Hypercharge: Unboxed finally makes its console debut on Xbox on May 31 after becoming a viral hit on PC. However, the journey wasn’t always a smooth one, and we sat down with one of the six-person team who explained how they bounced back after a troubled launch back in 2017. After catching the eye of many players on social media, on May 31, three years on from its successful relaunch on PC.

But fans might not realize that the first version of the game actually hit shelves in 2017 to a much colder reception. CharlieIntel spoke to Joe Henson, Head of Marketing and PR and a founder of developer Digital Cybercherries, about its rocky start and how they turned their passion project based on a love of action figures around. When the first iteration of Hypercharge arrived in early access in 2017, most of the devs working on the game were also juggling full-time jobs but were desperate to realize their vision of a shooter inspired by the likes of Toy Soldiers.

However, the initial response to their was pretty lukewarm, as Henson admitted they may have lost sight of what the project was supposed to be and that it was fairly “barebones” to begin with. “There was feature creeping, there was an element of not really understanding what we were making,” he explained. “It didn’t work out, the game wasn’t very well-received at all on launch in 2017.

Everything nearly collapsed, loads of team members left, and the game was just not in a good state.” Despite being a “flop�.