Buckshot Roulette is an ugly, mean little game that pits players in a no-win scenario against a sinister, shotgun wielding dealer.
The game is a solo effort from developer Mike Klubnika, and it blew up after its launch on itch.io, in part because it found popularity on short-form video platforms.
The game has since launched on Steam and has now sold over a million copies. In a world where big-budget, wonderfully crafted games can – and often do – fall off the radar without making a splash, it’s interesting to interrogate the unexpected success of a small game, especially one that’s designed to be so viscerally unpleasant. “Buckshot Roulette was never meant to be a commercially viable product, or anything that extended beyond my usual audience.
Even though the initial release did have a price tag, there was no actual calculations or accounting going on,” said Klubnika in an email interview with Polygon. “Apart from the very basics, I knew nothing about game marketing, community building and such, so I just put it out there, hoping that other people will have fun with my idea.” Klubnika has released other, similarly experimental games in the past.
The Other Side is a bite-sized game about breaking out of an underground shelter that’s been sealed off from the outside world.