
Unfortunate Spacemen is published by New Blood Interactive, a privately held American game publisher founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry in Oceanside, California. The game was developed by Geoff "Zag" Keene under the Deep Field Games banner. New Blood Interactive handles publishing, QA, and distribution. The studio is independent with approximately 50 employees.
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Unfortunate Spacemen | New Blood Interactive | Wholly owned |
Geoff Keene began developing Unfortunate Spacemen in January 2015. The game was conceived as a multiplayer first-person shooter with social deception elements, inspired by The Thing and other betrayal-based asymmetric multiplayer games. The core mechanic involves spacemen working to complete objectives and call for rescue from failing outposts, while one or more players secretly act as shapeshifting monsters that can eliminate and impersonate other players.
The game entered Steam Early Access on May 12, 2016, making it one of the earlier social deception games on Steam, predating Among Us's PC release by two years. The early access period lasted four years, during which Keene continued development with publishing and QA support from New Blood Interactive.
Unfortunate Spacemen launched its full release on June 12, 2020. The timing coincided with the broader surge in social deduction game popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The game's all-time peak concurrent player count on Steam was 11,736, recorded in June 2020 during the launch month. The game transitioned to a free-to-play model, which removed the purchase barrier and contributed to the launch spike.
The game supports up to 16 players per match across 15 distinct maps, including desolate settlements, arctic outposts, derelict space stations, warp-speed hypertrains, and ancient digsites. The Shapeshifter Mode is the primary game mode, where players survive, hunt, or complete randomized objectives to escape. The game includes a cooperative mode where spacemen work together against AI-controlled monsters.
Following the June 2020 launch peak, player counts declined rapidly. Average monthly concurrent players dropped from 734 in June 2020 to 342 in July 2020, and continued declining through subsequent years. By 2024, average concurrent players had fallen to under 20. As of August 2026, the game has approximately 8 concurrent players on Steam, with a 24-hour peak of 13.
The game has accumulated over 7,500 reviews on Steam with an 86% positive rating (Very Positive). Despite the small active player base, the review rating indicates that players who engaged with the game were generally satisfied with the experience. The game has 85 Steam achievements and supports family sharing.
New Blood Interactive has continued to list Unfortunate Spacemen in its portfolio alongside its other published titles. The game receives occasional updates, though the development cadence has slowed significantly as the player base contracted. Keene has also been involved with Deep Field Games' other projects, including a survival crafting game set in an underground research facility.
What is New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive is a privately held American game development and publishing company founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry in Oceanside, California. The company is known for publishing retro-inspired indie games including Dusk, Amid Evil, and Ultrakill. Dave Oshry serves as CEO. The company employs approximately 50 people as of 2025 and has not disclosed revenue figures.
Is New Blood Interactive publicly traded?
No, New Blood Interactive is not publicly traded. The company is privately held and owned by its three founders: Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry. The company has not raised external funding or taken outside investment, based on available public information. There is no publicly traded stock for New Blood Interactive.
Who founded New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive was founded in 2014 by Aaron Alexander (lead designer), Kreyg DeZago (lead programmer), and Dave Oshry (CEO). Alexander and Oshry had previously collaborated on the 2013 remake of Rise of the Triad. The three founders initially aimed to develop VR games before pivoting to publishing with the release of Super Galaxy Squadron in January 2015.
Where is New Blood Interactive based?
New Blood Interactive is headquartered in Oceanside, California, USA. The company has additional addresses in nearby Carlsbad, California. The company's workforce of approximately 50 people is distributed across five countries: the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Slovakia, and Italy. This distributed model allows the company to work with developers and support staff across multiple regions.
How many brands does New Blood Interactive own?
New Blood Interactive publishes multiple game titles, including Dusk (2018), Amid Evil (2019), Ultrakill (2020, early access), FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, Gloomwood (early access), Unfortunate Spacemen (2020), Maximum Action, and Super Galaxy Squadron (2015). The company both publishes external developers' titles and develops games internally. The specific ownership terms for each title vary by publishing agreement.
Who owns New Blood Interactive?
New Blood Interactive is owned by its three founders: Aaron Alexander, Kreyg DeZago, and Dave Oshry. The three founders share ownership and decision-making authority. Oshry serves as CEO and is the public face of the company. There is no parent company, no external investors, and no publisher relationship above New Blood Interactive. The company has not disclosed its internal ownership split.
What is New Blood Interactive known for?
New Blood Interactive is known for publishing retro-inspired indie games, particularly first-person shooters and horror titles. The company's breakthrough title was Dusk (2018), a retro-style FPS by David Szymanski that established the commercial viability of the retro-FPS genre. Other notable titles include Amid Evil, Ultrakill, FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, and Gloomwood. The company has established itself as the leading publisher in the retro-FPS niche.
New Blood Interactive has not published a sustainability report or third-party environmental certification. As a digital game publisher and developer, the company does not have the physical manufacturing footprint associated with physical products. The company operates from offices in Oceanside, California, with a distributed remote workforce.
Unfortunate Spacemen's monetization is free-to-play with optional in-game purchases. The game does not use loot boxes or pay-to-win mechanics. The specific monetization details have not been extensively documented, but the game's store page does not list prominent microtransaction features. New Blood Interactive's other published titles use a one-time purchase model without microtransactions.
The game includes voice chat for multiplayer communication, which creates potential for unmoderated interactions in public lobbies. With the very small active player base, the risk of encountering strangers in public lobbies is lower than in larger social deduction games. New Blood Interactive has not published formal community safety policies for Unfortunate Spacemen's voice chat system.
Rapid Player Base Decline (2020 to 2024): Unfortunate Spacemen experienced a sharp decline in concurrent players following its June 2020 full release. Average monthly concurrent players dropped from 734 in June 2020 to under 20 by 2024, and to approximately 8 by August 2026. This decline of over 98% reflects the challenge of retaining players in social deduction games after the initial launch interest fades. The small player base has created matchmaking difficulties, as finding full 16-player lobbies is rarely possible. New Blood Interactive has not publicly addressed the retention challenge or announced plans to revitalize the player base.
Windows 10 Requirement Update (2024): In 2024, New Blood Interactive announced that Unfortunate Spacemen would only support Windows 10 and later versions. This update potentially excluded players on older Windows operating systems. While Windows 10 adoption is widespread, the decision to drop support for older systems affects a segment of the player base. The change was likely driven by technical requirements and the small development resources allocated to maintaining the game.
Extended Early Access Period (2016 to 2020): Unfortunate Spacemen spent four years in Steam Early Access before its full release in June 2020. The extended early access period, while not unusual for indie games, drew some criticism from early purchasers who expected a faster path to full release. The game received regular updates during early access, but the four-year timeline tested the patience of some early supporters. The full release coincided with the pandemic-driven surge in social deduction game popularity, which may have influenced the timing.
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blankmediagames | USA | 2023 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Innersloth | USA | 2018 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Gaggle Studios | Canada | 2021 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Other Ocean Interactive | Canada | 2019 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Kinetic Games | United Kingdom | 2020 | Mass market | Global | All Genders |
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