Hypercharge: Unboxed is a game made by a team of five developers.

Hypercharge: Unboxed, a third-person shooter indie game where players take control of toy action figures, has experienced a dramatic surge in popularity following a heartfelt message from its developers. Over the weekend, the indie title broke into the top 10 bestselling games on PlayStation 5, which is a remarkable feat for a game that launched quietly just days prior.

Originally released on PC via Steam in 2020, Hypercharge developed a small but passionate following. Its nostalgic visuals, reminiscent of Pixar films, and its focus on local co-op gameplay struck a chord with players, many of whom likened the experience to childhood playtime with action figures. The game currently holds a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, with players praising its charm and split-screen-friendly design.

However, like many indie games, Hypercharge eventually faded from the spotlight. Behind the scenes, Digital Cybercherries, a team of just five developers, continued to support the game without major backing or fanfare.

When Hypercharge arrived on Xbox and PlayStation in May 2025, it faced stiff competition in an increasingly saturated market. According to Polygon, the console launch was met with lukewarm reception, especially online. One of the most-upvoted Steam reviews at the time even bluntly stated: “Game is dead,” along with a slew of other complaints.

Console players echoed similar frustrations. Some users on social media complained about empty servers and long matchmaking queues. One post claimed they encountered “literally five people online,” making it difficult to find matches.

Devs share an honest message

Instead of ignoring the situation, the developers addressed it head-on. In a now-viral post on X (formerly Twitter), @HyperchargeGame shared a message that resonated with thousands:

“Maybe there aren’t thousands of players online. But somewhere, someone’s on the couch with their kid, playing split-screen, laughing, figuring things out together, side by side. If that’s all Hypercharge ever is… that’s enough for us,” they shared.

The developers followed up with a second post, asserting their commitment:

“And just to be clear, we’re not lazy. We’ve worked incredibly hard to bring Hypercharge to every major console, all by ourselves. No publisher. No funding. Just a small team doing everything we can because people asked us to. We did it for the fans. And we’re proud of that.”

The honesty struck a chord. Soon after, players rallied behind the team, with posts praising their transparency and the value of co-op games that don't rely on massive online infrastructure.

In a longer follow-up thread, the developers reflected on the idea of success in modern game development. They acknowledged other titles like Elden Ring: Nightreign and Doom: The Dark Ages selling millions, but stressed that wasn’t the goal for Hypercharge.

Instead, they reinforced their core values: no microtransactions, no battle passes, no trend-chasing. Just a complete, couch-friendly game that evokes joy, especially in offline or local settings.

“Hypercharge isn’t an online-only game. You can play it however you want,” they said. “To us, being rich means waking up every day to do what we love with the people we love."
The devs also shared that Hypercharge will “never be free to play” but will “never have in-game microtransactions, battle passes, etc.”

The authenticity paid off. Within days of the post gaining traction, Hypercharge: Unboxed climbed the PlayStation charts, eventually reaching #5 on the PS5 new releases list (according to a report by Polygon). For a title with no marketing budget or publisher support, the sudden boost was both emotional and validating for the team.

Co-op first, online second

While the game offers online matchmaking, Henson reiterated that Hypercharge was never built around live-service design or massive concurrent numbers.

“I completely understand it can be frustrating if you’re trying to jump into online matches and can’t find anyone,” he said in an email message reported by Polygon.

“But I don’t think it’s fair to call a game a failure when it’s doing exactly what it set out to do: offer a solid offline and local co-op experience, with online as a nice extra, not the main focus.”

But the work doesn’t stop there. According to Henson, the team remains grounded. There are bugs to fix and updates to deploy, including improvements to cross-platform functionality. But above all, the studio is taking a moment to enjoy the unexpected success.

“It has been a monumental task, but one we are incredibly proud of.”

Hypercharge: Unboxed is now available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.