Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Development started in January 2009, and the game was noticed immediately.
Dubbed the most anticipated game of the year in 2010, it was certainly a big hit.
Imagine again the excitement on release day as you go to turn on your Xbox to
see your game on the front page... it's not there. A year of development, a highly
anticipated game, killing themselves to get the game out, all for nothing. The stress
the two went through. Tommy was almost a train wreck, and I understood.
The two devs were promised a front spot on Xbox Live Arcade; they rushed and
pushed as hard as they could to reach the deadline from Microsoft, and they weren't
there. Release day is the biggest sale date of any game; the majority of your sales
will happen that day, and being promised a front spot on one of the biggest gaming
outlets is a big deal! Eight hours into release day, the game was finally released.
10,000 units at 2:00 PM that day. Edmund said that in those ten hours, Super Meat
Boy made more money than he did in the last six years put together.
Elation... Tears.
A screenshot from Super Meat Boy
The sacrifices these two guys made to make the game were all of a sudden worth
it. Here's what got me. As Edmund and his girlfriend were watching the reviews,
his girlfriend started crying, and felt that the sacrifices finally seemed worth it. It
gets even better. Tommy, whose family made huge sacrifices for him, including
remortgaging their house, paid off his parents' debt.
