Hi. We are The Behemoth, developers of BattleBlock Theater, Castle Crashers, and Alien Hominid. Today we launched our new game. Ask us anything

PC version?

Well, we've done a PC version before (Steam Castle) so it's something that's on our radar. When will it happen? Will it take a long time? Nothing we are 100% sure of yet. We are still relatively a pretty small team, so it takes us a little longer to get things rolling. Never say never, we want to make games on as many platforms as we can.

-Emil

Describe the game as best you can in no more than 4 words.

Can I try different variations?

Please watch Rampart, Sike!

Blocks, Cats, Hats, Betrayal

I'll come back to this......

-Emil

Now try hiku

Haiku by Lindsay:

Buckle your pants, yes,

buckle your pants. Buck buck buck

buck buckle your pants.

I don't wanna!

-Dan

(conjugations count as 2, right?)

This might possibly be a bad idea, as these will go very quickly. So be quick in your code entering skills.

4 BattleBlock Theater Full Game Unlock Codes! Go!!!!!!!

GDTW4-K73KV-CGGH2-JCX27-JQ36Z

6JY2Y-6V3TD-7DJKF-2M2M2-JF2CZ

9CCTV-F7PTG-9RF2Y-YGD77-4G7JZ

Q9VHM-H4PMW-CK7DX-RGD4M-XGH7Z

-Emil

So...should I buy BattleBlock Theater when I get home from work?

You should check out the trial first, but if you enjoy that, then there's nothing stopping you from achieving your dreams.

-Emil

How is your relationship with Microsoft? I've been hearing a lot of negativity about them and indie devs. Will you become a multiplatform developer in the future?

I love your games and can't wait to try BBT! Keep up the great unique work :)

Working with Microsoft is great. There is definitely a lot of negativity floating around about them, none of which we have ever experienced. They are easy to work with, and really care about our games. We like that, and them!

Back in the day when we were trying to find someone who wanted Castle Crashers, they graciously accepted us, where others just said no thanks. Respect.

-Emil

I can't think of a question to ask, but I feel like I should still post how much I love you guys. Thanks for making Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers, they're some of the funnest games I've ever played!

Thank you! We enjoy our virtual friendship with you.

-Emil

I can't help from comparing The alien Hominid PDA mini game to BBT. Is this where Battleblock originated?

Yup! The spark came from the PDA mini-game from Alien Hominid. The idea has grown much larger though as you'll be able to see even from the Trial version. -Megan

Have you guys contemplated making any sequels of your games (Alien Hominid was pretty popular and Castle Crashers was incredibly successful), or are you guys trying to create new games every time? Thanks!

That's always a tough one. I think in the end we love to explore new territory and try new spins on different genres more than anything. I've always kind of spouted the old 'If we gave people Alien Hominid 2 we'd never want a Castle Crashers 2, and so on'. We kick the idea around of revisiting universes but they'd need to be different enough experiences to be worth everyone's time.

If we were to revisit Castle Crashers beat-em-up style, I think it'd feel more towards 'more' instead of 'new', so it'd almost be more fitting to try and add content than it would release a sequel. No? I dunno. -Dan

How are you guys going to celebrate the new release? :)

I am going to play it with a friend later this week properly, really looking forward to it. Loved Castle Crashers!

I'm going to take our giant Cat Guard sculpture and place it around town, like city hall or something and then hide in bushes and take pictures of people coming across it. -Ian

I'm going to go take photos of Ian getting arrested in front of city hall for voyeurism. Then I'm going to join Lindsay in eating BBQ. -Megan

We're also all eating BBQ together later this week! - Lindsay

We stayed up pretty late hitting refresh on the Xbox dash, so I would imagine once everyone manages to wake up we'll be jumping online and playing some matches with everyone!

-Emil

Why do you guys always have one of my favorite set-ups at PAX Prime every year?

How much fun did you guys have with the BBT Announcer? I caught myself laughing out loud many a times in the Beta.

