Since the launch of DREDGE a month ago the team has been overflowing with pride and gratitude and we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for the overwhelming response we have received. While we can’t ignore there are financial benefits, it is the positive reviews from players and critics that truly inspire us. The validation we have received affirms our approach to game design and development, giving us the confidence to continue creating enjoyable experiences not only in DREDGE but also in future projects.
While we can’t disclose specific figures, we understand our community’s curiosity about the performance of DREDGE and want to provide some statistics and insights but without revealing all the details. In this first post I will focus on some high-level snapshots while future posts will delve deeper into the analysis of our achievements.
Exceeding Expectations:
When setting our Year 1 Target my goal was to cover the development costs of DREDGE within its first year of release. To our delight, in just one month of pre-orders and a month of full release, we have sold five times the amount we initially aimed for. This not only covers the expenses incurred over the past 30 months of development but also ensures that we enter the upcoming years without any debt. It is an extraordinary position to be in and akin to finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.
DREDGE is currently available on four platforms: PC (Steam and GOG), Playstation, Xbox, and Switch. Naturally, the performance of a game on each platform depends on various factors, including the game’s genre and platform exclusivity deals. Considering PC’s significant presence and DREDGE being well suited to that platform, I anticipated that Steam would dominate the sales. We didn’t have a Game Pass deal or a demo on either the Playstation or Xbox platforms while we did have a demo available on Switch, so my model had PC being the biggest platform, followed by Switch, then Playstation, then Xbox:
(65% Steam / 20% Switch / 10% PS / 5% Xbox)
The split between PC and other platforms aligns closely with our expectations, though the splits within the consoles themselves are a bit different, with Xbox surpassing my projections:
Modelling Success:
We utilised various models to forecast and prepare for the launch of DREDGE. One particularly influential model was the Month1/Year1 multiplier model developed by Simon Carless from GameDiscoveryCo Newsletter. Additionally, we drew inspiration from Ancient Enemies’ formula. Comparing our pre-launch model with the actual results, we find that our projections aligned closely with reality. Here is a snapshot of our model and the corresponding unit sales:
The Power of Pre-Orders?
As for the efficacy of pre-orders as a strategy, I’m not sure if we can tell from a single title. However, it is worth noting that our launch day sales doubled the total number of units sold during the 28-day pre-order period. My hunch suggests that those who pre-ordered would have likely purchased the game within the first week anyway. Yet, I impact of pre-orders on algorithms remains uncertain.
In the upcoming weeks, I will delve deeper into the journey of our wishlists and analyse the strategies and actions we employed to gauge their impact.
The Indie Dev Community Know Their Stuff
I cannot conclude this post without highlighting another win for the indie development community. The Boxleiter method, also known as the NB number, has gained recognition among indie developers, and we are thrilled to report that DREDGE falls within the 30-70 multiplier range, as per GameDiscoverCo’s analysis. Although we don’t quite align with the updated tier figures.
Concluding Thoughts:
I hope this has been an interesting post and satisfies some of the interest in learning more about the financial performance of DREDGE. As an indie studio, we have relied on the support and knowledge shared by other indie developers throughout our journey and we are delighted to be able to contribute back to this incredible community by sharing our own experiences and insights.
In the coming weeks, we will continue to analyse the impact of our strategies, including wishlists and marketing efforts. We aim to uncover valuable insights that will not only benefit us but also contribute to the knowledge and success of the indie development community as a whole.
Once again, our deepest gratitude to everyone who has played and supported DREDGE. Your enthusiasm and feedback are invaluable to us. We look forward to sharing more updates and insights with you in the future.
Nga mihi,
Nadia
