Pixel Sundays: Satisfactory – From Wrench to Interplanetary Factory Empire
In our latest Pixel Sundays article, we take a look at a game filled with conveyor belts, factories, and endless optimization. Have you guessed it yet? Of course, it’s the construction game Satisfactory from 2019. This title quickly evolved from an early-access insider tip into a true tech hit.
Summary
- The Origins of Satisfactory – From Indie Studio to Tech Hit
- The Vision Behind Satisfactory – First-Person Automation in an Open World
- Game World & Mechanics – Biomes, Logistics, and Survival Elements
- Early Access & Development Progress
- Sales Success – Figures and Milestones
- Conclusion – Satisfactory as a Sandbox for Tinkerers and Optimizers
Today we’re talking about the beginnings of Coffee Stain Studios, best known for the Goat Simulator. We’ll explore the development history of Satisfactory and how the Swedish developer managed to draw millions of players into a vortex of production, perfection, and creative engineering.
The Origins of Satisfactory – From Indie Studio to Tech Hit
Coffee Stain Studios was founded in 2010 in Skövde, Sweden, by nine students from the University of Skövde. Some of the founders include Anton Westbergh, Johannes Aspeby, Mikael Mård, and Oscar Jilsén. That same year, they released their first game, “I Love Strawberries” for iOS. Then in 2011, during the “Make Something Unreal” mod competition, they submitted the Sanctum mod, which later became a standalone game.
Their breakthrough came in 2014 with the release of Goat Simulator. This game gained international fame for its wacky humor. It was intentionally buggy, which only made it funnier. The game spawned countless Let’s Plays and streams, bringing it to an even wider audience. In particular, YouTuber “Let’s Game it Out” pushed the game to its limits, introducing… let’s say… interesting concepts to its world.
Over time, the studio grew and celebrated its 15th anniversary this year. Today, the studio has around 35 employees and a distinctive office building.
On March 19, 2019, Satisfactory launched in Early Access. Initially, it was exclusive to PC via the Epic Games Store. On June 8, 2020, it became available on Steam. By January 2024, the game had sold around 5.5 million units. The full version 1.0 was released on September 10.
The Vision Behind Satisfactory – First-Person Automation in an Open World
Satisfactory aimed to bring something new to the automation genre. You play as a so-called “Pioneer.” The game is in first-person perspective, and you land on a strange, resource-rich planet. Starting with a set of simple tools, your task is to build infrastructure and massive factories. The main goal is to mine resources, refine them, and deliver them to the megacorporation FICSIT Inc, which in turn unlocks new technologies.
The ultimate objective of all this automation is to build a Space Elevator, the central project in the game. The Project Assembly requires various components that you send into orbit to unlock new technology tiers, enabling even more complex production systems. Many players describe this gameplay loop as highly engaging because you always have a clear goal in mind, and to achieve it, you need new machines and production chains. Over time, you can optimize these systems further and produce even more items.
Game World & Mechanics – Biomes, Logistics, and Survival Elements
The world of Satisfactory is entirely handcrafted, meaning there’s no procedural generation. The total size is about 47.1 km² (approximately 7.97 km x 6.8 km). This world offers a wide variety of biomes, yet everywhere you go you’ll find plenty of space to build a factory with multiple production lines. Biomes include forests, deserts, wetlands, mountains, lakes, and even caves, all inviting you to explore.
The transportation mechanics in Satisfactory are quite versatile. You can, of course, carry everything in your inventory, but that’s quite inefficient. That’s why there are conveyor belts for moving materials and pipelines for liquids. You’ll also find vehicles like trucks, trains, and drones.
Although the world may look friendly, it holds plenty of challenges. There are some aggressive creatures, but these are the least of your worries. The planet also has radiation zones that deal damage every second you’re inside them. On top of that, there’s mountainous terrain that can make vehicle transport tricky.
Early Access & Development Progress
On March 19, 2019, Satisfactory entered Early Access after a closed alpha phase and a trailer reveal at E3 2018. The first major update arrived in May 2019, adding a new conveyor lift, new building parts, a vehicle, more research tiers, and a map overview. In July 2019, trains, nuclear power, additional resources, and more buildings were introduced. The third major update came on March 11, 2020, bringing even more new mechanics.
After years of updates and improvements, Satisfactory Version 1.0 launched on September 10, 2024. This version ran on the Unreal Engine 5, improving stability and performance. It also introduced a story, teleportation feature, new recipes, building upgrades, and much more.
Commercial Success – Numbers and Milestones
The game quickly became a commercial success. Within the first three months after Early Access began, Satisfactory sold over 500,000 copies on Epic Games. The game’s community was also highly engaged. By July 2020, sales had reached over 1.3 million copies—about 950,000 on Epic Games and 350,000 on Steam after it became available there in June 2020. By January 2024, Satisfactory had sold a total of 5.5 million copies.
Conclusion – Satisfactory as a Sandbox for Tinkerers and Optimizers
Satisfactory has evolved from an ambitious Early Access project into a polished, long-lasting hit that captivates automation fans and creative minds alike. With its handcrafted world, rewarding progression system, and near-limitless optimization freedom, it offers the perfect playground for engineers at heart. Coffee Stain Studios has created not just a game, but a platform for creativity, efficiency, and endless tinkering fun—featuring a gameplay loop as addictive as a perfectly running conveyor belt.
Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.
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