One of the TequilaWorks guys gave us a kind compliment one day in regard to our booth. He said he liked the flavor of our booth and that it was in the spirit of what we do. I think that, mixed with some handcrafted arcade cabs, and we have a recipe for something that is special to us. We design and build the booth ourselves so there's a lot of love that goes into it. With regard to the announcer, let's just say every time we got a new audio package from Will Stamper it was a very, very special day. -ian

Bought BattleBlock instantly. First I must say as a fellow game developer thank you for being so inspiring but I have to ask: Why did this game take so long? Just too personal?

Very common question, and a valid one as well. We have working prototypes of our games pretty early on. With BattleBlock, as soon as we had something that we thought was somewhat enjoyable we took it to Comic-Con, PAX, everywhere else and wanted to get feedback. We just like to take our time and marinate in our development.

-Emil

What's with all these people, I thought The Behemoth was Tom Fulp's programming and Dan Paladin's art

I also found it odd that Dan wasn't listed above. His wikipedia page states "His current work is a new Behemoth project BattleBlock Theater."

Dan's around (or will be later), dude just doesn't have a Twitter account. Lol. As for the Behemoth just being Tom and Dan, it was a match made in heaven; but none the less, it takes a village to raise a child. And this village now has three lovely children. -Eric

Tom was the programmer for Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid. He consulted for BattleBlock Theater. Dan Paladin lead the art design since he's our Art Director and yes, much of the art in BattleBlock Theater was from his brain and hands. The team has grown a bit since 2003. :)

We'll add Tom's Twitter handle, but Dan doesn't have one (for now...). -Megan

My brother just threw one of those exploding disks at me and killed me, prick. Why did you do this to mine and my brothers relationship?

We like to think it's human nature. We're merely providing the setting and tools. I guess that makes us enablers? Co-optional!!! -ian

So, BattleBlock Theater figurines will be released for purchase when?

We've already made some pretty rad Cat guard banks and squeaky things that we brought to PAX East most recently. I'm not sure when these will be available outside of conventions. As for other figurines, only time will tell. -Eric

Yes you should buy it!

I beta tested it and it is one of the best XBLA games I've played. So much to do in it between single/multiplayer.

The storyline, music and experience were among the best I've had on XBLA.

and Dan P! if you are reading this, A big hello from me, Lenoleum! aka. Mf-Pickle, man I forget the 90s haha. Great game and I can't wait to purchase it and hopefully jump on your little cone head online!

Keep up the great work Behemoth.

Dude! Lenoleummmmm! You beta tested!? Yeah, hopefully in the future we can mash our enemies as one, yet again. I still see visions of Quake deathmatch routes in my head. Good lord that was half my life ago.

I still stay in touch with Synd here and there on Steam. And Ludlow on AIM, lol..

-Dan

Hey Dan.....Xenu.

LOL

Hail Xenu, sire! -Dan

Do you guys still have that cardboard box with the Firefall drawings on it from PAX 2010?

Ah yes. Lobby Bar!!! I'm pretty sure it's still somewhere in our warehouse. We took a bunch of pictures of it just in case it was too damaged in the future. That was a very memorable night! Were you there with us?

-Emil

Yeah, my friend and I were talking with you guys while it was being drawn and we helped distract the Firefall rep so it could be sneaked away. Dan drew on the back of my pass, one of my best PAX memories from that year.

We sorta lost our minds in that lobby bar that night. Definitely good times though. PAX Seattle is coming up again very soon, we should try to recreate the magic. Where are you Firefall!!!

-Emil

Do you have any plans for BattleBlock to come to PC or PSN? I don't want to pay for live to play multiplayer.

We are fans of other platforms, but unfortunately we have nothing to officially announce at this time. We're a small team and can only focus on one platform at a time. That being said, you never know what the future holds...

Hey guys! I'd like to personally say thank you to everyone at The Behemoth. BBT's beta was actually my favorite beta I've ever participated and was an enjoyable experience along with being to hear directly from you guys about.. everything! (I know to order Mexican food when in the offices)

I actually have no question other than keep making games and I'm off to spend hours getting onto the top of the leaderboards.

