Big Walk, the co-op adventure from House House, has sold more than 1 million copies since its release on August 4, but the game has also picked up the label 'friendslop' due to its co-op-only design. The developers have now addressed the term during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session.
What is 'friendslop'?
The term 'friendslop' is used to describe co-operative or party video games that rely on chaos. It is derived from the negative term 'slop', which is often used to describe mass-produced generic content, particularly when created using AI.
Despite the label, Big Walk has earned high praise since launch, with many critics highlighting its slow pace, clever puzzles, and innovative proximity chat functions. The game is set in a photorealistic world inspired by Wilsons Promontory National Park, where players control cartoonish characters in groups of two to 12 to solve challenges.
House House responds
When asked by a fan on Reddit how the team feels about the term 'friendslop', Nico Disseldorp, one of the studio's four members, replied: "We thought we might get asked this! I love that there is a word out there to help people categorize games that are good for groups of friends to play together, and that it recognizes that the friends are the important part! It's a useful concept imo."
He added: "Personally I'd prefer the second word wasn't 'slop' because it's a term with so much baggage (like AI slop) and I think these games are so thoughtfully made. But artists always hate the genre names used to describe their work, so it's nothing new."
The developers also discussed the decision to use cartoon characters in a photorealistic environment. Stuart Gillespie-Cook explained: "This is probably a (very fortunate) combination of 'what felt interesting to us to explore at the time' and 'what visual design works well for a game that's simultaneously about real-world navigation skills and also being very playful.'"
He continued: "There was also a formative early sketch of the characters drawn over a photo background that really spoke to us all, and convinced us it was worth leaning into."
Availability and future plans
Big Walk is available on PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, with cross-platform play. When asked about a potential Xbox release, House House simply stated: "We see this question. Sorry, we don't have anything to say about this today."
