Only Up! was a viral hit on Twitch, but now the indie game has been surprisingly removed from Steam . The developer states in an update that he wants to move on.
Which game are we talking 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 built game world by jumping from structure to structure.
The game evolved into a surprise success despite the criticism, reported by our colleagues at GameStar in June, reaching a peak of 11,239 simultaneous players on Steam (via SteamDB). However, it was another platform where the indie game was a massive hit: Twitch.
Only Up! seemed to satisfy a specific need of viewers: to watch their favorite streamers truly suffer. The game broke even the toughest streamers and peaked at nearly 280,000 simultaneous viewers on Twitch (via sullygnome).
Now Only Up! has surprisingly disappeared from Steam.
Developer wants to move on from the game
Why is Only Up! no longer available on Steam? While Only Up! was briefly pulled from sale in June 2023 due to alleged copyright infringement, this decision seems to come from the solo developer behind the game.
In what is likely the final update from September 6, “Indiesolodev” admits to having made mistakes with the game and writes about how much it has pressured him:
I am a solo developer and this game is my first experience with game development. A game that I created out of creativity to test myself and where I made a lot of mistakes. The game has stressed me a lot all these months. Now I want to leave the game behind.
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
In the meantime, Only Up! can no longer be purchased through the Steam Store. However, players who already have it in their library can still access it.
What’s next? As Indiesolodev writes, he plans to take a break and further educate himself in game design. With more experience and knowledge, he then wants to tackle his next project, which is tentatively titled “Kith”.
His next game is supposed to differ significantly from his debut work and place a focus on cinematography. He hopes, as Indiesolodev stated, that he will not develop his new project alone but can have a small team work on it.
It remains to be seen whether the developer can reproduce the viral success of Only Up! – and if he even wants to.
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