Dwarf Fortress Recent Earnings Reveal $7 Million Profit

Dwarf Fortress Steam release has reportedly proven to be a staggering success for the two developers. The once-freeware indie saw a Steam release only a month ago, and since then, it has shattered various milestones. The team has informed the users of recent earnings made by the release and how it has affected them.

Bay 12 Games recently unveiled that it earned $7.23 million in game sales in just a month. It is an impressive leap, considering the profit prior to that only amounted to $15,000. The months between September and December 2022 usually brought nearly 15k per average, resulting from loyal fans’ donations.

One of the developers, Zach Adams, wrote a heart-touching poetic message to show gratitude to the Dwarf Fortress fans.

The fairytale ending is reality, but you didn’t kiss the toad. You gave him money. The appreciation you give us is part of our being now. It carries us in the cars we drive. It sustains us as the food that we eat. There is now no longer any existence except the one that you have provided. When we pass from this world, you will be the reason we are remembered,” jotted down Zach.

Not all the money earned will end up as a profit; half of the earnings will “go to taxes,” as iterated by Tarn Adams. “We’re continuing to pay people and new business expenses and such.” The issue of health and retirement has been solved for both the developers behind Dwarf Fortress.

Furthermore, the game’s future is safeguarded to the point that the developers are hiring outside help to help with the full code and aid the progress of future updates. An arena patch and quality of life improvements are already seemingly planned by The Bay 12 Games.

The developer Zach ended up with the dreaded Skin Cancer in 2019, which raised the issue of turning the freeware installment into a commercial release. The bills were piling up, and his wife’s insurance could hardly deal with the $10,000 bill. Overall, the first month has turned out to be a triumph for the small team.

Dwarf Fortress is an intriguing storyteller, and a colony management simulator mended with fantasy and hardcore survival elements. The roguelike indie holds no hands and drops you to experience the intimidating world that provides various challenges through every run.

A group of dwarves has to build a fortress and survive many events thrown at them. The ravishing yet formidable ventures hardly last longer, always leading to dead ends when a blunt series of events causes everything to go aflame.

Dwarf Fortress has dominated the world-building and storytelling genre by a staggering margin and has managed to one-up many new entries over the decennia. Its recent Steam release brought a slew of changes, all centered around making the game more accessible to newer players by adding visuals, UI changes, and more. 

The multitude of growth in earnings would arguably still fall short in bearing ode to the excellency of Dwarf Fortress, as per most of the community. The humility of the two developers and the backstory behind the legacy that went into the entry is gratifying, to say the least.

What are your thoughts about the alluring world builder Dwarf Fortress earning the devs such a proficient amount from its Steam release? Do you think the game’s new Steam version has managed to live up to all the expectations? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.

Similar Reads: UK’s PS5 Sales Rose Over 98% In January Compared To Last Year.