Indie Game on Steam Rakes in Almost $10 Million Within Days of Launch After Just Two Months of Development

It’s no secret that video games, particularly those with hefty budgets, often require years of development before they hit the market. However, Valve’s PC platform Steam flips that notion on its head. On Steam, a $69.99 title with a massive marketing budget can find itself outshined by a quirky game priced less than a cup of coffee—and it happens more often than you’d think. This month, a charming little game called Meccha Chameleon is once again demonstrating that anything can thrive on Steam.

Meccha Chameleon is a hide-and-seek game where players camouflage themselves to blend into their surroundings, while others try to uncover all the hidden players. At first glance, it might resemble a student project, with its simplistic characters that look like placeholders and a user interface that doesn’t quite fit the aesthetic. The Steam page even gives off a vibe reminiscent of Microsoft Paint. However, dismissing Meccha Chameleon based on its lack of polish would be a huge oversight.

Launched on June 9, the game has already sold 2 million copies in under a week. It’s still early in its release, and Meccha Chameleon is currently available at a discounted price of $4.99. Doing the math, that means this new Steam hit has raked in approximately $9.98 million. After Valve takes its 30% cut, developer lemorion_1224 is pocketing around $6.9 million. Considering the game was created in just two months by a solo developer, that figure is even more impressive. With the buzz it’s generating among press and influencers, those earnings are likely to keep climbing.

While Meccha Chameleon was developed relatively quickly, lemorion_1224 is no stranger to the concept. The developer has spent years experimenting with similar ideas in Fortnite. Previous projects include games where players hide by becoming razor-thin, disguise themselves as NPCs, and experiences inspired by modes like Prop Hunt. They’ve also dabbled in Fortnite mini-games that echo Dead By Daylight and Peak.

This isn’t a case of a lucky break; it’s the result of years of iteration and experimentation with hide-and-seek mechanics that have finally led to success on Steam.

As onlookers marvel at the game’s rapid rise, lemorion_1224 is taking it all in stride. Updates celebrating sales milestones have been succinct, but the developer has promised more content, including new maps, gameplay systems, and quality-of-life improvements in the near future.