{"rewrite":{"id":"r_8aba65d348c74c4c834163ae","clusterId":"c_bfc503d7d118663619c6f9de","slug":"once-human-interview-details-october-ocean-update-isles-of-abyss","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Once Human Interview Details October Ocean Update Isles Of Abyss","summary":"NetEase Games and Starry Studio's survival game Once Human is getting its largest update since launch in October, the ocean update Isles of Abyss. Head of Operations Derek Qiu told Game Spark the sea is designed as a single gigantic life form, with ghost ships, strange lighthouses, and ship building that forces trade-offs, and said the sea was planned from the start of development.","whyItMatters":"The update is the studio's bid to hold the open-world survival audience by making the map itself the threat, after the game widened from PC to mobile and to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in August 2026.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe sea was planned from the start. Derek Qiu, head of operations for Once Human, said the map at launch already showed sea at the edges of the world, but making it a full play area took time to polish. In October the sea becomes the setting itself, with weather and the surrounding environment threatening the player, alongside ghost ships and strange lighthouses. The survival loop runs from exploring islands for resources to building and upgrading a ship, then heading back out. Weapons and armor add combat strength but also weight, so a ship slowed by upgrades may not outrun a sudden storm. Qiu said there is no perfect ship, and the choices made to adapt to the environment are part of the gameplay.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Once Human's Isles of Abyss makes the ocean one gigantic life form rather than a map with enemies on it. Derek Qiu says that choice predates launch, so the sea is the monster the base game never shipped.","twitterPost":"Once Human built the sea as one gigantic life form, not a map with enemies on it. Derek Qiu says the concept predates launch.","threadsPost":"Once Human's Isles of Abyss treats the ocean as a single gigantic life form, not a map with enemies dropped onto it. Derek Qiu says that decision was made at the start of development, which means the October update finishes an idea the base game was built around but never got to show.","newsletterBlurb":"NetEase Games and Starry Studio's Once Human is getting Isles of Abyss in October, its largest update since launch, which turns the sea into the setting rather than a border. Head of Operations Derek Qiu told Game Spark the sea is conceived as one gigantic life form, and that it was in mind from the start of development. Ship customization carries trade-offs: weapons and armor help in combat but add weight that can cost you against a storm.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/14/172240.html\",\"title\":\"Monsters Aren't Just Enemies - Now Even the Sea Itself Becomes a Monster: The Developer of Free-to-Play Survival Game 'Once Human' Discusses Its Unique 'Monster-Driven' Philosophy [Interview]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4695,"outputTokens":620,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789380873,"createdAt":"2026-09-14T10:09:39.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-14T10:13:23.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-14T10:13:23.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_bfc503d7d118663619c6f9de","canonicalTitle":"怪物は敵だけじゃない、ついには“海そのもの”まで怪物に―基本無料サバイバル『Once Human』開発者が語る独自の「モンスター中心」思想【インタビュー】","representativeArticleId":"a_31952cc18b71d98a16042e8c","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Once Human\"],\"studios\":[\"NetEase Games\",\"Starry Studio\"],\"people\":[\"Derek Qiu\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-14T09:20:02.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-14T09:20:02.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-14T10:13:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/14/172240.html","title":"怪物は敵だけじゃない、ついには“海そのもの”まで怪物に―基本無料サバイバル『Once Human』開発者が語る独自の「モンスター中心」思想【インタビュー】"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Once Human"],"studios":["NetEase Games","Starry Studio"],"people":["Derek Qiu"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}