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Atomfall Profitable at Launch, Sequel Plans Discussed

by Violet May 26,2025

Atomfall, the British survival game developed by Rebellion, has proven to be a resounding success since its launch on March 27, 2025, across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Despite a significant portion of its 2 million players accessing the game through Xbox Game Pass without purchasing it outright, Atomfall became "immediately profitable" upon release, recouping its development costs swiftly.

Rebellion has not disclosed specific sales figures for Atomfall but has highlighted that the game achieved the studio's largest ever launch in terms of player numbers. This success was bolstered by the inclusion on Xbox Game Pass, which allowed subscribers to easily try the game on both Xbox and PC platforms.

In discussions with The Game Business, Rebellion confirmed that Atomfall's profitability was immediate, and the studio is now exploring opportunities for sequels or spin-offs while continuing to support the game with post-launch content and DLC.

Rebellion's CEO, Jason Kingsley, previously spoke to IGN's sister site GamesIndustry.biz about the strategic advantage of launching on Game Pass. Kingsley explained that the service helps mitigate the risk of sales cannibalization by ensuring a guaranteed level of income from Microsoft, regardless of direct sales performance. He emphasized the value of Game Pass in reaching a broader audience, which can lead to positive word-of-mouth and further sales.

"With Game Pass, you can get people to try it, then as a result of those people trying it, they like it, and they then tell their mates on social media, 'I found this game on Game Pass, I really enjoyed it, you should have a go,'" Kingsley noted. This exposure can drive both Game Pass users and non-subscribers to engage with the game, with the latter group potentially purchasing it outright.

While the specifics of Microsoft's business agreements with developers remain confidential, it's clear that both Rebellion and Microsoft benefit from Atomfall's success on Game Pass. The service had 34 million subscribers as of February 2024, providing a substantial audience for new releases.

IGN's review praised Atomfall as a "gripping survival-action adventure that takes some of the best elements of Fallout and Elden Ring, and synthesizes them into its own fresh mutation," highlighting its unique appeal and quality.