Control and Alan Wake studio Remedy has released its financial statement for the first half of the 2025 fiscal year, and the company has admitted it's not happy with the launch sales of its latest game FBC: Firebreak.
In the statement, Remedy CEO Tero Virtala says that despite a 43% increase in revenue over last year's first half, as well as "an initial accrual from subscription service agreements with Sony and Microsoft", FBC: Firebreak "underperformed" on Steam, which Virtala describes as "the primary consumer sales channel on PC" for the game.
According to Virtala, FBC: Firebreak's underperformance is due to its "initial onboarding experience and mission structure", which, when taken together, "resulted in high early player drop-offs and an influx of negative reviews". These led to what Virtala calls a "rocky launch" for the game.
Despite these initial wobbles, however, Virtala says he believes that FBC: Firebreak is "a solid game to build on", and that the major update coming in September will serve as "the next key step" for the multiplayer shooter. Given that the game is currently sitting at just 16 players on Steam, with a 22-player 24-hour peak, let's hope Remedy can turn things around.
With regards to the studio's other upcoming games, Virtala says progress is brisk. Control 2, which Remedy says will move in a more action RPG-wards direction, is "on track towards meeting its next milestones", Virtala says, with development currently focused on various core gameplay systems and world design elements.
As for the upcoming Max Payne remakes, they're still "in full production", and Remedy's collaboration with Max Payne IP holder Rockstar "remains close and productive", which is always nice to hear. Let's hope we get more info about those soon.
Remedy also says that sales for the original Control crossed the five million mark during this year's second quarter, following the transferral of the franchise rights from original owner 505 Games last year.
For now, though, if you want to check out Remedy's latest offering, FBC: Firebreak is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. You can also play it as part of a PS Plus or Game Pass subscription if you prefer.
