After achieving viral success on PC, Hypercharge: Unboxed is now making its long-awaited console debut on Xbox on May 31. However, the road to this point was not without its challenges. We had the opportunity to sit down with a member of the six-person team and discuss how they were able to overcome a difficult launch in 2017.
Despite initially receiving a lukewarm response when it was first released in 2017, Hypercharge: Unboxed has gained a lot of attention from players on social media and is now set to launch on Xbox Series X/S and One on May 31. This release comes three years after the game’s successful relaunch on PC.
During an interview with CharlieIntel, Joe Henson, one of the founders of Digital Cybercherries and the Head of Marketing and PR, discussed the company’s challenging beginnings and how they transformed their passion for action figures into a successful project.
Upon its release in early access in 2017, the initial version of Hypercharge was developed by a team who were simultaneously managing full-time jobs, yet driven to bring their vision of a shooter influenced by titles such as Toy Soldiers to life.
Despite this, the initial reception for their wave-based FPS was not very enthusiastic. Henson acknowledged that they may have strayed from the project’s intended vision and that it was initially quite simplistic.
“The speaker described a situation of feature creeping and a lack of understanding about the intended product. Unfortunately, the game did not receive a positive response upon its launch in 2017, leading to team members leaving and the game being in a poor state.”
Hypercharge: Unboxed lets you see the world from an action figure’s POV.
Even though Hypercharge was considered a “flop”many years ago, the developers were hesitant to completely give up on it and instead chose to make an effort to improve it. However, this experience also served as a valuable lesson for them, particularly in regards to avoiding ‘feature creeping’ and taking on too much at once.
“Joe Henson emphasized the importance of sticking to certain guidelines and not straying from the initial idea or goal. He also pointed out that having a name that accurately represents the genre or game can be extremely beneficial. In this case, the name Hypercharge did not effectively connect to the game’s biggest selling point – action figures and toys.”
The following years saw a series of significant updates, continuously introducing new features and enhancing both the PvE and PvP modes, leading up to the release of “Hypercharge: Unboxed”in early access 2.0 in 2020. Ever since, the game has been garnering a growing player base, with the developers effectively utilizing social media and viral marketing strategies.
According to Henson, their marketing strategy is not focused on numbers or sales, but rather on evoking emotional responses. He explains that their game has successfully brought back feelings of childhood nostalgia for many people, especially those who grew up in the late 80s and 90s. This is evident in the thousands of likes their social media posts receive whenever they share clips of the game. The nostalgia factor is strong and has the power to emotionally connect with a wide audience.
Despite the passing years, Hypercharge: Unboxed has continued to foster a devoted community and reached a record high player count in 2022. The game’s long-awaited release on Xbox is expected to bring even more fans the opportunity to relive their childhood dreams.
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