As reported by VGC, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is nearing two million units sold across all platforms just under two weeks after it hit one million on its launch day alone. This has apparently "reminded" developer Warhorse's parent company, The Embracer Group, that selling good games that people like and want to buy is an important part of the business.
“The success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a reminder of our core—to bring great products to the market,” Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said in response to the news. “High-quality teams need to have the resources and the time to execute their visions. When you have the right teams, this trust benefits everyone, including gamers, employees, and shareholders. I am convinced that we will remain among the industry leaders in our core business verticals in the future.”
Which is the kind of observation that should seem obvious to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the industry, but is rapidly becoming a radical stance among the C-suite set as the experienced teams behind beloved games are forced to crunch on ill-considered projects outside their expertise or interest areas, then shut down when those games inevitably flop. Embracer's own Daedalic Entertainment had a good thing going making 2D adventure games before it was tasked with the now-infamous licensed triple-A action-adventure, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Daedalic has since laid off a third of its staff and pivoted away from developing its own games entirely.
The Embracer Group was one of the first major publishers to succumb to the still-ongoing games industry layoff crisis, while its many layoffs and cancellation of a new Deus Ex game particularly stung in the face of the conglomerate's multi-year industry spending spree, acquiring the likes of Gearbox (since sold to Take-Two) Saber (sold to Beacon Interactive), Dark Horse Comics, Eidos Montreal, Plaion, and more.
But if the novel idea that good videogames with sufficient time and investment behind them will sell well and be good for the business in the long run really sinks in, who am I to stay bitter about the past? Congratulations to Warhorse Studios on its massive sales success for a delightfully weird game, at least.
