Edmund McMillen

Indie legend behind Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac and Mewgenics

@EdmundMcmillen Santa Cruz, United States379K followersIndie Game Makers

Edmund McMillen at a glance

Known for: The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy and Mewgenics
Based in: Santa Cruz, United States
Active products: The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy and Mewgenics

Facts checked 2026-10-22

About Edmund McMillen

Edmund McMillen is an American game designer and artist from Santa Cruz County, California, known for Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac and Mewgenics. He came up through Flash games on Newgrounds, where his grotesque, personal art style and collaborations such as Aether and Gish made him a fixture of the early indie scene.

With programmer Tommy Refenes he formed Team Meat and released Super Meat Boy in 2010; its development was the centrepiece of the 2012 documentary Indie Game: The Movie, and it sold over a million copies by January 2012. In 2011 he released The Binding of Isaac, a roguelike made with Florian Himsl as a small side project, which sold over 3 million copies by mid-2014. Its 2014 remake Rebirth, developed with Nicalis, and expansions up to Repentance (2021) turned it into one of the best-selling indie roguelikes ever.

McMillen later made The End Is Nigh (2017) and Mewgenics with programmer Tyler Glaiel, plus the card game Four Souls with his wife Danielle. Mewgenics, a cat-breeding tactics roguelite he had first conceived in 2012, finally launched in February 2026, recouped its costs within hours and sold over a million copies in its first week.

Products by Edmund McMillen

The Binding of Isaac

bindingofisaac.com

Dark roguelike shooter about a child escaping into his mother's basement, expanded as Rebirth and Repentance.

3M+ copies of the original…

Super Meat Boy

supermeatboy.com

Brutally hard, fast platformer co-created with Tommy Refenes as Team Meat.

1M+ copies by Jan 2012

Mewgenics

store.steampowered.com

Cat-breeding tactics roguelite co-created with Tyler Glaiel.

1M+ copies in first week

The End Is Nigh

store.steampowered.com

Post-apocalyptic precision platformer made with Tyler Glaiel.

The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls

bindingofisaac.com

Card game based on The Binding of Isaac.

Timeline

2008 — Released Aether with Tyler Glaiel on Newgrounds.
2010 — Released Super Meat Boy with Tommy Refenes as Team Meat.
2011 — Released The Binding of Isaac on Steam.
2012 — Featured in Indie Game: The Movie; Super Meat Boy passed 1 million copies.
2014 — Released The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth with Nicalis.
2017 — Released The End Is Nigh with Tyler Glaiel.
2021 — Released The Binding of Isaac: Repentance.
2026 — Launched Mewgenics, which sold over 1 million copies in a week.

How Edmund builds

Put your own fears and personality directly into your games.
Hard games are fine if they are fair and fast to retry.
Small side projects can become the biggest hits.

Edmund McMillen vs Jonathan Blow

Edmund McMillen FAQ

Who is Edmund McMillen?

Edmund McMillen is an American game designer and artist from Santa Cruz County, California, known for Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac and Mewgenics.

Who made The Binding of Isaac?

The Binding of Isaac was created by Edmund McMillen, with programmer Florian Himsl on the 2011 original; the 2014 remake Rebirth was developed with Nicalis.

How many copies has The Binding of Isaac sold?

McMillen reported the original game had sold over 3 million copies by July 2014; later Rebirth sales and expansions added several million more, though no current combined total has been published.

Who made Mewgenics?

Mewgenics was made by Edmund McMillen and programmer Tyler Glaiel and released on Steam on February 10, 2026; it sold over a million copies in its first week.