The hugely popular and bizarre game Only Up seems to be going Only Down as developer sacks it.
The hit sensation Only UP game, was a favorite among Twitch streamers and YouTubers alike. Names like Dr. Disrespect and Cr1TiKaL are just a few that popularized this incredibly hard 3D platformer. The game also caught the attention of the speedrunning community, making it probably the most played and most controversial game of this summer.
Only UP was developed by a solo programmer using UE5, not one of the best Unreal Engine 5 games out there, but a unique one, that apparently appealed to the whole gaming community as a meme/joke. Following the immense success of the game, SCKR Games sole developer announced on Steam that he took down the game due to a number of reasons. The main one was that the game kept him under a lot of stress in recent months. This was his first game and it was supposed to be a test project for him to get into the game development scene. Only Up obviously went viral and put a lot of unwanted pressure on the aspiring game developer, who noted “Now I want to put the game behind me”.
Here is his full statement addressed earlier today on a Steam update:
“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. 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” – it will be a new experience and a new concept with realism, a completely different genre and setting, and the emphasis is on cinematography. This time I hope the project will be created by a small team. This is a challenging project on which I want to significantly improve my skills in game design.
Thank you for your understanding.”
Since the announcement, Only Up was delisted from Steam, the game not being available for purchase anymore. For those of us who already bought the game on Steam prior to this announcement, you will still have access to it going forward. Only Up had a fair share of controversies, as a number of game assets such as 3D models, sounds, and other game files were used without the permission of the original creators, thus having the game taken down and backed up on Steam a number of times before.
The Future of SCKR Games
As per his announcement above, the sole developer at SCKR Games said he will continue his education in video game design. The primary focus for him and his company is to develop a brand new game code-named “Kith”, a realistic, and cinematic game with a totally different setting and tone.
