Unprecedented Success: The Story of Wobbly Life with 1 Million Sales and No Marketing

Games that utilize physics are a magnet for social media influencers due to their unpredictable and humorous nature, making them ideal for entertaining YouTube viewers and potentially driving sales, as seen with 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 'GTA meets Human: Fall Flat' and has already sold over a million copies across PC and consoles. Conceived by a solo developer seeking a project to occupy themselves during a challenging period, the game has evolved significantly. Rubber Band Games director Tom Dunn shared his journey, 'I've been creating video games since I was 13, including a few unsuccessful Google Play apps. Before starting my studio, I studied Computer Science for Games and completed a year-long internship as a programmer.' After struggling with his mental health, Dunn decided to learn about networking a video game, specifically physics, which marked the beginning of Wobbly Life. His goal was to stay occupied with things he enjoyed, leading to several months of work on the physics simulation. Dunn eventually formed Rubber Band Games and realized he needed help to make Wobbly Life a success. He began collaborating with level designer/3D modeler Mark Suter and later invited his university friend Will Robinson to join the development team. After a challenging search for an audio designer, Alex Green joined, completing the team of four. The team released the game via Early Access without any marketing or publishing support, focusing on creating a game they wanted to play. They built a small community through a Discord page where players could follow and ask questions. The game gained traction when YouTube influencers started playing it, significantly helping to build the community. The team's approach has been to ensure the game is worth its price by continuously adding new content. Three years into its Early Access phase, Wobbly Life continues to receive frequent updates and expansions, with 1.7 billion YouTube views and attracting the attention of publishers. Curve, the publisher behind Human: Fall Flat, has partnered with Rubber Band Games, bringing its global publishing expertise to the table. Curve's experience with Human: Fall Flat, including launching the game on more platforms and into new territories, appealed to the Rubber Band team. Dunn believes this partnership will help take Wobbly Life to more players globally, allowing the small team to focus on game development while Curve handles publishing.