{"games":[{"path":"/games/videoball/","rank":1,"slug":"videoball","title":"Videoball","urlSlug":"videoball","value":"Action Button’s pre-Videoball work included Ziggurat (2012), TNNS (2013), Ten by Eight (2013), and Tuffy the Corgi (2014), all consistent with a minimalist-control, small-team aesthetic. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Button_Entertainment."},{"path":"/games/rocketleague/","rank":2,"slug":"rocketLeague","title":"Rocket League","urlSlug":"rocketleague","value":"Relevant precursors were SARPBC, Psyonix vehicle-mod work, and years of Unreal/networking contract experience. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-strange-and-inspiring-origins-of-psyonix-s-i-rocket-league-i-; https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rocket-league-celebrates-fifth-anniversary-with-an/1100-6479529/."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenarcade/","rank":3,"slug":"killerQueenArcade","title":"Killer Queen Arcade","urlSlug":"killerqueenarcade","value":"DeBonis/Mikros had done live-play collaborations such as Pigeon Pinata Pummel and Pitfall Live at the Tank; they explicitly wanted to add systemic depth to the spectacle of those prior works. Source: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-joshua-debonis-and-nikita-mikros-i-killer-queen-i-."},{"path":"/games/nidhogg/","rank":4,"slug":"nidhogg","title":"Nidhogg","urlSlug":"nidhogg","value":"Relevant precursors were Mark Essen’s earlier lo-fi action and experimental games, plus the No Quarter public-play constraint and arcade fencing inspirations. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://venuspatrol.com/2014/01/beast-emerges-qa-nidhogg-creator-messhof/; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/looking-back-looking-forward-with-devs-of-the-independent-games-festival."},{"path":"/games/ftlfasterthanlight/","rank":5,"slug":"ftlFasterThanLight","title":"FTL: Faster Than Light","urlSlug":"ftlfasterthanlight","value":"The most important precursors were not prior Subset products but a cluster of tabletop, roguelike, and space-sim\ninspirations converted into a short-session digital system. Public reporting repeatedly ties FTL's emergence to\ncompetitions, procedural space simulation, and the developers' pre-existing appetite for board-game-like decision\nstructures. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/kickstarter-contests-bring-i-ftl-i-to-life;\nhttps://subsetgames.com/ftl.html."},{"path":"/games/rounds/","rank":6,"slug":"rounds","title":"ROUNDS","urlSlug":"rounds","value":"Relevant precursors were Landfall’s prior physics/comedy/action design culture across games such as Stick Fight, Clustertruck, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, and related experiments. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://landfall.se/rounds; https://landfall.se/games."},{"path":"/games/intothebreach/","rank":7,"slug":"intoTheBreach","title":"Into the Breach","urlSlug":"intothebreach","value":"The direct precursor was FTL's structure of compact runs, hard choices, and procedural variation, but Into the Breach\ndeliberately changed the genre grammar from real-time ship management to turn-based perfect-information tactics. Its\ndevelopment history is best read as Subset testing how much of FTL's tension could survive inside a chess-like board.\nSources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/how-subset-games-made-the-jump-from-i-ftl-i-to-i-into-the-breach-i-;\nhttps://subsetgames.com/itb.html."},{"path":"/games/towerfallascension/","rank":8,"slug":"towerFallAscension","title":"TowerFall Ascension","urlSlug":"towerfallascension","value":"Relevant precursors were Thorson’s earlier GameMaker/browser work, Vancouver Full Indie/Indie House playtesting, and classic local multiplayer inspirations. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-magic-of-i-towerfall-i-depth-simplicity-community; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TowerFall."},{"path":"/games/duckgame/","rank":9,"slug":"duckGame","title":"Duck Game","urlSlug":"duckgame","value":"Relevant precursors were Podbielski’s earlier creative/programming/music work, OUYA support, and the couch-arena tradition of fast local combat games. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://gamecritics.com/john-vanderhoef/an-interview-with-duck-game-developer-landon-podbielski/; https://duckgame.fandom.com/wiki/Duck_Game."