game jam Archives

AppWizard

January 11, 2026

‘Don’t toil away on the things that don’t really matter’: Peak creator says its rapid development cycle has ‘proved that there are definitely different, but maybe better ways to make games’

Red Dead Redemption 2 is known for its realistic portrayal of horses, including details like the protagonist's horse testicles shrinking in cold weather, reflecting the meticulous attention to detail in triple-A game production. In contrast, Peak originated from a four-week game jam and gained success, leading its creators to invest more time in its development. Co-creator Nick Kaman noted the increasing demand for smaller-scale games and emphasized that while financial challenges exist, there is still a vibrant player base for innovative experiences. He remarked that opportunities for mid-sized and small studios are diminishing, highlighting a trend in the gaming industry between large-scale projects and smaller creative endeavors.

AppWizard

December 27, 2025

Peak devs were ready to go ‘into vacation mode’ after releasing it, but then it sold 1M copies in the first week: ‘That quickly became a pipe dream’

The co-op climbing game Peak, developed by Aggro Crab and Landfall, was released in 2025 after four months of development and gained viral popularity on platforms like Twitch. It features an in-game concert by rapper bbno$ and retains a charming, game jam-like quality with wobbly character models and comedic mishaps. The game is categorized as a comedy game, and the developers acknowledge the term "friendslop" used by some players to describe the genre. The team plans to continue regular updates until all desired features are completed before moving on to their next project.

AppWizard

December 10, 2025

Finji announces arcade game collection CorgiSpace for PC, now available

Finji has released CorgiSpace, a collection of small arcade video games for PC and Mac on platforms like Steam and itch.io, priced at .99 / £4.29 / €4.99. The games are created using the PICO-8 game engine and are designed for quick play sessions under an hour. CorgiSpace includes over a dozen games, such as Kuiper Cargo, Cave of Cards, Mole Mole, Dino Sort, and Rat Dreams, each with unique gameplay mechanics. To celebrate the launch, Finji is hosting CorgiJam, a game jam from December 10, 2025, to January 11, 2026, culminating in a live-streamed event on January 19, 2026, where submitted games will be played and commented on by the Finji team and special guests.