Massive Monster, an indie game developer based in Melbourne, Australia, has emerged as a prime example of indie gaming success with “Cult of the Lamb,” which has sold over 4.5 million copies. Captivating gamers worldwide with its unique concept of a cute lamb running an evil cult, the studio was a small team developing Flash games until just a few years ago.
Three former Flash game developers join forces
Founded in 2016 by Julian Wilton, Jay Armstrong, and James Pearmain, Massive Monster is comprised of developers with extensive experience in Flash game development. Together, they have created over 50 games, but with the Flash game industry in decline, they needed a new breakthrough.
The studio pivoted to console and desktop games, and its first hit, “The Adventure Pals,” in 2018, grossed $1.2 million, a respectable performance for a three-person, remote-based company. However, its next project, “Never Give Up,” fell short of expectations, and the team began preparing for a bigger challenge.
The miracle created by $40,000 in Australian government support
The first key to success was early funding from VicScreen, the Victorian government in Australia. In 2020, Massive Monster received funding from VicScreen to build a prototype for Cult of the Lamb.
With approximately $40,000 in seed funding from VicScreen, Massive Monster was able to polish up their demo to attract publishers. Julian Wilton, Creative Director at Massive Monster, said, “VicScreen’s early funding allowed us to achieve the level of quality we needed when pitching to publishers, which ultimately led to a deal with our dream publisher and a significant development budget.”
A groundbreaking proposal from publisher Devolver Digital
A second key success factor was the deal with publisher Devolver Digital. In early 2020, the studio began pitching to publishers in London. Jay Armstrong guessed the email address of a Devolver Digital employee and contacted them. To his surprise, Devolver expressed interest, cautiously judging the potential success of this seemingly unusual game.
Devolver Digital’s approach differed from that of typical publishers. They added an additional $200,000 to Massive Monster’s requested $300,000 budget, claiming, “That’s not enough.” This contrasted sharply with the typical publisher’s willingness to negotiate a minimum budget.
Furthermore, Massive Monster has included nine months of ongoing support in its contract, instead of the traditional one-month support period after launch, ensuring the game remains operational after launch. They’ve also secured reserve funds for future projects to prepare for worst-case scenarios.
Despite cumulative sales of over 4.5 million and revenue of $90 million, “We haven’t lost our original intention.”
Released on August 11, 2022, Cult of the Lamb was an instant success, selling one million copies in its first week. It won the Golden Joystick Award and four Australian Game Developer Awards, and was also nominated for The Game Awards and BAFTA.
The business performance was also remarkable. Devolver Digital became the highest-selling IP of all time, generating over $90 million (approximately 124 billion won) in revenue. This figure surpassed the 11-title Serious Sam franchise. As of October 2024, cumulative sales had surpassed 4.5 million copies.
Even after its success, Massive Monster maintained a cautious growth strategy. The founders sought to build a sustainable company, preparing for worst-case scenarios, and chose steady growth over rapid expansion.
The studio is extending the game’s lifespan with ongoing content updates and DLC releases. They actively engage with the community through co-op modes and various crossover content, and in October 2024, they released the “Hymns of the Unholy” EP, a metal reinterpretation of the game’s soundtrack.
“Seriously” committed to the role of “assistant” in nurturing juniors
Massive Monster’s success has created a virtuous cycle, allowing them to leverage the support they received to support younger developers. In 2025, the Victorian government, through VicScreen, will invest $2 million to establish a new gaming co-working space called MASS in Collingwood, which will be operated by Massive Monster.
And Massive Monster is also set to launch its own investment fund, aligned with the Victorian Government’s $2 million investment, to help Victorian-based indie game developers grow from prototype to full release.
Massive Monster’s virtuous cycle of creating its own investment fund, operating a co-working space, and supporting young developers is arguably the most ideal ecosystem model. It’s a model system where successful developers, supported by government support, contribute back to the industry.
Entering mobile platforms and releasing large-scale expansion packs
Massive Monster is building on the success of “Cult of the Lamb” with a new challenge. On December 4, 2025, the game made its mobile debut with Apple Arcade. Released under the name “Cult of the Lamb: Arcade Edition,” this version is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro and includes all previous content updates and DLC. Apple Arcade-exclusive content also includes new cult forms, decorations, and costumes.
Even more notable is the release of the first paid major expansion, “Woolhaven.” Released on January 22, 2026, the expansion boasts a massive amount of content, with the developers claiming it’s “almost the same size as the original game.” Set in snow-covered mountains, it tells the story of reviving the forgotten sheep god Yngya, and features a variety of new content, including a survival system for harsh winters, new enemies tainted by Rot, two large dungeons, and a herding system.
Accessible late in the game, ‘Woolhaven’ offers players a new adventure in the frozen mountains, where they must protect their followers from cold and famine while uncovering secrets of the past. The expansion received positive reviews upon its release, further demonstrating Massive Monster’s content creation prowess.
Dreaming of another era of success with a strategy for continuous growth
Massive Monster operates from offices in Australia and the UK, and maintains a vision of creating games focused on creativity, individuality, and fun. The studio continues to expand Cult of the Lamb, revealing in a September 2024 interview that crossover content with another indie game is in the final stages of development.
Their journey from a small team to a global hit is a perfect example of what can happen when original ideas, perseverance, and the right support come together. The success of “Cult of the Lamb” goes beyond the mere success of a single game; it demonstrates how an indie game developer can achieve commercial success while maintaining its own unique identity.
In particular, it is proving how healthy the indie game ecosystem can grow when three beautiful elements come together: appropriate government support at the right time, partnerships with good publishers, and the creation of a virtuous cycle after success.
Massive Monster’s journey of overcoming the challenges of the Flash game era and growing into a world-class indie game developer is heralding another success story with its entry into mobile platforms and the release of a major expansion pack.
## Key milestones and history
* 2014: Studio established (team formed and initial activities began)
* 2016: Formed an official studio and began full-scale game development
* 2018: Action game ‘The Adventure Pals’ released
* 2019: Release of hardcore platformer ‘Never Give Up’
* 2022: “Cult of the Lamb” is released, selling over one million copies within a week.
* 2024: Celebrating the 10th anniversary of its founding , a major update to the “Cult of the Lamb” will be released.
* 2025: Announcement of the establishment of ‘MASS’, a co-working space for game creators in Melbourne (to foster the local game industry).
* 2026: ‘Cult of the Lamb’ expansion pack ‘Woolhaven’ released
[Related Article] Indie game “Cult of the Ram,” which sold over 4.5 million copies, releases a large-scale expansion pack, “Ulhaven.”
[Massive Monster Official Website] https://massivemonster.com/index.html
