Peak co-creator: Anyone can make the next big hit, but there are few opportunities for developers

The co-creator of indie smash hit Peak, Nick Kaman, has said that there is always going to be an audience for good games, but there are fewer opportunities to have them made.

Speaking to Game File, the developer lamented that it is, in some ways, harder for these titles to come out due to a decline in support for the ecosystem of studios that could create these. This includes publishing and funding for smaller developers.

Peak launched in June 2025 and almost instantly became a smash hit. Within its first six days on sale, the game sold over one million copies, before climbing over two million copies after just nine days. To date, the indie hit has shifted over 10 million copies and generated more than $55 million in revenue.

“I definitely felt lucky,” Kaman said.

“Anyone can make that next hit game and find success. There’s always gonna be the player base and people who want an amazing game, right? That’s not going away. What is going away is opportunities: publishing, funding, mid-sized studios and small studios who can sustain that.”

Peak’s short development in South Korea came after developer Aggro Crab lost the publisher for its then-in-the-works Going Under 2. The studio needed $3 million to continue the project, but no one was interested in funding it. Reflecting on the shift in how the company approaches development, Kaman says that game creation isn’t a one size fits all affair.

“Peak for me has kind of proved that there are definitely different, but maybe better ways to make games,” he said.

He continued: “My prescription is: don’t spend three years. Don’t toil away on the things that don’t really matter. Like, figure out what your game’s about and focus on that.”

Kaman also said that developers should be willing to take a risk in releasing something that is not polished, but rather is focused on fun.

“People can forgive that somewhat, if the game is fun, if it lets them have a really unique experience,” he explained.