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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.
I didn't work on Isaac so for me there was some pressure to like, prove myself. It's a bit unfair to have to compete with Isaac, a game that has had over a decade of work and expansions put into it with a decently large team the entire time. https://t.co/w61ti31lEyFebruary 22, 2026
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.
