100 STEAM PAGES REVIEWED · 2026 EDITION

One hundred cases reviewed.
The analyses are going public.

The observatory contains 100 launches reviewed in detail. We are progressively publishing the most instructive cases with their numbers, sources and permanent URL. None of the games presented here is a Shypiard client.

These cases complement the observatory of 14,084 Steam launches →

100

CASES REVIEWED IN DEPTH

PUBLIC TEARDOWNS

14,084

LAUNCHES IN THE STUDY

Series publication7 / 100

PUBLISHED CASES

One URL, one hypothesis, documented sources.

New cases are added here and featured in the monthly Field Report.

TEARDOWN · 01 — 2018 → 2020

Among Us

InnerSloth

Released in June 2018 in complete silence. Became a global phenomenon in September 2020 — not thanks to an update, but to a chain of streamer coverage triggered by a single tweet.

READ THE ANALYSIS →

TEARDOWN · 02 — 2021 → 2022

Vampire Survivors

poncle

Launched in early access on 17 December 2021 at $2.99 by a solo developer. A hypnotic gameplay loop, perfect thumbnails for YouTube, a trivial price — everything converged so creators had no friction covering the game.

READ THE ANALYSIS →

TEARDOWN · 03 — 2022

Dwarf Fortress

Bay 12 / Kitfox

Twenty years of a cult free version, then a Steam release methodically prepared over two years by Kitfox Games. Result: 160,000 sales in 24 hours and over 600,000 in two months, for a niche ASCII management game.

READ THE ANALYSIS →

TEARDOWN · 04 — 2018

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine

Dim Bulb Games

Exceptional press coverage, a top-tier cast of writers, an original song by Sting — and a commercial failure documented publicly by its creator. The most instructive counter-example of the decade.

READ THE ANALYSIS →

TEARDOWN · 05 — 2017 → 2018

Dead Cells

Motion Twin · Bordeaux

A Bordeaux worker cooperative, first console/PC title after fifteen years of web games. Fifteen months of transparent Early Access turned into an audience-building machine — the 1.0 wasn't a launch, it was a transition.

READ THE ANALYSIS →

TEARDOWN · 06 — 2017 → 2025

Northgard

Shiro Games · Bordeaux

A Norse-themed real-time strategy game in a genre deserted by AAA publishers. Launched in Early Access in 2017, 1.0 in 2018, then seven years of disciplined DLC expansion — 5 million cumulative copies, most of them after the initial launch.

READ THE ANALYSIS →

TEARDOWN · 07 — 2024

Balatro

LocalThunk / Playstack

An anonymous developer, a poker deck-builder, and a demo strategy executed to perfection over eight months. 208,000 wishlists on launch day, 1 million sales in under a month.

READ THE ANALYSIS →

SUBMIT A CASE

Teardown no. 08
could be yours.

Test your page first in 90 seconds. If the case offers a useful lesson for other studios, it may join the series with your approval.

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One hundred cases reviewed.The analyses are going public.

One URL, one hypothesis, documented sources.

Among Us

Vampire Survivors

Dwarf Fortress

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine

Dead Cells

Northgard

Balatro

Teardown no. 08could be yours.

One hundred cases reviewed.
The analyses are going public.

Teardown no. 08
could be yours.