Atomfall, the hit British survival game developed by Rebellion, has proven to be an immediate financial success upon its release on March 27, 2025. Despite a significant portion of its 2 million players accessing the game through Xbox Game Pass, which means they did not purchase the game outright, Atomfall became profitable right away. The game was launched on multiple platforms including PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Rebellion has not disclosed specific sales numbers for Atomfall but emphasized that it marks their largest launch to date in terms of player engagement. The inclusion in Xbox Game Pass likely contributed to this success, allowing more players to try the game at no additional cost.
In an interview with The Game Business, Rebellion confirmed that Atomfall's earnings surpassed its development costs immediately after launch. The studio is now exploring options for sequels or spin-offs while continuing to support the game with post-launch content and DLC.
Rebellion's CEO, Jason Kingsley, previously discussed with GamesIndustry.biz how launching on Game Pass helped avoid cannibalizing direct sales. He highlighted the financial benefits provided by Microsoft, which guarantees a certain level of income to developers, thus mitigating the risk of lower direct sales. Kingsley also pointed out the marketing advantage of Game Pass, which exposes the game to a broader audience, potentially increasing word-of-mouth recommendations and subsequent sales.
Microsoft keeps the details of its agreements with developers confidential, so the exact earnings from Atomfall for both Rebellion and Microsoft remain undisclosed. However, Microsoft's last public report in February 2024 indicated that Xbox Game Pass had 34 million subscribers, showcasing the platform's significant reach.
IGN praised Atomfall in their review, describing it as a "gripping survival-action adventure that takes some of the best elements of Fallout and Elden Ring, and synthesizes them into its own fresh mutation."
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