Only Up! was a viral hit on Twitch, but now the indie game has surprisingly been removed from Steam. The developer writes in an update that he wants to put it behind him.
What game is it about? “Only Up!” is a platformer that tests the frustration tolerance of its players. The goal is to reach the highest point of the vertically constructed game world by jumping from structure to structure.
Despite the criticism that our colleagues at GameStar reported on in June, the game became a surprise success and peaked at 11,239 simultaneous players on Steam (via SteamDB). However, it was another platform where the indie game was a huge hit: Twitch.
Only Up! seemed to satisfy a specific need among viewers: to see their favorite streamers really suffer. The game broke even the toughest streamers and reached almost 280,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch at its peak (via sullygnome).
Now Only Up! surprisingly disappeared from Steam.
Only UP! – Official Game Trailer
Developer wants to leave game behind
Why is there Only Up! no longer on Steam? During Only Up! was briefly withdrawn from sale in June 2023 due to alleged copyright infringement, this time the decision appears to have come from the solo developer behind the game.
In what is probably the last update from September 6th, “Indiesolodev” admits to having made mistakes with the game and writes how much pressure it put him under:
I am a solo developer and this game is my first experience with game development. A game I made out of creativity to test myself and in which I made a lot of mistakes. The game has been really stressing me out all these months. Now I want to leave the game behind me.
And yes, the game will soon no longer be available in the Steam store, I have decided that for myself. What I need now is peace of mind and healing.
Indiesolodev via Steam
Meanwhile, Only Up! can no longer be purchased via the Steam store. However, players who already have it in their library can still access it.
What’s next? As Indiesolodev writes, he wants to take a break and continue his education in the field of game design. With more experience and knowledge, he then wants to approach his next project, which has the working title “Kith”.
His next game will be significantly different from his debut and will have an emphasis on cinematography. According to Indiesoldev, he hopes that he will not develop his new project on his own, but that a small team can work on it.
It remains to be seen whether the developer will capitalize on the viral success of Only Up! can reproduce – and whether he even wants to.
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