A decade ago, creating a successful online multiplayer game required a large company’s worth of expertise to handle networking, graphics, and marketing and distribution—the list goes on. This year, one of the top-selling PC games, Lethal Company, was developed and released by an individual known only as Zeekerss.
Zeekerss stands on the shoulders of giants, of course: They built their co-op sci-fi horror game using the sophisticated Unity game engine, and distributed it via Steam. But their success shows the vast scale that one ingenious solopreneur can achieve in the modern video game industry. Lethal Company, which retails online for $10, has sold an estimated 9.4 million copies since it was released in October and counts more than 66,000 average daily players.
Social media fell in love with the game’s absurd mix of comedy and horror: Players must work together to salvage scrap on abandoned moons until monsters find, chase, and devour them, quickly destroying any team loyalty in the process as players run for their lives in paroxysms of giddy cowardly fear. The game’s jump scares (death comes in the form of snare fleas, bunker spiders, eyeless dogs, and a beast known as the thumper) have propelled its virality on Twitch and TikTok worldwide, and serve as a parable for the perils of being a company man.
Explore the full 2024 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 606 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the firms making the biggest impact across 58 categories, including advertising, artificial intelligence, design, sustainability, and more.
Autentifică-te pentru a adăuga comentarii
Alte posturi din acest grup

Two romantasy authors have publicly defended their use of artificial intelligence after being caught with AI-generated prompts left in their published works. While their readers are far from impre

After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its

Chris Rogers, Instacart’s current chief business officer, is taking over as the delivery giant’s next CEO, the company announced on Wednesday.
Rogers, who has worked at Insta


As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, Welcome.US has triggered a dramatic impact on U.S. immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization’

Nvidia’s earnings have become some of the most closely watched numbers on Wall Street. The company makes up about 6.5% of the Nasdaq 100, and 5.5% of the S&P 500, so a good quarter can send

One of the most popular smartphone apps in the world has finally come to the iPad. Today, Meta has officially r