Embracing friendslop: How Peak’s devs turned one small idea into the next big thing

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The popular game “Peak” is thriving in the quickly evolving category known as “friendslop,” which features affordable cooperative games meant for playing with companions. In a market where production costs are escalating, titles such as “Peak” are gaining traction by offering an enjoyable and straightforward experience.

Working together for roughly a month, the duo consisting of teams Aggro Crab and Landfall managed to develop a game which regularly attracts more than 100,000 concurrent players.

It seems that the game Peak was developed as a result of several developers noticing games similar to Lethal Company, which they referred to as “friendslop” games. Inspired by the fun they saw in these games, they decided to create one with their colleagues at Landfall, who had extensive experience in this genre. From the outset, their goal was to produce a game in the style of friendslop.

I had a chat with Caelan Pollock, the developer at Aggro Crab who conceived the idea for Peak, to inquire about the game’s unique setup involving two separate development teams. During our conversation, it was clear that Peak holds significant value beyond being just another game created by the Aggro Crab team.

Aggro Crab embraced friendslop and made Peak

In simpler terms, could you clarify what “friendslop” is? It seems to be a term gaining popularity online recently, but its meaning isn’t entirely clear. However, Caelan attempted to define it.

When I come across the word ‘friendslop’, I interpret it as a situation where you and your friends fill in the entertainment gap in a game that might be falling short.” (He clarified)

For several years, this peculiar sub-genre has been developing, but he conceded that Lethal Company was the title that truly established it as a recognized category in gaming.

At present, it feels suitable to categorize these games, such as Peak, under a common genre, whether you prefer the term “friendslop” or something more respectful. These games are currently trending, they show clear similarities, and new versions are coming out rapidly. Lethal Company seems to have made a significant innovation by simplifying the mechanics.

In simpler terms, the survival horror game Lethal Company, launched in early access in 2023, appears straightforward. The fundamental functions and goal are simple to grasp, but it’s designed to create frightening experiences for you while also offering hilarious humor to share with your companions.

In Lethal Company, the humor isn’t just by accident – it’s intentional, as the creators were designed to produce this effect. Then there’s R.E.P.O., which appears more refined in many aspects, but its standout feature lies in the items and their effects on gameplay, influencing your experience almost as much as the enemies do.

The term ‘friendslop’ might seem disrespectful towards this type of video games, given that many of them are affordably priced. Some people view these games as less prestigious compared to high-budget AAA titles. However, is it necessarily a negative aspect if a game is easier and cheaper to produce than an AAA project?

“We love the term friendslop, I hate to admit it,” Caelan said.

Long before the term became widely recognized, we used to joke about Landfall’s games, referring to them as ‘friendslop.’ Our humor lay in the fact that we would say things like, ‘We’re going to create a game that’s just like friendslop.’ To us, it wasn’t meant with any literal derogatory connotation; we simply found it amusing.

Given that the inspiration for creating a game similar to Peak appears to be rooted here, could you elaborate on how they brainstormed and developed the initial concept behind it?

A strong friendship created something special

In an unusual turn of events, two development teams, Aggro Crab and Landfall, have not only collaborated, but they’ve become close partners, as described by Caelan, despite having starkly distinct methods in game development.

Landfall prioritizes fulfilling its main gameplay mechanism, whereas Aggro Crab emphasizes on creating an appealing environment through storytelling, themes, and atmosphere. Essentially, they both strive to capture what makes a concept charming and breathe life into it in a relatable way.

Collaboration between these two studios enabled the team to compensate for one another’s shortcomings, thereby quickly producing a top-notch game. This unique partnership was sparked by a group of developers relaxing together in a hot tub.

I’d like to take credit for the initial concept. It was first proposed during a relaxing soak in a Swedish hot tub, and the basic premise was creating a game around lost scouts. This notion draws on some themes from Content Warning, capitalizes on what’s currently trending as popular, and sets it within a world that’s simple to engage with through role-play.

They adopted the concept of the lost scouts and significantly developed it, dedicating a month as Landfall did for creating Content Warning, resulting in Peak. The ability to freely innovate and create something with minimal risk was instrumental to the game’s success.

For the past couple of years, Caelen mentioned, our financial situation has been stable enough that we’re not scrambling for funds right away. The success of Another Crab’s Treasure provided us some breathing room. We weren’t assuming, “If we collaborate, we’ll undoubtedly achieve greatness,” compared to Content Warning, which we regarded as a rare, electrifying release.

