Electronic Arts (EA) CEO Andrew Wilson recently stated that players seek “shared-world” features, a sentiment that sparked controversy among gamers. However, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has proved his statement wrong by recouping its development costs and turning a profit in just one day after its launch. The game, developed by Warhorse Studios, sold over 1 million copies in its first 24 hours.
According to Daniel Vávra, co-founder of the game’s developer, the studio was confident about the game’s sales before its launch. “We were betting on how many copies we could sell,” Vávra said, missing the mark by only 300 units. Despite this, the studio is pleased with the numbers and hopes that the trend continues.
The success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 comes at a time when EA’s comments on live service models have raised eyebrows among gamers. Former Dragon Age lead Mike Laidlaw emphasized that changing the DNA of a successful single-player IP to make it multiplayer-focused would be a drastic mistake.
The game’s launch coincides with significant layoffs at Bioware and the remnants of the studio focusing on Mass Effect 5. Vávra also weighed in on why long games with repetitive gameplay can lead to player boredom, suggesting that a more varied experience is necessary for survival in RPGs.
Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/days-after-ea-ceo-suggests-players-crave-live-service-guff-kingdom-come-deliverance-2-boss-says-their-single-player-rpg-made-all-its-money-back-in-one-day