Over on Bluesky, business analyst mauronl shared some data from Devolver Digital’s 2024 wrap-up for traders, together with lifetime income figures for 10 of its video games. Sitting at primary, with over $US90 million earned, is the folk-horror Joyful Tree Pals dungeon-crawler Cult of the Lamb. Quantity two, with over $US80 million in lifetime income, is Astroneer.
These could also be shocking figures coming from the home that Hotline Miami constructed (it is quantity seven, with >$30M in income), and the label that printed all these Severe Sam video games (that sequence is at quantity 4, >$45M), however the clarification comes within the evaluation on the prime of the web page. “Pattern: Players are spending extra time on identified IPs versus new IPs”.
However, I hear you ask, certainly Cult of the Lamb is a brand new IP? In 2022 it was. Since then it is had a number of DLCs, each free and paid, and if you happen to kind Steam’s listing of Devolver DLC by prime sellers, 4 of Cult of the Lamb’s DLCs are the highest 4. (Highway to Elysium for The Talos Precept 2 rounds out the highest 5.) Profitable DLC is not simply profitable due to what number of copies it sells, as it could actually usher in a brand new wave of gamers who hear about it and decide up the unique—one thing Astroneer additionally benefited from with its Glitchwalkers growth, reviving curiosity within the exploration-crafting sport 5 years after its authentic launch.
The development Devolver identifies is not simply that folks actually like post-launch help. The opposite entries in that prime 10 embody loads of multi-game sequence, like Stronghold, Severe Sam, and Shadow Warrior, suggesting that gamers are videogame gamers are in one other section of returning for sequels. Anticipate to see loads of these from Devolver within the 12 months forward, together with all the opposite issues an enfranchised fanbase loves—like ports, spin-offs, and definitive version rereleases.
One other slide from the presentation highlights that Enter the Gungeon and the surprisingly profitable VR sport Gorn are each getting sequels, and Astroneer a spin-off known as Starseeker. It is most likely too early to declare originality lifeless, nonetheless, on condition that Devolver simply launched an oddball survival-horror RPG and has introduced a Could launch date for the sport the place you seem like a thumb and have gone to Hell to arrest Devil.