In a publish celebrating survival-action recreation Atomfall’s launch milestone of 1.5 million+ gamers, which has since grown to 2 million gamers, Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley drew consideration to the studio’s method of constructing video games.
“Our measurement and stability imply that we will take dangers to create one thing as completely different as Atomfall. Fortunately, that danger is paying off.”
Amid a turbulent age of blockbuster recreation budgets, GamesIndustry.biz requested Kingsley if he believes Rebellion has bought the size of its initiatives – which embrace the favored Sniper Elite collection – good.
“I do not suppose we have it simply proper,” says Kingsley. “I believe that one of many issues Chris [Kingsley, Rebellion co-founder and CTO] and I need to do is repeat success. So we need to do extra Sniper Elite, we need to do extra Zombie Military, we need to do extra Unusual Brigade.”
“Now it seems like we need to do extra Atomfall – it has been profitable, can we discover the sources to do it? I do not know. The thought has all the time been to have two thirds sequels, and one third new IP, pushing the boundaries. Partly as a result of it is truly attention-grabbing to unravel the puzzles with a new IP.”
Atomfall, which launched on PC, PS5 and Xbox in late March (together with Game Pass for PC and Xbox), takes gamers to an alternate historical past of the UK the place the Windscale nuclear catastrophe turned a massive chunk of the British countryside into a quarantine zone.
Escape is the objective, as gamers then sneak, barter and battle their method throughout a number of interconnected areas patrolled by rogue factions, troopers and lethal robots.
Between its reveal and launch, Atomfall drew superficial comparisons to the Fallout collection. However its personal reference factors are extra particularly British, together with science fiction books like Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham or The Dying of Grass by John Christopher.
“We attempt our hardest to regulate budgets and make them the suitable measurement for our video games”
Jason Kingsley, Rebellion
Nonetheless, the Fallout comparisons did not harm. Atomfall drew a lot of buzz following its reveal eventually yr’s Xbox Video games Showcase, and Kingsley factors out that wishlists for the sport “have fully damaged our projections as a result of they are much greater than they have been for anything.”
The sport’s many influences went past Bethesda’s RPGs, too.
“The Fallout collection, together with any post-apocalyptic video games, are clearly a reference level for us. It is onerous for it to not be. We didn’t got down to make an English model of Fallout at any stage, however we have been very conscious that it was a simple comparability to make, as a result of [it’s a] post-apocalyptic panorama.”
“In some methods, the Metro collection, or the STALKER collection, are nearer in themes…there’s been a nuclear accident, and you are caught in an space as a results of it. That is extra thematically [linked].”
Gamers appeared to agree that Atomfall had its personal id as soon as they bought it of their fingers.
“We hoped – and it gave the impression to be the case – that as quickly as individuals began to play it, they realised, ‘no, it is attempting to do its personal factor’. Albeit in a comparable broad style of post-apocalyptic [games].”
Because the assertion about ‘measurement and stability’ round Atomfall implies, Rebellion has skilled continued success whereas many builders round it have undergone layoffs lately.
Managing budgets is vital to the studio. “We attempt our hardest to regulate budgets and make them the suitable measurement for our video games. I am flattered to even be talked about in the identical space, and even vaguely occupying comparable components of the charts as implausible video games like Murderer’s Creed, that are costing a whole lot of hundreds of thousands, I imagine, I do not know whether or not the precise budgets are public. However I imagine it is a whole lot of hundreds of thousands.
“And clearly these video games, finally, will promote higher than our recreation. However our recreation is a very small fraction of that price range.”
Kingsley says that all the writer’s video games are worthwhile. With the evergreen Sniper Elite video games, its Zombie Military spin-offs and now Atomfall, Rebellion has caught to a scope that is sensible for the corporate. “We do not intentionally match into this mid vary, however that is what we will do, and what we will do efficiently. We actually cannot afford to spend 200 million on making a recreation. We simply haven’t got 200 million!”
Discoverability is one thing Kingsley ponders often. Steadily increase Rebellion’s status, game-by-game, is a part of that line of pondering. “On the finish of the day, if individuals come again and say, ‘I actually preferred Rebellion’s final recreation, I will take a have a look at their subsequent recreation’, you possibly can then construct up an viewers that may simply not less than sit ahead when there’s a new recreation introduced by us.”
