Webfishing, a chill little fishing game that I can only describe as 'Club Penguin for tired millennials who just want to vibe', has been a bit of a sleeper hit this year. SteamDB saw it pulling in over 24,000 concurrent players, a steady climb it's achieved through word of mouth since its release in the middle of last month.
Having already sunk five hours into the thing, it's easy to see why. It's chill, the atmosphere's immaculate, and it seems custom-designed to foster a relaxed, inclusive community. Everything's got this tongue-in-cheek, irreverent grace applied to it. That, alongside efforts to ensure adults can sit in 18+ rooms and talk about grown-up topics, has made it a great digital hangout spot for the approaching winter months.
Its creator, who also goes by the name West/Lamedev, wasn't expecting the schools of players to swim to it, though. In a recent post made to X, West writes: "It's been a MONTH (?!?!) since Webfishing launched and I just really wanted to say a heartfelt thanks for all of the support and attention y'all gave this silly project. I can truly say I figured MAYBE like 100 people would play it ever—but here we are!"
Unexpected success can weigh heavy even on studios with a few hundred people, though—and West appears to be working on playing catchup as fondness grows into expectation: "I'll be transparent and admit I'm not quite sure of the future of Webfishing yet! I'm just now finally letting my mind rest after crunching for months on this, and I'm slowly figuring stuff out. I've got loads of ideas for content and systems I'd love to rework/make feel better."
While that's partially a relief to hear—as I'd love for this to be something I keep coming back to—Webfishing also feels like a moment in time. The world is, uh, in a bit of a state right now, and this game felt perfectly poised to offer people a chill escape. Will I be on that trout grind for years to come? Probably not, and I'm always content to let good things end when they must.
That said, the progression systems in place are both charming and also a ton of fun. There's something immediately satisfying about upgrading your rod to smash through a 20-point reel barrier in a single click, and the steady trickle of new clothes, props, and the like has gotten me genuinely invested in racking up that oceanic moolah. I'd also be a happy haddock if we got more.
"Thanks again y'all," West adds. "While Webfishing's future is up in the air atm, this certainly won't be the last time you'll see or hear from me"