},{"path":"/games/limbo/","rank":10,"slug":"limbo","title":"LIMBO","urlSlug":"limbo","value":"The clearest precursor was Jensen's visual and atmospheric concept rather than a previous commercial game by Playdead.\nPlaydead's process emphasized mood, prototypes, and late-stage recombination, and the final product inherited a\nlineage of cinematic platformers while stripping them down to silhouette, physics, and dread. Sources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/hanging-in-limbo; https://store.steampowered.com/app/48000/LIMBO/."},{"path":"/games/inside/","rank":11,"slug":"inside","title":"INSIDE","urlSlug":"inside","value":"LIMBO is the obvious precursor: same studio, same minimalist storytelling instincts, same side-on puzzle-platform\nlineage, but INSIDE expands fidelity, animation, audio, and scale. Playdead's technical presentations show\nexperimentation in rendering, stutter-free streaming, audio feedback loops, temporal reprojection anti-aliasing, and\nsubtle VFX. Sources: https://blog.playdead.com/articles/inside_presentations/inside_publications.html;\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_(video_game); https://store.steampowered.com/app/48000/LIMBO/."},{"path":"/games/ultimatechickenhorse/","rank":12,"slug":"ultimateChickenHorse","title":"Ultimate Chicken Horse","urlSlug":"ultimatechickenhorse","value":"Relevant precursors were local multiplayer party-platforming, level-editor culture, game-jam iteration, and Kickstarter/community feedback. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.cleverendeavourgames.com/about-us; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/postmortem-clever-endeavour-games-ultimate-chicken-horse-kickstarter."},{"path":"/games/lethalleagueblaze/","rank":13,"slug":"lethalLeagueBlaze","title":"Lethal League Blaze","urlSlug":"lethalleagueblaze","value":"Relevant precursors were Lethal League, arcade fighting games, ball-sport escalation, and Team Reptile’s stylized action-game experience. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://team-reptile.com/category/lethal-league/; https://team-reptile.com/press/."},{"path":"/games/planetoflana/","rank":14,"slug":"planetOfLana","title":"Planet of Lana","urlSlug":"planetoflana","value":"The precursors were mostly inspirational and technical rather than prior Wishfully releases: Inside, Limbo, Another\nWorld, Oddworld, Studio Ghibli, Zelda, hand-painted concept art, and animation/film backgrounds. Planet of Lana's\nidentity came from translating those influences into a brighter companion-based sci-fi adventure. Sources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/exploring-the-art-and-animation-behind-hand-painted-odyssey-i-planet-of-lana-i-;\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1608230/Planet_of_Lana/."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenblack/","rank":15,"slug":"killerQueenBlack","title":"Killer Queen Black","urlSlug":"killerqueenblack","value":"Relevant precursors were Killer Queen Arcade’s arcade cabinet, venue tournaments, and local-scene team strategy structure. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/-i-killer-queen-black-i-to-end-service-in-november-due-to-gamesparks-shutdown; https://www.stridepr.com/2019/02/variety-killer-queen-black-buzzes-to-nintendo-switch-discord-in-q3-2019/."},{"path":"/games/brawlhalla/","rank":16,"slug":"brawlhalla","title":"Brawlhalla","urlSlug":"brawlhalla","value":"Relevant precursors were Blue Mammoth’s online multiplayer background and prior games such as Dungeon Blitz, plus platform-fighter conventions. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/MvVxfuQT6SZ5XnlJY8Pgp/brawlhalla-celebrates-100-million-lifetime-players-with-ingame-event; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/ubisoft-acquires-brawlhalla-developer-blue-mammoth-games."},{"path":"/games/amongus/","rank":17,"slug":"amongUs","title":"Among Us","urlSlug":"amongus","value":"Relevant precursors were party social deduction, local friend-group games, Innersloth’s prior small-team game development, and mobile accessibility norms. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.innersloth.com/games/among-us/; https://www.innersloth.com/."},{"path":"/games/repo/","rank":18,"slug":"repo","title":"R.E.P.O.","urlSlug":"repo","value":"Relevant precursors were semiwork’s prior indie development, physics-object interaction, co-op horror conventions, and proximity-voice social chaos. