Peak developer Aggro Crab has hit back at “friendslop” haters, insisting there’s a place for co-op games that “deliver a specific experience”, especially as they can be “very cost-effective for indie production”.
Talking to GamesRadar+, studio head Nick Kaman said that while these games may “forego traditional quality markers”, some players just want to hang out with their friends and have fun – and that’s what “friendslop games put […] at the front and centre of the experience”.
“There’s backlash because sometimes these games forego traditional quality markers like polished graphics or story, but these games aren’t trying to be Game of the Year, they focus on delivering a specific experience and that can make it very cost-effective for indie production,” Kaman said.
While he acknowledges that “like with any hot genre, you get a lot of fast-follows and low-quality attempts flooding the storefronts”, he reckons “it’s mainly just fun to be a hater, especially when a term like ‘friendslop’ is so juicy”.
“There’s a real desire to connect and hang out in online worlds, and friendslop games put that at the front and centre of the experience,” Kaman added. “These are games that emphasise teamwork and communication, as opposed to just testing your individual skill in a group setting.”
Peak – which follows a string of other multi-million sellers for publisher Landfall, including Content Warning and Totally Accurate Battlegrounds – is available now on Steam. Eurogamer contributing editor Christian Donlan called Peak his “new gaming obsession” earlier this year, writing: “Great climbing, great fun, a very pure take on design. And maybe stay away from the mushrooms. Some of them, anyway.”
It’s been so successful, in fact, that it has spawned so many clones, the team behind indie hit would rather its community pirate its own game than play a “microtransaction-riddled” ripoff.