Sometimes lightning strikes in the most unexpected places. Ball x Pit, a roguelike that mashes Breakout mechanics with Vampire Survivors progression and throws in city-building for good measure, has sold 750,000 copies since launching on October 15, 2025. That’s less than a month. The game hit 100,000 sales in 24 hours, crossed 300,000 in five days, and hasn’t stopped climbing. For a solo developer’s weird passion project, that’s absolutely bonkers.
Bloomberg just profiled the game’s creator, Kenny Sun, a Brooklyn-based developer who spent two and a half years building something that started as an annoyed response to a mobile game. The resulting success story is a masterclass in taking inspiration from something that frustrates you and making it better. Way better. Like millions of dollars better.
It Started With Mobile Game Annoyance
Back in November 2021, Kenny Sun discovered Punball, a mobile ball-breakout game with roguelike elements. He got hooked immediately. The core gameplay loop was addictive, the progression felt rewarding, and the brick-breaking action hit that perfect zone where skill and strategy intersect. But Punball had one massive problem that ruins so many mobile games: aggressive free-to-play monetization.
Instead of just complaining about it like most of us do, Sun decided to make his own version. A buy-once experience without all the predatory mechanics designed to squeeze money from players every few minutes. What started as a simple I can do this better impulse evolved over two and a half years into something far more ambitious and strange than anyone expected.
Sun has been making games independently since 2007, but his commercial work didn’t start until 2015. He’s worked at Harmonix on Rock Band 4, Dance Central VR, and Fuser. More recently, he was a programmer at Terrible Toybox for Return to Monkey Island. So this isn’t some complete unknown stumbling into success. Sun knows how to make games. But Ball x Pit is his first breakout solo hit.
What Makes Ball x Pit Special
Describing Ball x Pit is genuinely difficult because it doesn’t fit neatly into any category. At its core, you’re firing balls that bounce around the screen, destroying enemies that slowly descend from above. It’s Breakout meets Arkanoid. But then you layer in Vampire Survivors-style roguelike progression where you’re constantly upgrading your balls with wild synergies and fusion mechanics. Lightning balls. Ghost balls. Hemorrhage balls that cause enemies to bleed when hit.
Runs last 12 to 15 minutes and are divided into three segments with sub-bosses before culminating in a main boss fight. You have four active slots for primary balls and four more for passive abilities. Swirly pickups let you enhance, fuse, and evolve your powers into increasingly ridiculous combinations. Want a ball that leaves poison trails while also triggering chain lightning on every third bounce? You can build that.
But here’s where it gets weird. Between runs, you’re not just upgrading stats on menus. You’re building an entire city called New Ballbylon. This meta-progression system lets you construct buildings that unlock new characters and abilities for future runs. Little characters bounce around your base. It’s adorable and functional at the same time.
Sun explained his reasoning to IGN. I wanted something more visual and personal than just menus, something with identity. I liked the idea of little characters bouncing around a base. Plus, I did base-building in my last game, so it wasn’t a huge leap.
The Numbers Are Insane
Let’s break down just how successful Ball x Pit has been. It hit 100,000 sales within 24 hours of launching. That alone would be a win for most indie developers. Five days later, it crossed 300,000 copies sold. Within a week, 400,000. Now, less than a month after release, it’s at 750,000 copies. And that’s not counting Game Pass players, where the game launched day one.
Gamalytic estimates the Steam version alone has generated around 12 million dollars in revenue. The most active markets are the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. At one point shortly after launch, Ball x Pit was outselling EA Sports FC 26 on Steam in the UK, which is absolutely wild considering that franchise’s dominance in that market.
The game peaked at nearly 35,000 concurrent players on Steam. That’s comparable to Balatro, the poker roguelike that became one of 2024’s biggest indie hits. Balatro sold 500,000 copies in its first 10 days and went on to sell millions. If Ball x Pit maintains this trajectory, it could join that elite tier of indie phenomena that generate life-changing money for their developers.
Critical Reception Matches Sales
This isn’t just a case of hype driving temporary sales. Critics love Ball x Pit. The game sits at 88 on Metacritic for PS5, 89 for Switch, and 85 for PC. OpenCritic reports that 92 percent of critics recommend it. Reviews consistently praise the gameplay loop, the synergy systems, and how the city-building element adds meaningful progression without feeling tacked on.
Forbes called it a surprise indie GOTY contender, saying it arguably surpasses Vampire Survivors and offers one of the most engaging and effortlessly enjoyable experiences of 2025. PC Gamer described it as a roller coaster ride of ball-bouncing action that loves to break its own rules. Even players who were skeptical about the premise found themselves sucked into the just one more run cycle.
The combination of Breakout action, Vampire Survivors progression, and city-building creates something that feels fresh despite being built from familiar parts. It’s the execution that matters, and Sun nailed it.
