It’s not unheard of for developers to work in their fans' creations into projects and subsequent updates. Among that list is publisher New Blood Interactive, whose developer shared a cool story about how they added a fans custom enemy into theirÂDOOM-like title,ÂDusk – going as far as making the discovery of it an achievement.News about this addition came in late 2018, following a thread by indie superstar Rami Ismail. Ismail asked his hefty indie dev following to share a story on “how community, a player, or a fan made you love your work a bit more.“One of the first to offer a response was Dave Oshry, the lead producer of New Bloods Interactive. According to Oshry, the team was sent an email from the mother of an autistic 6th grader (Caleb) from Washington state, attached with a concept art for a new boss inÂDusk– his current obsession. Titled “Wife of Intoxigator,” the boss is seemingly a giant pink alligator with massive ranged attacks and 16,000 HP.Included in the email was a short thank you to the developers:
“Thank you for all the work you do, creating games that provide hours of enjoyment for both adults and kids like my son. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”
So impressed with the fan and mother’s show of gratitude, theÂDuskÂdevelopment team decided to add the boss into the game. Well… not a playable version of the boss, but a literal photo of the concept art along with an achievement for finding it:
If you want to see how this plays out in-game, you’re able to check it out below (courtesy ofYouTuber Burnt Cereal) – alongside a quick thank you to Caleb after it is interacted with:
And while this was already a heart-warming story, Oshry shared a follow-up email received from Caleb’s mother. According to the email, Caleb managed to find the Easter Egg while playing the game, and has been telling everyone he could–assuredly making him a lifetime fan, and boosting his “self-esteem and confidence.” The mother also shared some of his Halloween costume that was inspired byÂDusk:
It’s hard to not be excited for the team at New Blood Interactive and theDuskÂdevelopment team. Midway through January, Oshry shared that the teamwas able to hit 69,420 units sold(though they are likely well beyond that now):
On the other end,ÂDuskÂwill be coming to console soon, alongside aNew Game Plus mode and bacon-scented soap.
Currently,ÂDuskÂis only available on PC. Players can expect a console version of the game in the future, though no specific consoles have been mentioned.
