Diablo creator praises viral hit Vampire Survivors, says he wants to make his own small games

gamesradar.com:

Diablo creator and Blizzard North co-founder David Brevik is a big fan of the viral bullet hell game Vampire Survivors, which has quickly taken over Steam and simultaneously stoked Brevik's plans to make his own smaller, snacky games. 

Vampire Survivors is a trimmed-down rogue-like where you cleave through thousands of ghouls, goblins, bats, and other monsters using only the power of WASD – and some Castlevania-esque weapons that you collect, upgrade, and automatically fire as you move around. I was instantly hooked on it when I tried it last February, and since its launch in December 2021, it's racked up over 71,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam while still in Early Access, the majority of which poured in during the past two months. 

Brevik believes Vampire Survivors' runaway success is entirely deserved. Speaking with GamesRadar+, he explains that he first learned of the game through his Twitch and Discord community, which he and his wife have been building for over five years. 

"Some of the people started talking about it and that is how I found out about the game," he says. "They seemed to be having a great time. I was curious so I went to Steam and when I saw the reviews and the price, I thought I would give it a try. I didn't really even know much about the game at that point." 

"I played it a lot more than other things I've played lately," he continues. "I wouldn't say I've put in as many hours as some other people I know, but it is my most played game in the last few months. I just don't have a lot of time for games right now. I've really enjoyed my time playing and I continue to go back and play more."

Solo developer Poncle continues to update Vampire Survivors with new items, secrets, and playable