Indie
2023 Indie hit Only Up! is no longer available on Steam due to its creator getting stressed out
Only Up! has been removed from Steam by its own creator because it has been under a lot of pressure for several months.
It took us all by surprise, but Only Up!, the indie title developed by SCKR Games and released in May 2023, reached a peak of 280,000 viewers on Twitch and mostly positive reviews on Steam. A few months later, its creator has decided to remove it from the platform due to the stress he had been under.
Why is Only Up! no longer available on Steam? These are the reasons given by its creator
As we can read in the comment section of the game on Steam, in the latest patch notes released on September 6, 2023, the creator announces the removal of the game from the platform.
“I’m a solo developer and this game is my first experience in Gamedev, a game I did for creativity, to test myself, and where I made a lot of mistakes. The game has kept me under a lot of stress all these months. Now I want to put the game behind me. And yes. the game won’t be available in the steam store soon, that’s what I decided myself,” the patch notes read.
“What I need now is peace of mind and healing. I plan to take a pause, and continue my education in game design and further with new experience and knowledge to direct my energies to my next game with the working title ‘Kith’”, the message continues.
As of this publication, Only Up! is no longer available for purchase on Steam. Instead of the game’s name, “not available” will appear on the game’s page.
While the game is no longer available for purchase, owners can continue to play the game without any issues.
The secrets behind Only Up!’s success on Steam
Only Up! has been a success on Steam for many reasons. Not surprisingly, it has an average of nearly 13,000 positive reviews on Valve’s digital platform. For one, there is its simple premise: the name of the game tells us all we need to know. We just have to work our way up. It is a platform and skill game that consists of simply climbing without falling.
Much of its success is due to streamers playing it on their Twitch channels, with the resulting boost and increase in visibility and therefore sales. Even Fortnite has seen imitations, with creative cards inspired by Only Up!