Xbox lead says the "return to fun" we've seen from games like Peak makes him "hopeful" for the industry, and he "loves seeing the success" of them

Think what you like about 'friendslop' games like Peak and RV There Yet?, but these things are fun. They're gloriously silly, inviting groups to revel in their absurdity while attempting to work toward a shared goal. Peak's success has impressed many, including higher-ups at Xbox, who celebrate such comedy.

"The biggest trend that I see and I love in games right now, I'm going to call a return to fun," Chris Charla, general manager of portfolio and programs at Xbox, told GamesRadar+ at GDC 2026. "This is different for every player. We all have different things that motivate us to play games."

He notes he enjoys exploration and story games, but finds friendslop incredibly endearing. " I love seeing the success of games like Peak," he explains, "where it's just like, 'this game is just about having fun' and like, 'we're just gonna give you permission to have fun from the second you push the start button and laugh and just goof around.'"

Aggro Crab and Landfall's cartoony climbing sim is truly made for goofing around. Yes, you can take the whole endeavor seriously, and there are moments where it inspires that kind of attention, but you can also screw over your friends and take wild risks and then roll into hysterics afterward.

He compares the general vibe to that of skateboarding, and flip-flopping between nonchalant skating and trying to shred a line. "Skateboarding has had moments where the skate videos are very serious and everyone's very intense," he says. "Skate videos also have joy where, like, skate videos are super goofy, and everybody just has fun and that's great. That is diversity. It's awesome."

He finishes by adding this whole movement makes him "hopeful." While I agree, I'm also now more hopeful for skateboarding DLC in Peak. Skateslop - make it happen.

Peak devs originally borrowed from Zelda Breath of the Wild's climbing, but "everything changed" 1 week into development: "At this point, the game kind of made itself"