Inefficient And Laborious – The Ongoing Path To Making Deltarune

When I asked Toby Fox, the developer behind the viral hit, Undertale (and now its spin-off Deltarune), if I could interview him, the somewhat reclusive creator questioned if talking to him would be of interest to readers. He told me the way he makes games is pretty “stupid,” so it might not be worthwhile to have a conversation.

I found his apprehension surprising, because on the surface, Fox is clearly interview-worthy. He is the creator of Undertale, a commercially successful game that sold millions of copies and inspired a dedicated fandom consisting of meme-lovers and the internet-obsessed. Still, the value of his work reaches far beyond any numerical or monetary accolade. His next game, Deltarune, is a canvas for Fox’s own joyful artistic expression and a delightful romp of an RPG that continues to experiment with incorporating new genres. Even in its current (and incomplete) state, the game feels like a meaningful evolution for a game-maker that could have easily been a one-hit wonder.