"I have no idea, which makes it really scary": Vampire Survivors creator doesn't know what makes the game so special

Vampire Survivors was a surprise hit in 2022, and the indie sensation has been on the lips of the entire gaming community. Easy to start but hard to master, the game has surprised many with its complex nature underneath a simple appearance.

It has even managed to surprise its own creator Luka Galante, who reportedly has "no idea" why the game is so popular in the first place.

The most recent admission was in an interview where Galante spoke after the release of the latest DLC. Vampire Survivors players will be able to experience new content thanks to the release of the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC.

Unfortunately, according to him, Galante doesn't seem to have a justification for his own game's success, and it's scary. He stated:

"I have no idea, which makes it really scary!"

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Galante baffled by Vampire Survivors' unexpected success

Vampire Survivors has grown massively since its full release in 2022 and has been well-received across all platforms. The free-to-play mobile version accrued over a million downloads in its opening week.

Despite all the success, Galante admits that he has concentrated more on the work and tried to stay grounded, stating:

"Since launch I've been trying to not look at numbers or at what's happening online specifically to not get too carried away, kept my head down and kept working on the game and on the company, focusing almost entirely on the feedback from the players in Discord and the Steam forums. The one thing I'm sure made a difference though is our community managers who did and are doing an incredible job at keeping communications open with the players!"

The game's success isn't just about the Steam reviews and what the players have been saying. Vampire Survivors was a nominee for the best debut indie game at the recently concluded The Game Awards 2022. For Galante and his team, it was an unbelievable moment and one they're quite proud of. He stated:

"It was straight up incredible to be nominated for The Game Awards alongside all the other proper developers. For the past year every time I thought we'd peaked in absurdity, there came something new to top the previous thing."

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Vampire Survivors' creator dislikes paid DLCs despite releasing one for the game

Legacy of the Moonspell brings plenty of new content for all Vampire Survivors players. It's incidentally the first paid DLC of the game, and Galante seems to be against the policy. He, however, explains the rationale behind the decision and hopes the community will approve it:

"So, as a player, I absolutely am into the idea of being able to keep getting content for the games I love, but very often nowadays I feel like DLC is designed around monetization rather than around a good service to the players," he says. "Having a negative preconception of DLCs, I was very hesitant to try to make one, but I also couldn't just keep adding stuff to for fun while there's a company to think about. And so, here comes the DLC! My greatest hope is that we managed to make it a fair deal for the players and they'll like it, that is something that I, as a player, would be happy to see in the stores."

It remains to be seen how Vampire Survivors progresses, especially into 2023 and following the release of the new DLC. However, the game has found much love among gamers of all ages. Owing to its prominence, Vampire Survivors has continued to bring in great numbers.