I'm now perhaps overly self-conscious about when I use a certain word starting with "f" and ending with "riendslop," but casual co-op, low-fi visuals, and proximity chat is clearly a winning formula. The latest hit in that space is Sledding Game, which reached 100,000 copies sold and overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews just days after launch, and nobody's more surprised than the mostly solo developer who brought it to life.
We'll put the usual caveats on "solo" here – you will see the credits for music and the logo on the Steam page – but the bulk of Sledding Game is the work of a single developer who identifies himself as "Max," and says this is his "first ever video game." The title is pretty self-explanatory, as the game has you hanging out on a mountain resort and sledding around, tossing snowballs, making snowmen, and other appropriately wintery activities.
Sledding Game launched on April 30, and by May 5 had already sold over 100,000 copies. "Thank you everyone for playing," Max said in a Steam post announcing the news. "It means the world to me that I have the support to continue making games full time off of my first game on Steam. It’s a dream to reach this large of a number, and you all made it happen in 5 days. Couldn’t be more grateful."
Judging by the user reviews, which currently sit at an "overwhelmingly positive" 97%, that success is well-earned, too. This one probably catches the vibe better than any other: "This adorable little game brings my boyfriend and I unbridled joy. We love it so much for how endearing and entertaining it is. I love getting to be a little frog who drinks hot cocoa and goes sledding."
Dozens (upon dozens (upon dozens)) of games launch on Steam every day. Many of those are genuine labors of love that have something to offer an appropriate audience, but only a fraction of those manage to find the success they deserve. Seeing news about indie success stories like this always feels nice, but those stories stand out precisely because they're so uncommon.
Sledding Game is currently in early access on both Steam and Xbox – including Game Pass – and expected to remain there for up to a year, as Max continues to add "more cosmetics, more minigames, and more ways to hang out." Here's hoping the good times continue to roll.
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