It’s a good year to be a Viking. Embracer Group, the Swedish video game holding company formerly known as THQ Nordic, released a financial report today showing that early access game Valheim has sold 6.8 million copies so far, with Embracer expecting it to sell up to 8 million copies in total by the summer.
“The quarter was driven by the release of Valheim, selling more than 6.8 million copies during the period,” the report read. “This truly amazing game continues to find new players globally and we expect another 1.0-1.2 million copies to be sold before the close of the current quarter ending June.”
Valheim is one of the biggest indie hits of the year, an impressive feat for a game developed by five people, and it’s easy to see why. It’s accessible for a survival game (you can’t ever die of starvation or thirst) and has something for everyone. I really enjoyed exploring the game’s various biomes, slaying all kinds of monsters and fighting the five bosses. But if you’re an ambitious crafter, you can make a life size Millennium Falcon or a giant Viking luge.
We live in an age where major video game releases have marketing campaigns and development budgets on par with Hollywood blockbusters. So it’s nice to see smaller games like Valheim prove that little games can still punch way above their weight class.