What Got Cut
Not every idea made it into the final game. Sun revealed to IGN that he cut a pet system where you could bring animals into levels and they’d gain XP. There was even a monkey that jumped on enemies. It sounded fun, but it added too much complexity on top of character progression.
Another cut feature was a magma ball that left lava trails enemies would take damage from. Once the game started scrolling, it didn’t make sense visually, so Sun removed it. But he’s hinted that some cut ideas might return in updates. He tries not to waste work, so features that didn’t fit at launch could show up later.
Sun has already been making quality of life improvements based on player feedback. Hitboxes were misaligned, so I redid them, he said. And I added luck protection for fishing. Players didn’t like getting too many bad rolls in a row. That responsiveness to community feedback is exactly what helps games maintain momentum after launch.
Sun’s Top Tips
When IGN asked Sun for advice for new players, his answer was simple but crucial. Aim for the back of the board so the balls ricochet around. That’s key for damage. It’s not immediately obvious to new players, but positioning your shots to maximize bounces makes a massive difference in how effectively you clear enemies.
His personal favorite build? I like hemorrhage builds. Combine it with area-of-effect stuff like lightning or ghost. Flash hits everything on screen. That combo creates cascading effects where every hit triggers multiple secondary attacks, turning the screen into beautiful chaos.
The Devolver Digital Factor
Sun didn’t do this entirely alone. Devolver Digital published Ball x Pit, and that partnership matters. Devolver has built a reputation for spotting weird indie games with potential and helping them find audiences. They’ve had a busy 2025, releasing Look Outside, The Talos Principle 2, Gorn 2, and numerous other titles throughout the year.
Having Devolver’s marketing muscle and distribution network meant Ball x Pit launched simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, and Game Pass. That multiplatform approach maximized the potential audience from day one. Sun made an incredible game, but Devolver made sure people actually heard about it.
What Comes Next
Sun has been overwhelmed by the response, which is understandable when your game sells three quarters of a million copies in less than a month. He’s focused on updates and improvements right now, listening to player feedback and refining the experience. Whether Ball x Pit has the long-term staying power of games like Balatro or Slay the Spire remains to be seen.
Some analysts think it might not have quite the same legs as those titles. The gameplay loop is brilliant, but there are questions about whether it has enough variety to keep players engaged for hundreds of hours. Still, even if it doesn’t become a multi-year phenomenon, what Sun has already accomplished is remarkable.
He turned frustration with a mobile game into a passion project that generated millions of dollars and critical acclaim. That’s the indie developer dream. And he did it by trusting his instincts, iterating relentlessly, and not being afraid to combine seemingly incompatible genres into something that shouldn’t work but absolutely does.
FAQs
How many copies has Ball x Pit sold?
As of the Bloomberg report on November 7, 2025, Ball x Pit has sold 750,000 copies across all platforms. The game hit 100,000 sales in 24 hours, 300,000 in five days, and 400,000 within a week of its October 15 launch.
Who created Ball x Pit?
Ball x Pit was created by Kenny Sun, a Brooklyn-based solo developer who has worked at Harmonix on Rock Band 4 and Dance Central VR, and at Terrible Toybox on Return to Monkey Island. He spent two and a half years developing the game.
What platforms is Ball x Pit available on?
Ball x Pit is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. It also launched day one on Xbox Game Pass.
What inspired Ball x Pit?
Kenny Sun was inspired by Punball, a mobile brick-breaker roguelike he played in November 2021. He enjoyed the gameplay but disliked the aggressive free-to-play monetization, so he decided to create a buy-once version without predatory mechanics.
How much money has Ball x Pit made?
Gamalytic estimates the Steam version alone has generated approximately 12 million dollars in revenue. That doesn’t include sales on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or Game Pass engagement, so the total is likely significantly higher.
What games is Ball x Pit similar to?
Ball x Pit combines mechanics from Breakout and Arkanoid with Vampire Survivors-style roguelike progression and city-building elements. It’s often compared to Peggle, Diablo, and various bullet-hell roguelites.
How long does a Ball x Pit run take?
Each run in Ball x Pit lasts between 12 to 15 minutes and is divided into three segments with sub-bosses before ending with a main boss fight. The relatively short run time contributes to the addictive one more run effect.
Will Ball x Pit get updates and DLC?
Kenny Sun is actively updating the game based on player feedback, fixing hitboxes and adding quality of life improvements. He’s hinted that some cut features like the pet system might return in future updates, though nothing has been officially announced.
Conclusion
Ball x Pit proves that you don’t need a massive team or enormous budget to create a genuine hit in 2025. You need a good idea, relentless execution, and the courage to trust your instincts even when you’re combining genres that seem like they shouldn’t work together. Kenny Sun took his frustration with a mobile game’s monetization, spent two and a half years crafting something better, partnered with the right publisher, and ended up with one of the year’s most surprising success stories. Three quarters of a million sales in less than a month doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when quality meets opportunity, and Ball x Pit had both in abundance.