When people ask me where my game ideas come from, I usually tell them to take a break from the screen and just look around. Inspiration is everywhere. Pigeon Simulator was no exception. It all started when I was sitting on a pier in Malmö, Sweden, watching a gull shamelessly try to steal food straight out of someone’s hand. That moment—the absurdity, the audacity—became the spark for what would later take the internet by storm.

In June 2019, I posted a short clip of Pigeon Simulator on Reddit. I expected some laughs, maybe a bit of engagement, but nothing prepared me for what happened next. The Clip shot to the front page, above the Cyberpunk 2077 reveal trailer, and suddenly, everyone was talking about this chaotic bird game.

As the buzz grew, several studios reached out to turn Pigeon Simulator into a full game. Since I was already working at Bossa Studios, it made sense to develop it there. At the time, I wasn’t just working on Pigeon Simulator—I was also involved in I Am Fish and Trash Bandits, two other physics-driven games being prototyped at Bossa.

Pigeon Vision – Seeing the World Like a Bird

Since real pigeons rely on ultraviolet vision and incredible food detection, I built a system called Pigeon Vision, inspired by "detective modes" in stealth games. Activating Pigeon Vision would highlight:

• Food sources – Leftovers, garbage cans, unwatched sandwiches.
• Threats – Angry humans, security guards, anti-bird drones.
• Valuable objects – Shiny collectibles, anything pigeons might find interesting.

It was designed to help players strategize—whether they wanted to be stealthy and pick off food carefully or dive headfirst into chaos.

Steal, Feed, and Build Your Pigeon Army

One of the most unique mechanics was raising baby pigeons. Players had to steal food from humans, dumpsters, or restaurants, then bring it back to their nest to feed and grow a small army of baby pigeons. The more babies you raised, the stronger your flock became.

From Mischief to Mayhem: The Life of a Super-Powered Pigeon

In Pigeon Simulator, you’re not just an ordinary bird—you’re a force of chaos with ridiculous superpowers. Start small with simple pranks like stealing food and pooping on unsuspecting humans, but as your antics escalate, so does the world’s reaction.

A Pigeon With an Arsenal

• Sticky Poop: Works like a rope, letting you tether objects or enemies together.
• Ice Poop: Freezes humans and objects in place.
• Explosive Poop: Blows up stuff because... why not?
• Dash Attack Knock over humans like bowling pins.
• Super Strength Unlike a normal pigeon, you can lift and throw objects (and even people) effortlessly.

Turn the World Into Your Playground

The environment is more than just a backdrop—it’s your weapon. Use anything you find to terrorize humans:

• Skateboards: Grab a skateboard and hurl it at pedestrians.
• Cause Chaos: Kick a football into a crowd or send cars spiraling out of control.
• Destructible Environments: Smash through windows, knock over signs, and leave destruction in your wake.

Chaos Pays Off

Every bit of mayhem earns you rewards. The Score System tracks your destruction and turns it into in-game currency, letting you unlock even more absurd abilities.

Odd Jobs for an Odd Bird

Looking for more structured chaos? The Quest System offers bizarre missions, from scaring off restaurant customers to pulling off ridiculous stunts.

• Score a Goal with a Human: Yes, you can use people as soccer balls.
• Complete Chaos Challenges: Cause as much destruction as possible in a limited time.

Easter Eggs & Dumb Fun

The game is packed with hidden jokes and ridiculous moments:

• Wear a Toast as a Hat: Fashionable? No. Hilarious? Absolutely.
• Discover Hidden Easter Eggs: Including the lizard dog from Coffee Stain’s Satisfactory.
• Pick Up and Toss Everything: If it’s not nailed down, it’s a projectile.

To make all of this work, I built several core systems to handle the chaos:

• Pigeon Vision – An X-ray-style filter that allowed players to see food, threats, and shiny objects in the environment. It worked by dynamically outlining interactable objects and adjusting brightness based on importance.
• Escalation & AI Behavior – The game needed a system that would dynamically react to player actions. I built a progression system that gradually increased NPC hostility, from basic shooing to full-scale military response. Players could raise pigeons, build a nest, and defend their territory against humans, creating a full loop of escalation and retaliation.
• Physics-Based Combat & Destruction – Knocking over tables, sending pedestrians flying, and destroying parts of the environment had to feel dynamic and fun. I implemented physics-based interactions that allowed for satisfying chaos, from breaking objects to disrupting NPCs in a physically reactive way.
• Ragdoll Technology – NPCs didn’t just fall over—they crumpled dynamically based on impact, making every collision feel weighty and unique.
• Physics Interaction – Objects in the world could be picked up and tossed with real physics, enabling creative ways to cause mayhem.
• Interactive & Reactive Environment – The world responded to the player's actions. NPCs reacted to disturbances, objects shifted under pressure, and the environment felt alive with dynamic interactions.
• Destructible Environment Technology – Certain objects and structures could be broken apart in a realistic way, adding to the sense of chaos and destruction that defined the game.

The Pigeon Simulator prototype was released as part of Bossa Presents, a competition where three prototypes—Pigeon Simulator, I Am Fish, and Trash Bandits—competed to become Bossa’s next full game.

The demo landed extremely well. It was played by PewDiePie, JackSepticEye, and Hand Of Blood, which gave it an even bigger boost. People loved the combination of sandbox survival and physics-driven destruction, and by every metric—playtime, player feedback, and community hype—Pigeon Simulator was the clear favorite.

But despite all of that, Bossa chose I Am Fish instead. And Pigeon Simulator itself was put on the backburner.

In 2021, I was notified that Bossa had sold Pigeon Simulator to Tiny Build, who assigned it to an internal studio for further development. But by 2024, that studio shut down, and Pigeon Simulator was shelved again.

Right now, Pigeon Simulator is in limbo, and I’m no longer involved in its development. But for a moment, I made a game where you could harass people, raise an army of pigeons, poop on the world, and trigger a full-scale war with flamethrower-wielding anti-bird units. And the internet loved it.