„It was like speedrunning the process” Peak developers share how development was different on their newest game

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In an interview with PC Gamer, the two creative minds behind the popular indie game Peak, recently making waves, revealed tales of the development journey and how

Peak’s success is making both Aggro Crab and Landfall reconsider their development process

In a recent interview, it was revealed that both indie studios Aggro Crab and Landfall developed their game “Peak” over a month-long game jam in Korea, which is quite unusual compared to their previous long-term projects. Given this unexpected success, it’s no wonder these studios are considering adjustments to their typical development process.

As per Paige Wilson, the head of community marketing at Aggro Crab, “Another Crab’s Treasure” and their first title, “Going Under”, were both part of a lengthy 3+ year development and marketing cycle. Working on Peak seemed like a condensed version of that entire process due to the fast-paced nature of its production… Just recently, this well-known indie studio disclosed that they’ve been struggling with burnout and a failed funding partnership. They had initially planned to work on Going Under 2, but instead decided to focus on smaller projects like Peak in response to these challenges.

Initially, during the initial design phase, Peak seemed to be leaning more towards an open-world survival game. However, it eventually narrowed its focus to become what we know today. Aggro Crab’s creative director, Caelan Rashby-Pollock, elaborated that they “…significantly reduced the size of the island from our initial plans, and instead invested more time into devising engaging ways for scouts to interact or compete with each other as they climbed the mountain.” This decision to scale back has proved beneficial for the team, as not only did it result in a successful game, but it also prevented them from spending extended periods on the same project, potentially leading to burnout.

It’s important to note that I’m not implying that the previous games from either studio were subpar in any way. In fact, Landfall’s Haste is one of my top picks for favorite games this year, and Aggro Crab’s Another Crab’s Treasure was a standout title for many gamers last year. Creating a video game is no easy task, and making a great one is even more difficult. And let me tell you, getting a video game completed and out into the world is often considered nothing short of a miracle by developers. If a small studio manages to sell their game successfully in the end, that’s a major accomplishment.

Navigating through three years on a project with uncertain outcomes, knowing that the outcome determines the course of the following endeavor, is a tough cycle for any field. However, it’s thrilling to witness studios like Aggro Crab and Landfall venturing into a fresher, more sustainable path. On top of that, if this transition leads to more frequent playtime of their exceptional games, I won’t have any complaints.

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2025-06-26 03:02