Medieval city-building sim Manor Lords has sold 2 million copes since it launched on 26 April, per a celebratory press release from publisher, Hooded Horse. As noted, the game also hit a peak concurrent player count of 173,000 on Steam, and currently has a Very Positive review rating on the platform.
While it would be an impressive achievement for any game, it’s worth noting that Manor Lords was largely developed solo, by Greg Styczeń of Slavic Magic. The project was a labour of love, developed over several years with assistance from Patreon donations, an Epic MegaGrant, a handful of contractors, and publisher Hooded Horse.
It’s also worth noting that Hooded Horse’s two million figure does not include those who downloaded and played Manor Lords via Xbox Game Pass. It specifically refers to copies sold, suggesting the game may already be a major financial success for its developer and publisher.
There was high anticipation for Manor Lords ahead of release, with millions of wishlists following its early trailers. Comparisons were made to similar franchises, like Total War and Age of Empires, with plenty of players keen for an alternative take on the medieval city-building genre.
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“We had some pretty optimistic expectations and even some wild hopes, but reaching two million copies on Manor Lords so quickly has exceeded even those,” Tim Bender, CEO of Hooded Horse said of the game’s success.
It appears the high wishlist conversion rate and early success for the game was not anticipated by Hooded Horse, with the game proving to be a breakout success in a time when many games are struggling their way to market. It’s a clear sign that the appetite for games remains voracious, and that projects with cool, different, or novel ideas are still able to break through the noise, even with high competition.
The enthusiasm around Manor Lords will now doubt spur Slavic Magic on, to create new content and updates for the game’s passionate, widespread audience. In the weeks ahead, we expect the game will continue to gather attention and acclaim.
