The retro FPS "Ultrakill" (opens in new tab), which appeared in Early Access a few years ago, has added a feature that I can assure you I have never seen in any other shooter. The developer released an "official mod" today, adding support for open source software that can be used to control the vibration of Xbox controllers and other devices. As its name makes clear, the software, called buttplug.io (opens in new tab), is primarily intended for use with other vibration devices.

The Ultrakill mod itself is called "UKbutt" and can be downloaded from Github (opens in new tab). The mod seems to require some basic software tinkering knowledge, but is not too complicated for the motivated player. Once installed, UKbutt can be used to trigger the vibration of a user-selected device based on what is happening in the Ultrakill. Currently supported vibration triggers are screen shaking, weapon firing, movement ("dashing", "sliding", etc.), and menu haptics.

UKbutt was created this week by buttplug.io leader Kyle "qDot" Machulis and Ultrakill programmer Made by PITR, Ultrakill creator Hakita replied to Shammy's tweet, stating that with mods it is possible: this is real.

Presumably, Ultrakill only got rumble support for the controller, which is a normal video game feature. But aside from the Xbox controller, none of the devices that buttplug.io works with are game controllers I've heard of: the Wearable Butterfly, Lipstick Bullet, Yellow Chicken, Magic Bunny, Bean Sprout, Telescopic Prostate Massager, Fancy Clamshell, etc.

UltraKill's support for sex toys was not a serious effort at all, but it is sure to increase further in the future: as Kotaku covered in May (opens in new tab), buttplug.io has been used unofficially in other games this year, and the game has been used in a number of other games, Controlling sex toys in games is hardly a huge conceptual leap from the existence of rumble controllers, which have always been used informally and concurrently.

I believe that Steam's opening of its doors to adult games a few years ago signals the dawn of a new era in sex and gaming. While major publishers remain cautious, Patreon, itch.io, Steam, and many other crowdfunding and social media platforms are playing a role, and the indie sex game scene is increasingly reaching a mainstream audience. We are certainly a long way from the days when cable news pundits would go wild watching characters from "Mass Effect" greedily slice each other's flesh.

As for the relationship between UltraKill and sex, the game is a shooter in which blood-powered robots invade hell in search of more blood. Personally, I don't relate to the horny premise, but David Cronenberg could make a movie with this combination. [Dave Oshry, CEO of UltraKill publisher New Blood (opens in new tab), said today on Twitter, "To this day, I could not say how the UltraKill fan base became so horny." In the beginning, when we tested and discussed this game with Hakita or anyone else (at New Blood), there was never anything like 'they will want sex.'"

"Congrats. [and] he added.

"Ultrakill is available on Steam (opens in new tab) for $25, and today's 'sex update' is met by a new wave of positive user reviews for the already popular shooter." They added sex, and this is the literal peak of the game," one player raved (opens in new tab).

If all goes according to plan, Ultrakill plans to end early access after the end of its third act in 2023.