Remedy CEO Steps Down, Not Long After Studio Admitted 'Weak Sales' For FBC: Firebreak

FBC has a decent foundation. Its just isnt structured well and light on content.

It needed some kind of intro narrative getting you through the maps the first time and then dropping you into the ongoing threat, give it a Helldivers 2 map conflict and "meta narrative", with different parts of it coming under attack and players rallying to quell it and earn extra rewards (vs doing what they want)

Granted this would have messed with their anti-fomo ambitions but hey.

Here’s what I said about this on Push Square. I like Remedy and I’m looking forward to Control 2 when it happens, BTW.
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Gosh, who would have thought that making a live service game while barely promoting it and not shouting out the ties it has to your previous games’ universe while your latest game in said universe took nearly two years to break even/make a profit would backfire?

I am shocked, shocked I say.

Hopefully they can use whatever lessons they learned with this failure on Control 2.

Was marketed and titled terribly, like nobody even knew about it at all and it's such a generic title that doesn't tie it to Control. Also, it was released in a very beta state, lacking depth. I actually enjoyed playing it for a little bit then it got repetitive. I think it could've been something had it been allowed to cook longer and given more variety of gameplay.

Didn't rememdy also make the CrossfireX campaigns that 'flopped' too. FBC is competing in a tough market with well established IP's and a lot of them are F2P with years and years of additional content and Game-play, QoL updates.

Unless its unique, special and/or extrremely well polished with a lot of Content, a premium Live Service game will struggle to compete - especially with that barrier to entry too others don't require...

I own Control, Alan Wake 1 & 2 and all the Max Payne games. I have no desire to even play Firebreak … I’m sure Remedy will bounce back but if they don’t this was a moment of hubris.

@AlwaysPlaying Same. Leave multiplayer/live service games to the established studios and focus on what you do best - which in Remedy's case are among my favourite IP's in all of gaming.

What will be the next live service shooter flop?

I am really fond of the company but the fact this title is one of many multiplayer focused titles that fail should be a cause for concern for companies that keep creating these type of games(multiplayer,live service etc). People loved alan wake 1 and 2, that's why they were also commercially successful, same with control,people are eager to hear about its sequel. Maybe consumers prefer more single player,.campaign focused games.

This game was Darktide but much worse in every aspect. Its failure wasn't due to marketing, it's not a good game.

I wanted to like it. It was an coop horde mod game using the environment of Control. It was tedious and mostly boring after awhile. Glad it was on GP.