Edit: Logged on and people are already above 1000+ gems?! :(

Ha ha, yeah. I enjoyed a first page place on the leaderboards during the Beta, but I have to allow myself to eat and sleep and draw and live... so I'm not going to get obsessive over the leaderboards... hopefully -Eric

[deleted]

Oh no, we're sad to hear you say that! We'd love the chance to help you enjoy it more.

If you're having troubles with or experiencing technical issues with Castle Crashers on Steam or ANY game, we highly encourage you to start a Support ticket at http://support.thebehemoth.com/ . We'll do whatever we can to help you out. You can also post on our forums if you want to ask the community for troubleshooting tips, at http://forums.thebehemoth.com/ . We use these reports to help us work on updates to our games, too.

Hopefully we can help resolve any issues you're having and make the experience more enjoyable.

-Lindsay

Will Stamper be narrating any future games? If not, why do you hate us? If so, why do you hate us?

Not sure about narrating future games, but I'm planning on having him narrate my life. -Megan

LOL yeah same here.

If Stamper fits the bill for what we need, I don't see why not. He's great at bringing stuff to life.

-Dan

Mind dropping any hints for your next title? Can't wait to pick up battleblock theater.

We've got a lot of great ideas/prototypes floating around. Nothing we can talk about yet, but I can tell you that it will most likely be known as Game 4!

-Emil

Last batch for the night. Thanks for all your support Reddit!

FYJHD-PHH2J-G9Q4W-CJ76X-3FWPZ

Y37JD-J9X76-KXV7Q-FPT9M-M9J9Z

9GF4X-WTT3K-WYM47-Q3PGH-X49YZ

26GVK-DVTGR-JVVJD-MV3M6-77Y2Z

CTYK6-93QXG-3PTT4-2QR3F-WYJGZ

CP3R7-HKCQR-TH94C-XMPTP-YC7GZ

6PM PDT and still responding to Q's as we sit and sip our celebration drinks. Loving this time with the fans <3 To show you our love, here are 4 more codes for BattleBlock Theater! Be quick before someone else gets them! -Megan

RRK26-Q4GTV-PKD9R-X2XT2-RGRKZ

79PHM-Q27YD-V7RM2-WYC9M-7GCQZ

9GPXH-3KC7C-XF9V6-XMJW4-99HTZ

7VYVM-WP39X-7Q9DK-23W7Q-KYYRZ

How much Beard did Tom Fulp just shave?

He's a dad. Dads need beards!

Dadbeards!!!!

Dah Bears!!!!

-Dan

Why are all the cats orange? I have a difficult enough time trying to get my black cat to play co-op games with me without him being offended by such things.

Hmmm... a game where all the cats are orange releases mere days after Reddit explodes in a flurry of Orangered ... COINCIDENCE?!

... Yes, actually.

But please tell your feline friend that we apologize for the affront. We do not intend to be catsist. Perhaps he can take comfort in the fact that all the orange cats are evil?

... Darn it. We're not helping ourselves with the catsism thing, are we? -Lindsay

Wait, I just remembered he's a cat and is therefore offended by everything. Can't be helped, it seems.

This is why I have two dogs! They freak out every time I come back from checking the mail even.

-Dan

Hey Guys, I am big fan and had a blast during the beta.

You guys are the only company I've seen to tie together fan service and charity with the Pink Knight. I don't have a question, I just wanted to point out that it was pretty awesome of you.

Greatly Appreciated :) and thanks for taking the time to write that.

Is co-op progress tracked differently than single player?

I don't work for Behemoth but I can tell you the answer is yes. There are achievements for completing 100% both Co-Op and single player (on both insane and normal mode)

Also wanted to add that co-op and single player are slightly changed with different levels.

They are both correct! We have solo levels & achievements for when you're feeling anti-social or co-optional levels & achievements for when you want to punch a friend in the face. In game, course. -Megan

When is the OST going to be released?

Ian should have some more details about this. He'll be on later and can fill us in.

