Calling Steam games like Peak and REPO friendslop "devalues" the skill of the developer, industry investor says, so "let's collectively kill" the term before it's too late

(Image credit: Aggro Crab / Landfall)

Games like Peak, REPO, and RV There Yet? have played a defining role in what's worked within the industry this year, though one games industry investor isn't too jazzed about the "friendslop" moniker they all fall under.

Talking on LinkedIn, Behold Ventures principal Binni Erlingsson reckons he'll be seeing plenty of the "friendslop" term in pitch decks over the coming years as other developers look to capitalize on the Steam trend. While he has little issue with the games themselves, he'd rather kill the moniker they fall under before it catches on any further.

"Since I live in Sweden and know some of these studios personally that are leading the genre I can say that those would be the last words I would use to describe those studios. I feel 'slop' devalues their skill and also in a way makes a little bit of a dig at the userbase at the same time. 'Oh you like friendslop games?' (says the token elitist gamerguy in my head). It's simply a term that sounds negative to me."

"Gen Z and Gen Alpha are raised on playing, laughing, and creating with their friends on Roblox, Toca Boca World, and Minecraft, and this is how I assume they are going to continue into adulthood," he explains. "They will look for experiences that are like those that they grew up with and the current gaming landscape isn't fully ready to catch them. But 'friendslop' games are and they fit perfectly into this narrative. (plus they usually cost as much as a restaurant meal or even just a drink, far below what an AAA experience costs. Perfect for young people in this economy)."