Developed by People Can Fly and published by Square Enix, Outriders initially looked like a commercially successful title, per Square Enix, however, things must have taken a wrong turn at one point, since the game is yet to reach a point where it’ll be profitable for the two companies.
The Polish studio was kept in the dark by the publisher Square Enix on how well the game’s been doing, and with the latest financial report now available, People Can Fly stated that Outriders isn’t doing well, and glancing at the newly released financial report; it may never make a profit. The studio’s deal with SE included performance-based royalty payments and per the report, there haven’t been any payments in this specific area. This also means the game’s financial performance thus far wasn’t sufficient enough to cover the costs and expenses of its development and promotion.
While the initial numbers seemed quite positive for a game that received mixed reviews, Outriders was available on Xbox Game Pass since day one, which may have boosted the numbers of the game significantly, but not so much in loyal players. It appears most game pass players just gave the game a try and didn’t stick around. Considering how problematic the launch was, it comes as a no-big surprise, but not seeing any lights toward the end of the tunnel may be a bit worrying for a game that Square Enix branded as “the company’s next major franchise.”
Earlier this week, Embracer Group released an announcement, stating that they’ve come to an agreement to acquire several Square Enix-owned studios, having said that, the company will retain ownership of games such as Just Cause, Outriders, and Life is Strange, meaning Outriders won’t get to benefit from this deal, at least not directly.
People Can Fly will still continue supporting their newest game, and they’re working on delivering at least one major DLC for Outriders; it’s expected to release in 2022, but there’s no concrete date yet.
