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‘Bugsnax’ and ‘Octodad’ developer just surprise-dropped four free games on Steam
Acclaimed developer Young Horses just dropped four free games on Steam as part of the company’s Free Range initiative. The team behind the beloved PS5 launch title ‘Bugsnax’ are known for making off-kilter takes on traditional game formulas, and these four titles look like they carry on that proud tradition.
PlayStation indie darling 'Bugsnax' heads to Xbox, Steam and Switch on April 28th
After nearly two years of PlayStation and Epic Games Store exclusivity, indie darling Bugsnax is making its way to additional platforms.
Everybody gets hats in the first free 'Bugsnax' DLC, The Isle of BIGsnax
Who ordered the super-sized tater-tot monster?
How 'Bugsnax' studio Young Horses stays sustainable and deeply strange
It all started with an octopus pretending to be a normal human father.
'Bugsnax' arrives November 12th as a PS5 launch title
'Bugsnax' will be ready for the PS5 on the console's launch day, November 12th, and will come to computers and PS4 at the same time.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch reels in $4.9 million in gross revenue
In one year, Octodad: Dadliest Catch has made $4,902,945 in gross revenue, with 459,735 units sold across PC, PS4, Mac and Linux. Not bad for a game starring wobbly, paternal, pre-table takoyaki. Developer Young Horses shared the stats in an infographic, noting that 61.1 percent of Octodad copies live on PC and 32.6 percent are on PS4. Mac is 5.5 percent while Linux is 0.8 percent of all copies sold. In terms of total revenue, PC composes 55 percent, PS4 is 39.2 percent, Mac is 5.3 percent and Linux is 0.5 percent. Keep in mind that Octodad was never a PS Plus free game. "It was never a free PS Plus game, but folks tend to think it was because it was announced at the same time that Don't Starve and some other games were as PS Plus at E3," Young Horses President Philip Tibitoski told Joystiq in an email today. "I'm not sure how different our revenue chart might look because I don't know if there's a drop off in sales after you go free, and how many customers you might gain / lose. A lot of that depends on the type of game. I'd wager it can be a good thing for something that's multiplayer or competitive since friends convince friends to hop in and buy." Octodad: Dadliest Catch took two years and seven months to develop, with nine core team members and 28,208 hours worked. Regarding the game, 37 percent of players completed the story campaign and YouTube Let's Play videos of the game earned more than 200 million views combined – Pewdiepie snagged the most, with 8.4 million views. See the complete infographic after the break (and check out that fancy award at the bottom).
There's something weird about this ordinary man plushie
Owning a stuffed version of a perfectly ordinary man in a nice suit is kind of weird. This Octodad plushie is 10 inches long and even comes with little magnets in its hands, so you can hang this well-coiffed gentleman on all kinds of things (mostly refrigerators). This adorable bit of Octodad merchandise is available exclusively at Fangamer, along with two classy t-shirts and a "How to Prepare Tako 'Tosan" poster. These are all up for pre-order right now, with the plushie, poster and Cephalopadre shirt due to ship by late November, and the Dad on Deck shirt shipping by mid-late December. The plushie is $18 alone, or $23 for it and a PC download code of Octodad: Dadliest Catch, courtesy of Humble Bundle. The shirts are $23 each and the poster is $16 (no game code options there). [Image: Fangamer]
Octodad is a nurse, messy eater in next week's free Shorts DLC
Nothing fishy going on here: Octodad: Dadliest Catch gets free DLC in its "Shorts" update scheduled to hit all platforms on October 14. The Shorts DLC includes two stories in the Octodad world, titled Dad Romance and Medical Mess. "These two new levels are each a short story in the Octodad canon which give players the opportunity to learn a little more about the Octodad universe," Young Horses says in a press release. "Maybe you were curious how Octodad and Scarlet got along after their fateful first meeting aboard the fine vessel The Cod of War? Perhaps you're curious what Stacy and Tommy do with their lavish amounts of free time?" Personally, we just want to see how Nurse Octodad handles all of that sensitive hospital equipment. The Shorts DLC will appear right in the main menu for anyone who already owns the game and those who buy it in the future across PS4, Steam, Humble and GOG. For one week after the DLC's launch, Octodad: Dadliest Catch will be half off ($7.50) on PSN, Steam and Humble. [Image: Young Horses]
Octodad localized in Japan with a new name, tons of style
When Octodad: Dadliest Catch launches on PS4s in Japan, it'll be with the snazzy new logo seen above, and a fancy localized name: "something like Okutodaddo: Don't Call Me an Octopus," Young Horses co-founder Phil Tibitoski says on Twitter. Adorable. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan designed the logo and "they did such an awesome job," Tibitoski writes. The new art will make an appearance at Tokyo Game Show next week. [Image: SCEJ]
Octodad clumsily picking up free DLC
Octodad is swapping his formal suit pants for Shorts – a round of free DLC that brings new levels of weird scenarios for everyone's favorite cephalopod to explore. "Octodad Shorts" include the following, humorously bullet-pointed content, as outlined by developer Young Horses: Over 40 new objectives! Over 20 breakable plates! Over 0 unconscious ragdolls! An unspecified amount of new octopus sounds! Probably a pizza! "New levels were our number one most requested feature (next to making the game free), so we've been hard at work doing what you all tell us to," Young Horses says. The slightest chance of pizza is enough to make us excited, at least. Octodad Shorts should be out within "weeks." Young Horses has sold more than 250,000 copies of Octodad: Dadliest Catch since its launch in January, studio co-founder Philip Tibitoski wrote on Facebook – 90,000 of those were on PC, Mac and Linux before the game hit PS4 on April 22. [Image: Young Horses]
