meme games keep winning big (here's why)

How do some meme indie games blow up out of nowhere and net millions of dollars in revenue? And why do they keep beating AAA games?

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Some video background music by @ContextSensitive

[-Engineering-]

If i wanted to see real world graphics i wouldn't gaming, i'd shutdown my computer and go for biking.

[SangHendrix]

I think the co-op + scary is a trend now. People seem to enjoy it.

[pagoda_dimensionale]

We can say that Lethal Company create a good idea about this type of gameplay that Content Warning use and expand. People have bought it because they wanted something similar to Lethal Company and the price was super accessible. I think this type of experience open ups space for creativity and originality in the game dev community.

[TahirHussainMir]

$100 million is a huge amount.
Suppose, if a person saves $5000 monthly, it will take him 1666 years to reach $100 million.

[plasticflower]

I would say what these games also have in common is an easily exaplainable or understandable concept. They're good for the elevator pitch.
On the other hand, I bet there's a good number of games that also fulfill all of these criteria while not making it big.

[bob_obba]

I'm a total armchair critic here, but I would caution against chasing current trends. Unless a dev is _lightning_ fast in getting something out the door, they may just miss the wave.

[MaxIronsThird]

so, use a simple Gimmick, outlandish artstyle and make it land on a streamer's lap, now you're in heaven for a couple of weeks.

[actose]

This is a really good video idea (studying viral games and trying to replicate their success in a month or two), remind me to do this and become a multi-millionare sometime soon lol

[lejodev]

Great video, really enjoyed it, the explanation to why those indie games whent viral and managed to make a lot of money was great, thank youu

[ColeWithAGoal]

Wow Bumbi is really coming along! Looking forward to your future updates there :)

[uaAntonidiuss]

The video creator failed to mention one small but crucial detail: the number of major studios versus the number of indie ones. How many small companies attempt to create games only to end up without funds, compared to the large companies that consistently secure funding and produce games that earn less than these indie titles?

[bazyt]

Oh, I saw your new game in a reddit post, didn't realise it was yours! Looks great.

[TacticalProgrammer]

All of these games have a certain charm to them, like the devs just wanted to create something to play with their friends. And I think that adds a lot of personality to the games.

[rscrubs]

Also content warning took the already successful formula of lethal company (first person co op horror game with funny janky enemies and proximity voice chat) and got their game out quickly to catch some of lethal company's hype. Not saying there's anything wrong with that but I think that is also a big factor in their success
EDIT: Oh nvm you mentioned that later in the video lol

[GabrielAguiarProd]

This is nice Sam, very well approached. Great video!

[crazyboyandyomama]

The thing about Only Up, the game concept always existed since the halo 3 'forge/custom games' days.

[KugleeKuglee]

You forget to mention that lucky period when a big influencer picks up a game and presents it to their audience in a very good time window. Without influencers, there is zero marketing.

[notteaart]

I think this also explains why speedrunning took off and why the current Deep Dip 2 streams are doing so well. Take a simple concept and make it something you can do with friends and just have fun. Speedrunning was all about the community of "hey I beat this game this fast" and now it's a major past time for many gamers. Deep Deep 2, let's take a car and make it climb a tower and no check points. Not sure if it's selling more copies of trackmania, but it certainly is an interesting challenge and I would not be surprised to see other people just make a simple game based on it.

[jamie_dev]

Loved this video! Thanks for the insight. looking forward to more of your videos!

[CGDealers]

Keep up the good work. Very nice video :)