REPORT: Indie Dev Puts Microsoft Excel Simulator in Early Access

[PsychicTaco115]

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Many games going up on Steam's Early Access Program are unfinished products, hoping to convince the player with a convincing trailer that doesn't have anything to do with what's available now. There have even been cases where the game the developer hopes to sell is made up of pre-bought assets from others. However, developer Winterpetal Entertainment has brought this practice to the extreme by releasing the current edition of Microsoft Excel in Early Access, calling it Microsoft Excel Simulator

"There's actually plenty of differences between the official Microsoft product and our hilarious parody version of said software. For instance, we have the word 'Simulator' in ours. That's already a lot of difference right there. We also have it so that instead of giving money to an evil corporation, you give it to us to help fund the indie struggle. You do want to help the indie scene survive, right? I thought so" said Jake Reinhold, the lead designer and only person involved with Winterpetal Entertainment.

Reinhold further talked of future projects already underway by the company.

"I hope to get enough money back in order to do the rest of the Microsoft products. I'm hoping to stay true to the gameplay philosophy of the original, that the player creates their own fun. To prevent negativity getting the best of me and causing me to quit, I've already shut down the forums for the game and am claiming harassment for anyone that talks bad of me. That's just the indie way to go!"

Be on the lookout for Steam Early Access Simulator in the future by other potential developers to cash in on a growing trend.

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[Tayh]

Shouldn't this go in Off-Topic?

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

It's so outrageous that I almost believed it. XD

 

[Drathnoxis]

Shouldn't this go in Off-Topic?

What are you talking about? Microsoft Excel Simulator is in my top 10 games of the year! It's got the open ended creativity of Minecraft mixed with the ever popular fun of spreadsheets. I could play that game for days!

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I'd buy that for a dollar. No more than that though. I used to have nightmares about spreadsheets that for some reason wouldn't accept proper mathematical equations. Personal experience note: Do not try to do your own taxes on a business.

 

[FPLOON]

I'm cautiously optimistic about the pending Steam Early Access Simulator, even though a year or so later, there would probably be a GOTY[footnote]Gabe of the Year[/footnote] edition of it up on Early Access, anyway...

 

[mysecondlife]

Hey. Anything to make me look like I'm working when I'm actually playing video games.

 

[Shymer]

I must be the luckiest guy in the world. I am now earning a decent salary playing this game every day (although they don't pay me for playing at weekends - they do seem to expect me to practice). The eSports scene for Excel Simulator is massive. Multiplayer is a bit basic though. I made some Let's Plays, but the company I'm with doesn't seem keen on publishing my games yet... something about 'sensitive financial data'; but I'm hopeful for the future.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

I'd play this. Just to remember how awful the Microsoft Excel really is :]

 

[Mikeybb]

Shouldn't this go in Off-Topic?

What are you talking about? Microsoft Excel Simulator is in my top 10 games of the year! It's got the open ended creativity of Minecraft mixed with the ever popular fun of spreadsheets. I could play that game for days!

It's already been nominated for three awards.

 

[Pseudonym]

I almost believed that this was an actual thing soon to be killed off by microsoft. I still wouldn't be altogether surprised if something like this happened. The many unitZ's that are on steam aren't that different from this.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Shouldn't this go in Off-Topic?

What are you talking about? Microsoft Excel Simulator is in my top 10 games of the year! It's got the open ended creativity of Minecraft mixed with the ever popular fun of spreadsheets. I could play that game for days!

Pfft. Microsoft Excel is killing gaming. The Excel games have had no proper innovation since Microsoft Excel '98, it's just the same gameplay given slightly better graphics and macro tweaks released to the sheeple who lap it up.

After that whole Microsoft Excel 365 DRM yearly pay-to-access I stopped buying them. They didn't even have a private servers or a proper server lobby!

And now all the First-Person-Spreadsheets are just copying M. Excel's Modern Accounting setting and every game just plays the same: Open Office, iOS Numbers - No one is trying anything new. I swear if I see another company release a new spreadsheet application that works off of Excels' number-co-ordinate box reference system I'm going to scream.

And the worst of it is that Microsoft just blatantly stole the idea from Lotus 1-2-3, but they take all the credit.

Bring back graph paper. They didn't have as good graphics in those days, and the levels were pretty restricted, but you had so much more freedom to do whatever you want, and the level-design mechanics were virtually unlimited!