Just minutes ago, Mundfish CEO Robert Bagratuni announced on Twitter that the BioShock-inspired first-person shooter Atomic Heart has registered over five million players in the first three weeks since its launch.
We are thrilled with the overwhelming response to our first game. Our team has worked hard since 2017 to create a project that delivers the ultimate gaming experience, and we are delighted to see that Atomic Heart has resonated with gamers worldwide!
Even though these figures have been inevitably inflated by the game’s availability on Game Pass, those are still very promising numbers for a new IP made by a relatively unknown studio, even though they took their sweet time. The original announcement came perhaps too early, in 2018, and there were a few delays from the intended release date in the following years. Still, as I mentioned in the review (where Atomic Heart received a 7.5 out of 10 score), the result was worth it.
Atomic Heart is a solid debut for a brand-new developer. Mundfish succeeded in following the example of BioShock to deliver an engaging first-person shooter that is fun to play (minus a few quirks), runs extremely well, and looks great. That said, the story is a letdown and should have been fleshed out more, just like the side content.
On the other hand, the sudden removal of ray tracing from the final version of the game was more than puzzling. The game still looks good in its current form, but ray tracing had been a staple of Atomic Heart’s promotion throughout the years, in partnership with NVIDIA. When we inquired with Mundfish, we were told that the studio would re-evaluate the opportunity to add it at some point after launch.
Indeed, there’s lots more to come to Atomic Heart. The Atomic Pass priced at $40 (also available as part of the Gold and Premium editions) includes four upcoming DLCs that are confirmed to add new areas, new polygons (the game’s versions of dungeons), new enemies, new weapons, new bosses, and a unique skin for the sentient glove Charles.
Neither Mundfish nor Focus Entertainment, which publishes the game outside of CIS markets, have confirmed a release date for the DLCs yet.
