• News

Biomutant recouped development cost one week after launch despite polarized reviews

Apparently, Biomutant did well enough for Experiment 101 and THQ Nordic that Embracer Group claims it covered its cost within a week.

TJ Denzer

August 18, 2021 12:40 PM

2

If you were looking at Embracer Group’s catalogue or even just the THQ Nordic umbrella alone, you might not think that Biomutant was the game moving units out the door. As interesting as it was, it was also a very polarizing game with seemingly as much detractors and critics as fans. Even so, maybe the buzz was enough to get the ball rolling and keep it rolling for quite some time. According to a report from THQ Nordic parent company Embracer Group, Biomutant moved enough units within its first week alone to cover the game’s cost.

This stat was revealed in a recent interim Q1 2021 report from Embracer Group, posted on its investor relations website on August 18, 2021. According to the report, Biomutant wasn’t just a good sell during the recorded period. Rather, it was one of Embracer’s best sellers throughout the period in question. Biomutant crossed over one million units sold worldwide, and with that momentum, it made more than its cost of production and release during its first week of availability.

This is pretty mind-blowing. Biomutant was always a unique-looking game, but critique was divided on the game with some loving it, some hating it, and feeling lukewarm on the game. We were among those who found it to be decent enough in our Shacknews review, but many a player had issue with combat, narration and other aspects of the game. That said, Embracer pointed to the game as a big win over its Q1 2021 interim report.

“The main revenue driver in the quarter was the release of Biomutant from our internal studio Experiment 101,” the report reads. “So far, the game has sold more than one million copies. The full investment into development and marketing as well as the acquisition cost for Experiment 101 and the IP, was recouped within a week after launch.”

It’s a neat win for a game that was on the development block for quite a few years, but it sounds like Experiment 101 and Biomutant earned their keep. Have you had a chance to play? Did Biomutant strike you as a million seller? Let us know in the Shacknews Chatty comment section below.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.