Rebellion Developments has celebrated the launch of its action-survival game, Atomfall, which debuted last month on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Available on Game Pass from day one, the title has quickly amassed over two million players. Jason Kingsley, CEO of Rebellion, remarked that the partnership with Microsoft’s game subscription service has proven to be a remarkable achievement for the independent developer.
Atomfall’s Game Pass Launch a ‘Huge Success’
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Kingsley discussed the launch strategy for Atomfall and highlighted how Xbox Game Pass enabled the new intellectual property to connect with a broader audience.
“It’s been a huge success,” Kingsley said. “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.”
Kingsley pointed out that launching on Game Pass significantly improved the visibility of Atomfall, addressing what he described as one of the studio’s primary challenges. He noted that players are more inclined to experience a new IP through the service, and positive word-of-mouth can lead to further engagement.
“With Game Pass, you can get people to try it, and once they do, they tend to enjoy it and share their experience on social media,” he explained. “They tell their friends, ‘I found this game on Game Pass, I really enjoyed it, you should have a go.’ Some of their friends are Game Pass users, while others may not be, yet they still want to be part of that conversation, leading to additional purchases.”
Rebellion revealed last week that Atomfall has surpassed the milestone of two million players. This figure encompasses Game Pass users who accessed the game without a direct cost. Nevertheless, Kingsley indicated that sales have exceeded the studio’s forecasts. “We’ve done a lot better than our mid-range estimates, actually, so that’s nice,” he stated.
Moreover, the Game Pass launch has assured a consistent financial return, enabling Rebellion to achieve profitability with Atomfall. Kingsley acknowledged that while the availability on a subscription service could potentially impact sales on Xbox, the overall gains have been significant.
Looking ahead, Kingsley hinted that the studio might explore developing a sequel to Atomfall, stating, “Now it looks like we want to do more Atomfall – it’s been successful. Can we find the resources to do it? I don’t know.”
Atomfall was released on March 27 across multiple platforms, including PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Set in a post-apocalyptic version of northern England and inspired by the Windscale nuclear incident of the 1950s, the survival game bears resemblances to the Fallout series. Following its launch, Rebellion announced that Atomfall had reached over 1.5 million players in its opening weekend, marking it as the most successful debut in the company’s 32-year history.
