Introduction
On November 7th, 2024, Goat Simulator Remastered hit the shelves, and for me, this funny little project holds a special place in my heart.
UPDATE: Goat Simulator: Remastered is out now!
Table of Contents
It all started eight years ago, when my daughter was just five years old. I stumbled upon Goat Simulator, thinking it might offer a few minutes of distraction. Little did I know that the game’s quirky goat tongue mechanics would have us laughing until tears streamed down our faces. The absurdity of a goat wreaking havoc, headbutting people, and clinging onto objects with its impossibly sticky tongue instantly captured her attention – and mine.
Since that day, Goat Simulator became more than just a silly game in our household. My daughter fell in love with it, and over the years, she kept returning to it. Together, we’ve logged nearly 550 hours on Steam alone. Add another 200 hours on the Nintendo Switch, and there are countless more on Android and Goat Simulator 3. If I had to guess, we’ve probably spent over a thousand hours in total, exploring the wacky worlds of Goat Simulator. It’s a game that’s been a constant source of fun and chaos, and it’s become a bonding experience that we’ve cherished over the years.
But what is it about this goat-centric game that has made it so appealing? To get some answers, I had the opportunity to sit down with Joel Rydholm, Producer at Coffee Stain Publishing, during Gamescom 2024, where we dove deep into the remastered version of this iconic game.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Goat Simulator phenomenon, the game began as a joke – literally. Originally born out of a game jam as an April Fool’s prank in 2014, it quickly morphed into a viral sensation, selling millions of copies worldwide. It’s not your typical polished AAA title. Instead, it’s chaotic, full of bugs (some left in intentionally), and gloriously absurd. Players control a goat whose sole purpose is to cause destruction and mayhem in the most ridiculous ways possible.
The remastered version, which marks 10 years since the original launch, is packed with upgrades. Fans can expect high-definition graphics, a reworked mutator menu (similar to Goat 3 one), and every piece of DLC content ever released – from GoatVille to GoatZ, and even the much-loved PAYDAY and Waste of Space expansions. With this remaster, fans will be treated to the most complete version of the game yet.
So, what keeps this game alive, 10 years after its quirky debut? Let’s dive into the Goat Simulator interview and find out.
Interview
The Return of Goat Simulator: Why Now?
To kick things off, what inspired you to bring Goat Simulator back with this remastered version?
We thought it was the perfect time to revisit the original game, especially since it’s turning 10 this year. It’s crazy to think how far the game has come, and we knew the fans would appreciate a facelift. So, we took all the DLCs and maps, and bundled them into one package. The original game was made in Unreal Engine 3, but we decided to move everything over to Unreal Engine 4 for this remaster. It’s the same goat, the same chaos, but everything looks and feels much better.
What kind of improvements are we talking about here?
There’s been a lot of focus on visual and performance upgrades. The original was known for its quirky, chaotic fun, but the frame rate often struggled when things got out of control. With this remaster, the gameplay is smoother, and you won’t experience those old FPS drops when things start blowing up. Visually, we’ve overhauled some assets and added new animations and effects. You’ll notice these changes as you explore, but the gameplay itself remains true to the original. No drastic changes, just a more polished experience.
New Features and Gameplay Enhancements
Did you make any significant changes to the gameplay?
We didn’t want to change the core gameplay that people fell in love with, but we did update how you manage the goats. In the old version, if you wanted to switch between different goats or mutators, it required going through clunky menus. Now, with this remaster, you can combine powers from all the DLCs in real-time using a more intuitive menu system. This allows for some truly insane combinations that weren’t possible before. Imagine a wheelchair-riding alien goat with raider abilities – that’s just one of the millions of possibilities now.
Speaking of combinations, what are some of the craziest combos you’ve seen?
The combinations are endless, and that’s really the beauty of it. You can mix almost anything – from an alien goat to a raider goat in a wheelchair. The system is designed to make it easy for players to experiment and create their own chaotic masterpieces. There are literally millions of combinations, and players are going to have a field day with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see people spending hundreds of hours just experimenting with different setups.
So Goat Simulator Remastered brings the chaos to a new level! How did the team come up with all these ideas?
It was pure fun from start to finish. We had these daily “fun meetings” where anyone could pitch ideas. There were no bad ideas – if something made us laugh, we’d find a way to make it work. Someone would suggest, “Hey, let’s add a Murloc from World of Warcraft,” and the next day, we’d figure out how to put it in the game. That’s the magic of Goat Simulator – it’s spontaneous, chaotic, and not bound by any rules.
“We had these daily ‘fun meetings’ where anyone could pitch the wildest ideas. If it made us laugh, we’d figure out how to implement it”
Creative Process Behind the Madness
How did you know when an idea was good enough to make it into the game?
The simple answer? If it made people laugh, it was in. We trusted our gut. If you saw a co-worker laughing at something on their screen, you knew it was good. It didn’t have to appeal to everyone – as long as some people found it funny, it had a place in the game. That’s what makes this project so unique.
With that kind of freedom, were there any ideas that you had to scrap?