-Emil

I'm gonna have to say medium to shortly-ish. We wanted to do this simultaneous to release, but alas, small companies can only tackle so much. We've never done one before, so it's gonna take a smidge of extra time. I can say though that some songs are going to be available direct from artist! Such as Patric Catani! You can follow here for when they go live: http://patric-catani.com/ -ian

You guys said you were gonna post my awesome Castle Crasher wedding cake on your devblog, but never did. Why not?

pics, por favor

http://imgur.com/a/EAZaS Edit: Made the toppers(the knight and the princess) myself. The frog is all chocolate, and was completely edible.

We're still collecting all the awesome stuff for one giant post! Perhaps I should start an album on our flickr... But just tweeted your edible art for the world to see! https://twitter.com/thebehemoth/status/319502072351424513 -Megan

Not a question, but I love you guys.

Hey.

Love you.

-Dan

For those of you who are still with us, yay for you! Type these codes quickly, because it's first come first D/L! 4 More BattleBlock Theater Full Game Unlock Codes!

742YX-CQPDX-VDF7F-VTY2P-797YZ MGC7V-CT9G7-249X3-FPH26-P92TZ 3XY36-W2C9G-RJFRP-KVDRP-3VP7Z G2FPK-9WK6W-FJGQH-M32VW-7C9MZ

Yatta! -Megan

Do you guys have a favorite arena mode?

Also, congrats! You guys are always super nice at your Pax booth. I think a moderators vs developers basketball smack down should happen. Prepare yourselves.

Gotta say my favorite is ball, but I always get beat by the others at The Behemoth... I'm better at Color the World since all you have to do is run away! -Megan

My favorite is Muckle because... grenades. -Eric

Any idea why the trial hasn't show up on the XBL Marketplace yet?

We noticed that as well. We've messaged our account managers at Microsoft, so I'm sure they'll have that resolved shortly.

-Emil

Do you feel relieved to finally have the game out after so many years of working on it?

Not sure relieved is the proper word, although it's mixed in there. I came to terms with always wanting to do just a little more on any project we'll release. Each game is a pack of little ghosts that haunt me for the rest of my life - for the greater good, of course! :) -Dan

Does this BBT play anything like Super Meat Boy (from some of the videos, it looks a little similar)? My girlfriend absolutely loves Castle Crashers (we both do), but hates SMB, and I'm afraid to get her hopes up by hyping this. I would have done the trial by now, but... well, you know. Any update on when that's getting fixed, by the way?

Well, they're both platformers, so there's that whole thing. I'd have to say BBT is 'nicer' to the player as you do not require as much constant precision. We aimed at accessibility so I'm confident to answer that Yes, I think she would enjoy it. She can die infinitely so there's no punishment for trying areas all kinds of different ways with little or no consequence.

If you wish to have an absolute stress mode enabled, just click 'Insane' when selecting story. 1 death from any player resets the level.

-Dan

My gf became obsessed with owls after seeing the cute owl companion in castle crashers. Is there a plushie I can buy of it?

We don't have an owl plush, but we did just start doing plushies only recently. Anna is our plushsmith and she does amazing work. Check out our newest chicken plush and bitey bat hat! http://devblog.thebehemoth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/paxeast2013-merch2.jpg -Megan

Hi dudes, huge fan since I was just a punk middle schooler discovering the internet for the first time.

Couple of Questions:

1) Will Stamper is one of my favorite artists on newgrounds, and from some of the brief AIM conversations I've had with him a swell dude. How did he come to be such an important part of Battleblock Theatre?

2) Are there any plans to adapt any newgrounds properties such as Pico, Tank Men or Dad 'N Me into Behemoth titles? Do you see The Behemoth as something that grew from newgrounds or something that developed individually?

1) Will Stamper was my old roomie, and worked at NG. We're friends!

2) Dad 'n Me always has that lasting appeal with people. It's got a ton of traffic for not being pointed towards, but the base idea of just hunting down innocent children isn't necessarily something that jives with everyone. lol No idea, really!

