Mewgenics: A Seven-Year Journey to Success, Recouping Costs in Just Three Hours

Mewgenics has taken the crown on Steam, at least for now. Disney’s new CEO has some curious ideas about what players might want in Fortnite. Meanwhile, No Man’s Sky has transformed into a space junk collection simulator. Welcome to the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, your daily dose of gaming news, rumors, and culture. It’s time to revive mass-market paperback books and look forward to the future. Also, let’s bring back the classic vBulletin 3.x as the go-to template for the internet. And seriously, don’t miss out on the Winter Olympics; they’re wild this year.

Just a day post-launch, Mewgenics has already become the top-selling game on Steam, boasting over 67,000 players online simultaneously. Not too shabby for an indie roguelike that has been in development for over 12 years. The game has undergone significant evolution during that time, and co-developer Edmund McMillen expressed his nerves about the outcome, despite his previous successes with titles like Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac.

“We’ve recouped our development budget in just 3 hours,” fellow developer Tyler Glaiel shared yesterday. “Thank you all :)”

In a recent off-the-record chat, new CEO Josh “Daddy” D’Amaro shared some intriguing thoughts with media. According to reports, he mentioned that the experience could extend beyond just one character, hinting at potential tie-ins with new films or even booking your next cruise vacation. “You could participate in the Super Bowl in some way there,” he added.

I can hardly wait to plan my next family cruise while hanging out in Lethal Labs and then heading over to Sus Studios for the live-action remake of Frozen. This is the metaverse that Tim Sweeney envisioned. How long until Disney makes a move to acquire Epic Games, if they haven’t already?

In No Man’s Sky, a new gravity gun module has been introduced as part of the free Remnant update available today. Players can now recycle planetary debris and use flatbed trucks, turning the game into a space junk hauling simulator. “You can work alone or team up with friends in a salvage crew,” the developers explained. “It creates a fun and tactile loop of searching for wrecks, loading trucks with cargo, and hauling it across alien landscapes to industrial yards for new loot and rewards.”

Grasshopper Manufacture’s CEO hinted this week on YouTube that they’re likely to release another game in 2026. “What kind of game? When can we announce it? We’re not sure yet, but if you hang tight, we should have news soon.” You can check out our review of the game he just released.

Sega is set to delist a game, leaving fans with the newly launched and somewhat criticized Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties as their only option. RGG’s Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed that this will be the last Kiwami remake.

“I don’t think we’ll continue with the ‘Kiwami’ series,” he stated during a livestream. “A different series will emerge, not something like Like a Dragon 9, but rather a new line with a different meaning. You might understand this better once you play Yakuza Kiwami 3.”