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With headlines dominated by stories of buyouts, layoffs, employee mistreatment, and crunch, it's easy to think that game development is a constant parade of misery and strife. But the vast majority of developers still make games out of genuine love for the medium--and feel deeply connected to their teammates. The surprise announcement of a Steam remake of NES cult classic Battle of Olympus showcases the joyful side of game development: a project born of an idea that blossomed into a real-life romance, decade-long careers, and gratitude for the fans who have kept the game in peoples' minds.

The Battle of Olympus is a side-scrolling action-RPG released in 1988 by Broderbund for the NES. The visuals and gameplay take a lot of cues from Zelda II, though with a Greek mythology-inspired story and setting and a pretty solid challenge level throughout. It's been described as "a hidden gem" of the NES library many times, often overshadowed by similar titles, but beloved by those who enjoyed it.

Notably, The Battle of Olympus was developed in Japan by a very small developer named Infinity. How small? Well, the game's credits list a whopping three different people--Yukio Horimoto, Reiko Oshida, and Kazuo Sawa. Yukio and Reiko were the two main collaborators, with Yukio handling programming, Reiko on art design, and the pair working together on the game's story. As it turns out, the project would lead the two to discover their connection to each other, and they would marry soon after--making it very fitting that The Battle of Olympus's Japanese subtitle is "The Legend of Love."

Infinity would grow and continue work as a contract developer, porting titles from series like Ultima and Doom to various platforms while also releasing original work like GameCube fan-favorite Ribbit King. However, it now appears that Yukio and Reiko are ready to retire, and they want to do so by re-releasing the game that both brought them together and put Infinity on the map. But, as the YouTube video announcement emphasizes, this wouldn't have happened without the decades of support from fans of The Battle of Olympus, who continue to support the game through videos, streaming, and discussion.

It's hard not to watch the announcement video with a smile on your face, with Reiko happily describing the game's development, what it means to them, and how much fan support has touched them over such a long time. In a sea of depressing news, sometimes we need a love story to remind us why games can be so great.