Atomfall Turns Profitable at Launch, Sequel Talks Underway

Atomfall, the hit British survival game developed by Rebellion, achieved immediate profitability 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 player base coming from Xbox Game Pass subscribers, who did not purchase the game outright, Atomfall still managed to recoup its development costs right away.

Rebellion has not disclosed specific sales numbers for Atomfall but highlighted that the game marked the studio's largest launch in terms of player numbers. The inclusion in Xbox Game Pass likely played a role in boosting player counts, as subscribers could easily try out the game.

In discussions with The Game Business, Rebellion noted that Atomfall's success has led to considerations for potential sequels or spin-offs, alongside ongoing post-launch support and DLC development. Jason Kingsley, Rebellion's boss, previously told GamesIndustry.biz that launching Atomfall on Game Pass helped avoid sales cannibalization. Kingsley emphasized that the financial benefits from Game Pass are "disproportionate" to the cost, as Microsoft ensures a guaranteed level of income, reducing financial risks for developers.

While the exact financial details of Microsoft's agreements with developers remain confidential, it's clear that both Rebellion and Microsoft benefit from Atomfall's success, with Microsoft gaining from increased Game Pass subscriptions. The last reported subscriber count for Xbox Game Pass was 34 million in February 2024.

In our Atomfall review, IGN praised the game 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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