In the gaming community, indie video game companies sometimes find it hard to grow our brands in a market saturated with AAA games. While platforms like Steam, Epic, and GOG allow smaller games access to the market, it’s hard to find a voice in a world overwhelmed by content. However, while AAAs enjoy lots of funding and all the surrounding shenanigans, indie companies can quickly respond to advancements in the gaming community and world at large. Essentially, because indie games often aren’t backed by big investors and corporate entities, they enjoy the freedom of being allowed to take large risks (Wallace, 2022). As an indie gaming company, we at Eek! Games strive to enjoy that freedom as much as possible. We’ve found that collaboration with our community is an excellent way to elevate both ourselves and our fellow creators to new levels. 

We tend to take more of an untraditional approach on taking large risks… Because, you know, the whole sex and nudity thing. And… if you want to read more about our takes on that, feel free to read our blog. Regardless, House Party is unique because of its original combination of explicit content and dynamic story engine, and that is something we’re proud of. 

As the Indie Gaming League argues, it’s entirely possible that the future of video games is collaboration (2020). Namely, it’s cross-game collaboration that allows for indie game companies to reach each other’s platforms and collectively grow. Obviously, there’s a lot that goes into making collaborations work. As with every relationship, there’s a few key things that have to be there for it to be successful. Without fundamental factors like trust and a shared vision (Indie Gaming League, 2020), things just won’t work. That said, when the stars do align, indie game companies may just find their footing in the vast video game market. 

Here at Eek! Games, we collaborate with our community as much as possible. Between guest star appearances in other games, like Frank showing up in Shady Lewd Kart, and the multitude of influencers (like YouTube’s Game Grumps and LetyDoesStuff) we’ve built into House Party, we’re always ready to take on the newest, most wild task. Like the snake in the closet – it’s elusive, but once you get it out, everything falls into place. 

We’ve been collaborating since day one, and some of our best collabs come from within our own awesome community! Our patrons on Patreon, volunteer superusers, and translators have been vital to getting House Party to where it’s at now. We love you all! 

In 2019, we hosted an international music contest where indie artists could submit their songs to be played in the game (EIN Presswire). Texas artist Popskyy’s song “FUNKBOX” won the first place prize, followed up with songs by the talented Fokushi, Treclar, Fletnyx, and Kitanic Demon as the runners up. You can find every one of those songs online, or you could do it the fun way by finding the MP3 player and playing it on Madison’s television. 

More recently, we’ve teamed up with the talented superstar Doja Cat. Famous for songs like “Say So,” “Like That,” and “Juicy,” Doja Cat has made quite the name for herself in pop culture. This made it more exciting when she decided to join our house party and bring her music into our game. As of September, she’s been trying to sneak into Madison’s house via breaking the backyard fence down, and we’re pretty sure she’s offended that you haven’t helped her get in yet. In real life, we helped popular YouTuber Azzyland team up with Doja Cat in a fun playthrough of House Party. The duo share laughs while exploring the game, and it’s certainly an entertaining watch. However, if you watch them play, they do ask why they have to play as a guy. Just know that we’ve since added a playable female character!

As we stumble (Patrick style) into the new year, we’re so excited to continue heightening the collaboration we have with our community. As our platform grows, so too does the amount of opportunities we have to help other indie games, content creators, and artists grow. And while Doja Cat was a big feat, we have more crazy collaborations in the works… So stay tuned. And… Okay, but seriously – have you figured out how to get that snake out of the closet yet?

References: 

EIN Presswire. (2019, October 15). Eek! games announces its new release and Opens House Party game to Independent Music Artists. Newswire. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://world.einnews.com/pr_news/481838277/eek-games-announces-its-new-release-and-opens-house-party-game-to-independent-music-artists 

League, I. G. (2020, October 14). Collaboration: The future of gaming. Medium. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://medium.com/@indy_gaming_league/collaboration-the-future-of-gaming-9bf62841042 

Wallace, F. (2022, January 12). AAA Games vs Indie Games: How their impacts differs. HeadStuff. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://headstuff.org/entertainment/gaming/aaa-games-vs-indie-games-how-their-impacts-differs/