{"id":1565,"date":"2026-06-06T01:02:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T01:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=1565"},"modified":"2026-06-06T01:02:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T01:02:35","slug":"metanet-n-plus-plus-multiplayer-sequel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=1565","title":{"rendered":"More than a decade later, the team behind N++ is back with a multiplayer sequel"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Back in 2015, the two-person studio Metanet released N++<\/em><\/a>, a brutally hard 2D platformer that was a decade in the making, building off of previous releases dating back to the freeware Flash title N<\/em>. At the time, cofounder Raigan Burns issued some famous last words<\/a>: \u201cWe hope it\u2019s not another 10 years before we come up with a game.\u201d But now here we are, more than a decade later, and N<\/em> is getting another sequel. And this time the focus is on multiplayer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The new game is called, absurdly, N Plus Infinity Times Two<\/em>. Whereas N++<\/em> was meant to be the ultimate single-player version of the N<\/em> concept, this game is described as \u201cthe ultimate virtual couch party game with a low skill floor and no skill ceiling.\u201d That means the same slick, acrobatic platforming action and gorgeous graphic design-inspired visuals, but now built around playing competitively or cooperatively with pals across a handful of different modes. It\u2019s launching on the PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, and PC at some point in 2027.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The duo at Metanet was up to a few different things over the last 11 years. In addition to uprooting from Toronto to Montreal, they\u2019ve been prototyping ideas for a few potentially bigger projects, and last year released a 10-year anniversary update for N++<\/em><\/a>. But then, \u201cWe started getting the \u2018let\u2019s take another crack at it\u2019 bug in 2022,\u201d Burns tells The Verge<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The studio operates in an unusual way, at least compared to most of the game industry. Despite having two hits in N+<\/em> and N++<\/em>, Metanet hasn\u2019t grown or scaled up in any way. And the reason comes down to the way they make games: It simply takes a lot of time to find a game idea that\u2019s worth pursuing as a commercial project. \u201cWe\u2019ve resisted doing something that would compromise our ability to keep iterating and prototyping until something good shows up,\u201d says Burns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s important to feel that magic,\u201d cofounder Mare Sheppard adds. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s compelling about making games. That\u2019s when we know that we\u2019re doing it in a way that\u2019s right for us.\u201d Burns has a clear analogy for how they work: \u201cWe like being in a band. That\u2019s fun. Being in a lot of meetings and doing a lot of managing: not fun.\u201d This philosophy seems especially prescient given the state of the games industry, where even the biggest hits operate in a way that\u2019s clearly unsustainable<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe like being in a band. That\u2019s fun. Being in a lot of meetings and doing a lot of managing: not fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the case of N Plus Infinity Times Two <\/em>\u2014 unfortunately I can\u2019t think of a good way to shorten that title \u2014 the spark came in part from watching how younger players interact with games. Even when they\u2019re playing solo, kids are typically still chatting with friends on their phones, essentially turning everything into a multiplayer experience. Burns and Sheppard wanted to find a way to marry that idea with the couch co-op experiences they grew up on, which led to revisiting the N<\/em> concept but with a multiplayer spin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The two describe making N++<\/em> as a grueling experience. If you think the game\u2019s levels are hard, just imagine having to playtest them over and over. Part of the excitement about N Plus Infinity Times Two <\/em>wasn\u2019t just finding a spin on the formula that would be fun to play, but also to develop. \u201cThis one really feels like we\u2019re having fun,\u201d says Burns. \u201cWe\u2019re really fluent in this one instrument. So now the fun challenge becomes playing new styles of music we\u2019ve never played before, but with this thing we\u2019re really comfortable with.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Image: Metanet Software<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As creative industries from games to Hollywood become increasingly homogenous, Burns also believes that there\u2019s something important about doing work that\u2019s distinct, even if it means revisiting a previous idea, like through the multiple versions of N<\/em>. It\u2019s similar to titles like Hades II<\/em> and Silksong<\/em>: indie-developed sequels that iterated a core concept, but with a fresh angle that made them more than a by-the-numbers follow-up. \u201cBeing yourself is more fun and exciting anyways,\u201d Burns explains. \u201cBut I honestly think it\u2019s more commercially viable to do something only you can do, because then you have no competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As for what\u2019s next after N Plus Infinity Times Two<\/em>, the pair obviously aren\u2019t revealing anything just yet. There are a few bigger 3D game ideas kicking around, but those would necessitate some of that scaling up that the studio has so far avoided. What they won\u2019t close the door on, however, is coming back to the idea of N<\/em> again at some point in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIf we can do something that expresses something new, or lets us see things in a different way, or we get a different perspective on what this game is or how to play it, that\u2019s exciting,\u201d says Sheppard. \u201cI think we no longer think this is definitively going to be the last one. We\u2019ve abandoned that idea. It doesn\u2019t have to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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