Only Up!, why the Twitch sensation has been withdrawn from sale

Only Up! was undoubtedly one of the biggest phenomena on the Twitch at the start of the summer. Developed and published by SCKR Games, the title has had a meteoric rise before disappearingalmost as quickly. At the root of this withdrawal is a pressure that has become difficult to manage for the sole developer behind the game.

A meteoric rise thanks to Twitch

There are games that can be a phenomenal success in less time than it takes to say it, if they find their audience on Twitch. For example Vampire Survivors. A number of titles made their mark this summer, including Only Up!

It involves a climbing gameIn this game, players have to climb as high as possible - hence the name Only Up! - by running and jumping over various obstacles. As in Getting Over It or Beton Brutalthe main difficulty lies in the fact that errors of judgement and inaccuracies can be very punishing. All in all, one wrong jump, and it's possible that you'll have to start all over again from the beginning; the constant tension that ensues has, in fact, greatly contributed to the success of this title.

Released on 24 May 2023, Only Up! quickly went viral on Twitch. Many content creators, like xQc or Kameto, tested their agility and mental strength, obstacle after obstacle, trying to reach the end of the level as quickly as possible. The craze was such that 19 Junethe share accounts for almost 279,000 simultaneous viewersspread across different channels. And there are more than 700 dedicated channels!

Only Up! at the heart of a drama

Strong exposure means a growing number of people taking an interest in the title. That's how Only Up! came to the ears of the 2D/3D artistknown under the pseudonym Aboulicious. While the game is a big hit, the drama invites itself...

Informed by an acquaintance, Aboulicious notes with dismay that one of these models - Blanket In The Wind - is clearly visible in the promotional visuals for Only Up! According to him, it's about illegal use of its contentThe model in question was free to use for non-commercial purposes only. However, Only Up! is not free... At the same time, other sound and set elements have been the subject of complaints.

On 30 June, shortly after this tweet, Only Up! disappears from Steam before reappearing a few hours later. In communication published on the game's Steam page, SCKR Games explained that this use was a mistake, and that it had dealt with the situation directly with the person concerned.

The developer went on to say he had seen with Aboulicious to create a brand new model for him. the anime girl. He also took advantage of the press release to confirm that all the assets used in the game were now purchased if necessary or free for commercial use. The adventure was back on track!

Only Up! disappears from Steam for good

The success of Only Up! continued for several more weeks. At the end of July, there was an average of over 19,000 viewers on Twitch. Nevertheless, the appeal of the game waned fairly quickly from August onwards. Not only was the game no longer 'new', which made it less interesting, but other titles were gaining in popularity on the platform at the same time. These included Baldur's Gate IIIwhich was a big hit.

However, some gamers are still attached to the little indie game that caused such a sensation, and will remain so until September. To keep fans happy, SCKR Games is posting a new release on Steam, 6 Septemberin which he explains that the famous anime girl is available again. He also takes the opportunity to list the latest adjustments that have been made.

And these were the final corrections. In the second half of its publication, the developer announces the definitive withdrawal of Only Up! from the Steam platform. This sudden decision for users was, however, a well-considered one. As the game's sole developer, SCKR Games said unmanageable stress in recent months and explains that he needs to take time for himself. Which is all the more understandable when you consider that Only Up! is his very first game.

This experience hasn't stopped him from pursuing this path. He now wishes to concentrate on his training as a developer and wants to embark on another projectwith a small team this time: "I intend to take a break, continue my training in game design and, armed with my new experience and knowledge, devote my energies to my next game, the working title of which is 'Kith'. It will be a new experience and a new realistic concept, in a completely different genre and setting, with the emphasis on cinematography. This time, I hope the project will be made by a small team. It's an ambitious project that will allow me to improve my game design skills considerably.

A story reminiscent of Flappy Bird

Success and pressure sometimes don't mix... And Only Up! is not an isolated case. You probably remember the Flappy BirdThis little mobile game, published in May 2013, invites you to dodge pipes with a bird.

Eight months after its release and an astronomical success, Dong Nguyen posted a message on Twitter saying the future removal of the various blinds. He also stated that this decision was in no way motivated by the controversy surrounding the game - accused of being a plagiarism of Piou Piou against cactideveloped by French company Kek.

What seems to have prompted him to remove his title is the pressure. Ahead of this first Tweet, he published "I can say that Flappy Bird is a success for me. But it also ruined my simple life. So now I hate it.

Later, in an interview with the magazine Forbeshe declared that Flappy Bird had become a little too addictive for his tasteHe felt guilty to the point where he could no longer sleep properly. He felt so guilty that he couldn't sleep properly. So deleting the game seemed the best solution.

Despite this, he didn't let the situation get him down either, and galvanised by the success of Flappy Bird and more confident, he produced several other games, such as Swing Copters.