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Date Nighto is the original publisher of We Know the Devil, and the host of all games created using htmlVN. The website was founded in 2013 by Conrad Kreyling and Lindsay Woods, and currently hosts four different games.
History[]
Date Nighto's Origins[]
Date Nighto originally began as a side project of Kreyling's to help with stress he was enduring at his job working at Muse. Kreyling decided to start the project after falling in love with don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story, a visual novel by Christine Love. He wanted to create his own visual novel as well that would be playable on computer browsers, but very easy to port to iOS and Andriod devices. They couldn't just be able to be sold on the App Store or Google Play either, as his desired project was an adaption of a friend's comic, Starfighter, and would contain sexually explicit material. Kreyling could not find a game engine that was capable of everything he wanted his game to be. So, he decided to begin working on his own --what would become htmlVN.
Working with Namco[]
Shortly after beginning work on htmlVN in 2013, a friend who worked at What Pumpkin contacted Kreyling and told him that they were working with Namco to develop a dating simulator (a game in which a player character can date multiple other non-player characters) about classic Namco characters in a high school setting. What Pumpkin and Namco wanted to use Kreyling's htmVN engine as a way to host the game on Namco's Shiftylook website.
Kreyling was hired to work with What Pumpkin on the project, and left his job at Muse behind. He now spent full time working on Namco High. When his work load became too heavy, he hired his friend Lindsay Woods to help with his workload, making her Date Nighto's first employee aside from Kreyling.
The game was launched successfully, although it was short-lived. Namco announced that shifty look would be closed in March of 2014, and since Namco High was hosted on that website's servers, Namco High closed down as well.
Other Date Nighto Projects[]
After finishing work on Namco High, Kreyling and Woods, who had now been hired and was considered a co-founder of the company, returned to the Starfighter visual novel that Kreyling had originally intended on making. Without the backing of a major company, this time Kreyling and Woods turned to Kickstarter to look for funding.
Their campaign was a success, having received double the campaign's original goal, and being able to meet all of the stretch goals planned.
After receiving funding for Starfighter, Lindsay Woods set her sights on a future project, Hustle Cat. In late 2015, Kreyling begun work with to Aevee Bee and Mia Schwartz to program We Know the Devil, which would be launched in September. A kickstarter campaign for Hustle Cat was launched October of that year, and would be published on Date Nighto in February of 2016.[1]
Switching Focus[]
After We Know the Devil's release, Kreyling wanted to move away from the business management work he was doing on Date Nighto, and instead focus on doing technically challenging things with Visual Novels. He begun work with Jo Fu, who was also looking to do different things with visual novels in contrast to the Japanese-style games that had been the focus of Date Nighto. The two then founded Pillow Fight to help accomplish these goals.
Date Nighto Games[]
Beach Island[]
A short game created entirely in June of 2015 that functions as a tech demo. In the game, four co-workers are stranded on a deserted island. In the game, you can explore your surroundings and bond with your co-workers.[2]
Starfighter: Eclipse[]
A visual novel based on the webcomic, Starfighter, published in May of 2015. Players can investigate a mystery aboard a space craft, pursue romance with fellow pilots, and explore outer space.[2]
We Know the Devil[]
A short horror visual novel following three teens in a Summer Camp, published in September of 2015. The story follows Jupiter, Venus, and Neptune as they spend a night in a cabin dealing with their feelings and trying to avoid the devil's grasp.[2]
For more, see We Know the Devil.
Hustle Cat[]
A visual novel following Avery Gray, a worker at A Cat's Paw, a cat café. Players would find out about the secrets behind the café, form romantic relationships with co-workers, and learn about the magic behind the café.[2]