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://semiwork.se/; https://newzoo.com/games/r-e-p-o."},{"path":"/games/peak/","rank":19,"slug":"peak","title":"PEAK","urlSlug":"peak","value":"Relevant precursors were Aggro Crab’s character/action experience, Landfall’s physics/comedy multiplayer instincts, and social climbing/falling videos. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.polygon.com/gaming/611853/peak-steam-game-sales-survival-game-making-of-development/; https://newsletter.gamediscover.co/p/how-peak-sold-45m-copies-in-less."},{"path":"/games/mecchachameleon/","rank":20,"slug":"mecchaChameleon","title":"MECCHA CHAMELEON","urlSlug":"mecchachameleon","value":"Relevant precursors were Prop Hunt, hide-and-seek multiplayer, streaming-friendly deception, and low-cost PC social games. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4704690/MECCHA_CHAMELEON/; https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/meccha-chameleon-flies-by-7-million-sales-in-under-2-weeks-as-steams-latest-viral-hit-continues-to-go-to-the-moon-devs-celebrate-by-teasing-a-japan-themed-map/."},{"path":"/games/balatro/","rank":21,"slug":"balatro","title":"Balatro","urlSlug":"balatro","value":"Relevant precursors were traditional poker hand logic, Big Two-like card thinking, roguelike deckbuilders, and Luck Be a Landlord-style compounding modifiers. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.playbalatro.com/; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/balatro-sells-5-million-copies-after-end-of-year-spike."},{"path":"/games/vampiresurvivors/","rank":22,"slug":"vampireSurvivors","title":"Vampire Survivors","urlSlug":"vampiresurvivors","value":"Relevant precursors were mobile reward pacing, arcade survival, idle/auto-combat design, and cheap asset-pack production. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/aug/04/baftas-video-game-vampire-survivors-luca-galante; https://games.creative.barclays/resource-hub/games/industry-insights/how-vampire-survivors-became-a-hit-when-creator-poncle-was-ready-to-give-up/."},{"path":"/games/slaythespire/","rank":23,"slug":"slayTheSpire","title":"Slay the Spire","urlSlug":"slaythespire","value":"Relevant precursors were deckbuilding board/card games, roguelike run structure, and the founders’ prior software/game experience. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/aj6sq1/were_mega_crit_games_creators_of_slay_the_spire/; https://www.geekwire.com/2024/seattle-studio-mega-crit-reveals-sequel-to-surprise-indie-game-hit-slay-the-spire/."},{"path":"/games/hades/","rank":24,"slug":"hades","title":"Hades","urlSlug":"hades","value":"Relevant precursors were Supergiant’s prior premium narrative/action games—Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre—plus roguelike run structure. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.supergiantgames.com/blog/hades-now-out-of-early-access/; https://www.supergiantgames.com/blog/hades-now-out-of-early-access/."},{"path":"/games/noita/","rank":25,"slug":"noita","title":"Noita","urlSlug":"noita","value":"Relevant precursors were Crayon Physics Deluxe, The Swapper, Baba Is You/Environmental Station Alpha, falling-sand games, Liero, and procedural roguelikes. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/road-to-the-igf-nolla-games-i-noita-i-; https://nollagames.com/."},{"path":"/games/laserleague/","rank":26,"slug":"laserLeague","title":"Laser League / Laser League: World Arena","urlSlug":"laserleague","value":"Relevant precursors were arcade sports combat, local/online arena games, Roll7’s prior precision-action experience, and later F2P service thinking. These prior experiments reduced invention risk by proving at least one core mechanic, production method, community channel, or audience appetite before the commercial release. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/570460/Laser_League_World_Arena/; https://www.pcgamer.com/laser-league-returns-as-free-to-play-laser-league-world-arena/."}],"group":"origin","kind":"dimension","label":"Precursor projects / experiments","paths":{"html":"/dimensions/precursorprojectsexperiments/","json":"/dimensions/precursorprojectsexperiments/index.json"},"presets":["origin"],"rank":4,"schemaVersion":1,"slug":"precursorProjectsExperiments","urlSlug":"precursorprojectsexperiments"}