"Cuphead" was impressive from day one, showing off beautiful hand-painted animation in an ode to the Fleisher cartoons while being rewardingly difficult. Now, the success of '"Cuphead" has exceeded two Million copies sold, going beyond what the developers themselves could have ever imagined. In a blog post on Studio MDHR's website, the developers said, "Even in our wildest dreams, we never thought our crazy little characters would be embraced by this many fans from around the world and we are continuously humbled by your support."
Is 'Cuphead's' success really so surprising?
It was not too long ago when "Cuphead's" 125K landmark was an impressive feat, especially considering "Cuphead" has been limited to the Xbox One and PC.
Being opened to steam, instead of just exclusively the Windows Store was definitely a huge help. Despite '"Cuphead's" limited releases, it quickly gained a huge following, with fans constantly working on fan art, memes, streams, challenge runs, and guides for the best playthroughs (one such guide you can find here).
Support has been overwhelming from the start, and there are more than a myriad of reasons for this. Aside from the game's style and gameplay, every character, area, and every piece of music is so painstakingly put into the style of the Fleisher cartoons that it's difficult to find anything that feels out of place. Not to mention that so many of the characters have designs that make them memorable and stand out from the hoard of big burly men with scruffy beards that play the leads in so many video games.
It's also entirely free of microtransactions, which is something, at this point, many gamers consider a big plus. Overall, "Cuphead" avoids many of the pitfalls that triple-A games incorporate that made it feel like a breath of fresh air.
The future for Studio MDHR
With the success of "Cuphead," the question is now what Studio MDHR will move onto next.
Although nothing has been officially announced, it's hard to imagine that Studio MDHR won't be working on some kind of follow-up. It's probably more a question of when we should expect a follow-up. "Cuphead" was announced back in 2014 and went through a difficult development process, which left many wondering if it would ever see the light of day.
Considering the painstaking effort it takes to make "Cuphead's" style of animation, chances are we may not see a sequel for quite some time. Thankfully, its challenges and presentation give enough to last a while. Regardless of whether or not their next project is related, let's hope we hear about Studio MDHR's next project soon.