I view NG and The Behemoth as friends that come over for tea sometimes. I don't particularly view them as growing out of one another since most of The Behemoth came from outside of NG and vice versa.

-Dan

Did you think you would get as big as you are back when launching Alien Hominid for PS2 and Gamecube, or was it just a "hey, let's just put this in stores for the hell of it" thing?

Our expectations are usually limited to making sure we can keep our doors open and continue to make games. We never thought Castle Crashers would do so well. 4 million people have played so far across all platforms, so it still amazes us everytime we think about that number.

With all of that said though, we're still pretty small time and a lot of people still have no idea who we are and what we do. More work to do!

-Emil

I'm leaving for lunch shortly. Will you be here when I return? Can I bring back anything for you?

I would like a real life Tofu Horse, please. So if you could genetically engineer that while you're out, that would be great. - Lindsay

I'll take a coffee and I've been craving doughnuts. And yes :) -ian

This is supposed to be asking questions, but I just wanted to let you know how much my brother and I enjoyed Castle Crashers.

Keep making games!

Thanks! Glad you dig playing and glad you dig it together! Playing games with my brother is what got me into this business. Those are some of my all time favorite memories, late nights demolishing enemies with snacks between levels. -Eric

What was up with the very end of castle crashers? That last scene....I can't even...

Did the thought of it just take your breath away? -ian

Is there any news about a release on Steam or Ps3?

Nothing planned as of yet. It's always on our radar though. We'd like to get BattleBlock on as many platforms as we can.

-Emil

How did cats become the dominant race on the island that BattleBlock Theater takes place on? Was there a violent coupé from the previously dominant race, or did they merely evolve into a position of power?

All of this and more explained in the game itself! Wooooo!

-Dan

What kind of shampoo do you guys use?

Whatever my wife brings home from the store... we have an agreement; I draw, she makes sure I don't smell bad while drawing. -Eric

Why must you always put in those crazy multiplayer achievements? The Castle Crasher ones weren't too bad (arena master and glork), I still haven't got them honestly but I love the game. Looking at "The Professional" I can't help but think you guys were just having fun with that one.

I tend to think of achievements nowadays as things you just get for enjoying the game naturally. We do have some for people who want to play completionist, but:

"The Professional" will be given to a lot of players who are just enjoying arena. If you set out specifically to get it and that's the only reason you're holding the controller, then yes that might be a bit irritating.

But you're supposed to be having fun! :)

-Dan

P.S. I had nothing to do with the Glork achievement and I hate it. Forever. And I agree with your sentiment about it completely.

Been marathoning Castle Crashers all week with a buddy just for the BB release! All that's left is to pick up some MSP, make some nachos and get our co-op on.

Are there any in-game tricks you can recommend to ruin our friendship?

Thanks for playing CC! Dan will be on later and he'll probably have some great advice. He pulled some on me the first time I started playing BattleBlock Theater! -Megan

[deleted]

There are already some implementations, if you have other games/saves on your system you automatically unlock special heads :)

[deleted]

Yup, what he said. Well, specifically if you have achievements unlocked in AH and CC and BBT. It's quite complicated, specifics can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9mlfEzMJ_ys

What developers do you look up too or go for inspiration?

I tend to view genres more as inspiration rather than direct teams. At least, I try to keep that separate as much as possible because too much of one influence won't yield a fresh take. If I were to list all the games I really like it'd take way too long. Recently enjoyed Borderlands 2, Mount & Blade: Warband, Mechwarrior, Skyrim, Orcs must Die 2, XCOM, FTL, Frozen Synapse, TF2..... -Dan

How difficult is it to come up with new ideas for games?

For Castle Crashers, you used a lot of talent from Newgrounds, which was awesome! Is that something you hope to do in the future as well?

Thanks for the AMA! I used to frequent Newgrounds/the Castle Crashers forum a lot! :)

I find it easy to come up with 2 or 3 games I'd like to make next, at least that's the way it's been so far.

I've been starting to think of genres I really don't tend to like. It's a fun constraint to brainstorm in, and while it might not end up yielding what the next game is it'll probably contribute some details to whatever it is.

