Hard Shark Games Floods Steam With 29 Low-Effort Releases
Indie publisher Hard Shark Games released 29 early access titles on Steam in a single day, with analysis suggesting the low-cost, template-based strategy
Publisher Hard Shark Games released 29 games on Steam on September 15. The company is listed as the developer for every one of these early access titles, which span genres from racing sims to survival horror.
Every game uses an identical early access description. "We're launching in Early Access to involve the community from the very start," reads the first line on each store page. This copy-paste approach extends to update notes, with multiple games sharing the same patch text published minutes apart.
Publishing the 29 games likely cost Hard Shark Games $2,900 in Steam store fees. Using the Boxleiter Method to estimate sales from public review counts, PC Gamer analyzed the potential revenue for three of the releases.
| Game | Low Revenue Estimate | High Revenue Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarket Life Simulator | $295 | $885 |
| Pool | $926 | $2,780 |
| F1 Simulator | $562 | $1,686 |
Even using the low estimates, those three games alone generated an estimated $1,783 in their first five days. This covers over half the initial publishing outlay. If the higher estimates are accurate, the entire $2,900 cost was recouped rapidly.
The Asset Flip Accusation
This analysis assumes near-zero development costs. The games appear to be low effort. Supermarket Life Simulator, for example, seems to use a $50 Unity template called Checkout Frenzy - Convenience Store Simulator. Steam user reviews accuse it of being a straight asset flip, a common criticism leveled at Hard Shark Games.
The publisher's entire Steam catalog includes 121 games and 96 demos. Its highest recorded peak concurrent player count is just 13, achieved by a demo that is no longer available. Very few people play these games, but the model could be profitable for a solo developer producing cheap, template-based software at high volume.
The Broader Context of Prolific Publishers
Hard Shark Games is not the most prolific entity on Steam. BFG Entertainment has released 555 games. PlayWay, known for quickly produced retail simulators, has 340. PC Gamer has contacted Hard Shark Games for comment on its methods.
Steam's Top Sellers for the Week
The source also listed top-selling Steam games by revenue for September 8 to 15. Wardogs debuted at number one. The previous week's leader, the single-player RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, fell to tenth place. Halloween: The Game charted despite being refused classification in Australia.
Other Notable Steam Releases
Several other games launched on Steam last week. Lily's World XD is a fake desktop mystery set in a 2004 operating system. 20 More, Somehow Even Smaller, Mazes is a free, well-reviewed puzzle follow-up. Dimraeth is an early access cooperative ARPG with pixel art inspired by classic Mana games, featuring planned combinations of eight races and six classes. Its early access period is expected to last 18 to 24 months.
