you. Spearheaded by Mohammad Fahmi, who passed away in the middle of Afterlove EP‘s development in 2022, the project suddenly became much more personal to the Pikselnesia studio.

I spoke to Ivor D. Tomo, the Game Producer of Afterlove EP. We covered the game’s ambitious blend of genres, as well as Mohammad’s vision and Pikselnesia having to adapt to the loss of their leader.

ivor d. tomo lays himself bare discussing ‘afterlove ep’

Before getting to Afterlove EP in earnest, I want to pay the proper respects to Mohammad Fahmi, the game’s creator. He unfortunately passed away in 2022 during the title’s development. If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us more about Fahmi, his vision, and his legacy? Please, take as much space as you need to honor a visionary in the industry.

Fahmi loved the industry so much. He was committed to making it a better place. From my perspective, his passion for games and storytelling made him a great game director and narrative designer, and I think both elements are especially present in Afterlove EP. He wanted to make the games industry appealing to everyone. In fact, on the team developing Afterlove EP, we have two people who have never worked on a game before. Fahmi found them, understood their passion, and helped them integrate into the team! “I want to make game development fun for everyone…” That’s what he told me before I joined Pikselnesia.

Considering Afterlove EP‘s focus on grief and the difficulty of moving on, I’m sure the team’s personal loss plays a major role in staying true to the game’s core themes. What was the creative process like in respecting Fahmi’s full vision of the game while giving the team time and space to process and mourn?

When Fahmi passed away in the middle of game development, it hit us hard. If I remember correctly, we stopped the development entirely for almost two months and just talked to each other about how to move forward from there. We agreed we needed to finish the game and share Fahmi’s vision with the world, no matter the cost. But, Fahmi had big shoes to fill. He was our game director, narrative lead, and studio manager — so we needed several people to [fill those roles]. Sasha filled in the narrative lead role, while Dany took over as game director. Then, studio management required three of us, with myself, Damas, and Giri working together.

Afterlove EP was already two years into development when Fahmi passed away, so most of the core game was already well-documented by Fahmi. Most of the outline had been finished, however, all the dialogue had yet to be written. For that, we had help from a lot of writers who helped break down the outline into the dialogue that’s in the game now. 

And now, we are almost there: February 14, 2025. We did this for Fahmi! For everyone who worked really hard for almost four years to make Fahmi’s last masterpiece! We couldn’t have reached this phase without full support from Fellow Traveller! 

Afterlove EP balances many different genres: Rhythm, Visual Novel, Dating Sim, Narrative Adventure. How important are all of those individual elements to the experience overall? Was the plan always to incorporate such an ambitious blend of genres, or did that slowly form over the course of the project?

I think it’s too optimistic if we call it “balanced.” Afterlove EP is heavily influenced by visual novels and dating sims. The rhythm sections are “mini-games” in Afterlove EP. Rama is a young musician with a band called “Sigmund Feud”. We wanted to spotlight how important musical themes are in the game, and we thought adding some rhythm game elements into Afterlove EP when Rama practices solo or with his bandmates would be the way to go. We collaborated with an indie band from Jakarta called L’Alphalpha to make the songs for Afterlove EP. The songs you will hear in the rhythm game sections are from a real band!

The game takes place in Jakarta, in the heart of Indonesia. What cultural elements exist in the game that the team is proudest of? What are you most excited for players to discover about the characters and setting?

If you live in Indonesia, you will know for sure the game environments are from Jakarta. There are a lot of well-known places in the game we took inspiration from with Jakarta. Such as Blok M, MRT, Ayodya, etc. One of the signature cultural aspects of Jakarta is Ondel-ondel, and you will see it in one of Rama and Cinta’s memories.

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to humor an interview with us! We’re happy to have you and grateful for the opportunity! Before I let you go back to your masterpiece, I want to give you the floor to mention anything to our readers I may have missed! (Try not to spoil too much of the story, though!)

Thanks for having me! I’m a big fan of VICE! Afterlove EP is Fahmi’s final project, and I hope his masterpiece and legacy can reach as many people as possible. Working on this project, there were so many emotions during development, and that’s reflected in Afterlove EP. Sadness, happiness, anger, love… so many mixed emotions.

Can Rama move on from his late Girlfriend Cinta? It’s up to you guys now :). Thank you to everyone who has supported us, whether it’s been from Day 1 of development or you’re just hearing about us now. Enjoy the full release on February 14, 2025. We love you guys! This is for Fahmi!

Afterlove EP will be available on February 14, 2025, on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Xbox Series X and S.

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