| Sokpop Collective | |
| Type: | Collective |
| Location: | Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Industry: | Video games |
| Num Employees: | 4 |
Sokpop Collective, also known as simply Sokpop (Dutch for "sock puppet"), is an independent video game development studio located in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The studio was founded in 2015 and consists of four people. The studio is run as a collective, with no formal leadership structure or managers, but a flat hierarchy where everyone works as equals.
Sokpop is known for releasing one new game each month. They run a Patreon, where they sell these games through a subscription-like model, in addition to selling the games on Steam and Itch.io for non-patrons. A couple of their games have become hits, such as simmiland and Stacklands, the latter of which won the "Best Innovation" award at the 2022 Dutch Game Awards. The collective itself was given the "Awesome Achievement Award" that same year.
The four developers that make up Sokpop met in 2015, when they started doing a lot of game jams together, such as Ludum Dare. When there wasn't a formal game jam to go to, they'd host one at home. The collective grew from that, leading the four of them to embark on what's become an "infinite game jam".
Sokpop is known for their ability to develop and release small games at a rapid pace. Between 2017 and 2020 Sokpop released a new game every 2 weeks. By May 2020 they had released 54 games, by March 2021 that number had increased to 78. Since 2021 they have changed their release schedule to one new game per month, so they could increase their projects' scope and spend more time on each individual idea. Despite this rapid release schedule, reviewers have noted that the games are polished, and surprisingly deep and complex mechanically. Eric Schoon of The Review Geek named Sokpop as "one of the most interesting things going on in the indie gaming scene right now", and that "the balance of variety and quality on display is unmatched anywhere else in the games industry, especially when you consider the release schedule."
Despite working at the same studio, the developers at Sokpop rarely collaborate. Most of the games are developed individually, so rather than working on a new game every month, each developer has 4 months to work on their game before release.
Initially Sokpop funded their projects through Patreon and itch.io, effectively selling their games like a magazine subscription service, but when they started releasing their games on Steam, sales on that platform earned them more than Patreon and itch.io sales combined.
A number of Sokpop's games have become unexpected hits, such as simmiland in 2018, a digital card game that got picked up by Youtubers and streamers, resulting in the game selling particularly well on itch.io. Stacklands, a game released in 2022 that combines deck-building with village building and resource management, became both a critical and commercial success. It was nominated for Excellence in Design at the 25th annual Independent Games Festival, and for Best Game, Best Innovation, and Best Game Design at the Dutch Game Awards, where in addition to winning "Best Innovation", the studio itself was awarded the "Awesome Achievement Award".