Remedy Entertainment is known for making critically acclaimed games, but they rarely see huge success at launch. The precedent instead has been that Remedy games have very long tails, seeing the majority of their sales in the years following a game’s launch.
Even the game’s latest release, which critics and players universally love, Alan Wake 2, has only recently surpassed 1.8 million copies sold. And it has yet to recoup its development costs.
Perhaps this precedent is why Remedy has provided players a look into the studio’s financials that’s kept under wraps everywhere else. The studio’s next big releases are Control 2 and ahead of that, FBC: Firebreak.
Of course we can presume Remedy needs these titles to sell well, but on Wednesday, in a bit of a unique move spotted by IGN, Remedy told us just how much they need to see in a recent investment meeting.
According to Remedy, it’ll need to sell 3 million copies of FBC: Firebreak, and somewhere between 3-4 million copies of Control 2 for each project to 100% return on investment.
Those sales targets aren’t at launch, mind you – they are lifetime sales targets. Though surely no one at Remedy would complain if either game smashed these goals within launch week.
Alan Wake 2 released more than a year ago now, and is only just starting to be close to making back its development costs – which isn’t the same number as making 100% return on investment. You hit that number when you double the money you invested.
If both FBC: Firebreak and Control 2 are anything like the quality of Alan Wake 2, then these games will surely have no trouble hitting those sales targets in their lifetimes.
It’ll be interesting to see though, if either of these games – or even the upcoming Max Payne Remakes from Remedy and Rockstar – will be the one to break Remedy’s pattern of long-tailed games, and be a smash hit.
Source – [Remedy Entertainment via IGN]