Atomfall, the hit British survival game developed by Rebellion, has proven to be an immediate financial success upon its release on March 27, 2025, across multiple platforms including PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Despite a significant portion of its 2 million player base accessing the game through Xbox Game Pass—meaning they did not purchase the game directly—Rebellion announced that Atomfall became "immediately profitable," recovering its development costs right away.
The developer did not disclose specific sales figures but highlighted that Atomfall marked their largest launch to date in terms of player numbers, a feat undoubtedly boosted by the exposure from Xbox Game Pass subscribers. In a discussion with The Game Business, Rebellion revealed their focus on future projects, including potential sequels or spin-offs, while continuing to support Atomfall with post-launch content and DLC.
Rebellion's CEO, Jason Kingsley, in a previous interview with GamesIndustry.biz, emphasized the strategic advantage of launching on Game Pass. He noted that the platform's model helps avoid the risk of "cannibalizing" sales and ensures a guaranteed income level from Microsoft, which mitigates financial risk. Kingsley explained that the visibility and marketing provided by Game Pass not only attract players but also generate positive word-of-mouth, encouraging others to either subscribe to Game Pass or purchase the game outright.
While the exact financial details between Rebellion and Microsoft remain confidential, the success of Atomfall on Game Pass underscores the mutual benefits of such partnerships, drawing more subscribers to Microsoft's service and providing developers like Rebellion with a broad audience and immediate profitability.
As of February 2024, Xbox Game Pass had 34 million subscribers, a number that likely played a role in Atomfall's reach and success. 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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