From script adaptation and gameplay design to translating dramatic TV culture into an interactive format, the development team shared insights from the project’s production.
Toii Games, the development team behind Re:Burn: The Bonfire of Taiwan, was invited to speak at TGDF 2026 (Taipei Game Developers Forum) where the team shared its experience adapting the classic Taiwanese TV drama The Bonfire of Taiwan into a video game.
The talk, titled “If I’m Pissed, I’ll Send You a Can of Gasoline and a Match: The Path of Gamifying a Taiwanese Primetime Drama IP,” explored the creative and production challenges behind turning a long-running live-action TV series into an interactive game experience. The team discussed the project from three key perspectives: script adaptation, gameplay design, and the translation of the original drama’s uniquely Taiwanese tone and cultural flavor into game form.
The original TV series The Bonfire of Taiwan is one of the most iconic works in Taiwan’s drama culture. With a massive number of episodes (over 320 episodes), a large cast of characters, and storylines filled with family feuds, business rivalries, romance, betrayal, dramatic confrontations, action scenes, and highly memorable catchphrases, the show holds a special place in the collective memory of Taiwanese audiences.
For the development team, one of the biggest challenges early in production was figuring out how to extract a playable narrative structure from such a large body of source material while preserving the show’s local identity and dramatic energy.
According to Toii Games, a central question throughout development was: “How can we help players who have never watched the original series still understand the appeal of the classic TV drama through gameplay?”
Rather than simply recreating scenes from the TV show, the team broke down the core elements that define the genre: intense character relationships, over-the-top conflicts, emotionally charged confrontations, absurd yet unforgettable plot twists, and a rhythm of storytelling that is instantly recognizable to fans. These elements were then reimagined as gameplay systems and interactive moments that allow players to actively participate in the drama.
On the writing side, the team had to reorganize a vast number of characters and storylines into a structure that fits the pacing of a game. The goal was to give longtime fans recognizable scenes, iconic lines, and character moments, while also making the story accessible to new players who may have no prior knowledge of the original series.
Balancing faithfulness to the source material with the expectations of modern players was a key part of the process. Classic lines, character personalities, dramatic pacing, comedic absurdity, and famous scenes all had to be carefully adapted so that they could work not only as nostalgia, but also as an engaging game experience.
Through its TGDF 2026 session, Toii Games also hopes to offer a practical reference for Taiwanese game developers, film and television creators, and IP holders who are exploring cross-media collaboration. The team observed many film and television works with strong local identity and generational memory. With the right gameplay approach and interactive design, these works can be reintroduced to existing fans in a new way, while also giving younger players and international audiences a chance to discover the unique pop culture.
The Game Is Now in the Final Stage of Development, Targeting Release Before the End of the Year
Re:Burn: The Bonfire of Taiwan is currently in the final stage of development. The team is continuing to polish game content, fix issues, and conduct final testing, with the goal of launching before the end of this year.
Toii Games stated that bringing a classic drama into the world of interactive entertainment is not only an IP adaptation project, but also an effort to revisit and reorganize a piece of the cultural memory.
The team will continue working on optimization and release preparation, with more launch information to be shared in the future. Players can look forward to stepping into the world of Re:Burn: The Bonfire of Taiwan and experiencing its familiar, absurd, passionate, and unmistakably moments in a brand-new interactive format.
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