In October, Hazelight Studios, a Swedish game development company, announced that their cooperative game had sold an impressive 20 million copies worldwide. The indie game just isn’t just any minor launch; rather, it was bolstered by Electronic Arts’ esteemed EA Originals label, which has a reputation for fostering innovative titles, and went on to garner the prestigious title of Game of the Year at the 2021 Game Awards. Despite initial expectations, the gross sales figures proved a surprise to those following the story.
In this unique co-op platformer, a married couple finds themselves magically trapped inside a pair of dolls as a result of their daughter’s tears, which serve as a catalyst for their impending divorce. As they navigate through various challenges and obstacles together, the couple must work in harmony to overcome hurdles that test their relationship and ultimately achieve their shared goal. The small-scale recreational experience garnered decent reviews upon its initial release, yet promptly fell out of sight in the broader gaming media landscape. But what’s truly astonishing is the sheer magnitude of its box office performance: with a staggering 20 million in sales, it has eclipsed many a Hollywood blockbuster’s haul.
Reaching this impressive sales milestone more than three and a half years after its initial launch is truly noteworthy. According to publicly available data from Hazelight, a closer examination of the game’s sales figures reveals a far more compelling narrative.
By its seventh month, the company had sold an impressive three million copies. After careful analysis and editing, the revised sentence could read:
One person required four months to achieve a success of five million. After a lag of five months, the figure skyrocketed to seven million. Ten million in February 2023. Sixteen million in March 2024. Here’s the rewritten text in a different style:
From its launch, the bestseller has consistently sold around 500,000 to one million copies per month, maintaining an unwavering and predictable market presence.
It hasn’t slowed down. In reality, progress has been minimal. According to reports, the novel’s common gross sales fee for the initial seven-month period following its release averaged approximately 430,000 copies per month. Between October 2017 and October 2024, the book consistently promoted approximately 570,000 copies per month.
This unprecedented sales surge is typically reserved for the most enduring and iconic bestsellers. What went proper?
“To kick off, the sports event concluded exceptionally well,” said Oskar Wolontis, Chief Operating Officer at Hazelight, in an email to gaming media. “We’re absolutely thrilled with its high-quality production and the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received has been outstanding.” The developer touted his game as a revolutionary experience, boasting of its “vividly distinct” and “radically unique” journey, “engaging narrative” and “groundbreaking concept.” Though he initially seemed reticent to share, he ultimately disclosed several intriguing morsels.
Reaching these gross sales figures without any advertising and marketing efforts is certainly a remarkable achievement. The initial advertising budget was “meager,” Wolontis noted, with little to no significant spending on marketing in recent times. Moreover, he highlighted that publicly disclosed revenue numbers fail to account for digital downloads generated by subscription services such as Game Pass and EA Access?
The Sport Awards’ influence was undeniable, resonating far beyond American borders. It had a profound and far-reaching global influence. “Wolonits noted that the campaign had a palpable impact, resulting in a significant surge of 15% to 20% increase in gross sales across all markets.” The game’s Game of the Year award led to a surge in popularity among streaming platforms and social media influencers, who subsequently flocked to the title, further amplifying its reach.
Thirdly, according to Wolonits, the platform has successfully tapped into a massive audience in both Western markets and Asia. The game’s phenomenal success in China, where it has reportedly gone unlicensed yet thrives despite this informal status, is a testament to its widespread appeal. According to a December 2021 podcast interview with Director Josef Fares, he claimed that nearly half of the game’s viewership came from China, which ultimately led to it being named Sport of the Year at the Bilibili Sports Awards, a prestigious honor based in the country. GamesIndustry.biz hypothesized in a 2022 article that Overcooked’s appeal to multigenerational families, fueled by its accessible co-op gameplay, uncontroversial premise, and relatable theme of divorce, may have contributed to its broad reach during a time when high divorce rates were prevalent.
Lastly: It’s the co-op, silly. Wolenski’s reputation stems from Hazelight’s innovative cooperative model, which excels in delivering split-screen gaming experiences tailored to two-player teams, sans extras or compromises, thereby catering to a diverse appetite while maintaining its uniqueness and fostering word-of-mouth momentum. While there’s immense diversity among gamers worldwide who derive joy from cooperative gaming experiences, a multitude of titles boasting co-op gameplay options can be found across various platforms. “While cooperative gameplay is often a hallmark of certain types of games,” he noted, “the type of seamless co-op play presented here might be rare or nonexistent outside of this genre.” “We observed early on that the product had a remarkable growth trajectory fueled by word-of-mouth, which also had a positive impact on. We attribute its exceptional quality and distinctiveness to this grassroots momentum.”
Here: To successfully market and sell 20 million copies of your game, identify something that millions of gamers crave but nobody else is offering, preferably incorporating a multiplayer aspect to amplify its viral potential. Additionally, ensure the product’s global appeal by tailoring its features to resonate with diverse markets. That’s removed from simple. However it’s, surprisingly, fairly easy.
