TheAveryChu
Over the Halloween season, Phasmophobia, a cooperative ghost-hunting game, has blown up in popularity. As a result, IGN reached out to DKnighter (the sole developer of the title) for an interview regarding the title’s massive success.
To start, DKnighter has been overwhelmed by Phasmophobia‘s reception and popularity. The developer’s initial expectations were to see around 500 active players on launch day and for the population to slowly die off, merely hoping that the title would be financially successful enough to produce more games. Contrast those desires with Phasmophobia‘s peak player count of 112,000 this Halloween (According to SteamCharts, the player base is still pretty big).
DKnighter also discussed the future of Phasmophobia. Initially, Early Access was originally meant to be a short period of time in which he added a couple of new maps and equipment before moving on to the next project. However, the success is making DKnighter reconsider those plans, likely increasing the duration of the Early Access period, and increasing the scope of the new content.
Supposedly, DKnighter toyed with the idea of a PvP mode in which one player would take control of a ghost; turning the title from a cooperative experience to an asymmetrical multiplayer. However, the developer determined that any such mode would turn Phasmophobia into a game that differed wildly from his creative vision. For now, the intention is to further develop and refine Phasmophobia‘s cooperative gameplay, which strikes me as a ‘quality over quantity’ mentality. I personally think this approach will yield better results in the long-term.
Phasmophobia is currently available on Steam for $13.99. According to Trello, DKnighter hopes to eventually publish the title on the Oculus store.
