Vampire Survivors creator surprised by success

The creator of smash hit roguelike game Vampire Survivors says he has “no idea” why the game is so popular

The creator of the massively popular indie smash hit Vampire Survivors says he has no idea why the game is as successful and popular as it is.

Luca Galante, the sole developer behind the game, gave an interview with IGN a few days ago, and showed his surprise that not only was the game initially popular, but stayed popular for as long as it did.

Vampire Survivors first launched in December 2021 in early access on Steam, a program that allows developers to release games that are still incomplete and get player feedback as they finish development. It became immediately popular, even in its incomplete state, and has since gotten a full release, a DLC expansion, a mobile release, and some pretty noteworthy awards.

Galante says that he still can’t believe that Vampire Survivors is as popular as it is, saying that if he can develop a popular game, then anyone can.

“While it is very difficult for me to believe that [Vampire Survivors] is worth all this attention,” Galante told IGN, “I’m happy it’s getting it mostly because it shows that literally anyone could make it, and so it will hopefully encourage more indie developers to keep pushing on their projects”.

Asked why Vampire Survivors has been so successful, Galante said that he really had “no idea”, but said that a good relationship with the game’s community probably helped a lot.

“Since launch I’ve been trying not to look at numbers or at what’s happening online specifically to not get too carried away,” Galante said, “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”.

Vampire Survivors is a roguelike game, a genre of games that typically have procedurally generated, randomised levels, and permanent death of the player character. Modern roguelike games, often called “roguelite” games, usually afford the player the option to keep some resources or abilities between playthroughs, even after the death of their character.

Vampire Survivors might have simple graphics, but its gameplay has mesmerised millions of players across the world. Picture: Luca Galante

Since its launch, Vampire Survivors has seen millions of players flock to the game, with its release on mobile earning a million downloads in its first month available. The game reached 70,000 concurrent players on Steam in its second month on sale.

It was also the recipient of a Golden Joystick award, the Breakthrough Award in the 2022 awards, putting it in good company. Aussie game Cult of the Lamb won a coveted Golden Joystick award in the same show, taking home the Best Indie Game award.

The Aussie award-winning game was recently announced to be getting a big update, with a major content update due to come at some point in 2023.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.