We always look around for who would do something best, so yes, I can see us looking NG's way every time!

-Dan

At what point did you realize that you are the coolest game developers ever? Also, Alien Hominid was the best thing to 12 year old me. Keep up the good work!

We are? Sweet! I suppose that moment is now.

Glad to hear about AH, that game usually tends to be met with cringing at the memory of its sheer brutality.

-Dan

[deleted]

Game 4!

-Emil

What color Castle Crasher Knight is your favorite (not counting the pink one because it is the best)

Green! I know Tom's is orange.

-Dan

If a deer craps in the woods, do you put it into a game? :D Really want to play Battleblock, thanks for awesome games!

If a deer poops in the woods and a game... we put it on a t-shirt! http://devblog.thebehemoth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/poopdeerteehoodie.jpg -ian

Now forever on this day will be remembered as the day that lucasarts went broke, AND BATTLEBLOCK THEATER CAME OUT

Lucasarts, nooo! Sad to hear on launch day of all days.

-Emil

What advantages/disadvantages do you think there are to the whole "no sequels" policy? Is it difficult to conceptualize a completely new IP every go around or to get consumers on board with a new franchise? Are there changes or improvements that you would've liked to make in a sequel that won't see the light of day? Does switching IPs allow for greater creativity so you don't feel burnt out on one piece of work?

Definitely difficult in the respect that you have to convince lots of people to forget the thing they love right now and try something else instead.

It also comes with the challenge of getting someone who enjoyed a run-n-gun to move over to a beat-em-up to move to a co-op platformer. Not everyone's going to enjoy the same genres, but at the same time this is an advantage in ways, as you're pulling in more people from more walks of life as you go. Maybe?

I was surprised by the amount of people that would tell me at the show "Wow, thought BBT was going to suck but it's tons of fun!!!! My favorite one yet!!!". Kind of a back-hander, lol

Yes, it definitely keeps my mind fresh to not stay in the same area too long. Once you're knee-deep in a game for 4 years the last thing you want to do is spend another 4. Imagine working on something nearly a decade of your life! Tiring just to think about!

-Dan

Why isn't the troll a playable character in Castle Crashers? It always seemed like it would be a fun character to play as.

I love the troll and I wish he was, too. He just didn't fit with a lot of the animations. Though it gives me nightmares that I didn't try even more.

-Dan

Any plan on a tournament of champions type tournament for BBT like with Castle Crashers? Maybe some sweet b-ball tourney?

(also, any news on the PS3 Tournament for CC?)

Man, that would be awesome. We just had a ball game tournament at PAX East 2013 on our arcade cabinets. Some photos here in our Recap post: http://devblog.thebehemoth.com/2013/03/26/pax-east-recap/

(Still hoping to do PS3 Tourney for CC.) -Megan

I'm downloading BBT as we speak, should I put my kitten in the next room? incase it gets upset at the violent nature of the game towards cats?

I think your cat will understand the violent nature of the cats in BBT brings violence upon themselves... good cats don't get explosions brought upon them. -Eric

When creating a new game, do you ask players what sort of games they feel are missing and create a game around that? Or do you just create games that you enjoy?

This is an interesting question but there's an easy answer. If you want to be successful in a field that requires a lot of creativity, you have to make something that you can put your whole heart into. Making a game because you think it will sell will only get half of your ingenuity, a fraction of your creativity and practically none of your love. We make what we like the way we like it. -Eric

Why no 4 player co-op?

It was definitely on the table for a while. But when you get down to the basic mechanics of the game, platforming+puzzles, and the player traversal attributes, 4P actually limited what you can do designwise. And that's mainly on part of the cooperative moves. Aaron? we can probably write a novela on the subject. -ian

Who is your favorite playable character in Castle Crashers?

I've always been a fan of the Blue Knight. Everyone else has their own favorites though, for example Dan is all about the Green Knight.

-Emil

How do you feel that the avatar next to your name is neither of those colors?

HAH! Yeah good point. I feel a little ashamed actually.

-Emil