Interview: Floatopia invites you to find meaning in ‘useless superpowers’

Adorable escapism from NetEase Games

NetEase Games

Floatopia was one of the surprises at Gamescom 2024, getting positive reactions at Opening Night Live for its more than adorable trailer – but what is this game about, aside from the very obvious Animal Crossing influence? I had the chance to sit down with its lead designer, Zane, and lead writer, Anne, during the exhibition to speak with them about their vision for Floatopia.

Zane makes it clear that Floatopia is all about escapism from the “pressure and anxiety” of the modern world. “There are still a lot of social conflicts and economic pressures, so the concept behind this game is to let our players relax, to find the comfort zone in their daily lives,” he says.

Zane emphasizes that “there will be no combat” as part of this philosophy. Everything about the game is “just friendly and heart-warming.”

Players will become part of a group of outcasts, who’ve been thrown aside by society due to their inherent superpowers being deemed useless – a feeling many people can relate to in a fast-evolving world that seems all too eager to replace their skills with artificial intelligence. This group lives on a chain of floating islands and puts all of its efforts into leading a good life there, using those “useless” superpowers to farm, fish, tame animals, and so on. 

It’s also a story of self-discovery and coming to terms with yourself. “A ‘useless’ superpower can be very meaningful,” Anne says.

Which brings us to what we actually do on these lovely, floating islands: We build stuff. “Our construction range is enormous,” Zane explains. “It doesn’t stop at decorations or houses – you can customize the terrain and even the faces of your islands, putting graffiti on them.”

Several different islands will be available to players with “regular updates” increasing the count in the future. “We don’t have a maximum limit,” Zane says.

Fancy a little picnic? / NetEase Games

Floatopia’s story will take place across all of these islands and will expand together alongside them, with new adventures being added at a regular pace. Anne says that she’s aiming for a “joyful and humorous” tone with the writing and that many of the islands – aside from featuring various biomes – will represent real cultures from our world, allowing for tons of different interactions.

It will be up to players to get creative and find uses for every resident’s superpowers to help their island community thrive. “There is a character called Joy,” Anne describes, “and she has this superpower called insomnia – so she can’t sleep. She’s suffering from it a bit, but it also makes her a very reliable assistant. You can basically find her anywhere you want at any time to ask for her help.”

Another character, Mistika, can freeze stuff around her. Whenever she uses the power, Anne says, it evokes this really creepy aura – but it’s a useful tool for fishing. Adventures will feature challenges like puzzles, which require players to get creative with those powers outside of their usual area of expertise.

Visually, Floatopia exudes cuteness: Its characters are inspired by miniature figurines and they are well-animated with colors that feel very vibrant and warm. It’s a style that radiates an optimistic worldview.

Now that's what you call cozy living. / NetEase Games

Users will be able to invite up to nine other players into their world to hang out, dance, build together, and so forth, but an expansion to this limit is already in the works, the lead designer confirms.

While all of those plans seem quite set already, the NetEase representatives didn’t want to talk about monetization in detail yet. “Our monetization system is still being planned,” Zane states, “but we have the idea that we’ll charge for cosmetics, skins, and costumes.”

Floatopia, a new cozy life-sim from NetEase Games, is coming to PC, iOS, Android, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch in 2025.