Battlebit Remastered was released on Steam two weeks ago and has been a top seller on that platform ever since. Why, because, as PCG's Morgan Park says, this is a (very good) game that is worth the money. This is important in these times when it feels like every game is trying to make a few pennies on season passes and cosmetics.

Now developer SgtOkiDoki has announced that Battlebit Remastered has sold 1.8 million copies in its first two weeks of release. While it seems like an overnight success, the road to this point has been long: Battlebit was first announced on Steam Greenlight in December 2016 and was the first project by a group of experienced modders.

SgtOkiDoki, in a new interview with How to Market Your Game, explains that over time, the community built up around the game, gradually, until a large number of streamers jumped on the pre-release version in January 2022, sending Steam wish lists soaring. He details the slow process of building hype and setting expectations. Before launch, Battlebit's wish list exceeded 800,000, and after launch, the game has seen 70,000 to 80,000 simultaneous players per day.

One of the more interesting nuggets SgtOkiDoki gleaned from the development period was how the game changed based on audience perceptions Battlebit moves like Battlefield, looks like Roblox, and has certain indie FPS with hardcore mil-sim elements. However, the latter used to be much more prominent until developers realized that it didn't fit the overall look.

"[Players] have assumptions about your game," said SgtOkiDoki about the older version. And when the screenshots don't match the gameplay, you have a problem." Our game played like 'Squad' but looked like 'Roblox. That was a terrible move."

The team looked at the direction Battlebit was going and made a decision. 'We had to make a decision. We had to make a decision. It wasn't a fun decision, but we had to make it.

Not everything was rosy for Battlebit. The game's success made it a target for cheaters and DDOS attacks, and OkiDoki focused on firefighting and hiring new staff to deal with this new scale. However, the indie Battlefield is not going anywhere, and the developer reassures players that it is committed to the game and intends to do so "whether or not it maintains this level of popularity," adding "more profit than is currently being offered.