Sweet Baby Inc. and Devolver Digital: The Collaboration Nobody Asked For
Those of you who've been paying attention as the wild year of 2024 comes to a close would instantly recognize how the gaming community has been rocked by Sweet Baby Inc. (SBI). The company infamous for their initial role in single-handedly kicking off 'Gamer Gate 2', is now working with the (once) much-beloved publisher Devolver Digital. Their partnership was exposed by MasteroftheTDS and his wife Writing Raven through their YouTube channel, "Gothic Therapy" where they discovered and highlighted the upcoming game The Crush House and its ...we'll just say, bizarre concept.
The Crush House: A Recipe for Disaster
The Crush House is being marketed as a… get this… a "thirst-person shooter" that supposedly blends dark comedy with reality TV tropes in a strange dating-simulation aesthetic. Players act as the producer of a 1999-style reality show, selecting cast members, filming drama-filled moments, and trying their best to uncover "sinister secrets" along the way in a fairly bare-bones indie graphic layout. If that premise sounds cringeworthy, the gameplay footage and marketing materials are only gonna work to amplify the complete absurdity of it all.
Highlights include a faux-gossip blog filled with exaggerated scandals and even a video tutorial for "hot dog milk" – a concoction that literally nobody asked for or wants… Once again, a game clearly intended for 'The Modern Audience'
The Summary on Steam states:
Film and produce 1999's hottest reality TV show: The Crush House! Select a crush-worthy cast, satisfy voracious audiences and keep the show on air to uncover the sinister secrets behind this darkly comic thirst-person shooter.
The game's development is done by Nerial Ltd., best known for the Card Shark and Reigns series, but its narrative design comes secretly - courtesy of Sweet Baby Inc. Who greenlit this?
Two of the studio's employees, including Maxine Sophia Wolfe (above), a full-time SBI team member, are heavily involved in crafting this ....peculiar title. What normal, sane human being takes a picture like this and then uses it as their profile pic? Where are they finding these people...? Geez... Anyways, Devolver Digital, once known for publishing critically acclaimed titles like Cult of the Lamb and Hotline Miami, among a slew of other awesome indie hits - is acting as the game's publisher here... and the decision has left many long-time fans of Devolver stunned and disheartened. Myself included.
Sweet Baby Inc.’s Troubled History
Sweet Baby Inc. has now long been a polarizing force in the gaming industry. They came under fire for their involvement in what many "journalists" have dubbed Gamer Gate 2, ignited by an SBI employee, Chris Kindred. Kindred targeted Kabrutus, a Steam user who created a curation group to catalog all Sweet Baby Inc.-influenced games in one convenient place. Kindred’s attempts to get Kabrutus’s Steam account removed perfectly exemplify SBI's continued antagonistic relationship with the gaming community.
Now, their partnership with Devolver Digital has reignited these very same concerns. For a company like Devolver, which built its reputation on innovative, indie-friendly games, collaborating with a studio like SBI seems like a gross misstep to their brand and values.
A Disheartening Blow to Devolver Fans
As a longtime fan of Devolver Digital, I gotta be honest - this news stings. Devolver has published some of the most creative and beloved indie games in recent years, earning them a very loyal following. To see them work with SBI here, a company that's been mired in controversy, feels like a betrayal to those who appreciate Devolver’s usual commitment to quality and originality.
What’s worse is that The Crush House looks like a mess, both conceptually and visually. Its premise leans heavily on outdated reality TV clichés, its marketing materials are bafflingly bad, and on top of all that - their association with SBI undermines its credibility to the core. For a publisher like Devolver Digital to put their name on this project raises serious questions about their judgment.
The Fallout
This collaboration is more than just a bad look; it’s a warning sign. If a respected publisher like Devolver Digital is willing to work with Sweet Baby Inc., what does that mean for the future of the indie gaming scene? Will SBI’s influence continue to spread, tainting more projects with their controversial reputation? It's beyond wild to me that they continue to operate in the shadows, hiding their involvement in games, only to cry victim each and every time it's discovered that they are working on a project.
For now, fans of Devolver Digital can only hope that this is an isolated misstep rather than a sign of things to come... But I'm not that optimistic. As for The Crush House, it seems destined to become another footnote in Sweet Baby Inc.’s growing list of DIVERSE game project failure portfolio. Let’s hope Devolver learns from this and steers clear of similar partnerships in the future... But at this rate, I'm not holding my breath.
~Smash
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As someone who enjoys playing games like KoboldKare, Desire Den and D Farm. I have to say this game looks awful, both from a graphical viewpoint and a gameplay standard.
They have fallen a long way from their days of Serious Sam or Hotline Miami. Some of my favorite games of all time, but like many other studios, the tables have been overturned.
What are some of your favorite Devolver Digital games from the past?