Atomfall, the hit British survival game developed by Rebellion, became "immediately profitable" upon its release 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 managed to recover its development costs right away.
Rebellion has not disclosed specific sales figures for Atomfall, but the game's launch has been their biggest in terms of player numbers. The inclusion in Game Pass has played a crucial role in attracting a large audience, contributing to the game's success.
In discussions with The Game Business, Rebellion revealed that they are now exploring plans for potential sequels or spin-offs while continuing to support Atomfall with post-launch content and DLC.
Jason Kingsley, the head of Rebellion, emphasized in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that the launch on Game Pass did not "cannibalize" sales but instead provided a disproportionate benefit. He highlighted that Microsoft guarantees a "certain level of income" which helps mitigate financial risks for developers.
Launching via Game Pass also offers significant marketing advantages, exposing the game to a broader audience and facilitating word-of-mouth promotion. Kingsley explained that players who try the game on Game Pass and enjoy it are likely to recommend it to others, some of whom may not be subscribers and will purchase the game to join the conversation.
While the specifics of Microsoft's business agreements with developers remain confidential, it's clear that both Rebellion and Microsoft benefit from games like Atomfall that draw players to the subscription service. The last publicly released figure for Xbox Game Pass subscribers was 34 million as of February 2024.
IGN's review of Atomfall praised it 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."
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