Analytics: The Farmer Was Replaced, a farmer-programmer simulator, increased its revenue by 39,000% after leaving early access
The full release of The Farmer Was Replaced by Swiss solo developer Timon Herzog and publisher Metaroot has resulted in astronomical revenue growth for the game. This is reported by the GameDiscoverCo service.
The Farmer Was Replaced
The Farmer Was Replaced is a simulator where players need to automate a farming operation using drones. However, they first need to be programmed, which means players will have to learn scripting as they progress. The game was officially released on October 10, 2025, after spending two and a half years in early access.
According to GameDiscoverCo, within just three weeks of its release, The Farmer Was Replaced managed to generate over $1.65 million on Steam. This represents a 39,000% increase compared to its early access launch when the game earned about $4,000 in its first 30 days.
Andri Weidmann, Managing Director of Metaroot, explained the surge in The Farmer Was Replaced's revenue to GameDiscoverCo by citing several factors. These include:
1. Prior to release, The Farmer Was Replaced had its Steam page significantly overhauled to better convey the essence of the game to potential players;
2. During early access, The Farmer Was Replaced supported only the English language. By its release, it was localized into 11 languages, including Chinese, Spanish, and Russian. Not only was the game itself translated, but also accompanying materials (screenshots, trailers, etc.), and in some cases, even its title;
3. Metaroot reached out to 10,000 influencers who played similar games and offered them a chance to try The Farmer Was Replaced. As a result, about a thousand keys were distributed to them;
4. The Farmer Was Replaced went viral on TikTok and Instagram*. Some videos about the game garnered over 1 million views;
5. Metaroot actively promoted the simulator in China through the RedNote social network. Before the campaign, the share of Chinese players in The Farmer Was Replaced was 0.3%, and now it is just under 20%.
All these and other efforts ultimately resulted in a good outcome not only in terms of revenue. The audience overall warmly received the simulator. Currently, The Farmer Was Replaced has 95% "overwhelmingly positive" reviews on Steam. Many have praised its engaging and accessible approach to teaching programming, which is especially appreciated by newcomers.
Overall, by the end of October, The Farmer Was Replaced had sold over 415,000 copies. The majority of these were sold in the United States, China, and Germany.
*Belongs to the Meta company, which is banned in Russia and recognized as an extremist organization.