House House's new game *Big Walk* and its development, release, and reception
Consensus Summary
House House, the Melbourne studio behind the globally successful *Untitled Goose Game*, released *Big Walk*, a cooperative game centered on walking, communication, and puzzles set in Wilsons Promontory. The game achieved over 1 million downloads in its first week, reflecting its immediate popularity. Development spanned six years, beginning during COVID lockdowns, with the team using proximity voice chat to stay connected. The game’s realistic Australian bush environment includes 80-100 native plant models and was inspired by real-world research trips. Players navigate puzzles by communicating, often through creative gestures when separated, creating a social and immersive experience. The team’s intimate development process and emotional connection to the game’s setting contributed to its unique design, blending realism with playful, expressive avatars.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The game *Big Walk* by House House saw more than 1m downloads in the first week of release
- The development of *Big Walk* took six years
- The game is set in Wilsons Promontory, a location near Melbourne
- The game features a proximity voice chat system for communication
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The game's puzzles are inspired by camping scenarios with limited equipment, rewarding players with red bulbous objects called 'babies' or 'peanuts' by different groups
- The team initially considered the Faroe Islands as a setting but chose Wilsons Promontory for its isolated, game-like geography
- The team spent time in a cabin at Tidal River during development, brainstorming and taking reference photos of plants
- The game's release was nerve-racking for the team, as they had been working on it for six years in a private space
- The game's ending was designed to feel like a natural, emotional farewell, with players disconnecting one by one in the water
- The game's 3D artist, Kalonica Quigley, created 80-100 native plant models for the virtual landscape, placed according to Victoria's Ecological Vegetation Class
- The team used lidar scans to create a 1:20 scale recreation of Wilsons Promontory, including its beaches, mountains, and boulders
- The game's development began during COVID lockdown, with the team using in-game meetings to stay connected
- The game's success (over 1m downloads in a week) surpasses the annual visitor count of 400,000 to Wilsons Promontory
- The game's development was initially seen as a non-commercial project, with the team having creative freedom due to the success of *Untitled Goose Game* (2020 BAFTA winner)
- The game's avatars have cartoonish, ultra-expressive features, like expanding noses when speaking and shrinking when muted
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC states *Untitled Goose Game* was released in 2019, but also mentions it won a BAFTA in 2020, while the Guardian does not specify its release year
- The ABC mentions *Untitled Goose Game* as a 2019 breakout and 2020 BAFTA winner, but the Guardian does not reference its release year or awards
Source Articles
In Big Walk, players just walk and talk – and find joy along the way: ‘Some stories we’ve heard are punch-in-the-gut beautiful’
After their hit Untitled Goose Game, Australian studio House House is back with a new game where your only goal is to go exploring with friends – so we took them on a big walk inside Big Walk When I arrive to meet with the tiny team at Melbourne game developer House House, they’re sitting in a circle under a eucalyptus tree. After introductions, the five of us set off into the scrub. Over the course of our hike we take a train to the beach, huddle on deck chairs in the sand dunes and climb a mou
Creators of Untitled Goose Game turn Australia into a playground
The Melbourne team behind the award-winning game about a mischievous goose and his antics have now created a co-operative game that sees players escape puzzle rooms in the Victorian wilderness.