Retro FPS Ultrakill, which came out in early access a couple years ago, now has a feature I can safely say I've never seen in another shooter. Its developer released an "official mod" today which adds support for open source software that can be used to control the vibration of Xbox controllers and other devices. As its name makes obvious, the software, called buttplug.io, is mainly intended for use with those other vibrating devices.
The Ultrakill mod itself is called "UKbutt," and can be downloaded from Github, where you'll also find brief instructions for its installation and use. It looks like the mod requires some basic software tinkering knowledge, but nothing too complicated for a motivated player. Once installed, UKbutt can be used to trigger vibrations in the user's device of choice based on what's happening in Ultrakill. The currently supported vibration triggers are screen shake, weapon firing, movement ("dashing, sliding, etc"), and menu haptics.
UKbutt was made by buttplug.io lead Kyle "qDot" Machulis and Ultrakill programmer PITR this week after a YouTube creator, Shammy, jokingly requested the feature on Twitter. Ultrakill creator Hakita replied to Shammy's tweet to say that it would be possible with a mod, qDot joined the thread, and now here we are: It's real.
Arguably, Ultrakill has simply gotten a normal videogame feature: controller rumble support. Aside from the Xbox controller, however, none of the devices buttplug.io works with are game controllers I've ever heard of. That includes the Wearable Butterfly, the Lipstick Bullet, the Yellow Chicken, the Magic Bunny, the Bean Sprout, the Telescopic Prostate Massager, and the Fancy Clamshell.
Ultrakill's sex toy support hasn't been an entirely serious endeavor, but it's something we're sure to see more of. As Kotaku discussed in May, buttplug.io has been used unofficially with other games this year, and controlling sex toys with games is hardly a big conceptual leap from the existence of rumble controllers, which have always unofficially been dual-use objects.
I think Steam opening up to adult games a few years ago roughly marked the start of a new era for sex and games. Big publishers remain cautious, but the indie sex game scene is reaching more and more mainstream audiences, with Patreon, itch.io, Steam, and a number of other crowdfunding and social media platforms playing a role. We're certainly a long way away from cable news pundits going into a frenzy because they saw Mass Effect characters lustily clip through each other's bodies.
As for Ultrakill's relationship with sex, it's a shooter about blood-powered robots invading hell in search of more blood. That's not a premise I personally associate with horniness, but David Cronenberg could probably get a movie out of the combo.
"To this day I could not tell you how nor why the Ultrakill fanbase became so goddamn horny, but I'm here for it," said Dave Oshry, CEO of Ultrakill publisher New Blood, on Twitter today. "At no point when originally testing or discussing the game with Hakita or anyone at [New Blood] were any of us like 'they're gonna want sex.'"
"Congrats on the sex, tho," he added.
Ultrakill is available for $25 on Steam, where today's "sex update" has been met by a new wave of positive user reviews for the already popular shooter. "They added sex this is the literal peak of gaming," raved one player.
If all goes as planned, Ultrakill will leave early access sometime following the completion of its third act in 2023.
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