New Steam Hit Mewgenics Took Seven Years To Make And Only Three Hours To Pay It All Back

Why It Matters

Mewgenics proves that well‑timed indie releases can generate immediate profit, while Disney’s Fortnite ambitions illustrate the growing convergence of entertainment ecosystems. These moves reshape revenue models and audience engagement across gaming and media.

Key Takeaways

• Mewgenics topped Steam, 67k concurrent players
• Development budget recouped within three hours of launch
• Disney plans film premieres inside Fortnite
• No Man's Sky adds gravity‑gun, space‑junk salvage mode
• Sega delists Yakuza 3 Remastered, ending Kiwami line

Pulse Analysis

The rapid ascent of Mewgenics underscores a shifting paradigm for indie developers. By leveraging a strong community following and a polished launch, the game turned a multi‑year development effort into immediate cash flow, challenging the notion that indie titles must rely on prolonged sales tails. This success story highlights the importance of strategic pricing, early access feedback loops, and platform visibility on Steam’s front page, offering a blueprint for small studios aiming for quick profitability.

Disney’s flirtation with Fortnite reflects a broader industry trend where legacy media giants use live‑service games as distribution channels. By embedding film premieres and brand experiences directly into a popular battle‑royale environment, Disney can tap into a younger, highly engaged demographic while gathering real‑time analytics. This approach blurs the line between content consumption and interactive play, potentially redefining advertising spend and cross‑promotional strategies across the entertainment spectrum.

The No Man’s Sky gravity‑gun update exemplifies how long‑running titles can reinvent themselves through free content drops. Introducing physics‑based salvage mechanics not only revitalizes player interest but also extends the game’s lifecycle without additional purchase barriers. Coupled with Sega’s decision to delist Yakuza 3 Remastered, the industry is seeing a dual focus: expanding existing ecosystems while pruning legacy catalogues to streamline brand direction. Together, these moves illustrate how publishers balance innovation with portfolio management to stay competitive in an increasingly saturated market.

New Steam Hit Mewgenics Took Seven Years To Make And Only Three Hours To Pay It All Back

Morning Checkpoint · Kotaku

Mewgenics is the king of Steam, at least for a day. Disney’s new boss has some weird ideas about what people want to do in Fortnite. And No Man’s Sky just became a space trash‑truck sim. It’s the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku’s daily roundup of gaming news, rumors, and culture. It’s time to bring back mass‑market paperback books and hope for the future. And to make the old vBulletin 3.x the default template for the internet again. You should all be watching the Winter Olympics—they’re pretty nuts this year.

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Mewgenics is already in the black

Just 24 hours after release, Mewgenics is already the best‑selling game on Steam with over 67,000 concurrent players. Not bad for an indie roguelike that had a notoriously delayed development starting with its incubation over 12 years ago. It evolved a lot during that time and co‑developer Edmund McMillen was clearly very nervous about how the whole thing would turn out despite his past success with Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac.

“And we have made back our development budget after 3 hours,” fellow Mewgenics developer Tyler Glaiel wrote yesterday. “Thank you all :)”

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Disney wants to launch movies inside Fortnite

I have no idea why, but that’s what new CEO Josh “Daddy” D’Amaro was riffing with media about during a recent off‑the‑record chat. Puck obtained some sort of readout and claims the new executive, previously from the company’s theme parks division, said the following:

“It’s not just gonna be one character. It could be a new film premiering there, it could be the place that you decide to book your next cruise vacation. You could participate in the Super Bowl in some way there.”

Yes, I can’t wait to book my next family cruise while hanging out in Lethal Labs before hopping over to Sus Studios to catch the new live‑action remake of Frozen. Truly the metaverse Tim Sweeney promised us. How long before Disney tries to acquire Epic Games if it hasn’t already?

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No Man’s Sky is transforming into a physics playground

That’s thanks to a new gravity‑gun module revealed as part of the sci‑fi epic’s free Remnant update that’s available today. Players will also be able to recycle planetary debris and use flat‑bed trucks to turn the game into a space‑junk hauling sim.

“You can work alone or join a salvage crew with friends,” the developers said. “It creates this really fun and tactile new loop of searching for wrecks, loading trucks full of cargo and hauling across the alien landscape to industrial yards to gain new loot and rewards.”

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Romeo Is a Dead Man isn’t the only Suda51 game coming in 2026

“It’s almost 100 percent certain that we’ll be releasing one more game during 2026,” the Grasshopper Manufacture CEO said this week on YouTube. “What kind of game? When can we announce it? We’re not sure just yet, but if you wait a little longer, I feel like we’ll be able to make an announcement soon.”

You can read our review of the game he just shipped here.

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It’s your last chance to buy Yakuza 3 Remastered

Sega is delisting the game and fans will soon be stuck with the newly released and much‑maligned Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties as the only option. You can get it here. RGG’s Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed this is the last Kiwami remake anyway.

“I don’t think it will continue as the ‘Kiwami’ series anymore,” he said during a livestream. “I think a different series will begin, and not something like Like a Dragon 9, but rather a new series on a different line, with a different meaning. This might be something you’ll understand once you play Y akuza Kiwami 3.”

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ICYMI:

• It looks like Spider‑Man 2 is finally coming to PS Plus this month.

• The makers of Pokémon Go have officially disabled the Pokéstop on Epstein’s island.

• Wizards of the Coast swears there’s no Harry Potter Magic: The Gathering set planned.

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