Video games news, releases, esports and culture — all the biggest gaming stories in one place.
Blood of Dawnwalker reaches million copies within 48 hours of launch
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
The Blood of Dawnwalker, the debut title from Polish studio Rebel Wolves, sold more than one million copies within 48 hours of its 3 September launch, a milestone the developers confirmed via social media. Rebel Wolves was founded by veterans of The Witcher 3, including its former game and art directors, and the swift uptake for a first release from a newly established studio proved a striking commercial success in what has been a strong year for the games industry overall.
Critical reception settled broadly positive, with aggregate review scores in the mid-80s and Destructoid awarding the game 9.5 out of 10, praising its story, gameplay and innovative time-passing mechanics. Player reaction was more mixed: widespread reports emerged of bugs, stuttering and stability problems, particularly in the densely populated city of Svartrau, which the Unreal Engine 5-built game struggled to run smoothly even on powerful hardware. Despite these technical complaints, the game's narrative and mechanical innovations were widely praised, cementing its commercial and critical success as Rebel Wolves' breakthrough debut.
- Sources
- 3
- Outlets
- 3
- Left · Centre · Right
- 0 · 0 · 0
In short
- Rebel Wolves' debut game sold over 1 million copies in 48 hours
- Studio founded by former Witcher 3 game and art directors
- Praised for story and mechanics, criticised for bugs and performance issues
How this story developed
- 2 months ago Coverage of the launch was refined without new developments, with the studio's thanks to players rephrased and the time-passing mechanic now described as a key strength being modded out rather than as merely "innovative" or "widely praised."
- 2 months ago The Blood of Dawnwalker, Rebel Wolves' debut title, surpassed one million copies sold within 48 hours of its 3 September launch, drawing broadly positive reviews (mid-80s aggregate, 9.5/10 from Destructoid) alongside player complaints about bugs, stuttering and stability problems in areas like Svartrau, plus some players choosing to mod out the acclaimed time-passing mechanic.
Full account
Rebel Wolves, the Polish studio founded by several former Witcher 3 leads, has announced that its debut release, The Blood of Dawnwalker, sold more than a million copies within days of going on sale on 3 September. The developer shared the news on social media, thanking players for "playing, sharing, supporting, and being part of the community", though it did not break the figure down by platform.
Early reception has been broadly positive, with review aggregates sitting in the mid-80s and particular praise directed at the game's story and its distinctive time-passing mechanic, which governs how the world and its characters change as days go by. The game also drew a strong crowd on PC, with Steam concurrent numbers reported above 70,000 over launch weekend, a notable figure for a single-player title. Some critics have been especially enthusiastic, with at least one reviewer awarding it a near-perfect score, while Eurogamer's review settled on four out of five stars, describing it as an RPG willing to do things differently.
The launch has not been entirely smooth, however. Built on Unreal Engine 5, the game has reportedly suffered from bugs, stuttering and stability problems even on high-end hardware, with issues said to be most pronounced in densely populated areas such as the city of Svartrau. On console, Rebel Wolves faced criticism after revealing the game would launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S without a 60fps performance option; the studio subsequently said it had listened to fan feedback and, after further testing, would deliver a performance mode from day one after all.
Coverage of the milestone varies in focus and detail. One account frames the million-copy figure as being reached within 48 hours of launch, emphasising critical acclaim alongside player grumbles about technical performance and an odd trend of some buyers reportedly modding out the time-passing system that reviewers have singled out as the game's standout feature. Another places the achievement over a slightly longer window of around three days, placing more weight on concurrent Steam player numbers and the studio's about-turn on console performance mode, while also noting Eurogamer's four-star verdict on the game.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
One source says the million-copy milestone was reached within 48 hours of launch; the other describes it as happening within three days/over the launch weekend.
One source focuses on review scores, technical bugs/stuttering, and players modding out the time-passing mechanic; the other emphasises Steam concurrent player counts and the console performance-mode reversal.
Only one source details the PS5/Xbox 60fps controversy and Rebel Wolves' decision to add a Performance Mode after fan feedback.
Only one source cites Eurogamer's specific four-out-of-five review by name.
Explained simply
Rebel Wolves is a Polish game studio set up by a group of former Witcher 3 developers, including people who previously led that game's design and art direction. The Blood of Dawnwalker is the studio's first release, an ambitious project meant to establish it as a serious new name in the industry after its founders left CD Projekt Red, the company behind The Witcher.
The game launched on 3 September and is built using Unreal Engine 5, a widely used piece of software for making detailed, graphically demanding video games. One of its distinctive features is a time-passing mechanic, a system that lets events and the game world change as time moves forward, which has been highlighted as a notable part of how it plays.
Commercial success and critical reception in the games industry are often closely watched in the days immediately after a launch, since early sales and review scores can shape a title's reputation and a new studio's standing. Technical performance, such as how smoothly a game runs, is also a common point of scrutiny for newly released titles built on complex modern engines.
Coverage · 3 sources
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Destructoid as “Blood of Dawnwalker surpasses a million copies sold in two days, and I couldn’t be happier”.