Friendslop appears to be a lasting trend, and Peak studio Aggro Crab is fully on board with it. But what exactly is friendslop? This term captures the recent surge of immensely popular co-op games that utilize group dynamics and improvisation to create entertaining and chaotic experiences, perfectly suited for today’s content-driven age. While every game is enjoyable with friends, these titles are crafted to be significantly more engaging when played collaboratively. Games such as REPO, Lethal Company, Content Warning, and Peak have become standout successes in this arena. Moreover, you could easily argue in favor of classics like Overcooked, Human: Fall Flat, or the newly popular RV There Yet.
From Success to New Development
After achieving 11 million sales on Steam within just a few months, the developers at Peak embrace a reality that numerous companies often overlook: “We’re not going to continually have a graph go up.”
The Rise of Friendslop
Donning their best digital pigeon-themed outfits, the creators of Fall Guys come together post-Epic layoffs to introduce REPO and other “tasty friendslop” games.
Following one of 2025’s unexpected breakout hits, the developers from Peak have announced an exciting new online co-op title: “Peak is still in the works internally, but it’s time to delve into Crashout Crew.”
For Aggro Crab, which employs half of the Peak team and is the single creator of the forthcoming physics-based forklift game Crashout Crew, the concept of friendslop is a welcome addition. Community lead Paige Wilson embraces the term, which some may dismiss as simply a passing fad among co-op games. Level designer Phillip Corrado is equally enthusiastic about creating more experiences that encompass this notion. Wilson mentions that, after Peak, there have been questions from fans pondering whether they are shifting away from single-player and story-driven games towards a dedication to friendslop. “Well, not forever. We’re unsure,” she replies. Aggro Crab is currently exploring fresh concepts and gauging what resonates, with Crashout Crew showing strong promise.
“It’s clear we appreciate the term friendslop,” Wilson expresses. “When we noticed the original tweet that included Content Warning and others, we thought, ‘Oh, that’s from our friends at Landfall.’ We love this term and are proud to adopt it as our own.” She believes that friendslop has injected an exciting energy into the co-op multiplayer genre, making it a fantastic choice for spontaneous gaming sessions with friends.
Corrado humorously remarks that friendslop could be summed up as: “friendslop is when the mouths move.” He references games like REPO, Peak, and the upcoming Big Walk from the development team behind Untitled Goose Game. He touches on an often-overlooked immersive quality that has fueled the growing popularity of these games. “You can craft nearly any type of multiplayer experience as long as it allows for players to feel present in that environment with friends,” he explains. The addition of proximity chat has become a simple yet incredibly effective way to heighten the experience of gaming with friends, allowing for a more immersive feel that leads to organic role-playing scenarios.
Evolution of Friendslop
Corrado and Wilson examine the evolution of friendslop, recognizing various trends over the years. For instance, while Lethal Company and REPO focus on maximizing profits, Peak revolves around achieving one central objective: reaching the peak. Corrado believes that Peak‘s format resembles a “D&D one-shot style game” once beaten, differing from some of its more arcade-like counterparts.
A significant advantage of friendslop games is their avoidance of desynchronized friend groups. Corrado notes that “more complex, systemic multiplayer games often include a sizable progression treadmill. If you fall behind, you may struggle to catch up and play alongside your friends. With these titles, you can simply jump in, engage with your friends, enjoy an immersive gaming experience, and log off without any hassle.”
Introducing Crashout Crew
In the case of Crashout Crew, Wilson believes that Aggro Crab has leaned into the spirit of Overcooked, offering players the chance to race around arenas in forklifts while accomplishing various tasks. This development represents a natural progression for the studio; Aggro Crab has played and analyzed games like REPO to understand which elements they wanted to incorporate as they moved forward. In the case of Peak, they intentionally removed the horror aspects.
Crashout Crew, which underwent significant transformations throughout its initial game jam phases focused on cargo loading, forges ahead in a new direction—utilizing forklifts. Corrado emphasizes the importance of building tension in a fun way while also providing players with mechanisms to manage that tension collaboratively. “What we gleaned from other games shaped what we wanted Crashout Crew to be and what it definitely shouldn’t be,” he remarks. “We aimed to guide it into a more narrative space, while still keeping it lighthearted and chaotic, creating a scenario for you and your friends to cause mischief together.”
Wilson shares, “When we first embarked on this project, our intention wasn’t necessarily to create a friendslop game. However, as we progressed, it started to feel increasingly like one, and we’re more than fine with that.” Wilson concludes with enthusiasm, “I’m all for seeing even messier friendslop games. Every morning, I wake up immersed in that friendslop.”
After several months of hard work, the team witnessed a remarkable 11 million copies sold on Steam, underscoring their commitment to innovative gaming experiences.