Rebuilding House Flipper 2 from the Ground Up

The original House Flipper was an unexpected success on Steam in 2018, garnering a dedicated community that drove its long-term success. This allowed developer Empyrean to continuously update and improve the game, release several DLCs, and port it to all platforms, ensuring its sustainability and making it a standout title. Empyrean partnered with co-developer, publisher, and fellow Polish company Frozen District throughout the original House Flipper's development and to deliver its sequel. According to Frozen District lead producer Jakub Bujas, the team wasn't expecting the game's massive success at the beginning. The project started as a small indie endeavor focused on renovating and flipping houses, but as the release date approached, it gained significant attention. Bujas attributes the game's success to its relaxing atmosphere and the fact that it filled a specific niche. Despite initial problems with bugs and optimization, the community was supportive and understanding, which contributed to the game's success. After the console ports, Bujas moved on to working on House Flipper 2, with a team that had more than doubled in size to over 20 people. The whole architecture for the sequel was created from scratch by Frozen District's veteran developer Rafał Kańka over the course of a year and a half. This was necessary due to the constraints of the original game, which made it difficult to create a sandbox mode in House Flipper 2. For the sequel, the team aimed to create a cohesive visual style, as the original game had items that didn't match due to being designed by different teams and the use of asset store packages. The team also wanted to provide tools for the community to create their own levels, increasing the game's replayability potential. This led to the creation of House Flipper 2's sandbox mode, which gives players the same tools used by the development team. The game's business model may take a turn towards free-to-play with paid DLC, similar to The Sims, although Bujas emphasizes that he's not responsible for that aspect of the business. However, he notes that being on Game Pass has been a successful strategy for the studio, as it allows people to try the game for free and potentially become invested in it. Whether Frozen District will continue supporting House Flipper after the sequel's release depends on the community's reaction and feedback. Bujas hopes that House Flipper 2 will make the community happy and meet their expectations. In the future, the company may explore creating new projects beyond the House Flipper franchise, potentially allowing developers to work on different genres and ideas.