Brian Fargo: 20 years ago, games were awarded for selling 50,000 to 150,000 copies, now that's considered a failure
The concept of success in the gaming industry has dramatically changed over the past 20 years, says Brian Fargo, one of the founders of Interplay.
Stonekeep
Fargo shared his observation on X at the end of July. He mentioned that he recently added to his collection of memorabilia from his time at Interplay. Among the keepsakes were several awards that Interplay games received two decades ago for impressive sales by the standards of those years. For instance, Fargo obtained awards for selling 50,000 copies of Fallout, 100,000 copies of Stonekeep, 100,000 copies of Battle Chess, and 150,000 copies of Baldur’s Gate. According to Fargo, such numbers would no longer be considered a success today. For modern developers, similar sales figures would be a sentence and "the end of a career."
Back in the day, you’d get an award for selling 50 or 100,000 units, now it’s the end of your career. 😆 pic.twitter.com/FfFmxcPT6Q
— Brian Fargo (@BrianFargo) July 31, 2024
It is worth noting that Fargo's words are true for AAA game developers, but not for indie creators. Small teams still celebrate sales in the tens of thousands of copies.
