Animal Well Creator Shares Details On Next Project

Highlights

Billy Basso plans to create a new game in the same universe as Animal Well, but it may not be a direct sequel.
Basso prefers solo developing as collaborating is stressful, and he intends to continue working alone for his next project.
Animal Well’s success is partly attributed to the Dunkey endorsement, as the game may not be easy to appreciate without playing.

In a year that has already been fantastic for indie games, Animal Well has been a standout hit. Published by YouTuber Dunkey’s new publishing label, Bigmode, the solo-developed game was released to critical acclaim and received promising player numbers on Steam.

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Animal Well is sure to be one of 2024’s surprise hits.

Now, during a recent Reddit AMA, solo developer Billy Basso has given some insight into the future of Animal Well and what he’ll be working on next.

A Game In The Same Universe

During the AMA, Basso was asked if he felt Animal Well was a “one-off a-la Fez” or if he had plans to do something else “gaming-related next.” He responded, saying: “I’m currently planning to make a game that will be in the same “universe” but may not be a direct sequel.” Replying to another question, Basso added, “There will never be any DLC for Animal Well.”

I’m currently planning to make a game that will be in the same “universe” but may not be a direct sequel.

It looks like Billy will continue to make his next title a solo project. He stateed that he finds “collaborating with a lot of people to be stressful and would like to continue treating development as a way to relax.” He goes on to say, ” My intention is to continue mostly working alone for the next project.”

Working using his own engine is another benefit that Basso finds with solo developing, meaning he doesn’t have to worry about the “bloat of another engine.” This is one of the ways he managed to make Animal Well’s miraculously small file size, with the full game clocking in at under 50mb.

Image of several statues from Animal Well with the Ghost Dog floating in the middle.

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Taking inspiration from the survival horror genre and Commodore 64 games, it’s no wonder Animal Well evokes a nostalgic nightmare.

Basso attributes some of Animal Well’s success to his publishing label, Bigmode. He told a user, “Animal Well isn’t the easiest game to appreciate without playing at least a little bit. So having the Dunkey endorsement was critical for more people to give it a chance.”

Basso has previously mentioned that Animal Well took around seven years to make, so if this project is anywhere near as complex as that, don’t expect it any time soon.