There’s something delightfully unhinged about logging into a chatroom knowing full well every new ping could be from a serial killer, and still deciding to stick around. That tightrope walk between morbid curiosity and genuine connection is exactly where indie dev rosesrot has planted their flag with Killer Chat!, a vaporwave-soaked, darkly comedic chatsim that turns “serial killer dating sim” from a throwaway joke into a fully realised world.

Background and Origins

Otome.com

Could you tell us a bit more about your history as a developer? What inspired you to get into the industry? What challenges did you face along the way?

Rosesrot: “Hi! I’m rosesrot. I’m an indie dev that specialises in dark and edgy queer games, touching on the haphazard, taboo, and the satirical. You might’ve seen my previous work, Seraphim Slum, for which I was the creator and writer of.”

“As for what inspired me to enter the gaming industry, it’s my eternal love for storytelling mixed with a love for the game!”

“I think visibility and marketing is the biggest challenge for me. I still haven’t quite figured out the formula (or the algorithms) but for now I’m just happy to have the audience that I have.”

Game Inspiration and Development

Otome.com

Could you tell us more about the writing process for Killer Chat!? What were your inspirations behind the story?

Rosesrot: “I conceived Killer Chat! and its concept in August 2024, essentially asking myself, “wouldn’t it be funny if I made a serial killer dating sim?” Everything coalesced around that four word concept, serial killer dating sim, and as such the game you know now evolved out of it.”

“I knew from the onset that I wanted to write a chatsim: I had another chatsim that I shelved so I wanted to take another crack at it. I also knew I didn’t want to make a demo: I wanted to complete the game from start to finish, which is what happened.”

“My previous stories (and my main genre) involves, to put it bluntly, dark and esoteric stuff, so I wanted to work on something more lighthearted and accessible to the casual audience. I’m happy to say that I succeeded in this with Killer Chat! and I’m delighted by the fan response!”

“I do love dark satire as a genre, so Killer Chat! isn’t awfully far from what I usually write, but Killer Chat! is also a lot more silly compared to my usual metrics. Hey, sometimes it’s worth trying new things!”

Otome.com

At multiple points during the game, I asked myself “why would someone go on with this”, and then it hit me, I was tempted to keep going for the same reason as the MC. I could have backed off at any time, but the same morbid curiosity that had overcome the main character had its grip on me. I fully understood why someone would want to hang out with these dangerous people, putting aside the murder, they were fun to be around. So, I wanted to ask, could you tell us more about the characters? Which of the killers was your favorite to write?

Rosesrot: “Thank you! I’m really happy you felt that dynamic come through, where the MC’s thoughts ludonarratively parallel your own. I wanted to always give the player a way out of the game, which makes their continual insistence to stay in the game that much more powerful. You are searching for a story with these serials: you’re curious about what comes next, you can’t quite put it down. And that, to me, was very fun to conceive.”

“The Slaughterhouse Losers are a fascinating bunch. For serial killers, they’re not as morally irredeemable as one might think. Angel murders abhorrent men. Misaki’s just in it for the cash and takes on jobs shooting cheating husbands and evil politicians. V is a Dexter-esque, serial killer killer. (Okay, Ronin’s a bit more of a complicated situation.) But that’s not to say that they don’t have their destructive and darker sides to them, sides that make them closer to your classic slasher, perhaps: which is something I’m looking to explore in Killer Chat! Expanded Edition.”

“Unsurprisingly, my favorite to write was Ronin. I created him six years ago and I love writing different iterations of him across my stories (of which there are many). I’m glad that the Killer Chat! iteration of him is a fan favourite!”

Otome.com

Related to the previous question, It’s impressive how much the chat felt like, well, an actual chatroom. It reminded me of actual exchanges I’ve had online, except they weren’t with murderers (I presume). Is it safe to assume that you’ve drawn inspiration from conversations you’ve had over similar chats?

Rosesrot: “Yes! I am fond of internet chatrooms. They’re always so unhinged and yet so human. Getting to know a person through the digital realm, regardless of space and time, is something that I still think is so beautiful.”

“On a fun note, Misaki was the easiest to write in terms of their texting style and humour; I and a friend of mine often compare our dynamic to theirs and V’s, respectively. So yes, absolutely, inspiration was drawn from my DMs.”

