House House Built Big Walk Out of Lockdown Frustration and a Need for Better Digital Hangouts
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
House House developer Stuart Gillespie-Cook shares how frustration with lockdown Zoom parties inspired the creation of their upcoming co-op puzzle game, Big Walk, arriving this August.
House House made a global splash by letting players terrorize an English village as a mischievous goose, but their next project is tackling a completely different kind of social dynamic. According to a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, developer Stuart Gillespie-Cook revealed that the upcoming co-op puzzle game Big Walk was conceived during COVID lockdowns as a direct reaction to the awkward misery of crowded birthday party video calls. Instead of shouting over forty people in a grid of video boxes, the team wanted a dedicated virtual space where friends could actually relax, mess about, and chat naturally using proximity voice channels.
That initial prototype came together in about a week, driven largely by the developers being stuck indoors and genuinely missing each other. What started as a simple experiment in digital presence turned into a six-year development journey focused on capturing that specific feeling of togetherness. Early previews suggest the game leans heavily into cooperative problem solving mixed with the kind of delightful, gentle awkwardness that defined the studio's previous work, giving friend groups a fresh sandbox to explore across PC, consoles, and modern hardware.
For today's players who treat games primarily as digital living rooms and social hubs, the origin story of Big Walk feels entirely relatable. We have all lived through the era of forced virtual gatherings, and developers leaning into organic ways to hang out online rather than traditional corporate structures represents a welcome shift in multiplayer design. As we count down to the August 4 release date, it is clear that House House is delivering another uniquely charming experience built entirely around how modern communities actually connect. You can read the full, fascinating developer interview over at GamesIndustry.biz for more details on the project.
Tags: Big Walk, House House, Co-op, Indie Games, Gaming News
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun