There is a constant debate going on in the gaming space right now between certain developers, publishers, and gamers. That debate is about “What kinds of games should be made?” That might seem like a simple question, but sadly not. In the “classic era” of gaming, great games were made at a regular clip, making each release special. However, nowadays, great releases feel more scattershot, as plenty of titles are released in a “broken” state or don’t live up to expectations. In the case of Kingdom Come Deliverance II, this title not only lived up to expectations, but it did far more than its original did.
We don’t just mean that in the gameplay/story sense, either. The game sold over a million copies in its first day! That led developer Warhorse Studios to admit that they had already gotten “their money back” for development, which means that every sale after this is basically pure profit. One group that is very happy about that is The Embracer Group, which published the game. As noted by VGC, Embracer Co-founder & CEO Lars Wingefors revealed in a statement that the game was now closing in on two million sold and that this was the “proof” the group needed to see that “great games” are what needed to be made:
“The success of Kingdom Come Deliverance II is a reminder of our core – to bring great products to the market. 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.”
If that message leaves a bit of a sour taste in your mouth…you’re not alone on that front. Lars and The Embracer Group are literally one of the most hated entities in the entire gaming space. The Embracer Group is loathed for how it bought up a bunch of gaming studios to try and make money, then various bad business deals crippled them, forcing the group to lay off numerous people in various studios and even closing down longtime studios like Volition. Lars himself even said that “layoffs were something everyone needs to get through” at one point, even though his company’s bad decisions caused those layoffs.
To be clear, we aren’t throwing shade at Warhorse, as they made a great game. But The Embracer Group making this kind of “victory statement” really rings hollow when you recall all they’ve done.
