After reaching 5.5 million players, Lords of the Fallen is only now approaching the break-even point, according to the studio's CEO. Despite being seen as one of the more successful AA games in recent years, Lords of the Fallen appears to have struggled to turn a profit for the developer.
Released in 2023, Lords of the Fallen was deemed an instant success, selling nearly a million copies within just 10 days. The game was also well received by critics, holding a Metacritic score of 75 at the time of writing, placing it in the "Generally Favorable" category. What's surprising is that, despite these accomplishments, and considering Lords of the Fallen isn't a major AAA title, the cost-profit ratio for the developer isn't quite what one might expect.
Why The Lords of the Fallen Dropped the Numbered Sequel
After a period of relative silence, the Lords of the Fallen sequel has re-emerged with a new trailer, dropping the '2' from the game's title.
CI Games recently celebrated reaching 5.5 million all-time players, to which CEO Marek Tyminski responded, "And the breakeven is very close, too!" Tyminski's tweet suggests that even after years of ongoing support and updates, Lords of the Fallen may still not be profitable. One key detail to keep in mind, as the CEO pointed out, is that the recent milestone includes Lords of Fallen's Game Pass performance as well. In other words, not all 5.5 million players paid the full price for the game, which could help explain why it has struggled to generate profit.
CI Games Estimated Lords of the Fallen Development Costs at $77 Million
A 2023 report claimed that the studio behind Lords of the Fallen expected total production costs, including marketing and physical release expenses, to reach around 281 million PLN, or roughly $77 million USD at current exchange rates. If that figure reflects the actual cost, and considering Tyminski's remark about the game still not being profitable, it's likely that Lords of the Fallen hasn't surpassed the two-million-units-sold mark. Otherwise, at its base $60 price tag, it would have already started generating revenue.
Another factor to consider is the game's post-launch costs. Lords of the Fallen received regular updates, suggesting that CI Games reinvested part of its earnings back into development. The CEO recently noted that sales have been picking up since the release of the v2.0 update.
Despite concerns about Lords of the Fallen's profitability, CI Games appears confident in the franchise's future. The studio is already working on a sequel, scheduled for release in 2026. It remains to be seen whether the sequel to Lords of the Fallen will turn the franchise profitable or if the initial installment will reach the break-even point before the second game arrives.
Lords of the Fallen
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 55%
- Released
- October 13, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- HEXWORKS
- Publisher(s)
- CI Games
WHERE TO PLAY
An epic, dark fantasy action-RPG set in a vast world of shadow and chaos.
Overthrow a resurrected demon god in this all-new adventure set in an interconnected world five times larger than the original game.
In Lords of the Fallen, you play as one of the fabled Dark Crusaders, who must journey through the realms of the living and the dead to disrupt the reign of Adyr, a cruel tyrant who has ushered in a new age of devastation for humanity.
Along the way, you'll endure colossal boss battles and get to grips with a fast and challenging combat system. With nine character classes and hundreds of weapons to choose from, you'll customize your hero and develop your own play style as you set out to defy the gods. Will your legend be one of light... Or one of darkness?
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
