@JL2930
The issue is that gamers are so accustomed to the sales numbers of ‘blockbuster’ titles—like the generic Sony games or COD—that they assume every game needs to sell tens of millions of copies to be successful. But this isn’t a one-size-fits-all industry. For the niche they serve, Remedy’s titles have sold well enough. Even though AW2 is the weakest of their releases in recent years sales-wise, it still did well considering the circumstances of its launch.
Control was made with half the budget of AW2, needing 1.2 million sales to break even, and we know it sold over 2 million copies in its first year. Quantum Break is a more complex case—it wasn’t just meant to be a game. It was intended as a multimedia project during a time when Microsoft was aiming to turn all their franchises into multimedia experiences. The game itself met Microsoft’s expectations, but the broader project was ultimately canceled, along with the original Halo and Gears movies.
For AW2, it’s fair to place some blame on the publisher for its sales. While they funded the project, they also restricted how and where the game could be accessed to make a point. Remedy serves a niche, and by limiting its market, the publisher effectively sealed the game’s fate—and that was all on Epic.