Atomfall surpassed Rebellion's expectations by far, reaching over two million players in just one month, and its presence on Game Pass was definitely helpful toward that goal. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley heaped praise on Microsoft and their subscription service:
It's been a huge success. Microsoft has been a fantastic partner to work with, they've really leaned in to helping us. They brought their skills and their scale to bear on our small project, and it's done really, really well for them, so they got a good deal, we got a good deal out of it as well.
With Game Pass, you can get people to try it, then as a result of those people trying it, they like it, and they then tell their mates on social media, 'I found this game on Game Pass, I really enjoyed it, you should have a go.' And then some of them are on Game Pass, and will play it. But some of them aren't on Game Pass, and will also want to be part of that conversation. So, they'll go and buy it. At least, that's our theory – we don't have the data in for that. But Chris and I both feel, one of the biggest challenges for a company like us is discovery. And Game Pass has allowed for a lot of discovery for our game.
It does mitigate risk, because without going into details, they guarantee you a certain level of income, regardless of what it will sell for. But it potentially has a knock-on effect. Places like Xbox sales, for example. You could argue that all the hardcore are on Game Pass, and they're the ones that might buy a new IP like this, so therefore, are you cannibalising one section of the audience? And I think, perhaps, yes, a little bit. But what you gain from that cost is disproportionate.
Atomfall just got a bug-fixing update yesterday. You can read Chris Wray's take on the British post-apocalyptic game here.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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