Oh, absolutely. Not everything worked out. One idea, for instance, was a quest where you made sausages out of stray cats. It was pretty divisive – half the team thought it was hilarious, while the other half wasn’t so sure. But it made it into the game anyway. That’s the thing about Goat Simulator – it’s unapologetically absurd.
You mentioned that your team focuses a lot on fun. What does that creative process look like?
It’s all about letting the team run wild with their ideas. Like I said, we had daily meetings, where anyone could pitch an idea, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. There were no real limitations. The whole process was very organic – no idea was too weird or out there.
How do you manage balancing fun ideas with what’s technically possible in a game like this?
It’s definitely a balancing act. We want to give players as much freedom as possible without breaking the game. Sometimes we’ll buy assets or tools to make certain ideas work, and other times we’ll just figure it out as we go. But we try not to let technical limitations get in the way of the fun.
Challenges of Development and Platform Availability
Why did you choose Unreal Engine 4 for this remaster instead of the newer Unreal Engine 5?
We started working on this remaster before Unreal Engine 5 was released, so Unreal 4 was the natural choice. But beyond that, Goat Simulator Remastered is a heavily physics-based game, and the physics engine between Unreal 4 and 5 is quite different. We customized the physics in Goat Simulator, so upgrading to Unreal 5 would have introduced a lot of new challenges. Plus, Goat Simulator 3 was already developed in Unreal 4, so it made sense to stick with the same engine for the remaster.
The physics engine is crucial to the gameplay. Was it challenging to adapt it for the remaster?
It was definitely a challenge. We’ve built so much custom physics for Goat Simulator, especially with all the weird interactions and chaos happening in the game. When we ported it over to Unreal Engine 4, we had to make sure everything still felt as chaotic and unpredictable as before. But the new engine gave us more power to optimize performance, so now you can destroy a gas station without your framerate dropping to single digits!
Which platforms will the remaster be available on?
The remaster will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X, and Windows. We don’t have plans for a Switch version yet, but we’re keeping our options open.
What about mobile? Will it see the remastered content?
Mobile already has a version built in Unreal Engine 4, so it’s up to date in terms of tech. However, we’ve focused this remaster on consoles and PC for now. Mobile might get more updates down the line, but the experience is a bit different on phones compared to consoles.
Let’s move away from the technical side for a moment. What’s been the most rewarding part of revisiting Goat Simulator for this project?
Seeing the joy it brings to players, especially younger ones. It’s always fun to see people of all ages enjoy the game, but there’s something special about how kids connect with the absurdity of Goat Simulator Remastered. Your story about your daughter playing for many hours – that’s exactly the kind of thing that makes all the hard work worth it.
Is there anything you wish you could have added but couldn’t?
Not really. If something didn’t make it, it was usually because it just didn’t fit with the rest of the game. We give ourselves a lot of creative freedom, so most ideas do make it in. It’s all about what works and what keeps the experience fun for players.
Looking Ahead: Future of Goat Simulator
Can you tell us more about the new map in this remaster?
Yes! We added the Back to School map, which was previously exclusive to mobile. It’s a smaller map, but a fan favorite. Players have been asking for it to be included in the main game for years, so we’re excited to bring it to a larger audience.
Do you plan on adding more DLC or content after launch?
For Goat Simulator Remastered, we’re focused on getting everything running smoothly and addressing any bugs that pop up. But you never know – if there’s enough demand, we might look into adding more content. It all depends on how well it’s received.
Before we wrap up, I have to ask – why skip straight to Goat Simulator 3? What happened to 2?
*laughs* That was just a joke! We thought it would be funny to see people claim they played Goat Simulator 2 when it never existed. It’s part of the humor and randomness that defines the series. We love messing with expectations.
Do you think this approach – humor, chaos, randomness – is what keeps people coming back to Goat Simulator?
Absolutely. People love the freedom to create chaos and do things that are completely absurd. There aren’t many games where you can be a goat launching rockets and destroying gas stations. That unpredictability is what makes Goat Simulator so fun and keeps players coming back for more.
Any final thoughts for fans waiting for Goat Simulator Remastered?
Just get ready for more chaos, more goats, and endless combinations. We’ve made it easier than ever to experiment and have fun. I hope players enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it!
One Last Headbutt
Looking back on my conversation with Joel Rydholm, it’s clear that Goat Simulator: Remastered isn’t just a technical upgrade – it’s a celebration of a game that embraced chaos and silliness in a way few others have. The original Goat Simulator was never about precision or sleek mechanics. It was about having fun, pure and simple. Whether you’re headbutting a car off a cliff or dressing up your goat in bizarre costumes, the game offers a space where there are no rules, and that’s exactly what has kept players coming back for more.
For my daughter and me, this game has been more than just entertainment. It’s been a shared experience, one that evolved over years of play, laughter, and discovery. As I look forward to showing her the remastered version, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia and excitement. After all, Goat Simulator isn’t just about a rampaging goat – it’s about the memories and joy that come with embracing its madness.
As Joel said, Goat Simulator might knock your socks off – and it’s been knocking ours off for nearly a decade. Here’s to more chaos, more goats, and maybe another thousand hours of destruction ahead.