Indie game developers have shared their thoughts regarding Hades 2's surprise launch on Steam, noting that they were blindsided by the development.
The situation comes as Hades 2, created by Supergiant Games, launched in early access on Steam on May 6, 2024. While its immediate success was welcome news to fans, some indie game developers have asked to be spared a thought during these trying times.
Indie Devs React to Hades 2's Shadow Drop
(Photo : Supergiant Games / Screenshot taken from Steam)
The co-creator of the upcoming horror game Crow Country, SFB Games' Tom Vian, was able to make light of standing in Supergiant Games' shadow. He said that it was fortunate that they were able to choose a quiet news week to launch a video game.
His remarks as Crow Country is scheduled to drop later this week on May 9, 2024, which means that fans of the survival horror genre will be pulled between the PlayStation 1-style shooter and the sequel to everyone's favorite roguelike game, according to GamesRadar.
On the other hand, the creative director for Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island, Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou, took the chance to shout out his fellow indie devs in a quote Tweet. He said, "A heads up to support any smaller indies launching in the shadow of this."
His remarks come as their game is scheduled to launch later this year at a so-far unconfirmed date. However, many players who are already eager to get their hands on more Greek mythos-fuelled adventures can wishlist the game on Steam now.
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Many see the situation as an opportunity to make light of and Keen Games, the developer of the survival game Enshrouded, joked that development had been "pushed back 3 weeks."
On the other hand, indie publisher Devolver Digital claimed that it had abruptly ended an entire meeting after Hades 2's shadow drop.
Also, the developer of Another Crab's Treasure, a soulslike title, expressed concern that many other projects by indie developers could go unnoticed. Some have suggested that surprise releases like Hades 2 should be avoided in the future to prevent overshadowing lesser-known teams, said 80lv.
The Timing of Hades 2's Release
However, it was not all negative feedback regarding Hades 2's shadow drop as the creator of Rivals of Aether mentioned the fortunate timing of their platformer's release in late 2024. Dan Fornace said that Rivals 2 is planned for later this year because he has incredible foresight about the ongoing situation.
Following its sudden release, Hades 2 has already received a warm welcome from players and has nearly 96% positive reviews on Valve's gaming platform. The game also reached a peak of more than 100,000 players and is being praised by the entire gaming industry.
The situation comes as 2024 has become a relatively difficult year to work in the games industry and there have been many layoffs and studio closures. These two have been happening almost consistently throughout the year.
The day after Hades 2 launched, Heading Out was also released, which is a very unique title that spins roguelike mechanics with the wheels of a driving sim.
One user on X also urged the public to spread the message for the game in order to get past the hype wall that Hades 2 generated with its quiet release, according to Video Gamer.
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