Vampire Survivors' developer has provided an update on a potential sequel. 2022 was a great year for indie games, with multiple award-nominated titles filling out the year, pushing the industry forward with innovative ideas, but few made as big an impact as Vampire Survivors, which went on to become one of the highest rated Steam games of all time. The game was primarily developed by Lucas "Poncle" Gualante, who has now revealed the reason why fans should not expect a sequel to the breakout indie darling.

Vampire Survivors initially launched in early access on PC in December 2021. The game blends rogue-like elements with shoot-em-up gameplay, while the player's main input revolves around maneuvering their character around the screen filled with enemies while trying not to take damage, auto-attacking as they receive new power-ups. The simple but effective gameplay loop, and the extremely low price point, made the game a cult classic only a few months after launch and thanks to the release of Valve's Steam Deck and its inclusion in PC Game Pass. The game launched fully in September 2022 after months of content updates, where it was quickly followed with iOS, Android, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S ports.

Despite only releasing fully six months ago, Poncle has continued to support Vampire Survivors with free content updates and paid DLC since release. Most recently, the game received an update titled "The Chaotic One," which added 3 new achievements and a new challenge map. It's for this reason that Poncle is in no rush to develop a sequel to Vampire Survivors. "With the way Vampire Survivors is designed, we can deliver both new content and new game mechanics on the existing game, so why make a sequel?" Gualante claimed, while speaking to GameSpot. "I think that if we make a sequel or a spiritual successor, then we should offer something radically new."



One of the biggest surprises surrounding Vampire Survivors since its release has been the game's approach to monetization, surrounding both the game itself and its DLC. The game currently only costs $4.99 USD on Steam, while also being available on Game Pass for PC and Xbox consoles. The iOS and Android versions are free, but feature two optional ads, and the main game's Legacy of the Moonspell DLC only costs $1.99.

For this reason, it makes sense why Gualante is hesitant to restart production and move fans to a completely new Vampire Survivors title, instead of simply adding on and improving upon the title that is already so successful. Especially when Vampire Survivors is one of the most easily addictive indie games ever made, with Gualante using his experience in developing titles in the gambling industry to develop the game's mechanics and dictate its monetization schemes. For the time being, it seems Vampire Survivors is here to stay.

Vampire Survivors is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Posted: Mar 09, 2023 1:46 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/vampire-survivors-poncle-sequel/