Despite all of the potential in the world for Starbreeze to have a home run with Overkill’s The Walking Dead, reality hasn’t been so kind. As we noted in our preview of the game, things felt uneven and at times were frustrating. The reviews echoed many of our concerns, and players have been reluctant to buy the game. As a result, developer Starbreeze is having to do some cost-cutting.
In a press release for shareholders, Starbreeze states that the initial sales of TWD are “lower than expected”. As a result, the company has “initiated a program to reduce costs and sharpen focus on core business.” However, Starbreeze also cites that the game does have higher sales in places like China and Russia, which according to the press release, is “essential to future performance within the framework of our Games as a Service concept.” The team are now working on getting improvements into the game in preparation for Season 2, along with new content.
Still, compared to Overkill’s previous hit, Payday 2, The Walking Dead‘s concurrent player numbers pale in comparison. Payday 2 averages just under 15,000 players, while Overkill’s The Walking Dead has around 4,600 players. Hopefully the team can pull this one out of the fire, but given the Telltale fiasco, coupled with the falling ratings for the TV show, you have to wonder if there’s something more going on.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead is available now on PC, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions being released on February 6, 2019.