Death Stranding was Hideo Kojima’s triumphant return to gaming after a couple of terrible years after his acrimonious departure from Konami. Released initially on the PS4 it was a critical darling winning over in the most cynical critics and proved to be more than a post-apocalyptic walking simulator. Many praised it for the deliberately slower pace, but more so for the complex and heartfelt story.
The game also marked Kojima’s first direct foray into PC gaming with its release last year. Published by 505 Games, the game has been revealed as a remarkable success in their parent company’s half year results to 31 December 2020, as first reported by Eurogamer. In the six months since release the game generated 23.192m Euros. By comparison Control the other critical darling in the 505 Games catalogue made 16.039m Euros in 2020, although Control did release in August 2019, so this figure does not account for the first four months of revenue. Despite that for a game many consider niche to have made in 6 months almost 25% more than a (slightly) more mainstream game did in twelve months is an achievement. This also indicates that PC gamers are a little less insular than many believe and that they are eager to play something from someone who is seen as a console game developer.
Sales figures like this makes it clear that games that some may think should remain platform and specific console exclusive meet an untapped demand on PC and that companies would be wise to consider branching out to capture some of that lucrative market.
