, known as SWERY or Swery65, is a Japanese video game designer and writer. He was one of the founding members of the game development studio Access Games which is based in Osaka. His roles in the company included director, designer, and writer. His best-known work include the games Spy Fiction, Deadly Premonition, and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die. He then left Access Games in 2016 and founded his own studio, White Owls Inc.
Early and personal life
Born from Buddhist monks, Swery lived in a temple in his childhood. He first got his monk license in high school, but only became a certified Buddhist monk in 2016 within Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism. Suehiro received a degree in film and video advertising at Osaka University of Arts. He decided against pursuing a career in the film industry, as he felt it was "very conservative". In November 2015, he announced that he would be taking a health-related break from game development in order to focus on recovering from reactive hypoglycemia. Swery is often called the DrinKING, posting numerous photos of him with alcoholic beverages. Sharapova, a stuffed toy monkey, is Swery's "partner". Swery brings him everywhere in his travels. He has a yakuza-styled back tattoo with his name and Sharapova at the center.
Career Swery decided to join the game industry after graduation and worked at various game companies including SNK. At SNK, he wrote the scenarios to Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle, The Last Blade and The Last Blade 2. In January 2002 he was one of the founding members of Access Games. The first game he directed was the PlayStation 2 game Spy Fiction released in 2003. The game is a third-person military themed stealth game and the target audience was Western players rather than Japanese players. Production began in 2004 on a game titled Rainy Woods, which was then cancelled in 2007. Work was restarted under the new title Deadly Premonition and it was released in 2010. A survival horror game, it also placed emphasis on targeting Western gamers rather than Japanese players. That game made its way to the 2012 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition with the title "Most Critically Polarizing Survival Horror Game" because reviews of the game ranged so heavily. In 2014, he partnered with Microsoft to develop an Xbox One game titled D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, which utilizes the Kinect motion-sensing device. The game was highlighted at GDC Next 2013 as one of their "GDC Next 10", where chosen developers give talks on the inspiration behind their upcoming games. In 2015, he gave a lecture in Osaka and at GDC 2015 regarding physical input in video games and the Kinect device. He also opened a booth along with Access Games at Penny Arcade Expo East 2015. On 31 October 2016, he announced his departure from Access Games. A new video game studio was later founded by Suehiro on 1 November 2016 as White Owls Inc. White Owls was formally revealed to the public on 15 January 2017. Suehiro is a good friend of fellow game creator Goichi Suda. Appearing on a livestream in 2019, the pair revealed they worked on a cancelled PlayStation VR game together, after which they decided to collaborate on a horror title. Just before the stream, Suda titled it Hotel Barcelona, and both envisioned a "light and easy to play" game for mobile platforms or Nintendo Switch. In 2023, it resurfaced as a slasher film parody action game for consoles and PC. Death Game Hotel was released for Meta Quest in July 2024, with Suehiro credited for the original concept. In 2024, Suehiro received the Trailblazer Award at IndieCade Festival 2024. Hotel Barcelona was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in September 2025.
Works Year Title Developer Platform Role1996Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag BattleSNKArcadeScenario1997The Last BladeSNKArcadeScenario1998The Last Blade 2SNKArcadeScenario1999Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine ReturnWhoopee CampPlayStationDesigner2001ExterminationDeep SpacePlayStation 2Writer/Planner2003Spy FictionAccess GamesPlayStation 2Writer/Director2009Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senjō no Kizuna PortableAccess GamesPlayStation PortableDirector2010Deadly PremonitionAccess GamesXbox 360, PlayStation 3Co-writer/Director/Designer2010Lord of ArcanaAccess GamesPlayStation PortableCo-writer/Designer2012Lord of ApocalypseAccess GamesPlayStation Portable, PlayStation VitaCo-writer/Designer2013Deadly Premonition: The Director's CutToybox Inc., Access GamesPlayStation 3, WindowsDirector/Designer2014D4: Dark Dreams Don't DieAccess GamesXbox One, Windows (2015)Writer/Director2018The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of MemoriesWhite Owls Inc.Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, WindowsWriter/Director2019Deadly Premonition: Origins (Switch Remaster)Toybox Inc.Nintendo SwitchDirector/Designer2020Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in DisguiseToybox Inc., Now Production, White Owls Inc.Nintendo Switch, Windows (2022)Co-writer/Director2021The Good LifeGrounding, White Owls Inc.Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, WindowsCo-writer/Director/Producer2021 Dear Ambivalence: The Mustachioed One, the Witches, and the Suspended Body Atelier Third Novel Author2024Death Game HotelWhite Owls Inc.Meta Quest; Windows (2025)Original concept2025Hotel BarcelonaWhite Owls Inc.PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/SProducer/Director; original idea and supervisor by Goichi Suda
References
External links