God Tier Games: Lethal Company

How a Solo Developer's Horror Hit Conquered Steam in 60 Days

In late 2023, a $10 indie horror game called Lethal Company emerged from obscurity to become one of Steam's most remarkable success stories, selling over 8 million copies in just 60 days. The game masterfully combines cooperative survival horror with procedurally generated environments, tasking up to four players with exploring dangerous abandoned moons while collecting scrap to meet escalating profit quotas^1,2.

Behind this phenomenon stands Zeekerss, a 21-year-old solo developer who spent a decade honing his craft. Starting with Roblox game development in 2012, he created 12 games on the platform before transitioning to standalone titles like It Steals, Dead Seater, and The Upturned. These earlier works helped establish his signature style of combining horror with humour, leading to the creation of Lethal Company, his twentieth game overall.

Many players have speculated that the game draws significant inspiration from the SCP Foundation universe, incorporating similar themes of mysterious organisations and otherworldly creatures. Several of its monsters share characteristics with well-known SCPs, such as entities that freeze when observed and hostile creatures that stalk players through dark corridors⁴. But other inspirations for the game might lie amongst its direct competitors. The game's format also shows similarities to titles like Phasmophobia and Duskers, particularly in its terminal-based command system and cooperative investigation mechanics. What sets Lethal Company apart is its unique blend of accessibility and terror, focusing on "looting and panicking" rather than complex combat mechanics, making it approachable for players of all skill levels.

However, Lethal Company's meteoric rise to success can be largely attributed to its incredible meme potential and viral nature. The game's perfect blend of horror and humour has generated over 2.4 billion views on TikTok alone⁵, with players sharing clips of dramatic deaths, hilarious mishaps, and intense moments of panic.

The game has resulted in many developers flocking to this corner of the Steam market, all eager to replicate the same success. So today we're going to do what we do best at Game Oracle and look a the 'God-Tier' title that is Lethal Company and it's surrounding market place. We'll look at just how crowded the space has become, how well the direct competitors to Lethal Company have performed, and what is coming in this space. So grab your shovel, bash that loot bug out the way, and join us as we dive into some data.

Lethal Company was a massive hit and ranks number 1 in terms of Steam DB score compared to its 100 nearest competitors (Peer Rank). The saturation score of 3.6 - a measure of how many similar games exist with values from 0 to 10 - is above the Steam average of 3.1. However, we don't know what Lethal Companies saturation score was prior to release and it's likely that the saturation score has increased as competitors flock to try and replicate their success.

A Crowded Room of Horror Co-ops

Lethal Company's success has led to numerous inspired games and clones across different platforms. Several developers have created their own variations, including Pilgrim (a medieval version), Sketchy Contract (featuring RTX graphics), and Murky Divers (combining elements of Subnautica)⁶. While some of these games offer unique twists on the original formula, others are more direct copies, particularly on platforms like Roblox where unauthorised clones have emerged⁷. The phenomenon has even extended to mobile platforms, where unauthorised versions have appeared on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, prompting warnings from Lethal Company's developer Zeekerss about potential scams^8,9.

The corner of the market that Lethal Company dominates might be getting crowded, but there are still some interesting patterns. We've highlighted exactly where Lethal Company sits in the market using our Steam Map in the image below. Here we show a cross-section presented as a heatmap to show dense and sparse regions of the market. The protrusion on the lower section of the map is what we like to call the "Horror Peninsula" because...well...it's dominated by horror games. You can see that the region is fairly dense but interestingly Lethal Company sits on the left hand side of the majority of games in it's own growing little sub-genre.

The region directly around Lethal Company is densely crowded. This is evidenced by its saturation score of 3.6 which is a little above average (3.1) - the saturation score is a measure of close games are on the map. But there are still plenty of opportunities to innovate in this space and we can see plenty of blue and white regions around Lethal Company on the map showing less populated regions of the market.

Cross-section of the Steam Map shown as a heatmap. Deep red regions are dense areas of the market with many games, whereas white to blue areas are sparsely populated regions with fewer titles. Lethal Company sits on the left hand side of the dense "Horror Peninsula" of the Steam Map, forming a new sub cluster of the growing genre.

