Newsletter

The Unexpected Success of “Spirittea”: How a Pixel-Style Game Defied Expectations

Spirittea: The Pixel-Style Simulation Game That Defies Expectations

Developed by the foreign game team Cheesemaster Games, “Spirittea” is a business simulation game full of surprises. Released in mid-November, the game has garnered significant attention for its unique concept and pixel-style graphics.

Players are tasked with building a hot spring bathhouse for monsters, with a gameplay experience deeply influenced by “The Hidden Girl” and “Natsume’s Book of Friends”. Despite receiving media attention prior to its release, “Spirittea” did not enjoy immediate popularity on Steam, with some players criticizing the game’s lack of guidance. Nevertheless, the game has been widely praised for its overall execution.

What is most surprising, however, is the game’s unexpected success on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass. According to Mike Rose, manager of publisher No More Robots, “Spirittea” generated $1 million in revenue within its first week of release and attracted over 150,000 players across platforms on its launch day. In fact, the game has become a best seller on the eShop in various regions.

What sets “Spirittea” apart is its performance on different platforms. Contrary to typical trends, Steam accounted for the lowest sales, while the majority of revenue came from Xbox and Switch, which contributed to 80% of the game’s earnings.

“It’s been a *fascinating* launch,”

Rose (@RaveofRavendale) tweeted. “Steam was our weakest platform, with Xbox and Switch accounting for 80% of the revenue!”

Rose also attributed the game’s success to its quality, underscoring the importance of player satisfaction in the game’s triumph. He highlighted the impact of Steam’s algorithm and the changing landscape of game promotion, suggesting that small-scale games can still thrive with the right content.

In an industry rife with survival bias, “Spirittea” stands as a testament to the power of quality gameplay. Its success has proven that, despite platform recommendations and promotional efforts, it is ultimately the players’ endorsement that determines a game’s trajectory. “Spirittea” is now available on PC, Switch, Xbox, and other platforms, inviting players to experience its captivating world.

The pixel-style simulation game “Spirittea” developed by the foreign game team Cheesemaster Games was released in mid-November. Among them, a person from the publisher No More Robots shared that the sales figures behind this game are very different from what the public players think.

“Spirittea” is a business simulation game where the player plays the main character and builds a hot spring bathhouse for monsters. The background story is deeply influenced by “The Hidden Girl” and “Natsume’s Book of Friends”.

This game received a lot of media attention before its release However, after the game was launched on November 13, it was not promoted as a popular new game on Steam.At the same time, a small number of players criticized the game’s lack of guidance, but overall it was highly praised. .

Unlike the lackluster market on Steam, “Spirittea” is very popular on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass.

According to Mike Rose, manager of publisher No More Robots, “Spirittea” earned US$1 million in revenue in its first week of release. On the first day it was launched, more than 150,000 players played it across platforms. popular game in different regions eShop Best seller.

It is worth noting that Steam is the platform with the lowest sales source of “Spirittea”, and Switch and Xbox account for 80% of the revenue.

Mike Rose explained that it was probably due to Steam page changes in recent years that its algorithm easily recommended 3A masterpieces to the homepage.. This has led to more 3A game publishers increasing their promotional efforts on Steam, and it is also has indirectly caused smaller scale games to be promoted Photography opportunities for indie games.

More importantly, this game was not promoted by live streamers, and it did not become a trial for other YouTubers, but the game was still a success, earning 3 times the cost of game development in the first week.

Of course, the example of “Spirittea” may be another case of survival bias in the game industry, but it points out that for small-scale games to succeed, they must not only have luck, but more importantly, the quality of the game itself Players need to agree, otherwise no matter what platform recommendation function it is, it will have no effect.

The pixel-style simulation game “Spiritte” has been released on November 13th on PC, Switch, Xbox and other platforms. Interested players can add it to the wishlist to follow.


#simulation #game #Spirittea #Yokai #Hot #Spring #Hotel #launched #sold #US1 #million #Steam #platform #sales #Gamers