Amid expectations of selling only 100,000 copies in a year, Black Salt Games’ anticipation was shattered when Dredge sold for way more than that since its release in March 2023.
In an interview with Game Developer at PAX Australia, 3D artist Mikey Bastiaens and game producer Nadia Thorne shared the landmark achievement.
Thorne said that the game studio was only expecting the game to sell 100,000 copies in its first year. That is to say, keeping the expectations low and realistic amid the stiff competition in the business. But she goes on to say that the target numbers were “smashed”.
With the New Zealand-based studio’s mindset set on low-key, Thorne said that expecting a million sales was “crazy” at the time. However, Dredge unexpectedly made a great stride on its first day of launch alone when the target numbers were met and exceeded on the same day.
Bastiaens revealed that the development team was aboard a boat when they were having a party to celebrate the game’s commercialization. As soon as the sales page was refreshed, the entire team was in the shock of their lifetime.
As Dredge’s sales drive in the money for Black Salt Games, support for the project has become more certain than ever. Case in point, the title is already set to receive its first DLC, The Pale Reach, on November 16, 2023.