Otome.com

I really appreciate how Luca and Feli’s relationship runs parallel to yours. Can you tell me more about the two and them getting together?

Rosesrot: “Initially, Feli and Luca were going to be a strictly platonic friendship, but the voice actors (Sophie Nyx and Claudio F, respectively) championed the ship so hard that it convinced me to give them a romantic route in the game. I’m extremely happy that I did it! They’re so cute together and I can’t really imagine them having purely a platonic friendship anymore.”

“It’s been a joy seeing the fans love playing matchmaker between the pair. And we’ve had a non-inconsequential amount of cries for a romance route with the duo: so we’re making a Heatwaves DLC where you can romance them both (or just Feli on her own, or Luca on his own) for the Expanded Edition! If you’re interested in a serial killer throuple or just simply kissing the silly surfer or sweet arsonist on their own, you can keep an eye out for the DLC in late 2026.”

Otome.com

I really love the game’s artstyle, especially the vaporwave aesthetic. What inspired the look of the game?

Rosesrot: “I’m an eternal lover of the vaporwave aesthetic; that it’s so surreal, nostalgic, liminal, and most notably satirical, fell in perfectly with the aesthetic of Killer Chat. You’re entering a chatroom sent over the darknet; it’s a satirical serial killer dating sim. You’re in this ultra-capitalistic world; of which the Slaughterhouse Losers ironically and arguably counter, what with being underground serial killers and all. It just goes hand-in-hand.”

Otome.com

I wasn’t able to get all the endings, but is there one where you get V to kill Ronin (please say yes)?

Rosesrot: “No, sadly! This isn’t possible as of the Original Edition, but it’ll be a possible route that you can take in the Expanded Edition of the game.”

Community and Feedback

Otome.com

What has the community’s reaction to the game been like, did it match your expectations or exceed them?

Rosesrot: “The community’s reaction to Killer Chat! has been incredible and absolutely exceeded my expectations. I figured the game would be another fun entry into Spooktober; I didn’t think it would be the top rated game of the jam (and now of itch.io, we’re in the top 15 highest rated games of all time!)”

“While I did go into the project with the idea of creating a game that’s more mainstream-friendly, as my previous projects were on the esoteric side, I didn’t think that Killer Chat! would really get the amount of attention that it did!”

“Seeing fanart, fanfics, edits, and so on created because of my universe has made me so happy. It’s wonderful seeing so many people love a world and characters that I realised, and be so keen for all that’s to come.”

Future Plans and Development

Otome.com

What are your plans after Killer Chat!? Do you have any other projects or ideas you’re excited to explore next?

Rosesrot: “My plans after Killer Chat! are actually… still Killer Chat! I’m working on an Expanded Edition of the game with my team, and I can’t wait to bring it to everyone in 2026. It has a fresh new demo with the revamped Month 1 and a store page on Steam, which you can wishlist now.”

“Outside of Killer Chat! I’ll be working on Gluttony Gods, which is Ronin’s dark and gory canonical game. (Killer Chat! is an alternate universe with an iteration of Ronin, who isn’t my canon Ronin. Some of my fans have affectionately described Killer Chat! Ronin as fanfiction Ronin, which tracks!)”

“I’ve also recently released a fresh game, bloodlust.exe, which is now in early access! It’s a darker and edgier chatsim where you hunt down (and perhaps kiss) the vampire that bit you.”

Exclusives and Final Thoughts

Otome.com

Could you provide our readers with an exclusive piece of art or some behind-the-scenes content from Killer Chat!?

Rosesrot: “If you’re craving more of Killer Chat!, our brand-new Overkill DLC has you covered! Enjoy a collection of 25+ in-game bonding moments with the Killer Chat! serials, bonus outfits and accessories, and achievements.”

“The DLC will have 40k+ words of fresh content (for comparison, the Original Edition on itch has ~60k words!) So that’s 66% of new stuff, and yeah the percentage might totally be intentional :)”

“Here’s a sneak peek of the DLC, which we’ll be releasing alongside the free Original Edition on Steam (28th November 2025, mark your calendars!)”

Otome.com

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Otome.com community about yourself or Killer Chat!?

Rosesrot: “If you can’t wait for Killer Chat! Expanded Edition’s release in 2026, don’t worry! Replay Killer Chat! Original Edition with achievements and enjoy our brand-new Overkill DLC, both coming to Steam on November 28th!”

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