Indie devs go viral after calling out player who claims their game is a failure

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The creators of the indie game Hypercharge, which resembles Toy Soldiers and features action figures battling with toy weaponry, fired back at someone who asserted that their game was defunct due to a lack of active online players.

Creating an exclusively multiplayer game in 2025 presents a substantial challenge due to the sheer number of live service games currently captivating audiences. With so many games people have invested significant time into, it becomes challenging to persuade them to abandon their current favorites and try something new. It’s not uncommon for well-crafted multiplayer games to cease operations over time.

As a gamer speaking from experience, I can say that smaller development teams often don’t have the same resources for advertising as bigger companies, nor do they have the capability to maintain a live service model that could make their game free-to-play.

And, while Hypercharge isn’t exactly exploding in popularity in the years after release, the devs fought back against the narrative that their game is dead just because players can’t find full matches online.

Hypercharge devs push back on dead game narrative

In many popular online games today, multiplayer functionality becomes unavailable when game servers are taken offline. These widely-played games often face an uncertain future as their developers may choose to discontinue service at any point, leaving players without access to multiplayer features. This is a common aspect of modern multiplayer games.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve got my eyes on Hypercharge – a paid game that offers an engaging experience, even when playing against AI opponents or in a Local Area Network setup. As long as it’s available for purchase on storefronts and resides within your gaming system, you can jump into the action whenever you like!

Despite not being as widely appreciated today as it was initially, the developers remain proud of their creation with Hypercharge. However, some critics have labeled it a “flop,” suggesting the developers are merely grasping at straws by releasing the game on PlayStation, implying they are lazy and only after easy money.

As a gamer, I might put it this way: “Perhaps the number of people online isn’t overwhelming, but somewhere out there, someone’s sitting on a couch with their kid, sharing the joy of split-screen gaming, creating memories, and solving puzzles together. If that’s all Hypercharge offers, it’s more than enough for me. Not every game needs to be an online spectacle; sometimes, the simplicity of local multiplayer can create moments that last a lifetime.

This tweet went viral, resulting in the dev team making a larger statement on the topic.

We’ve turned our childhood dream into a reality by creating the game we’ve always desired. It might sound like a common saying, but it holds true for us. When you enjoy what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. As long as we can cover our expenses, provide for our families, and continue making things that matter to us, then, from our perspective, we are already wealthy. To us, this is the essence of success.

All of Hypercharge’s cosmetics are earned in game, with their being no microtransactions

The developers stated their decision against using a free-to-play model was driven by their conviction that creating an exceptional game is the route to success, rather than focusing on the monetization strategy that would yield the highest profit.

Moreover, although it was not deliberate, this viral story has generated an enormous amount of public attention towards their game, potentially increasing the number of players even beyond what a costly advertising campaign could achieve.

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2025-06-01 00:48