Dunkey-Founded Publisher Bigmode Announces Its First Game, Animal Well

Bigmode, the video game publisher founded last year by popular YouTuber Dunkey, now has its first game announcement in the form of the 2D puzzle-focused platformer Animal Well.

Dunkey announced the partnership in his latest “Best of 2022” video, urging fans to wishlist Animal Well on Steam.

“This is one of the very few games at E3 this year that caught my eye, and after playing it and getting to know the developer Billy Basso, we feel so lucky to be publishing Animal Well,” Dunkey said.

Part Metroidvania and part puzzle game, Animal Well’s Steam page states players will “explore a dense, interconnected labyrinth, and unravel its many secrets.” Items found throughout the well will let players manipulate the environment and solve puzzles, with each item having multiple uses. Though it is a Metroidvania-inspired title, combat is not the game’s focus, with Animal Well’s Steam page stating it instead puts a focus on “tension and suspense rather than action.” Animal Well does not currently have a release date.

The announcement is a major milestone for Bigmode, which was formed in September 2022 amidst an air of skepticism of whether or not the YouTuber could succeed when it comes to the business side of the game industry. However, there’s no denying that Dunkey’s influence is huge. He currently has 7.29 million subscribers on YouTube, with each of his videos racking up millions of views. That makes him a fairly large creator, though he is small in comparison to other video game-focused creators like Pewdiepie or Markiplier. Bigmode’s website states the publisher is a “unique & powerful way for great indie video games to stand out in a crowded space.”

No doubt many small indie game developers would love to have the millions of eyeballs Dunkey can provide fixated on their upcoming game, and that’s exactly what he’s done with Animal Well. He dedicated the first two minutes of his seven minute “Best of 2022” video to hyping up Animal Well and urging players to wishlist it on Steam. Whether Dunkey’s influence turns Animal Well into a major hit remains to be seen, but it at the very least is much more better-known now thanks to Bigmode, and that’s not nothing.