Subsurface Circular is a text-driven game about a robot detective solving mysteries on the subway, and it's available today on Steam for just $4.80 through August 24th. After that, it'll be $6.

"I have to admit, that was a cheeky bit of research," Bithell explained on Twitter today. "Because we were making something, and I was glad folks liked the idea. My fear was hype: A hopefully good, polished short game could be ruined if we announced early and set false expectations."

Subsurface Circular isn't a throwaway project for Bithell -- it's impressively deep for such a short experience, raising questions about the nature of humanity and the future of automation. Instead, Subsurface Circular is a calculated foray into a new kind of development pipeline: no hype, quick gameplay and an accessible price point.

"So, would that work?" Bithell tweeted just before Subsurface Circular went live on Steam. "If we just launched a short game, announcing it at the point it goes on sale? Let's find out in 5 minutes."

The previous project out of Bithell Games was also a departure from traditional development. EarthShape was a cute little launch game for Google's Daydream VR headset, starring former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins.