And there’s still no vampires in it.
The creative mind behind indie smash-success Vampire Survivors has reported that he is amazed by the popularity his game has received by fans worldwide. In a recent interview with IGN, Luca Galante said his intention for the action-packed roguelike was only ever to make a fun game, not an absolute blockbuster title.
Entering early access in late 2021, the game’s success since its official debut in October has been well-recognized. On its home platform of Steam, it has received in excess of 165,000 user reviews with 98 percent giving it positive ratings, placing it in the Website’s highest-possible review category of “Overwhelmingly Positive.” In addition to its numerous accolades, which include a nomination for Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2022 (where it unltimtely out to Stray), it also made our list of the Top 10 Games of 2022, coming in at a respectable number four overall, and it made more of our individual editors’ personal top 10 lists than any game besides Game of the Year winner Elden Ring.
As part of the interview, Galante revealed that he’s uncertain about what exactly has caused the game to maintain its level of success and popularity. “I have no idea, which makes it really scary! … The one thing I’m sure made a difference though is our community managers who did and are doing an incredible job at keeping communications open with the players,” he told IGN.
The success has led him to add a lot of additional content to the base game as well as release its first official DLC content, Legacy of the Moonspell, which he said is not something he had expected to be doing when he first unleashed his game on the world. But he made a point to keep the price for the paid DLC low, as he had been “very hesitant to make one” due to his negative expereince wih producers pumping out DLC just to make extra money. Rather, he said he created the content with his fans in mind.
Galante also expressed his personal love for indie games, and he gave the takeaway that Vampire Survivors’ success shows that great games can come from anywhere. “I’m not saying this out of ‘my good heart’,” he explained. “I’m saying this out of selfishness: I want to see more and more Celestes, Undertales, Powerwash Simulators, Wandersongs, and Short Hikes taking the spotlight they deserve!”
