Drop in Steam sales and excitement on consoles - the authors of Abiotic Factor shared their experience of the game’s release
Leading marketer at Playstack, Shawn Cotter, and design director at Deep Field Games, Geoff Keene, discussed the release of the cooperative survival game, Abiotic Factor, with GameDiscoverCo. According to them, it met with mixed success.
Abiotic Factor
Below are the main points.
- Abiotic Factor was released on July 22, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series, including PS Plus and Game Pass subscriptions. Prior to that, the game was available in Steam Early Access for a year and a half.
- By August 22, total sales of Abiotic Factor reached 1.4 million copies. This number does not include those who accessed the game through subscriptions.
- According to GameDiscoverCo estimates, by September, the audience of Abiotic Factor on consoles alone exceeded 1 million people, primarily subscription holders.
- In Steam, the release version of Abiotic Factor sold less well than the Early Access version. While around 250,000 copies were sold during the first month in Steam Early Access, less than half of that number was sold at release.
- However, the initial revenue of both versions on Steam was comparable — thanks to the price increase of Abiotic Factor from $25 to $35 two months before release.
- The release on consoles and cross-play support helped the game gain popularity. Word-of-mouth worked: gamers started urging their friends to play Abiotic Factor with them.
- However, due to the console release, it was more challenging to choose a release date that wouldn't clash with competitors. Abiotic Factor managed to launch a week before Grounded 2, but Killing Floor 3 and Wildgate debuted around the same time.
- Additionally, bundling Abiotic Factor with similar games on Steam helped increase recognition. One bundle sold 80,000 copies.
- Both during Early Access and at release, the creators of Abiotic Factor actively worked with the Chinese market. According to GameDiscoverCo, about 20% of Abiotic Factor players are currently from China.