Full speed ahead! Fortune rides with the wind.
The seas favour Windrose, the pirate-themed indie game by Kraken Express. The developer announced that it has sold 500,000 copies in just 48 hours. The announcement was made on Windrose’s Steam community pages, official Discord server, and official social media accounts on Thursday (16 April SGT):
“Ahoy, captains! While we’re working on the next hotfix update (expected to come this Friday), let us take a short break and thank YOU for this milestone: over 500,000 Windrose copies sold just in 48 hours since launch,” they said in the announcement on Steam.
“That’s a very humbling moment for us, just like seeing the game hitting nearly 100,000 concurrent players yesterday. All of this is possible because of you and thanks to your support and passion for Windrose. You are simply amazing, captains! We are truly thankful for this opportunity and will keep working hard to deliver.”
How big is Windrose’s launch in terms of sales and player count?
The game hit 113,930 concurrent players on Steam soon after, gaining a Very Positive average rating on Steam with 89% positive reviews, despite difficulties in establishing co-op servers in some regions.
While these numbers don't look as impressive as the massive AAA and indie hits that hit millions of copies sold in the first four months, it's still a good number, especially since Windrose was not well-known until it got attention from the first Steam Next Fest of the year.
Why is Windrose popular at launch?
The co-op survival title caught the attention of about one million players during February's Steam Next Fest, with wishlists going up to 1.5 million before they announced the game's release.
The game is praised for its crafting and survival system, and world exploration. Many players were also drawn to the game especially because it’s purely PvE, with plenty of fans in the survival-crafting genre drawing comparisons to games like Valheim, and the PvE portion of Dune: Awakening.
Windrose is described by the devs as a fresh take on the classic “build, craft, survive” formula, set in an alternate-history Age of Piracy. It features expansive procedurally-generated biomes packed with hidden mysteries, alongside hand-crafted dungeons and quests, blending survival mechanics with exploration across both land and sea.
Playable solo or in co-op with up to four players, Windrose is focused on a PvE experience. Players can gather resources, construct and expand bases, recruit NPCs, and develop their own settlement, all while taking part in intense combat and engaging exploration both on land and at sea.
With the weekend upcoming, the game may still continue to gain traction, especially if they’re able to smooth out early launch troubles soon.
