Deathrun is a fan-favorite game in ROBLOX that has surged in popularity throughout the years. A few months ago, we talked with developer ErikWesley96 about designing Deathrun in a Crossfire article, where he mentioned that his team of developers (who still don’t have an official name, and are open to suggestions) was hard at work on crafting an official sequel. Fast forward a few months, and Deathrun 2 has not only officially released, but has been sitting at the top of the Games page for multiple weeks. I got the chance to talk with him about developing the Deathrun sequel from scratch.

“What surprised me most was that Deathrun 2 reached the front page without the use of ads of any kind,” recalls ErikWesley96. “I was expecting users to like it because the first Deathrun was loved by so many, but the popularity of the title really surprised me.”

ErikWesley96 and his team of developers –Toadjesse, Zomebody, Jackylam51, Stefano9, Spacek531 — approached this project with innovation in mind. The only thing they kept from the original game was the premise itself: you and a gang of ROBLOXians must traverse a rotating selection of levels, each loaded with different types of traps that can be triggered by the randomly selected “killer.” The range of traps in the new maps is huge — collapsing bridges, rolling boulders, tidal waves, sand snakes. The list goes on and on.

“The first Deathrun was thrown together really fast. We figured it wouldn’t become as popular as it was,” he tells me. “The biggest challenge this time around was creating a polished game without having much experience. I’m lucky enough to have a lot of talented friends in differing areas, and certainly couldn’t have done this alone.”

He goes on to explain that the key to developing a game in a large group is efficient coding. ErikWesley96 and his group of developers made a concerted effort to write code that could be universally understood by each member working on the game.

“Having unified and efficient code basically allowed us to add any feature we could think of relatively quickly,” he tells me.

Rather than simply add on to the existing maps from the original Deathrun, the team decided to start from scratch, creating new maps with new features that encourage realism and replayability. The four new maps (with more to come) are loaded with interactivity — bridges and tunnels collapse unexpectedly, rolling boulders randomly appear that force you to rethink your path on the go — and make for an unpredictable experience each time you play a level. ErikWesley96 is also experimenting with Game Passes in a different way: his team decided early on that they wanted to offer Game Passes that don’t actually give players any sort of advantages over others.

“Since most of the core game was already done, we decided we wanted to offer Game Passes that don’t change the experience at all,” he recalls. “They do smaller things, like allow you to choose which map will be played next around. This feature was intended for admins initially, but it turned out to be a great Game Pass that players enjoy.”

Deathrun 2 is already a compelling and nerve-wracking experience, though it’s not complete just yet. The team is working on developing more maps, and is also accepting player-submitted maps. They’re putting together more content for their in-game shop and developing levels that offer even more interaction. Ultimately, ErikWesley96 followed up on his promise to delivering a truly innovative ROBLOX experience. He offers this advice to other developers:

Think about what you’re trying to create before you start it. Listen to suggestions and feedback from other players, and don’t focus on making as much money as possible. Focus on the player experience, and people will notice that focus and appreciate it. That’s what makes a good game.