Terraria creator and indie publisher channel their inner Kendrick vs. Drake with an online feud: "I've sold more copies of Terraria than all your games combined"

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Hip-hop's biggest beef infects game developers

A character in Terraria dressed in armour and holding a torch
(Image credit: Re-Logic)

Cult of the Lamb and Hotline Miami publisher Devolver Digital recently decided to step into the ring of online feuds "for the social engagement" - inspired by the biggest hip-hop battle in over a decade - which prompted another indie heavy-hitter to hilariously weigh in.

"Looking for another publisher to start beef with for the social engagement," Devolver Digital tweeted. "Diss tracks / games not mandatory but certainly welcome." Several game companies complied, with the likes of arthouse publisher Annapurna Interactive and monster-collecting survival hit Palworld jumping into the comments with lukewarm disses, but it was one single developer who turned up the heat.

Terraria creator Andrew 'Redigit' Spinks responded to the challenge with perhaps the greatest achievement you can flex in front of a company that has published well over 100 games. "I've sold more copies of Terraria than all your games combined," Spinks wrote. Ouch. The claims probably hold true since the side-scrolling sandbox has moved over 44 million copies.

Rather than coming back with its own counter, Devolver Digital seemed to back down gracefully, channeling its inner J. Cole: "Cool but do you need a publisher for Terraria 2?"

The whole back and forth was obviously inspired by the biggest deal in music culture last week: The Great Rap War between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, who between them released six scathing diss tracks over the course of three days. I guess Spinks is dressing himself as the Drake-type in this situation - the artist that can hold commercial success over their opponent's head. Or maybe he's the Kendrick, a humble guy who pretty easily won this war of words.

Despite concerns in a rough year for indie games, Devolver Digital said its latest game has “exceeded” expectations and is “well on its way to success.”

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.