Untitled Goose Game

Did You Know?

• In September 2024, House House revealed a pilot for an animated series titled Untitled Goose Programme, which was not picked up but posted on YouTube.
• The game's music uses short clips from six of Claude Debussy's Préludes.
• Dan Golding was nominated for an ARIA award for the music.

Development and release

Untitled Goose Game was developed by four-person indie studio House House, based in Melbourne, Australia. The idea originated from a stock photograph of a goose posted in internal communications. The team later realized a goose protagonist had good potential. House House cited Super Mario 64 as initial inspiration for movement, wanting a character who could run in a 3D environment.

Their previous game, Push Me Pull You, used 2D art with flat colors; they applied a similar aesthetic with low poly meshes, flat colors, and untextured 3D models. The goose was originally a stock image, and NPCs would react to it. Developers implemented a system where NPCs tidied up after moved items. Restricting NPC field of view made gameplay stealth-focused, but the goal was to attract attention and not get caught.

The mission structure resembled the Hitman series. An English village was chosen because its "properness" was the antithesis of the goose. Developer Michael McMaster cited UK children's TV like Postman Pat and Fireman Sam as influences. When accepted at Fantastic Arcade, the game had no name; the title of the submitted gameplay video, Untitled Goose Game, stuck. The only other title considered was Some Like it Honk.

Reception

Untitled Goose Game received "generally favorable" reviews on Metacritic. OpenCritic assessed strong approval, recommended by 82% of critics. IGN gave 8/10, praising its silliness. Game Informer praised creativity but found it repetitive and too short.

Destructoid compared it to Shaun the Sheep, noting little dialogue and plenty of antics. Kotaku commended the gameplay and the joy in drawing infuriated reactions from villagers. The Atlantic published an article arguing video games are better without gameplay, using the game as an example, calling its tasks more chore than curiosity. The music received positive reviews; GameSpot wrote the soundtrack sells the goose's charms and gives a feeling of farce reminiscent of Buster Keaton.

The Guardian related the quick music to Looney Tunes. IGN said music gave chases a Benny Hill-style ridiculousness. The game drew similar attention as Goat Simulator. Clips and stills became an internet meme.

In June 2022, House House presented Untitled Goose Game Live with ACMI and Orchestra Victoria. In February 2023, the Australian Government cited the performance as a case study in their "Revive" plan, noting it brought together multiple genres and new audiences.