‘Atomic Heart' Hits 10 Million Players, Dev Celebrates With New Label
Soviet-styled action FPS Atomic Heart has officially crossed the 10 million player threshold. To mark the milestone, its creators at Mundfish has a huge announcement to make — one that aims to empower developers and investors alike.
Atomic Heart has maintained consistently reasonable numbers for a single-player game, with extra incentives for new and returning gamers through three DLCs: Annihilation Instinct, Trapped in Limbo, and Enchantment Under the Sea.
Robert Bagratuni, CEO and founder of Mundfish, who was also the game director for Atomic Heart, said: 'What started as a dream has become a reality beyond anything we imagined. We're incredibly grateful to our players for their passion and support — it's their enthusiasm that brought Atomic Heart to life.'
Now, the studio is launching Mundfish Powerhouse, a new creative label that hopes to give developers and investors 'the resources, expertise, and support they need to bring their first projects to life.' The initiative will bring Mundfish into the development process from the start, with a particular focus on optimization, technology, and gameplay mechanics.
The Mundfish team.
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'Studios and investors have been approaching us for quite some time,' said Bagratuni. 'Powerhouse will only partner with projects where we see great potential to make noise, not just a handful of indie hits, but big and bold games that can set a new standard.'
Powerhouse is already working on new projects; meanwhile, Mundfish is working on the fourth and final unnamed DLC for Atomic Heart as a last hoorah for its most successful game yet.
I reviewed Atomic Heart before it launched. It was easily the most excited I'd been for an action FPS in years, because I love alternative histories like The Man in the High Castle, Making History, and The Eyre Affair, so the promise of a high-concept, retro-futuristic world and alternative history — where the Soviet Union becomes a dystopian 'paradise' by the mid-1950s — was irresistible. Within the first hour, you learn that the Powers That Be are about to potentially enslave the populace with the launch of mass neural network Kollektiv 2.0. All boxes ticked. It helped that Atomic Heart was visually stunning in nearly every department, setting a high bar early on.
Look at it, though.
Despite its incredible art direction and ideas, Atomic Heart was far from flawless. Its unrefined mechanics, weird UI, awkward controls, and unpredictable combat took the shine off its biggest and best ideas. Despite being ostensibly open-world, it didn't give you much incentive to explore. On top of that, the story's pacing, combined with one of the least likable protagonists of the year, made the game feel a bit empty at some of its most crucial points.
Still, two years on, I think about Atomic Heart weekly. Like Wipeout 2097, Control, and Rollerdrome, it has a je ne sais quoi cool quality that's so rare in gaming. Even though I still stand by my initial take, I recommend every FPS fan try it, as Mundfish has added plenty of post-launch refinements to iron things out. Maybe wait until it's on sale, though.
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