Steam Midweek Madness: Portal 2, Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Portal 2 and Octodad: Dadliest Catch have a lot in common: Both are born from an independent developer concept; both feature a clueless collection of non-playable characters; and they each explore the absurdity of the human condition. Now, thanks to a Midweek Madness sale, both are available for a discounted price on Steam. Portal 2 is available for $4.99, 75 percent off its regular price (or $8.74 for two copies for co-op adventures. Octodad: Dadliest Catch can be added to your Steam library for $9.99, 33 percent off (or $13.33 for the game and soundtrack; which, shockingly, does include the Lionel Richie classic "Stuck on You"). Each sale ends at 10am Pacific on Friday, April 25. In other deal-related news, the newly released music exploration game FRACT OSC is available for 10 percent off ($13.49) until 10am Pacific on April 29. [Image: Young Horses]
Everybody suspects Octodad: Dadliest Catch hits PS4 on April 22
Octodad: Dadliest Catch lands on PS4 on April 22 in North America and April 23 in Europe for $15 (€14 / £12). The game has had a good, flailing run on PC, Mac and Linux, selling more than 90,000 copies since its launch on January 30. Octodad on PS4 includes a bunch of updates and gameplay tweaks, most of the changes spawning from player feedback. At GDC, Young Horses CEO Philip Tibitoski told us a few new things coming to Octodad PS4, including the removal of a stealth mission later in the game. Octodad is all about silliness and making the main character – an octopus in a suit – fail at simple tasks in hilarious ways. During development, Tibitoski said the team lost sight of that "silliness" foundation, and the PS4 version returns to the weird things people really enjoy about Octodad. The PS4 version includes Move support and a local co-op mode where multiple players control one Octodad. Get the family together and have a laugh at a cephalopod's expense next week.
Don't expect Octodad to be a PS Plus free game, do expect extra silliness
Octodad: Dadliest Catch sold more than 90,000 copies on PC, Mac and Linux, and that is enough to keep developer Young Horses afloat through the end of the year with a lineup of full-time staff, CEO Philip Tibitoski told Joystiq at GDC. Before launch, the Young Horses team split their time between day jobs and development work, but now it's all Octodad, all the time. "If it hadn't sold well, I'd be out looking for a job right now," Tibitoski said. "I don't have to worry any more." The next step is a PS4 launch, scheduled for April. Fans on social media are eager to control a suited cephalopod with the DualShock 4, Tibitoski said, noting that some have vowed to buy it twice. And chances are, they will buy it – Young Horses has no plans to make Octodad a PS Plus free game. Tibitoski said a significant number of players expect Octodad to be free on PS Plus simply because it's an indie game on a Sony console, but that's not something the team wants. A launch sale, maybe.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch breaks 90K sales ahead of PS4 launch
Paternal poser Octodad: Dadliest Catch sold more than 90,000 copies on PC, Mac, and Linux since its launch in January, which means it also passed the octomark of 88,888 sales, and that's grand, too. Developer Young Horses is ecstatic with the sales figures, and president Phil Tibitoski said "our expectations have been met and then some to say the least." "Our Kickstarter funds for Octodad went towards some business costs and conference booths," Tibitoski wrote on the game's blog. "Outside of that our 9 person team at Young Horses worked on Octodad: Dadliest Catch for free for 2.5 years while holding other full-time jobs. Our hopes were that we would make back the amount of money that we felt our time was worth and be given the opportunity to bring forth from our noodly noggins other weird stuff for our next game." "This puts us in a position where we've been able to pay ourselves back for our time spent AND continue to pay ourselves in the future," he added on Twitter. "We no longer have day jobs, and it's looking like we'll get to make another game. Mission Accomplished." The tentacular concept for Dadliest Catch is controlling an octopus who's trying to hide the fact he's not human. Not only is he not what he seems, but he's also a father with a lot to do, and you have to try and help him complete the challenges of daily life. We say try, but what we really mean is watch him sprawl around like a, well, octopus in human's clothing. Dadliest Catch is expected to arrive on PS4 next month, with Move support adding to the mayhem. There's no word yet on a concrete release date. [Image: Young Horses]
Octodad: Dadliest Catch fishing for an April release on PS4
Eight-armed fatherhood sim Octodad: Dadliest Catch is set to make its PlayStation 4 debut in April, developer Young Horses confirmed today. An Xbox One port is also under consideration, though a release for Microsoft's platform has not been confirmed at this time. "Basically all you need to know is this is our first ever console release and we want to do it right the first time," the developer explained. Young Horses additionally ruled out the possibility of a Wii U port, and noted that a PS3 release is "unlikely." [Image: Young Horses]
Joystiq Streams: Live the secret life of a cephalopod in Octodad [Update: Watch the recap!]