Plenty of Worthy Rivals

Below we have a scatter plot of released titles amongst Lethal Company's 100 closest competitors. We have plotted estimated revenue versus the percentage of reviews that are positive. Amongst them, the closest in terms of monetary success is another viral hit Content Warning. A cooperative horror game by Landfall Games, Content Warning was released on April Fool's Day 2024 and achieved remarkable success through an innovative launch strategy. The game was initially offered for free, amassing an impressive 6.6 million downloads in just 24 hours. Following this strategic giveaway, it went on to sell over 700,000 copies in under two weeks and reached 204,000 concurrent players on day one¹⁰. The game's success continued to grow, eventually reaching 1 million paid copies on top of the initial free downloads¹¹. Developed by a small team of just five people, Content Warning resonated with players through its unique premise of being "SpöökTubers" who venture into an eerie underground world to film content and gain views, cleverly playing on modern influencer culture¹⁰. The game's combination of horror elements with social media mechanics proved to be a winning formula, creating a passionate online community and demonstrating the effectiveness of its unconventional marketing approach¹¹.

How the closest competitors to Lethal Company line up in terms of estimated copies sold and the percentage of reviews that are positive.

Unplagued: A Cautious Tale

Plenty of the released titles similar to Lethal Company have resonated with audiences, clocking in greater than 80% positive reviews. Unplagued, despite being a member of the distinguished club of titles with an estimated number of copies sold in excess of 100,000, was not praised amongst players. Unplagued, which brings a medieval twist to the online co-op horror genre, comes from the developers of Garten of Banban. Unfortunately, it had a troubled launch that led to its reviews quickly shifting from "mixed" to "mostly negative" in just a single day¹². The game appeared to have significant issues at release, though the developers are now working on fixing the problems. This situation serves as a cautionary tale about rushing game releases, as even developers with previously well-received titles can struggle when launching a new game. The case of Unplagued highlights how critical the launch window is for a game's reputation and commercial performance, regardless of the developer's track record.

Seriously Scary Can Still Sell

Some players are not looking for the same dark humour of Lethal Company and want a more serious scare. In Silence is a serious multiplayer horror game that emphasises genuine tension through its sound-based mechanics. One player controls the Rake, a blind monster with hypersensitive hearing, while others play as survivors trying to escape by gathering car parts or accessing an armoury. The game focuses on creating authentic fear through stealth and strategic gameplay, requiring players to remain quiet and use tools like flashlights and bear traps thoughtfully¹³. In Silence currently sits at around 77% positive reviews and over half a million dollars in estimated revenue, proving that there is a solid fan base for this kind of terrifying gameplay.

Zort, while maintaining horror elements, strikes a unique balance between serious horror and chaotic gameplay. It features multiple creature types with distinct mechanics, a sanity system, and solutions to increase replayability^14,15. Unlike Lethal Company's dark humour, Zort leans more into genuine horror with its atmospheric design and survival mechanics, though it does incorporate some absurdist elements. The game includes up to 4-player cooperative play with proximity voice chat, making it a more structured horror experience with defined objectives and progression. Zort has been an enormous success, with over 90% positive reviews and close to 200,000 copies sold.

The Light Hearted Variety of Cooperative Horror Games

Speaking personally, we much prefer the light hearted dark humour of Lethal Company - we're the kind of people that can only watch horror movies during the day time to avoid the nightmares! Lucky for us there is a massive burst of innovation happening in this space, with titles that - whether inspired by Lethal Company or not - are bringing fresh ideas into the space.

Murky Divers is a cooperative underwater horror game for 1-8 players where teams pilot submarines to explore abandoned pharmaceutical labs. Players must coordinate different roles like piloting, power management, and navigation while using sonar to avoid threats in the ocean depths. The game emphasises teamwork as players collect body parts and destroy evidence while managing oxygen levels and avoiding both terrifying sea creatures and ocean police. Players have particularly enjoyed the game's strategic depth, the genuine tension of underwater exploration, and the well-designed upgrade system that allows them to improve their submarine with earned credits^16-18.

The Headliners is a new innovative title that dropped at the beginning of 2025. It's a journalism-themed horror game where 1-4 players work as daredevil photographers documenting an alien invasion in New York City. Players have 10 minutes to capture unique photos of aliens, survivors, and paranormal events while managing their survival. The game features a distinctive scoring system where teams must reach point thresholds to maintain their Press Pass, with three failures resulting in a game restart. Players have praised the game's blend of horror and dark humour, particularly enjoying the detailed gore mechanics, unique monster designs, and the escalating tension as more dangerous phenomena appear throughout each mission^19-21.

