Rebellion, the developer behind Atomfall, confirmed its acclaimed British survival game turned profitable right after launch—even though a significant portion of its 2 million players accessed it through Xbox Game Pass rather than purchasing it outright.
While Rebellion hasn’t disclosed exact sales figures for Atomfall—which debuted on March 27, 2025, across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S—the studio emphasized that the game marked its largest player base launch to date, boosted by Game Pass subscribers trying it on Xbox and PC.
Despite this distribution model, Atomfall faced no financial setbacks. In an interview with The Game Business, Rebellion revealed the post-apocalyptic simulator, set in northern England, recouped development costs immediately.
Now, the studio is exploring potential sequels or spin-offs while continuing post-launch support and DLC development.
Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley previously told GamesIndustry.biz, IGN’s sister site, that launching Atomfall on Game Pass avoided sales cannibalization risks. "The return on investment outweighs the cost," Kingsley noted, adding that Microsoft guarantees developers a baseline income to offset risks.
Atomfall Screenshots
View 25 Images
Game Pass also amplifies visibility, exposing Atomfall to a broader audience and fostering word-of-mouth promotion. "Players discover it through Game Pass, enjoy it, and recommend it to friends—some via subscription, others through direct purchases," Kingsley explained.
Though Microsoft’s revenue-sharing terms with developers remain undisclosed, Atomfall’s success likely benefits both Rebellion and Microsoft—bolstering the latter’s subscription appeal.
Microsoft’s last public Game Pass subscriber count, from February 2024, reported 34 million users.
In IGN’s review, Atomfall was praised as "a compelling survival-action adventure that blends Fallout and Elden Ring’s strengths into a unique experience."
