Grounded has had a strong debut, reaching the top of Steam’s best seller list after yesterday’s release. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids-inspired survival game is a kind of experiment for developer Obsidian Entertainment. The studio is known for its story-packed RPGs with characters like The Outer Worlds, Pillars of Eternity, Fallout: New Vegas, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II that complete its extensive catalog.
Grounded quickly became the best-selling game on Steam after launching in Early Access yesterday, despite being freely available as part of the Xbox Game Pass for PC as well. SteamDB shows a concurrent player peak of 12,543 players, putting it near the end of Steam’s 100 most played games. However, this does not take into account those who play on Game Pass or through the Windows Store.
These numbers are also increasing in terms of Twitch views, with the survival game reaching the top three spots in terms of viewers on the streaming platform.
It’s a decent start to a game you wouldn’t expect from Obsidian. The Grounded concept is a curious mix between Honey I Shrunk the Kids and survival games like Rust or The Forest. You play as one of four teens in 1990 (either alone or with up to three other friends), all of which shrink down to mere millimeters as part of an experiment. From here, you find yourself trapped in a backyard filled with insects and hostile creatures. You’ll have to cook and find water, build a base, and make weapons and items to defend yourself against spiders and other critters trying to kill you.
Developed by just 13 people, Grounded focuses primarily on the story, which is something survival games often avoid in favor of the emerging experience of just staying alive.
The studio is also working on more familiar projects, with The Outer Worlds’ first expansion, Peril on Gorgon, set to launch in September. During the recent Xbox Showcase event, Obsidian also announced Avowed, a new first-person RPG for Xbox Series X taking place in the Pillars of Eternity universe.