What is Coming Soon?

The space around Lethal Company continues to be a-buzz with upcoming titles, many of which bring new innovations and ideas to the space. We've highlighted three of the top titles below and list their estimated number of wishlists.

The top three coming soon games amongst the 100 nearest competitors to Lethal Company and their estimated wishlists.

Black Pine: Incidence Response

Black Pine: Incident Response is an upcoming 4-player online co-op horror survival game being developed and published by SourBoys Interactive²². The game places players in the role of hired contractors sent into the Appalachian Mountains to restore critical infrastructure after mysterious events have devastated the area²². The development studio was founded by YouTuber Oompaville (also known as Caleb), who hopes to establish himself as a game developer in the vein of Todd Howard²⁴. This appears to be the studio's first title, and they've been marketing the game through a playable demo released on November 19, 2024, which has received generally positive reviews with a 77% approval rating²³. The game has garnered attention through Oompaville's YouTube platform and has been featured in curated lists of anticipated titles for 2025²⁵. While no official release date has been announced for the full game, the developers are actively engaging with the community through their Discord channel and merchandise store²⁶.

Hyde's Haunt & Seek

Hyde's Haunt and Seek is an innovative multiplayer horror game being developed by Smol Games, an experienced two-person indie team consisting of David Turpin (Design Director and Engineering Lead) and Morgen Stern (Narrative Director). The game puts players in either the role of a first-person seeker investigating a Victorian mansion or as one of two ghosts playing from a top-down perspective, trying to scare the seeker through various pranks and illusions²⁷. The development team has been working on the project since late 2019, spending considerable time refining the unique asymmetrical gameplay mechanics²⁸. While this appears to be their first title, they've been actively showcasing the game at major gaming conventions like PAX West 2023, where it received positive attention²⁷. The game features a rich narrative layer, with plans for eight different ghost characters, each with their own backstory, and a lore system that reveals the mansion's secrets through collectible keepsakes²⁷. Currently, Smol Games is seeking a publisher and marketing the game primarily through convention appearances and social media, encouraging potential players to wishlist the game on Steam^27,28.

Deadbait

Deadbait is an ambitious VR horror multiplayer game in development by DRAUGR and published by Glacier EOOD. The game offers both a story-driven single-player/co-op experience and an asymmetrical 3-vs-1 multiplayer mode where one player takes on the role of a murderer while three others attempt to survive the nightmare²⁹. The game is designed exclusively for VR platforms and will feature Steam achievements, online co-op, and PvP gameplay elements²⁹. While there's no confirmed release date yet, the game has been in development since at least July 2021 and has previously hosted beta testing through Discord³⁰. This appears to be DRAUGR's debut title, and they're taking advantage of Steam's platform features, including tracked controller support and multiplayer functionality, to appeal to the growing VR horror game market.

TLDR - A Viral Space that is Not Slowing Down

The meteoric rise of Lethal Company demonstrates both the immense potential and inherent risks in the co-op survival genre. While the game's blend of horror and humour, combined with its accessible price point and low system requirements, helped it achieve viral success and over 10 million sales, the broader market faces challenges of saturation and sustainability. The game's success, however, has highlighted a crucial insight: innovative mechanics and strong social features can still break through in a crowded space. There remains substantial opportunity for developers who can craft unique cooperative experiences while avoiding the common pitfalls of a rushed and buggy release seeking to exploit the hype. As Lethal Company's creator moves on to new projects, the game stands as a testament to how thoughtful design focused on "human joy maximisation" can transcend modest production values to create a lasting impact on the gaming landscape³¹.

God Tier Games: Lethal Company

Author: Ross Burton, PhD, Head of Product and Data

Category: Data Analysis

Published: 3/21/2025

Updated: 4/3/2025

How a Solo Developer's Horror Hit Conquered Steam in 60 Days

A Crowded Room of Horror Co-ops

Plenty of Worthy Rivals

Unplagued: A Cautious Tale

Seriously Scary Can Still Sell

The Light Hearted Variety of Cooperative Horror Games

What is Coming Soon?

Black Pine: Incidence Response

Hyde's Haunt & Seek

Deadbait

TLDR - A Viral Space that is Not Slowing Down

References

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