10 Incredible Video Games Made By A SINGLE Person

3. Axiom Verge - Thomas Happ

Dust An Elysian Tail Dust
Tom Happ

Axiom Verge is about as close as a developer can get to creating an homage to the original Metroid. Thomas Happ developed the game over a period of five years beginning in 2010 with the first release hitting the PS4, PC, Mac, and Linux in 2015.

Happ solely developed the title, but he didn't stop at merely coding and providing the artwork for the game. Happ composed and recorded all of the music released in the final version of Axiom Verge instead of relying on another artist at the end of development. From start to finish, this game was entirely developed by Happ who took it on as a side project.

It took Happ two years to put together an Alpha build, but that was enough to gain the attention of the industry at the 2012 Dream.Build.Play challenge. Happ's development garnered immediate interest from developers, and it ultimately found widespread release across all platforms.

Axiom Verge instantly earned acclaim and holds a rating of 84/100 on Metacritic. Most players and critics praise it for its high replay value. Since launch, Axiom Verge sold over half-a-million copies with new sales occurring on a daily basis. Seeing as each copy sold for an average of $20, Happ can't be too unhappy with the level of success this game has achieved.

Contributor
Contributor

Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com