How to Survive After a Failed Launch: Case Studies, Common Patterns, and Disheartening Conclusions About the Market

First off, it should be noted that this article will not mention anomalous cases like Among Us or No Man’s Sky. Firstly, they are already well known, and the Hello Games project was never a financial failure in the first place (the setback was more reputational). Secondly, these examples cannot be relied upon, as their stories are not applicable to the majority of games on the market.

Next, we will look into a number of specific titles and their stories of "recovery" after a commercially weak launch. Among them are games that managed to achieve sales of a hundred or two thousand copies, and big hits with multi-million sales. Spoiler alert, even targeting the most realistic small indie successes can be a dangerous trap for most developers in the market.

Games That Survived: Striking Cases

One of the most striking comeback stories after a failed launch is the first Slay the Spire. After its release in early access in 2017, the events unfolded as follows:

• most requests to the press and influencers went unanswered, including key distributions through Keymailer;
• in the first three days of early access, sales amounted to only 800 copies;