Despite the controversy that surrounded its launch on the PC’s Epic Games Store, Metro Exodus was a financially successful endeavor all around, boosting THQ Nordic’s revenue in the first quarter. The publisher notes that 4A Games’ post-apocalyptic shooter has managed to recoup all production and marketing costs for Metro Exodus.
In this first period, which ended last March 31, THQ Nordic boasted SEK 1.63 billion ($169 million) in total revenue. This is a huge increase from last year’s same quarter, going up by about 158 percent. Operational earnings before interest and taxes for this first period were also significantly higher, totaling SEK 395.9 million ($41 million). This amounts to a 217 percent year-on-year increase.
These figures were helped by two key releases of the quarter for THQ Nordic: 4A Games’ Metro Exodus and Coffee Stain’s Satisfactory. Satisfactory is Coffee Stain’s first foray into developing titles since 2014’s Goat Simulator, which is notable for being a game where bugs are considered a feature. Both Metro Exodus and Satisfactory were sold through the Epic Games Store, despite major controversies surrounding the platform. However, as THQ Nordic stated, both titles were successful; Metro Exodus sold 2.5 times what its predecessor Metro Last Light did during its own PC launch window, while Satisfactory was Coffee Stain’s biggest PC launch to date.
Of Coffee Stain and Satisfactory’s success, THQ Nordic said that the launch performance "exceeded management's expectations at the time of our acquisition of Coffee Stain." The Skövde-based developer earned SEK 98 million in total revenue for this first period quarter.
Deep Silver, which is THQ Nordic’s biggest component and the publisher behind Metro Exodus, managed to earn around SEK 794 million in total revenue. The success has led to THQ Nordic signing a deal with 4A Games and its next AAA project.
THQ Nordic’s brand of publishing IPs won’t be slowing down any time soon; the company has announced two new titles from existing IPs ready to be shown at E3 2019. The company also announced the acquisition of Piranha Bytes, the German developer behind the Gothic and Risen series. It’s no wonder then that the publisher has over 80 games still in development across all its subsidiaries, with a total of 48 still unannounced.
