The dark fantasy action RPG Lords of the Fallen has reached an impressive milestone of 5.5 million players, yet developer CI Games reveals the game is only now approaching its break-even point. This surprising revelation comes despite the title being considered one of the more successful AA games in recent years.

Launched in 2023, Lords of the Fallen initially appeared to be a commercial success, selling nearly one million copies within its first ten days. The game also received generally positive reviews from critics, maintaining a Metacritic score of 75. However, the financial reality behind these achievements tells a different story.

CI Games CEO Marek Tyminski recently commented on the 5.5 million player milestone, stating: "And the breakeven is very close, too!" This statement suggests that even with years of post-launch support and updates, the game has yet to become profitable. An important factor is that this player count includes those who accessed the game through Xbox Game Pass, meaning not all players purchased the title at full price.

Reports from 2023 estimated the game's total development costs, including marketing and physical release expenses, at approximately $77 million USD. Given this substantial investment and Tyminski's comments about profitability, it's likely that Lords of the Fallen hasn't surpassed two million full-price sales. At the standard $60 price point, this would be the threshold needed to begin generating profit.

The game's ongoing development costs have also impacted its financial performance. Lords of the Fallen received numerous updates post-launch, with CI Games reinvesting portions of its earnings back into development. However, the studio reports that sales have shown improvement following the release of the v2.0 update.

Despite these financial challenges, CI Games remains committed to the franchise. The studio is currently developing a sequel scheduled for release in 2026. It remains to be seen whether this next installment will achieve better financial results or if the original game will reach profitability before its successor arrives.

The case of Lords of the Fallen highlights the complex economics of modern game development, where even well-received titles with substantial player bases can struggle to achieve financial success in an increasingly competitive market.