What Celeste’s PICO-8 Release means for Indie Devs and UGC Gaming
'Celeste' offers a case study in how to keep games top of mind long after their release.
2018’s Celeste is arguably one of the best, most successful indie games ever made. The platformer sold over one million copies within the first few years of its release, received a laundry list of accolades, and has continued to have a massive impact today.
One fascinating outcome from Celeste’s success has been smaller, spinoff projects released for alternative platforms by the original creators. These aren’t commercial products at all, but are a major example of how indie developers can leverage their fan bases and community spaces to keep their momentum going over time.
Celeste was originally a quickly-developed game from a game jam event, an event in which indie devs have limited time and other restrictions under which to create games for judgment. Celeste was developed for the PICO-8, itself an experimental, virtual game platform meant to make game development more accessible than ever. That version was titled Celeste Classic after the release of the full game, and afterwards a sequel, Celeste Classic 2, was created for PICO-8.
The sequel was a celebration of Celeste’s success and third anniversary, and of course a tribute to its roots. But the post-release experimentation didn’t stop there. In 2024, for the sixth anniversary, the team at Maddy Makes Games released Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain on itch.io, which fans can download and play for free. As one can surmise from its title, this game is based on the 32-bit gaming era, a step somewhere between the 8-bit stylings of the PICO-8 and the modern Celeste game.
These games are fun side projects, and celebratory milestones for the folks behind Celeste. They were made in short time periods, and released for free. But they serve a second purpose: keeping Celeste in headlines and in the hearts and minds of fans, thus breathing new life and drawing engagement back to the Celeste available for purchase across various consoles. It’s smart, especially for an (admittedly massively successful) indie game, because of the niche, dedicated spaces built around celebrating these games and creativity.
If an indie game manages to break out and build momentum, keeping that momentum going can be important for multiple reasons. Obviously developers want said game to continue doing well, but they’ll also want to look forward to their next project. In the meantime, rather than radio silence or social media churn, developers can consider experimenting with smaller projects like these Celeste spinoffs, or engaging with the community on a more intimate level. Perhaps the fans could even make the spinoffs!
User-generated content (UGC) is going to be a big deal for keeping games going, from memes emerging from Discord channels to art, derivative works, or even spinoff projects. As investments become more and more concerned with safety and security, the grassroots and DIY-style approaches grow with more and more potential.