The largest discoverability increase for Atomfall, although, was the advertising and marketing assist and sheer visibility that comes with launching on Xbox Game Pass. It wasn’t Rebellion’s first day-and-date launch for the subscription service, however as a new IP, the circumstances labored in everybody’s favour.
“It has been a big success,” Kingsley mentioned. “Microsoft has been a implausible companion to work with, they’ve actually leaned in to serving to us. They introduced their abilities and their scale to bear on our small mission, and it is completed actually, rather well for them, in order that they bought a whole lot, we bought a whole lot out of it as properly.”
Kingsley’s hope is that the affect of reaching Game Pass customers extends to customers shopping for the sport, too.
“With Game Pass, you may get individuals to attempt it, then as a results of these individuals attempting it, they prefer it, and they then inform their mates on social media, ‘I discovered this recreation on Game Pass, I actually loved it, it’s best to have a go.’ After which a few of them are on Game Pass, and will [play] it. However a few of them aren’t on Game Pass, and may also need to be a part of that dialog. So, they will go and purchase it.
“A minimum of, that is our concept – we do not have the info in for that. However Chris and I each really feel, one of many greatest challenges for a firm like us is discovery. And Game Pass has allowed for a lot of discovery for our recreation.”
We requested Kingsley how Rebellion forecasted gross sales for Atomfall, given its Game Pass launch.
“We’ve good concepts in regards to the form of scale, and we normally do a low, medium and a excessive projection. And we hope [that] medium is about proper. You may as well have a look at issues like wishlists earlier than launch and have a have a look at that curve – that is all the time a pretty good indicator.”
As talked about, Atomfall wishlist numbers blew previous Rebellion’s metrics, and the sport finally carried out forward of expectations. “We have completed a lot higher than our mid-range estimates, truly, in order that’s good. It is good when advertising and marketing comes again to you and says, ‘yep, we underestimated our high-level success’, in order that’s good, and fairly pleasing.”
“Microsoft has been a implausible companion to work with, they’ve actually leaned in to serving to us.”
Jason Kingsley, Rebellion
Past the invention advantages, the upside of launching a new IP like Atomfall on Game Pass is guaranteeing some form of monetary return.
“Sure, it does mitigate danger, as a result of with out going into particulars, they assure you a sure degree of revenue, no matter what it’s going to promote for,” Kingsley mentioned. “But it surely doubtlessly has a knock-on impact. Locations like Xbox gross sales, for instance. You might argue that each one the hardcore are on Game Pass, and they’re those that may purchase a new IP like this, so subsequently, are you cannibalising one part of the viewers? And I believe, maybe, sure, a little bit. However what you acquire from that price is disproportionate.”
It was flattering, too, that Xbox took an curiosity within the mission, with Kingsley describing the association as a “confidence booster” for its new recreation.
It has been a very busy 2025 for the writer up to now, with the discharge of Sniper Elite: Resistance coming simply two months earlier than Atomfall. Kingsley says the successive launches have been a ‘suboptimal’ state of affairs, and that it simply “form of occurred”. Specifically, he says it was a pressure on Rebellion’s advertising and marketing and communications perform – finally, although, he believes it ended properly.
“It is labored. I would not plan it like that if we might probably keep away from it [laughs].”
Atomfall was Kingsley’s dream recreation. It was an concept he alluded to in press interviews for nearly a decade. When requested if he has one other ardour mission he’d like Rebellion to pursue down the road, the reply is one that will not shock anybody who’s watched Kingsley’s fashionable YouTube channel, Modern History TV.
“I’d like to attempt and make one thing medieval and fantasy. Do not know when, [or if] we’ll ever get sources – we’re over 500 members of full-time employees, and we do not have sufficient individuals to do all of the video games we need to do.”
“I’d like to do one thing that matches in with my YouTube channel, Trendy Historical past TV, but additionally fantasy as properly. Medieval, dragons, that form of factor. I’ve bought a few concepts percolating in my head proper now, so perhaps sooner or later, sure.”