Obsidian Entertainment has partnered with The Outer Worlds 2 A technically strong, well-reviewed RPG was delivered, and yet the sequel could be a commercial flop. According to a report by industry consultant Daniel Camilo, the title has apparently sold fewer than a million units three months after its release – significantly less than the first installment, which sold around 2 million copies in the same timeframe.
Poor sales figures despite positive reviews
If you count first impressions, The Outer Worlds 2 It must be a safe number. Reviews praised the game as being superior to the original in terms of content and technology, with more profound decisions, more extensive crafting, and significantly more wit in the dialogue.
Nevertheless, players' willingness to buy seems to be falling short of expectations. Camilo himself stressedthat he only “assumed” the figures were below one million, because concrete sales data is not yet available.
One factor could have been the price debate surrounding the launch price of $79,99. Obsidian had briefly set that price, and withdrew it after fan criticismSeveral voices in the community see this as a reason why players became more cautious. Whether this actually slowed sales cannot be proven, but it coincided with the first negative headlines surrounding the game.
Game Pass and the difficult-to-measure performance
To make matters worse, The Outer Worlds 2 It was available on Xbox Game Pass immediately at launch. This makes it difficult to assess pure sales performance: many players may have tried the title without buying it. The number of active Game Pass subscribers is generally not publicly available, and therefore a crucial piece of the puzzle is missing for determining whether the title was actually a commercial flop.
Who visites The Outer Worlds 2 Players get a strong sci-fi RPG with high entertainment value. However, the numbers show that quality alone doesn't always automatically guarantee sales success – price, platform strategy, and timing play a crucial role. Obsidian has delivered a great game, but the market doesn't seem to have fully embraced it yet.
Part 1 was really good, but I'm waiting for a sale on the disc version of Part 2. It's been a long time since I bought a game for over €30. I can wait…
Great game
I bought it on sale and I'm thrilled. Great gameplay, fantastic humor, and lots of ways to play in terms of skills and conversations.
The disc version isn't worth it, and anyone playing it on Game Pass, for example, will abandon it after a short time because the learning curve is so steep. I've been struggling with it for a while now, and it's just not clicking. It's worse than its predecessor in every way, and that one was really good. I won't be buying anything from Obsidian again.
I bought it last year, just before Christmas. I personally think the game is great, better than the first one.
That's precisely not the case! The game was overpriced, then they backed out (as you mentioned), and many were unsure about the quality. On top of that, it simply looked like more of the same and seems to have some weaknesses again.
Ultimately, many weren't truly satisfied with The Outer Worlds and wanted a more "serious" game. Let's be honest. Everyone wants a Fallout from Obsidian instead of an Elder Scrolls Lite with Avowed or the silliness of Outer Wilds. Of course, The Outer Wilds 2 will be a good game, but that's precisely why I didn't buy it.
Starfield came out, and even though Starfield doesn't offer what you would expect from a Bethesda game of that scale, I think it still has more impact and feels fresher than The Outer Worlds 2.
It might be a great game, but it's one that nobody asked for, and the Game Pass feature has severely sabotaged sales. The fact that Avowed didn't live up to many expectations probably also plays a role.
Outer Worlds 2 will find its buyers (including me), but that will probably happen in the longer term.
If you want big sales on day 1, you have to do what the players want again:
Fallout: New Vegas 2, for example, but that's just an idea...
It's nice that you speak for everyone. Someone else was quite good at that back in the 40s, too.