Above all else, we were thrilled at the prospect of teaming up with some of our valued friends for a collaboration. Such an opportunity doesn’t come along often, whether it’s due to the financial flexibility or finding another studio group that we gel with. The enthusiasm for a collaborative project is not common in the gaming industry.

Aggro Crab may not have been at its best after the termination of a long-term project they were developing. But Peak’s creation encompasses more than just their game. They chose to embrace risk and create something enjoyable as a means to cope with the sorrow stemming from an unsuccessful, ambitious endeavor that didn’t pan out as planned.

Making the most of a bad situation

Aggro Crab’s debut game was titled “Going Under”. Although it didn’t achieve the same level of popularity as Another Crab’s Treasure, it was successful enough to finance the production of that game. This roguelike was created by a team that seemed frustrated with the sterile and devoid-of-life aesthetic prevalent in contemporary corporate art.

In today’s increasingly skeptical world towards corporations, the once soothing rounded edges and simplistic characters designed for approachability now provoke unease in the game ‘Going Under’. This contrast is a major theme that the game delves into deeply.

Initially, I was thrilled about Aggro Crab’s intention to delve back into the theme with Going Under 2. However, my excitement was dashed when they decided to scrap the project instead. All those years of hard work were unfortunately discarded.

Caelen sadly expressed that a planned game, which would have been named “Going Under 2,” had to be canceled. This project was another significant one, taking about two to three years for completion. Similarly, our previous project, “Crab’s Treasure,” lasted over three years. Unfortunately, at this point in time, the team seemed to lack motivation.

After creating a game that holds deep personal significance, like Another Crab’s Treasure, one may experience a sense of emotional letdown or melancholy, akin to postpartum depression. Even though the game received widespread acclaim and I am immensely proud of it, working on updates for it became a rather dismal experience.

After wrapping up the adventure known as “Another Crab’s Treasure”, the prospect of diving into another large-scale project felt overwhelming to everyone involved. Consequently, during this transitional phase, we are seizing the moment to work on projects that cater to our preferences. We’re experimenting with smaller creations, some of which might not even see the light of day. Our focus is shifting towards developing a game that doesn’t demand such immense effort from us.

The experience at Peak has shown us an important lesson: small games are effective. I often advise others to start with smaller projects when it comes to game development. Just like you wouldn’t compose a full orchestra piece as your first musical work, starting with something more manageable makes sense. It seems we also needed to learn this lesson the hard way.

Beauty in simplicity

Among the captivating features of this game lies its unique title. ‘Peak’ is remarkably straightforward yet manages to convey a clear picture of the game’s content, all while aligning perfectly with gamers’ wit and humor.

Although making a witty comment about the game reaching its pinnacle comes easily, the time spent deciding on the succinct one-word title was nearly equal to the game’s entire development period, which spanned roughly a month.

We spent a considerable amount of time deciding on the name for our game. By the time we finished working on it, we had settled on ‘Peak’, but its development had been ongoing for several weeks prior. Initially, we struggled to find a name everyone was happy with, so we brainstormed some rather cheesy suggestions like “So Peak”, “Is this Peak?”, and “This is Peak”. I believe what attracted us to simply calling it ‘Peak’ was that it seemed somewhat arrogant or self-assured. While the other names were undeniably poor, the appeal of ‘Peak’ might have been its connotation as a bold statement.

In simpler terms, “It seems like a fantastic choice to name the game Peak, given how widely used this term is currently. The humor aspect aside, I believe it’s an excellent and relevant name for the game.

As a gamer, I can’t help but notice the smooth spread of popularity that Peak has achieved. Instead of shoving a cheesy punchline down our throats, they leave it up to us players to create our own jokes about it. This approach is precisely why Peak stands out in the gaming world.

Regardless of whether Going Under 2 is ever released, some of the original game’s core message remains evident in Peak. It stands as a testament to the impact that choosing creativity over profit-maximization can have when you forgo the conventional approach of tailoring a game for mass appeal.

By returning to fundamental elements, titles like Peak and fellow friendslop games have reignited the pleasure experienced by countless gamers initially – engaging with friends and uncovering a game’s hidden mysteries on your own.

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2025-07-20 23:49