Manor Lords Surpasses 2 Million Copies Sold in Less Than Three Weeks

Medieval city-builder Manor Lords has exceeded 2 million sales in under three weeks.

The latest data is from Hooded Horse, the publisher, who applauded the early access PC game for its "fantastic debut" on platforms like Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and The Microsoft Store.

Developed by Slavic Magic, Manor Lords has made a remarkable start by breaking records with over 3.2 million wishlists on Steam (the platform's record) and surpassing 1 million sales within just 24 hours of its early access launch.

Tim Bender, Co-founder and CEO of Hooded Horse, expressed his excitement about the game's success. "It's amazing to see the response to Manor Lords," Bender said. "We had high hopes and expectations, but reaching two million copies sold so quickly has exceeded even our wildest dreams."

Manor Lords' Steam Next Fest Success

During an interview with Game Developer, Bender shared that Hooded Horse started to realize the potential of Manor Lords after a Steam Next Fest demo garnered around 500,000 wishlists. Another 800,000 wishlists were added in the two weeks leading up to the early access launch, thanks to increased press and influencer coverage, though Bender remained cautiously optimistic.

"No one could have predicted this level of success. Manor Lords had a higher launch peak player count than Total War: Warhammer III and Civilization VI, which was beyond our expectations," he added.

As of May 11, Manor Lords had a wishlist conversion rate of 26 percent. Bender noted that the rate may have changed since launch due to more wishlists being added, but it showcases the game's significant success.

"Despite launching with over 3 million wishlists, we still have more than 3 million because the wishlists continue to grow alongside sales. This indicates a promising future for the game," explained Bender. "We want to ensure players join at the right time, even if they wait for discounts or the full release. We want them to be satisfied with their purchase."

For Bender, the focus is on sustaining the game's longevity and player base by offering discounts and building anticipation for future updates. "I went against conventional wisdom in business school by revealing more discounts are on the way, but we believe it will benefit players in the long run," he said. "We value player satisfaction over immediate sales."

For more insights from Bender, including his views on "fundamentally stupid" recoup clauses in publishing agreements, check out additional excerpts from our interview.