Despite initial doubts about its launch, Peak’s unexpected success has inspired the team to maintain its “jam-like spirit” in future updates.

The developers behind Peak were taken aback by its overwhelming success, especially since it originated from a game jam project. Nick Kaman, head of Aggro Crab, emphasizes that he wants to keep that spontaneous energy alive in the game’s future updates.

2025 was packed with fantastic games, but it also felt like a year where some of the most exciting titles emerged unexpectedly. It’s no shock that two of these surprise hits—Schedule 1 and Repo—claimed the top spots as the most cherished Steam games of the year. However, my personal favorite among the unexpected gems was Peak, the indie co-op climbing game co-created by Aggro Crab and Landfall, which was brimming with hilarious moments.

In a conversation, Kaman shared why the game’s success caught the team off guard. “At the end of the day, we didn’t launch with everything we thought was necessary for a hit,” he noted. “We didn’t spend a lot of time polishing it, and aspects like localization, console ports, and media support were all overlooked. We just wanted to get it out there.”

Despite this, Kaman acknowledged, “It quickly became clear just how electrifying the game was, with every playthrough seemingly capable of generating a viral clip.” He recounted, “When we traveled to Sweden to launch the game with the Landfall team, we were ready to hit the launch button and kick back, but that quickly turned into a distant dream as our player base grew daily and we faced a mountain (hah) of bugs to address.”

Kaman mentioned that the team swiftly recognized the game’s potential, stating, “Since then, we’ve treated it more like the major release it is, which both teams are well-equipped to handle, allowing us to hit the ground running.” Even with its success, Kaman emphasized, “We still strive to keep that jam-like spirit in our updates, as I believe it resonates with players.”

Valve sends annual chocolates to Steam developers who earn around $800,000, and the Peak team is thrilled to finally receive theirs.