Facepunch Studios’s 2006 video game, Garry’s Mod is a sandbox video game that is well-known for its creativity and open-ended gameplay. As the base game, it is simply a physics-based sandbox game in which players can spawn non-player characters, ragdolls, and props, and interact with them. Not many people know that the game initially started out as a mod for Valve’s Half-Life 2. What’s so special about the game is that it allows the community to create custom games.

Garry’s Mod creator doubted the game’s success (Image via Facepunch Studios)

Even 18 years after its release, it remains one of the most popular games on Steam. When Garry’s Mod was first gaining traction, the game’s creator, Garry Newman, was approached by Valve as the studio was interested in making it a standalone game. However, Newman initially rejected the idea. He recently revealed that he was not sure if the game would even sell.

Garry’s Mod Creator Thought No One Would Buy The Game

In a recent X post, Garry’s Mod creator, Garry Newman, revealed that he rejected the idea of selling the game commercially because he thought no one would buy the game. 18 years later, Newman is glad that he was wrong as the game, which started out as a mod for Half-Life 2, has sold over 25 million copies.

When Valve first floated the idea of selling Garry’s Mod on Steam I said no because.. “who would pay for that?”. Well 18 years later, it turns out that 25,560,290 people would. Glad to have been wrong on this one 😉 https://t.co/p6Fb2fYmnO— garry (@garrynewman) November 29, 2024

The game certainly changed Newman’s life but it was also important for many gamers around the world. From shaping careers to igniting a passion for gaming, Garry’s Mod did it all.

Wouldn’t have started my web development career without this game crazy how things turn out— Polite (@PoliteButToxic) November 29, 2024

You made one of my favourite video games of all time, and one of the greatest.— gazadventures (@DaftHero) November 29, 2024

Vanoss introduced me to GMOD back in 2013, I was still in middle school. His videos cracked me up. I was a console gamer but learning about GMOD and Steam got me into PC gaming.Your game literally got me into PC gaming and introduced to wider communities— Red (@OfficialRedC) November 29, 2024

this is one of the most fun and entertaining games i have ever played, thank you garry!— Zeph 🚀 (@zephoxwyd) November 29, 2024

Congratulations, that’s such an amazing story. Thanks for pouring your heart and soul into something you didn’t expect to sell—this is how masterpieces are often made!— ｂｅｎｊｉ🎏　勉志　⛩️ (@hikarubenji) November 29, 2024

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Garry’s Mod was indeed a unique name, however, Newman believes that it was a mistake. In a past interview with PCGamesn, Newman said it was one of his big regrets and he would definitely rename the game to Sandbox if he could. Instead of changing the name, it seems like Newman is working on a spiritual successor to Garry’s Mod called Sandbox.

Garry Newman Expected The Game To Die Off

Garry Newman thinks Garry’s Mod‘s price was the reason behind its success (Image via Facepunch Studios)

In another old interview with PCGamesn, Newman explained that he expected the game to die off in a few years. He started working on the game while developing his first game, Facewound. This was around the time he dropped out of college and lived with his parents. Newman said,

We were expecting it to sell, like, ten to 20 thousand copies in the first day. Maybe the same over the course of a month, and then basically die off – It could’ve gone either way, so it is a big surprise to be sitting here ten years later and be thinking about when I was in my mum and dad’s house making this game. I didn’t really have a clue that it was going to change my entire life.

The game’s success proved to be beneficial not only for Newman but also for Facepunch Studios as it allowed the studio to grow further. eventually branching out into other games such as Rust, Clatter and Chippy.

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Newman strongly believes that Garry’s Mod is still popular because of its price tag. The $10 price tag played a key role in keeping the game relevant as the game offered so much compared to other games that were released over the past 18 years. Newman said in the same interview that Garry’s Mod would have lasted ten years if it was priced at $20.
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