"It's a bit unfair to have to compete with Isaac": Mewgenics co-creator felt pressure to "prove myself" working with Edmund McMillen on the follow-up to one of the biggest roguelikes ever

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Mewgenics recently beat The Binding of Isaac's peak player count on Steam

Mewgenics
(Image credit: Edmund McMillen)

Mewgenics co-creator Tyler Glaiel says there was pressure on him during development, even if it's not exactly fair to have to compete with co-creator Edmund McMillen's previous roguelike The Binding of Isaac.

When it comes to the best roguelike games, The Binding of Isaac is pretty high up there. What started as McMillen testing out roguelikes in order to prepare for a future game became one of the earliest success stories for a genre that now dominates the indie space. The game it was in preparation for was Mewgenics, which, after lengthy development – including a cancellation and revival – finally released earlier this year to critical acclaim and a Steam peak that beat out The Binding of Isaac's record.

Glaiel – who previously collaborated with McMillen on The End is Nigh – was asked on Twitter if he felt intimidated making what is effectively a follow-up to one of the biggest roguelikes of all time. He explained, "I didn't work on Isaac so for me there was some pressure to like, prove myself." However, despite the pressure, he said "it's a bit unfair to have to compete with Isaac" as it's "a game that has had over a decade of work and expansions put into it with a decently large team the entire time."

Of course, on the other side of Mewgenics' launch, it's safe to say Glaiel has more than proven himself. Not only did Mewgenics beat the peak Isaac's peak Steam player count, but also Hades 2's, with only a few games ahead of it to be the biggest roguelike ever on Steam. And considering DLC and console ports are in the works, it's likely to become even bigger.

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Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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