One Million Sales with Zero Marketing: The Unlikely Story of Wobbly Life

Games that utilize physics-based mechanics have a unique appeal to social media influencers, as they often create chaotic, humorous, and unpredictable gameplay experiences that are ideal for entertaining online audiences. This type of gameplay can also translate into significant sales, as seen with the success of Human: Fall Flat, which has garnered over 45 million players worldwide. Wobbly Life, developed by UK-based indie studio Rubber Band Games, has been likened to a combination of GTA and Human: Fall Flat, and has already surpassed one million sales across PC and console platforms. The game was conceived by a single developer as a means to cope with a difficult period in their life. According to Tom Dunn, director of Rubber Band Games, "I started creating video games at the age of 13 and developed a few unsuccessful Google Play apps. Before founding my studio, I studied Computer Science for Games at university and completed a year-long internship as a programmer." After struggling with mental health issues, Dunn decided to learn about networking video games and physics simulations, which ultimately led to the creation of Wobbly Life. Dunn's primary objective was to create a game that he would enjoy playing, and he spent several months working on the physics simulation. As the game began to take shape, Dunn realized that he needed additional development support. He enlisted the help of level designer and 3D modeler Mark Suter, as well as his university friend Will Robinson, and later, audio designer Alex Green, forming a team of four. The team released the game through Early Access, and it quickly gained a following without any marketing or publishing support. Dunn notes, "Our focus was on creating a game that we wanted to play, rather than worrying about marketing. We built a small community through our Discord page, where players could follow and ask questions, and we still maintain this community today. Once the game was released, we started to attract YouTube influencers, which has significantly contributed to our community growth." The game has been in Early Access for three years and continues to receive frequent updates and expansions. With over 1.7 billion views on YouTube, Wobbly Life has caught the attention of several publishers interested in taking the game further. One such publisher is Curve, which previously handled the publishing duties for Human: Fall Flat. Curve lost the publishing rights to Human: Fall Flat 2 to Devolver Digital, but their experience with the first game, including its release in various markets, appealed to the Rubber Band team. Curve chairman Stuart Dinsey stated that the company will utilize its global publishing expertise, gained from selling over 45 million units of Human: Fall Flat, to support Wobbly Life. Dunn believes that this partnership will enable Wobbly Life to reach a broader audience globally. As a small team, Dunn notes that they wanted to focus on game development and found it challenging to handle publishing duties. However, after being approached by Curve and witnessing their impact on other titles, the team knew they had found a suitable partner.