Update: The stream is over. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! If you missed it, you can watch the recap right here! After playing Ecco the Dolphin last week, Joystiq Streams continues its dive into aquatic gaming ... more or less. This week, we crack into Octodad: Dadliest Catch, the game that proves you don't have to be a human to be a good father. All you need is eight tentacles, a lot of love and a nice, roomy suit. Richard Mitchell will be (awkwardly) controlling Octodad's gelatinous gyrations while Ludwig Kietzmann will be hanging out in the chat room taking questions and comments about the game. If you'd like to participate in the live conversation, head over to Joystiq's Twitch channel at 4pm Eastern! [Image: Young Horses]
Octodad: Dadliest Catch review: Eight arms, all thumbs
Octodad: Dadliest Catch reminds me of "Chicken Boo," an old series of short cartoons that used to air during Warner Bros' Animaniacs. The premise was ridiculous: Boo was a giant chicken that pretended to be human. He disguised himself as everything from a superhero to a respected Civil War general, and the punchline was always the same: Everyone around him, even his close friends, finally discovered he was a chicken. Octodad employs a similar (though funnier) gag, telling the story of a typical suburban father determined to live his typical suburban life while hiding his greatest secret: He's an octopus. Like an episode of Chicken Boo, Octodad is brief and, for the same reasons as the cartoon, that's probably for the best, because you can only rely on the same gag for so long before it ceases to be funny. And Octodad is funny. The very sight of a yellow octopus, its tentacles stuffed into a sky blue suit, is worth a chuckle on its own, and the humor is only compounded as the boneless curiosity wobbles across the ground, attempting to perform everyday tasks like mowing the lawn or shopping for groceries. It's at these moments when Octodad is at its greatest, as your desperate, flailing attempt to make a cup of coffee results in the near destruction of your kitchen. But Octodad isn't a cartoon, and it's only when more traditional game elements are injected – boss fights, failure – that it starts to drag.
You get a limb and you get a limb in Octodad: Dadliest Catch co-op
Octodad: Dadliest Catch will feature a local co-op mode when it launches on Steam tomorrow, January 30. In Octodad: Dadliest Catch, players control an octopus posing as a loving human husband and father. In co-op, which was revealed on Polygon and allows players to drop-in and drop-out at any time, each participant is given control over a specific set of Octodad's limbs; one player controls his left arm while another controls his right leg. Wait, does Octodad even have legs? Isn't he technically just a head with tentacles? Co-op will be available on all of Dadliest Catch's platforms: PC, Mac, Linux and the upcoming PS4 port, which is expected in March. A Roulette version of co-op, which can be freely toggled on or off, will randomly switch players' limb sets every time an objective is completed. Developer Young Horses said it has no plans to add an online co-op mode.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch enters Steamy waters on January 30
Octodad: Dadliest Catch hits Steam for PC, Mac and Linux on January 30, so limber up, land-dwellers. Dadliest Catch will come to PS4 this year, tentatively targeted for March, creator Philip Tibitoski says. The launch trailer gives us a taste of all the fishy things Ocotdad is up to in his sequel, including a mysterious past revealed by a chef, a family trip to the aquarium, and the emotional turmoil of living as a father, husband and human citizen who is actually an octopus. In Octodad: Dadliest Catch, players must control Ocotdad's numerous, ungraceful arms and legs as he walks around his house and places outside – yes, in public. Surely no one will suspect a thing.
You are cordially invited to Octodad's wedding
What? You don't think secret octopi deserve a classy wedding? They feel love, too, so we're not very surprised to see the wedding in Octodad: Dadliest Catch is on par with the majority of human weddings – right down to the traditional groom-only pre-nuptial dance party.
