Atomfall, the action-survival game from Rebellion Developments, launched last month on PC, PlayStation and Xbox platforms. It also launched on Game Pass on day one and has over 2 million players to date. Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley said the launch of Atomfall on Microsoft’s gaming subscription service is a “huge success” for the independent studio.
Atomfall’s Game Pass launch a ‘huge success’
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz published on Wednesday, Kingsley reflected on Atomfall’s launch strategy and said Xbox Game Pass helped the new IP reach a wider audience.
“It was a huge success,” Kingsley told the publication. “Microsoft has been a great partner and they’ve been really willing to help us. They brought their skills and scale to our small project, which worked out really well for them, so they got a great deal and we got a lot out of it.”
Kingsley said releasing on Game Pass will help increase Atomfall’s exposure, adding that it’s one of the studio’s biggest challenges. According to him, players are likely to try new IPs on the service, and word-of-mouth spread will attract a wider audience.
“With Game Pass, you can let people try it, and then because those people tried it, they liked it, and then they tell their friends on social media, ‘I found this game on Game Pass and I really like it, you should try it.’ And then some of those are already on Game Pass and will be [play] it. But some of them are not on Game Pass but want to be. So, they’re going to buy it,” he said.
Rebellion confirmed last week that Atomfall has surpassed 2 million players. This number does not represent unit sales, as it includes Game Pass subscribers who have free access to the game. But Kingsley said the game’s sales exceeded the studio’s expectations. “We’re actually doing a lot better than our mid-term estimates, so that’s good,” he said.
Launching on Game Pass also guarantees fixed monetary returns, helping Rebellion monetize Atomfall. Kingsley said that while the launch of the subscription service may erode Xbox sales, the benefit from the cost would be “disproportionate.”
The Rebellion CEO also suggested that the studio, best known for its Sniper Elite games, might make an Atomic Fall sequel. “Now it looks like we want to do more Atomfall – it’s been successful, can we find the resources to do that? I don’t know,” he said.
Atomfall launches March 27 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. The survival game, which has been compared to Fallout, is set in a post-apocalyptic northern England and is inspired by the real-life Windscale nuclear accident of the 1950s. Days after launch, Rebellion confirmed the game had attracted more than 1.5 million players in its opening weekend, making it the most successful launch in the company’s 32-year history.