Untitled Goose Game originated from a stock photograph of a goose that a House House employee posted in the company’s internal communications. This sparked a conversation about geese; the team put the idea aside for a few months until they realized that it had the potential to be a fun game. Inspired by Super Mario 64, and the Hitman series, House House worked on combining stealth mechanics with a lack of violence to create humorous in-game scenarios. The game’s unusual name came from a last-minute decision in preparing the title as an entry for a games festival, and it stuck.
Untitled Goose Game received positive reviews, with critics praising its gameplay and humor, and was named the D.I.C.E. Game of the Year, among other accolades. By the end of 2019, the game had sold more than a million copies.
